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his-topaz-eyes14 — Tue, 12 May 2009 12:13:14 CDT

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Phoenix Central

ABucin — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 14:56:11 CDT

April 2nd 2009: Due to lack of free admin time, the wiki is on hold.

February 14th 2009: Happy Valentine's Day! Nothing special this year on our wiki, except the photo on the main page. Maybe next year, provided we have enough staff, we will organize an event.

January 15th 2009: The Photography main page has been reorganized a bit. It now acts as an index to all the articles present in the Photo category. More pages to come! Also, the articles are undergoing "graphic and content surgery", which means that they will change significantly over the following weeks. Having said the above mentioned, we hope that this is the FINAL major article update of this year.

NOTE: To view this wiki optimally, you must have a resolution of around 1680x1050.

Infrared

ABucin — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 04:24:10 CDT

	The electromagnetic radiation (or light) whose wavelength is longer than that of visible light but shorter than that of microwaves is called Infrared (from the Latin infra which means below). Infrared light cannot be seen with the naked eye. Obtaining infrared photos with digital cameras There are two ways of obtaining infrared on digital photos. The first way is to apply a filter onto your lens (Hoya, Cokin or any other good brand), whereas the second involves altering the colors of the resulting image via Photoshop or any other similar software. Basic Infrared Usually, the two most important colours you need in order to obtain a good IR photo are blue and green. Plants (such as grass or trees) reflect IR radiation. That is why green is the best choice when trying to tackle IR. Also, a blue sky will turn black in IR, thus emphasizing the white clouds or, in this case, the vegetation (the more intense the IR, the whiter the plants will become). Not all things reflect IR. Water, for instance, absorbs the IR light and, therefore, does not reflect it. Thus, if you try to shoot a lake scene, the water will not lighten up. The end result of IR shooting is just like the image on the left. It contains variations of red. With Photoshop, this can be turned into "regular" IR, the black and white photos that we see.
Colour Infrared The more artistic version of IR photography is colour IR. This can be obtained only through image editing software (such as PS). When using a filter, the image you take will be solid (you won't see anything). Thus, you have to know exactly what you are doing before applying the filter. Once you take your pic and upload it to your PC, all you have to do is open Photoshop and start working on it (see Infrared Tutorial for further reference). In short, this technique is a combination of a color photo and an IR one.

The electromagnetic radiation (or light) whose wavelength is longer than that of visible light but shorter than that of microwaves is called Infrared (from the Latin infra which means below). Infrared light cannot be seen with the naked eye.

Obtaining infrared photos with digital cameras

There are two ways of obtaining infrared on digital photos. The first way is to apply a filter onto your lens (Hoya, Cokin or any other good brand), whereas the second involves altering the colors of the resulting image via Photoshop or any other similar software.

Basic Infrared

Usually, the two most important colours you need in order to obtain a good IR photo are blue and green. Plants (such as grass or trees) reflect IR radiation. That is why green is the best choice when trying to tackle IR. Also, a blue sky will turn black in IR, thus emphasizing the white clouds or, in this case, the vegetation (the more intense the IR, the whiter the plants will become).

Not all things reflect IR. Water, for instance, absorbs the IR light and, therefore, does not reflect it. Thus, if you try to shoot a lake scene, the water will not lighten up.

The end result of IR shooting is just like the image on the left. It contains variations of red. With Photoshop, this can be turned into "regular" IR, the black and white photos that we see.

Colour Infrared

The more artistic version of IR photography is colour IR. This can be obtained only through image editing software (such as PS). When using a filter, the image you take will be solid (you won't see anything). Thus, you have to know exactly what you are doing before applying the filter. Once you take your pic and upload it to your PC, all you have to do is open Photoshop and start working on it (see Infrared Tutorial for further reference). In short, this technique is a combination of a color photo and an IR one.

Photography

ABucin — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 04:18:52 CDT

I

Infrared

L

Long Exposure

M

Macros

R

RAW vs JPG

Filters

ABucin — Sun, 08 Mar 2009 04:18:30 CDT

Sometimes, the camera requires certain enhancements to make the image look more realistic or just to add artistic effects.

What is a filter?

Photo filters are circular objects made of glass that come screwed on top of the lens, at the end of the barrel. Depending on the width, they can be normal or slim.

Advantages

The advantages of owning such filters are, first and foremost, that your camera is protected form both UV and scratches (note that a filter is much cheaper to replace than a camera lens). Furthermore, the image is enhanced, resulting in a better quality (circular polarization filters, warm and cool filters). Last but not least, some filter-based effects are unique and cannot be achieved with professional image editing software (circular polarization).

Disadvantages

There are disadvantages to using filters. If, for instance, there is dust on the surface, the image will be affected. What is more, when taking filter-based photos, there is a decrease in light as a result of the filter's application. Thus, exposure correction is required. Last but not least, there are extremely rare cases when the filter is shattered and the shards manage to penetrate the lens, in this way destroying the camera.

Types of filters

Filters come in many categories. The most common used ones are the circular polarisation filters, the warm/cold filters, the neutral density filters and the UV filters. Other, less common categories, are the gradual color filters, special effect filters and the infrared filter.

The Circular Polarization Filter
This filter is mainly used to reflect incoming radiation. The most notable effects are that of the darkening of the sky and the elimination of reflexes on surfaces such as polished wood, metal and glass.

The Warm Filter
The main advantage of this filter is that it warms up the picture, which is especially useful when taking photos of people, their skin tone becoming more natural.

The Cold Filter
The cold filter does exactly the opposite of the warm one: it cools the picture.

The Neutral Density Filter
Especially useful during strong sunlight, this filter increases the exposure time without altering the quality of the image.

The UV Filter
UV filters protect the optical sensor from harmful UV radiation. Use this when traveling to high altitude regions and when photographing the sun.

The Infrared Filter

Doing exactly what its name states, the Infrared Filter allows the camera to see in the Infrared spectrum.

Buying a filter

When buying a filter, the first thing to look for is the diameter of the barrel: the Φ symbol on the rim. The number written on the camera must correspond to the number written on the rim of the filter. If it doesn't, then adaptor rings must be used. Secondly, you should look for the type of fixture that these devices employ.

Sample Images


The Circular Polarization Filter	The Warm Filter	The UV Filter

Clouds

ABucin — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 04:01:50 CST

From Cumulus to Cirrostratus and even Noctilucent, clouds have always proven a tricky subject when attempting to photograph. This article illustrates the "do's" and the "don't's" of cloud photography.

How to photograph clouds

There are multiple ways of photographing clouds without having to worry about the camera not focusing. Usually, it is a good idea to focus on the landscape and use a large aperture for greater depth of field (f 8-f 13). Once you have that going, you can try capturing clouds from various angles. a stretch of land in your photo is always welcome as not only does it create tension but it also makes the photo less "empty".

When is it ok to photograph clouds?

Generally, clouds can be photographed from morning all the way until dusk. But, bear in mind that contre-jour is essential if you want your photo to come out alright. Also, you might want to try photographing clouds during noon when the sun is at its highest point, resulting in the sky being the most blue. After the sun has passed its azimuth, the light turns increasingly yellow, causing the clouds to warm up. In order to obtain pure white, it is necessary to employ the white balance function present at most cameras or to adjust it yourself with the use of specialized software, such as Lightroom or IrfanView.

Furthermore, should it rain, the use of a filter is of paramount importance: it protects the lens of the camera from getting wet. It is much more easier to clean a filter than clean the lens. What is more, the grey clouds can be strenthened in appearance through the use of gradient filters (mainly grey and blue). Or, if you have a fine eye for details you can adjust the clouds' intensity manually through the use of above-mentioned software.

When is it NOT ok to take photos of clouds?

There are cases when attempting to capture clouds might not be the best course of action. Such as is the case with heavy rains which not only make the image indistinguishable but they can damage the camera. Damaging factors include water, lightning (the electrostatic charge might tamper with the electronic components) and dust. With adequate measures, however, these problems can be solved. A cape, for instance, can protect the camera from both rain as well as dust.

Sample images

Below are some sample images that illustrate various ways of photographing clouds.


Photo taken with a 55mm Hoya PL-CIR filter	Photo taken at dusk with white balance adjusted	Cumulus and Altocumuls clouds	Fog during morning

360 Panorama

ABucin — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 03:56:03 CST

What are panoramas?

Panoramas are usually multiple photos of a subject "glued" together via specialized software. 360 panoramas are photos taken at a 360 degree angle which form one big photo [in other words you grab the camera and spin in a circle while taking shots]. In order to make a succesful panorama that will blend in nicely, I recommend the use of a tripod.

What about the tutorial?

The tutorial below will help you understand the concept and teach you how to make your own circular masterpiece.

Step I - The base image
The starting images are three shots taken approximately at roughly the same time in roughly the same place. Usually, you should go for photos that are similar as Photoshop will do a horrible merge if the photos are taken ad very different angles.

Step II - The melding process

The melding process consists of the File>Automate>Photomerge menu. This process is usually automated but it can be done by hand [Interactive Layout]. Doing it by hand ensures that the final panorama is refined, however I strongly recommend the auto version as the refining process can be painstakingly long.

Once you have entered the menu, select Auto and add the images you want to meld together. Depending on CPU speed, RAM and number of images, the process usually takes around 40 seconds to complete. Size is aso an important factor as a wallet-size panorama will be done in a couple of seconds as opposed to a double desktop panorama which can span a few minutes.

Step III - The panorama

Once the melding process is complete, the final image will look something like this:

However, there are nasty edges that need to be taken care of.

Step IV - Minor adjustments

From the Tools menu, select the Crop tool and draw a rectangle that covers the non-white parts of the image. After that, double-click to crop the image. All done! The nasty edges have been trimmed and the panorama is complete!

Black & White

ABucin — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 05:58:55 CST

Black and white photos are photos that do not contain colour. As such, they have neither hue nor saturation. In digital photography, there are several types of black and white photos.

Image channels

By definition, each digital image is made up of three colour channels: Red, Green and Blue, hence the RGB term. By desaturising each of these, you can obtain various black and white effects. Normally, you should opt for a green channel desaturation as it represents the original picture more accurately.

Digital black and white

Due to the capabilities of the built-in software, cameras are capable of shooting in grayscale mode. This means that the photo is converted digitally into black and white, without the need for further channel adjustments. But, there is a catch: this procedure does not allow the selection of which channel to desaturate. What is more, these images can be processed only in terms of brightness and contrast.

The alternative

The alternative is quite simple: shoot in colour. The best subjects to shoot are objects and people. Shoot landscapes only if you are very proficient in this domain as black and white landscapes are usually not as expressive as people or objects. Once you have your image, convert it to greyscale using either Lightroom or IrfanView. If you are not pleased with the result, you can always change the hue, saturation or lightness of a color.

How and what to shoot in black and white?

As previously mentioned, there multiple options available when shooting. The most efficient one involves shooting in RAW (image format) colour and then transforming it into monochrome. Photoshop offers an impressive array of black and white conversion tools which are easy to use.

In terms of subjects, people are the best as they are more expressive. Objects can be expressive too: rusty nuts and bolts or decayed wood can make for a good impression. Landscapes, on the other hand, are a sensitive issue. Not every hill or brook looks good in black and white. Usually, it is the winter landscapes and desolate regions that impress the most.

Sample images

These images illustrate various approaches towards monochrome photography.


A snowy landscape (55mm Hoya PL-CIR filter)	A summer landscape (55mm Hoya PL-CIR filter)	A cat's footprint	An abandoned rail section

My Hidden City - Episode 2

ABucin — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 05:19:50 CST

by ABucin

Vienna. The capital of Austria. The city with a swimming pool on the Danube river. But most of you know it for Mozart, Prater, The Ring (Die Ring Strasse), Schonbrunn and the aforementioned My Hidden City episode. During this tour, I will take you through places such as: The Ring, Schonbrunn, Belvedere Palace, The Hofburg and The Imperial Crypt.

The Ring

A tram and an administrative building, both on the Ring

Although its nomenclature is similar to the movie's, this is actually a circular boulevard which "circularly divides" Vienna into several sectors. Think of the city as a concentric circle. The Ring is sector #1. Most of the administrative institutions as well as the important tourist attractions are situated here. Note that the boulevard is one-way and all of the sights and attractions are on the left. The best way to see the full splendor of this circular wonder is by carriage (or by looking to the left when you travel by bus).

Schonbrunn

The back gardens of the Schonnbrun palace

This palace is well known for the princess that lived here. Princess Sissi that is. Also, this building was the seat of power of the Austro-Hungarian empire, which like the name states, was formed of two countries: Austria and Hungary.

The Belvedere Palace

The front and back sides of the Belvedere Palace (Large)

This architectural wonder is situated on a small hill and is composed of two actual palaces. The first is the largest and is currently an art museum. Works of great artists like Van Gogh and Schiller can be found here. The second palace is smaller and acts as a botanical museum. Both palaces are enveloped in lush gardens and contain elegantly-crafted fountains.

The Imperial Crypt

A skull from one of the tombs and the roof of the crypt

The best way to chill during a hot summer's day [like I've experienced] is to go down here. This crypt contains the remnants of the Royal Family, spanning over eight generations. Although not as fancy as a night club, this place is worth visiting.

As nice as this article may seem, this is NOT a comprehensive guide of Vienna. To fully experience the sights and sounds of this city, I recommend you search for a Lonely Planet or Globe Trekker Guide.

The Hidden Side of Cluj

ABucin — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 05:18:31 CST

by The Cristi

I am very happy to present you some hidden and undocumented monuments, traditions and events from Cluj-Napoca, Romania.

History and location:

To begin with, Cluj-Napoca is located in the heart of Transylvania (so it should be pretty clear to you that vampires are walking perpetually on the streets and this article wants to drink your blood, just like me and any of the other people from here) and is cozily isolated from earthquakes, ugly floods and other naughty stuff, by the mountains surrounding. Anyway the vampires make it unsafe, mwa ha ha ha ha.

Transylvania is the in the north-western part in the country, and, over time, it has been (and still is) the object of a very intense dispute between Romania and Hungary.

The population is about 70-75 percent Romanian, about 20-23 Hungarian, and the other significant part is of Indian descent (which is a euphemism for gypsies).

Cluj-Napoca is one of the largest towns in Romania and is a very important University centre. It dates from ancient times, as it was founded around 100 A.D. on an already-existent Dacian settling.

The population in the book is around 320,000 inhabitants, yet it exceeds 400,000 in full University season.

Anyway, this is not what I will be focused on.

The leaning pillar:

While walking to the sports hall to see a handball match, I remarked this replica of The Leaning Tower of Pisa, an excellent low cost copy located in an nice area near the central park.

Repairs on the spot [sorry I have not been able to provide the actual image]:

We have an excellent women's handball championship, as Romania is the second best country here, and the match I saw was a derby between the 3rd in the table (hehe our side) and the 5th. (Of course we won :>)
Yet the value of the match and squads did not stop a piece of the parchment the teams were playing on to get dislocated :D. So one of the ground-keepers came to fix it. Our goalie helped - this scene was the equivalent of the stray dogs running on a football (soccer) pitch right in the middle of the match and a player "removing" it. :D

Tools on holiday

I think the local authorities started some sort of project with the local river (called Somesul Mic - an approximate translation would be The Minor Somes) which involved blocking some water, I don't really know, whatever.
What is for sure though, is that they never seemed to finish the job and they left something behind. This is somewhat sad for me because it is near the central stadium (which the No. 1 tradition team in Cluj plays matches - the other one plays better but is just a money team), the central park, the sports hall and the large swimming pool complex. The stadium is the large structure visible in the background. Note the fact that the excavator has been standing there for months.

Another tool on holiday
(this is my favourite - I hope you'll love it too)

I put the text before the photo because I kind of regard this as my masterpiece photo. Concerning the same project as written about above, there is another tool which looks like having a pretty bad time. It is another abandoned excavator, but it is kind of incredible for this kind of city. The fact that the excavator is older adds to the effect :D.

Photo taken from a nearby bridge.

Photo taken from one of the river banks.

I hope you have enjoyed this, because I feel this city is full of resources, and I feel I will come back with more :D.

Long Exposure

ABucin — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 05:08:20 CST

	The human eye adjusts to different changes in light intensity. When we exit a dark room and enter a bright one, our eyes "hurt" as the pupil needs to adjust to the light's intensity. In other words, the amount of light that penetrates our pupil forces it to adapt accordingly. In photography this amount of light is known as exposure. Exposure can be long, short or in-between. Short exposure has a quick response from the camera so it takes less than a second to take the photo. With long exposure however, taking a photo can last as long as 5 seconds (or 30 on professional cameras). How to lengthen the exposure of a photo There are two ways of making sure that your photos are exposed long enough to light. The first involves waiting for the sun to set or drawing the blinds in order to reduce light as much as possible. As a result the exposure time will be at around 3 seconds. The second way to do this is to manually set the exposure time (the FujiFilm s5600 allows exposure times to up to 15 seconds). Both ways are efficient as the result is virtually the same.

The human eye adjusts to different changes in light intensity. When we exit a dark room and enter a bright one, our eyes "hurt" as the pupil needs to adjust to the light's intensity. In other words, the amount of light that penetrates our pupil forces it to adapt accordingly. In photography this amount of light is known as exposure.
Exposure can be long, short or in-between. Short exposure has a quick response from the camera so it takes less than a second to take the photo. With long exposure however, taking a photo can last as long as 5 seconds (or 30 on professional cameras).

How to lengthen the exposure of a photo
There are two ways of making sure that your photos are exposed long enough to light. The first involves waiting for the sun to set or drawing the blinds in order to reduce light as much as possible. As a result the exposure time will be at around 3 seconds. The second way to do this is to manually set the exposure time (the FujiFilm s5600 allows exposure times to up to 15 seconds). Both ways are efficient as the result is virtually the same.

Here is a set of tips that may come in handy when taking long exposure shots:

Shake your camera as much as possible. Although camera shaking is a photographer's worst nightmare, when dealing with long exposure it can produce some wonderful effects.

Lines and streaks

The best light source to do this, is a LED (these can be found in TV lights, computer lights as well as on/off switches around the house). Larger lights, such as light bulbs produce diffuse glow in long exposure (as seen in the second picture above).

Starlight can be captured with long exposure shots. If you set the timer to >10 seconds (amateur models; professionals can go up to 30 mins. and more) you can see the stars. Although they can be seen when taking normal photos, this really amplifies their light and makes them stand out. Specialised photographical equipment with high exposure times can capture the trajectory of stars on the night sky.

Neon effects

In some cases, the camera cannot focus and the final image is a bit "puffy'. This can add to the image's originality but if you feel uncomfortable with it you can either approach the subject from a different angle or re-focus (the second image above shows the result of not being able to focus).

Different coloured lights can enhance your photo and turn it into a masterpiece. An orange light can represent fire (or the sun) whereas a blue one can be a substitute for water.

Neon and ambient light effects

See Also:

Community

ABucin — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 13:55:14 CST


Here's where you can get our banners: Just copy/paste the banner to your wiki and link it to our site!

Travel

ABucin — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 14:14:34 CST

B

Budapest

C

Cluj

O

Oradea

S

Simleul Silvaniei

V

Vienna

Tutorials

ABucin — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 14:14:00 CST

3

360 panorama

C

Channel Surfing

H

Hue

I

Infrared

L

Layer Masks
Long Exposure

S

Saturation

W

White Balance

Photoshop

ABucin — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 14:10:29 CST

C

Cutout

D

Dry Brush

F

Film grain
Fresco

P

Photo Filters

Downloads

ABucin — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 07:48:03 CST

Disclaimer: All the downloads present are property of ABucin. They are free to be used for non-commercial purposes only.

The Gallery

ABucin — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 10:22:23 CST

The Photo Feature is a new service we are offering for aspiring artists. The main advantage of it is that you can promote your work for free! Not only that, but access to it will be provided directly from the Home page. (it will be featured on the Home page and it will have its own Navigation button). To see how your Gallery can look like, please feel free to check the entries on the right.

NOTE: For guidelines on how to submit a gallery entry, please visit the FAQ section of our wiki.

Macros

PCVT — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:21:29 CST

by ABucin

Zooooooom!
Here are some of my tips on how to make a good macro. For all you folks at home watching this, the word macro is a photography related term (it's not an Italian dish as some would think). It comes from the Greek word Macros and means something which is big(ger). In photography, this word means a close shot of an object which captures the details that would normally be invisible with the naked lens.

How do you do it?
This is how it goes: did it ever happen to you to not be able to see the text in a book because you were too close to it? This is caused by the fact that the eye cannot focus on things that are too near. The exact same thing happens with a camera. The macro function corrects this error and extends the distance to which details are visible (in organic terms it means that you can see closer). Usually, with this function on, you can see up to a distance of about 2cm from the subject. Some cameras have the super macro function. This enables you to capture the best details (up to 0cm from the subject).

Tips & Tricks
There are certain things one must bear in mind in order to realize a successful macro:

Focus - This is what Morpheus said to Neo. If you want to have a successful macro, you must focus on your subject. The cross-hair indicator shows where your camera will focus (the objects near the crosshair will be sharp). If it is in the right position, the resulted image will have all the details. Otherwise, it will be blurry and the details will be indistinguishable.

Light - Normally, a macro looks best during noon, when the amount of light is optimum. However, sunset lighting adds a more dramatic effect to your photo. It's the dust and speckles of the atmosphere that make your photo more terrific! Zoom - If you zoom in too much, the image becomes a huge blur. Also, zooming in amplifies the natural shaking of the human body. As a result, images will get blurry because the camera can't be kept steady. Zoom out too much and the details will be less visible. When it comes to the optimal amount of zoom, it is your choice. But be careful not to fall into one of the extremes. Shadows - Make sure that you do NOT create shadow with your camera. If you get too close to the subject, your lens barrel will create shadow which will ruin your day. Also, try to take photos contre jour (standing with your face towards the sun). Water - A good idea is to sprinkle some water on your subject (unless the subject is Dad). The spray bottles used for spraying plants with pesticides work very good. They create a film of water which sets on the leaves or flowers. Avoid sprinkling on your lens because it is very hard to clean.

ABucin's Gallery

ABucin — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 03:32:52 CST

Alley

The Road Home

Blades

Duck, duck, goose

Footpath

Autumn

Onion

Blue

Summer

For more photos, be sure to check the Downloads section of the wiki.

Wallpapers - Nature

ABucin — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 03:31:00 CST

To download a wallpaper, click on the Download button. After that, when you reach the DA screen, click on the Download button which is marked as a diskette. The wallpapers are free for non-commercial use.


Focus - This is what Morpheus said to Neo. If you want to have a successful macro, you must focus on your subject. The cross-hair indicator shows where your camera will focus (the objects near the crosshair will be sharp). If it is in the right position, the resulted image will have all the details. Otherwise, it will be blurry and the details will be indistinguishable.	Light - Normally, a macro looks best during noon, when the amount of light is optimum. However, sunset lighting adds a more dramatic effect to your photo. It's the dust and speckles of the atmosphere that make your photo more terrific!	Zoom - If you zoom in too much, the image becomes a huge blur. Also, zooming in amplifies the natural shaking of the human body. As a result, images will get blurry because the camera can't be kept steady. Zoom out too much and the details will be less visible. When it comes to the optimal amount of zoom, it is your choice. But be careful not to fall into one of the extremes.	Shadows - Make sure that you do NOT create shadow with your camera. If you get too close to the subject, your lens barrel will create shadow which will ruin your day. Also, try to take photos contre jour (standing with your face towards the sun).	Water - A good idea is to sprinkle some water on your subject (unless the subject is Dad). The spray bottles used for spraying plants with pesticides work very good. They create a film of water which sets on the leaves or flowers. Avoid sprinkling on your lens because it is very hard to clean.