Photo Answers
Flummoxed by f/stops? In a muddle over macro? Send your technique and camera questions to digitalcamera@futurenet.com
In a camera-related muddle? Andrew James is here to solve your problems
Make a copy
QIs there a way in Lightroom to process a single raw file several different ways and keep each image? Katie Harding
AThere is a very easy way to do this, Katie: just create a Virtual Copy. It’s called a ‘Virtual’ Copy because it only exists within the Lightroom Catalog (unless, of course, you choose to save it as a file outside of it). You can create as many virtual copies of your raw file as you want within Lightroom, so you’re free to try different presets on them, or just process them in completely different ways and decide later which one you prefer.
Each time you create a Virtual Copy, it will sit alongside any previous Virtual Copy of that photo in your Catalog, so you can compare them side by side. You can create as many copies as you like – and if you decide you don’t want them, just delete them. Make sure you don’t delete the original raw file by accident, though, otherwise all of your Virtual Copies will disappear too. Alternatively, you can export and save each Virtual Copy with a different file name outside of the Lightroom Catalog.
There isn’t a Virtual Copy button anywhere within the Lightroom working space: instead you have to right-click on either the thumbnail or the image itself, at which point you open a dialog box with a large list of options. You will find Virtual Copy just over halfway down the list, so just scroll down and select it.
I think Virtual Copies are a great way of exploring different processing options from a single raw file. I use them all the time.
Smile please
QI recently travelled abroad and had hoped to take portraits of local people, but didn’t find them very open to this. How do you get around it? Donald Hooper
AThis is a topic I’ve talked about before, and there is not one clear answer to the problem. Wherever you travel, there is a different reaction to portrait requests, from warm and welcoming to downright grumpy. As you found, it varies from region to region.
I tend to adapt my approach to how I am received. In Morocco, for example, rather than spending too much time trying to find people willing to be photographed after quite a lot of early rejections, I simply used a wide-angle lens and took pictures of people within their environment. This will be regarded as bit of a cop-out by hardened street snappers, but it allowed me to shoot without bothering anyone. I still placed people strategically within my composition, but I could step back from them and create more environmental images.
I’ve not long returned from Central Africa, and it was also not the easiest place to take portraits either. However, I persevered – and by chatting and taking an interest in people I was able to grab a few, like this eco-guard I started chatting to in a small village. I’m not the kind of photographer who carries on regardless if my approach is clearly causing offence, and I really do think we have a responsibility to be sensitive in these matters.
So much drama!
QHow can I make my landscapes feel more dramatic? Tony Bird
AI don’t necessarily think that a landscape has to be ‘dramatic’ to work as an image, Tony, but looking to shoot images with greater drama will certainly bring a fresh impetus to your landscape portfolio. There are many ways to create drama within an image, but the ones that immediately spring to my mind are light, weather, location, timing and viewpoint.
I doubt anyone would disagree with me when I say that light is the most obvious element that can bring drama to a photograph. I would put light and weather together, really, as they are completely interlinked. I much prefer to shoot in changeable conditions when the scene can be transformed if the light does change, although there is a chance that you might not get anything. If there is a storm brewing, I am happy!
You can still get good results in more predictable conditions, of course, but always be ready to shoot if the weather is giving you a helping hand. I particularly love the scenes where you get a dark, stormy sky but the landscape is bathed in light. The contrast between the two elements can really make an image come to life.
A while back, I bought a stormproof umbrella, so that if I am out with the camera and I get caught by a heavy rain or strong winds, I can still keep myself and the camera relatively dry. You can shoot anywhere and get dramatic conditions, but if you go to places with big, impressive landscapes, such as the Lake District or the Isle of Skye, that will also help.
Pet studio
QI want to take a studio portrait of my dog, but I only have one light. Do you think it’s achievable without more lights? Bertie Noon
AIt’s totally achievable! One light with a large softbox, angled down from just above the dog, and positioned more or less immediately in front of it, will give you some nice light wrap. In fact, I’d say the lighting is the easy part: it’s getting the dog to stay where you want it to that’s trickier.
Since it’s your dog, Bertie, you will know it better than anyone. If you’ve trained it well, it will be a breeze – but if not, good luck, and don’t attempt it on your own. You will definitely need someone to do the dog wrangling for you.
Trying to get the dog to look where you want is just one of the problems you’ll face, but usually a few of their favourite treats will work well. As they can get bored fast, make sure you have the light set up and working before bringing the dog into the frame – and shoot quickly!
Most dogs have long snouts, so use an aperture that’s going to give you plenty of depth of field so there is enough sharpness from nose to eye and as always, you need the eyes to be the sharpest point.
Finally, think about the background and how it will work with your dog’s colouring. I used a black background for my example because I liked the idea of black against black – almost like a classical painting – but if you want something more funky, you could try coloured background paper such as red, yellow or blue.
Video file compression
QI have a Canon DSLR and want to record video on it. Should I use ALL-I or IPB? Courtney Travis
ABoth ALL-I and IPB affect the compression of your video file. ALL-I is a lowcompression rate and IPB is high-compression: this means a video shot on IPB will give you smaller file sizes, so you get more on your card and transfer is faster. The quality is poorer too, but how noticeable this is depends on what you are shooting. If you are just filming something to show on YouTube, for example, IPB is probably the better option.
Instant Insta
QCan I upload photographs from my Lightroom Catalog directly into my Instagram account? Frank Peters
AYes, with the help of the free plugin LR/Instagram (www.lrinstagram.com). You need to add it as a plugin to your copy of Lightroom and log into your Instagram account. It will be visible in your Publishing Services stack when you are in the Library Module. Drag the image you want to upload over the LR/Instagram bar and it will appear in a new window called New Photos to Publish. Caption and hashtag it, then click Publish.