Saturday 13 June 2015

9 creative photo ideas to try in June

As part of our ongoing series to help you get more creative with your digital camera, each month we publish some fun, seasonal, creative photo ideas to help inspire your imagination. Along with some amazing images, we’ve also provided some quick photography tips by both amateur and professional photographers who are experts in these fields.
We’re kicking off June with a new list of exciting photo projects like making 3D images, shooting solely with a 50mm lens, making composites and planning your travel photography!

01. Hit the road
Phgr. Kartik Rawal

While the road trip tends to be more associated with novels like On the Road and iconic movies like Easy Rider, photographers have long been inspired by the open road’s visual possibilities and promise of adventure.

Don’t worry though if you don’t have Monument Valley or Route 66 within striking distance, as the spirit of open-road photography can be channelled wherever you are in the world.
This stunning image was taken by photographer Kartik Rawal during a photographic trip to Mount Abu.

“We were lucky with the weather because it’s very unusual to get such sunny day in ABU. For this image, I used a Canon EOS 5D Mark II SLR with a 17-40mm f/4 lens and graduated Neutral Density filter.” Kartik says

While it may be hard to find an open road that stays empty for very long in the cities, the classic image of tarmac snaking into an undiscovered distance remains as alluring and compelling as ever. 

Get started today

  • While you don’t need a totally empty road for this kind of image, it helps with impact, so be prepared to get up well before the traffic. The light tends to much better just after sunrise as well


  • You can borrow many techniques and tips from landscape photography – use a tripod (where it’s safe to do so) to keep shots sharp, and set a narrow aperture (higher f number) to maximise depth of field and front to back sharpness. Don’t set too narrow an aperture, however, as your image can end up softer because of diffraction


  • Kartik used a graduated ND filter to balance the sky with the middle and foreground, ensuring each section was well exposed. If you don’t have a filter on you, the Graduated Filter tool in Lightroom can also help to give dramatic skies with well-lit foregrounds but use it sparingly. Fixing bad underexposure will also generate noise.


  • Try to avoid distractions and clutter by the side of the road, like litter bins, bus shelters and so on.


Stay tuned For more!...