We decided to put together a bunch of long exposure photography ideas
to help you get out of your “artist's block” and out shooting. Long
exposure is such a huge genre and this is a big enough collection that
you're sure to find something that inspires you.
All of the shots
below leave the shutter speed open longer than you're going to be able
to hand-hold a camera, so you're probably going to need a tripod to
emulate any of them. And while they're great for getting ideas for a
long exposure shoot, there is quite a difference between shooting a
light painting shot and a true long exposure.
If you want to
knuckle down to really lock away your knowledge of long exposure
photography, then there is no better way to do that than by reading Kent
DuFault's Complete Guide to Long Exposure Photography. Take a look at it here.
One of the realities of Gimp is it doesn’t have all the tools Photoshop does. In her post How To Replace A Sky In Photoshop, Helen Brady used a feature called “Blend If” in the blending options panel. This feature is great at helping replace a blown out sky but it doesn’t exist in Gimp. So, with her permission, I’ve taken her basic instructions and tweaked them to gain the same results from Gimp.
Without further ado, here is one useful method for replacing a sky in Gimp.
1) Fire up Gimp and open an image needing sky replacement and then drag in a sky image to the Layers panel. Rename the dragged image “Sky”. Click on the eye icon to the left of Sky to hide it from view for now.
2) With the background layer highlighted, select the Fuzzy Selection Tool (for a list of tools and icons, check out Gimp – An Introduction) and click any location in the sky. This tool will select regions with similar color attributes, so the more uniform the sky, the better the results. If not all the sky is selected, hold down Shift and keep clicking sky elements until it is all selected.
3) Select the Sky layer then click on Layers then Mask then Add Layer Mask.
4) In the dialog box that appears, click the button for Selection and then click Add.
5) Click on the box next to “Sky” to make the layer visible. The sky from the Background layer will now be replaced by the sky from Sky. But you may notice there is a harsh edge left by the mask. I’ve included a zoomed crop here to show an example.
6) To get rid of that border we’ll start by clicking on the Sky layer then, on the top menu, click Layer and Duplicate Layer. Right click on the new layer and click Edit Layer Attributes. Rename this layer “Border”. Your layer section should now look like this.
7) With the Border layer selected, click Layer from the top menu, Mask and Delete Layer Mask.
8) Now select the Background layer and repeat step 2) above.
9) Select the Border layer and then, from the top menu, click Select and Border. In the selection screen that appears pick a pixel width of around 5 depending on your image. Also select Feather Border.
10) Repeat steps 3 and 4 above with the Border layer selected.
You’re just about done!!
While you will now have a passable photo, you might want to tweak the curves of the background or sky layers. Adjust as needed to match the general brightness and contrast of the foreground objects. Once you’re tweak is finished you can merge the visible layers (located under the Layer menu item) and save in any format you wish, or leave it un-merged. The choice is yours!
In the end, you should have an image that looks something like this:
NOTE: It would be more elegant to create two layers of the sky initially. I chose the method above to help show the effects of only using the one mask without a border enhancement. It also helps simplify things for those just starting to use Gimp. Repetition is a wonderful tutor. 🙂
Do you feel your photos are good but not great? Do you think something is missing in your images? You may just need a little post-production to give your images the punch they need to become eye-catching. Keep reading to learn some basic photo retouching in GIMP – a free software – that will make your photos pop.
GIMP is an image manipulation software you can download for free. If you’re not familiar with it, check my previous article, A Brief Introduction to GIMP. There are many things you can do with it. To start you up, I decided to do a quick overview of the most common adjustments for photo editing.
Rotate
Most times you take a photograph without a tripod, you’re bound to have the horizon line leaning towards one side. You can easily fix this common problem by using the rotation tool. First, you may want to turn on the visibility of the grid. For this go to View -> Show Grid. If you want to make it wider or narrower, go to Image -> Configure Grid.
Now, to straighten the image, click on the rotation button from the toolbox to open the tool’s setting window. Then you can either drag the slider or type the degree of the angle you want. The last two options are there to re-position the rotation center point if you want. You can also do this by dragging the image itself.
Crop
After the rotation or other transforming methods like perspective, some parts of the canvas remain empty, and you need to crop them out. For this, click the Crop tool from the toolbox and drag around the part you want to keep. The part that will be cropped out becomes shaded. To fine-tune the selection click, and drag the edges. When you’re satisfied click on the image to apply the crop.
To keep an eye on the composition while cropping, you can put some guides to use as points of reference. For example, to play with symmetry put a guideline at 50%. Alternatively, put one at 33% and another at 66% if you want to follow the rule of thirds. You can do this by right-clicking the image window to open the main menu. From there, you need to go to Image -> Guides -> New Guide by percent.
Layers
For retouching, it’s always best to work on layers. That way, you can always go back if you don’t like how things are going. First, make sure the layers dock is visible. If it’s not, open it from Windows -> Dockables.
From there you can add a new empty layer from the blank page icon. Duplicate the current layer with the symbol of 2 squares, or delete it by dragging it into the paper shredder one.
By the way, if you don’t want to cancel the entire process you’ve done on a layer, you can go to the tab, Undo, and do it step by step. The Undo tab keeps a history dialogue allocated as a dock containing your latest actions. If the dock is not there, you can open it from Windows -> Dockables.
Color Adjustments
If your image is not well exposed, you can find the Adjustment tools to fix it in the Color menu. To access it, right-click on the image window and choose Colors. Then choose the tool that best suits the adjustment you need to do. To see these options more in-depth check the article Make your Photos Sparkle with GIMP. For now, I’ll just show you the Levels tool, which I find to be one of the most versatile.
Levels
With Levels, you can fix the color balance and tonal range of your image. GIMP gives you different choices to modify the Levels from the same window. You can move the sliders, enter the values underneath, use the eyedroppers to set the brightest, darkest and middle tones, and even use the auto-mode. They all make similar changes, but they can be more or less precise.
Remember to have the preview box checked so you can see the changes take effect before you apply them.
Filters
You can also apply a great variety of filters; from correcting ones like sharpening an image, to special ones like coffee stains. You can find all these options in the Main Menu -> Filters.
Feel free to experiment with them.
Finally, you can switch to the Multiple Windows Mode (in case you weren’t using it) by going to the menu Windows -> Single Window Mode and uncheck it. Then open the original file and a second window will open with the image so you can compare the side-by-side before and after images.
I hope you learned some useful tips to fix or boost your images.
The term seascape is used to describe a sub-genre of landscape photography, where the subject is (or is composed with) the sea, beach or ocean. Similar to landscape shooting, there is a certain amount of planning that goes into having a good day “at sea”.
Here are a few tips to help you on your next salty excursion.
1. Angles and perspectives
So how do you want to tell your seascape story?
There is the obvious option of shooting at sea level. You should include foreground elements to give your scene some depth and interest.
If you have higher ground, use it for a different perspective.
When you shoot from above, you are able to capture coastline shapes to your advantage. These include the shoreline, cliff edges or other rocky outcrops, and the way the land and sea meet. The ocean works well as your foreground or middle ground in the frame. Use the textures around you as well at different angles.
Most seascapes are shot at wide angles to capture the entire scene. Waves also make interesting seascape images. You can do this using a telephoto lens or by getting in the water with your camera properly housed in an underwater case. The latter is not as easy because it requires a whole other skill level.
2. Shutter speed
Since seascapes are all about water or using the water element in your composition, shutter speed is an important consideration. In regular landscapes, your shutter speed affects mostly your sky, whereas, in seascape photography, you now introduce another major moving element. Thus learning to photograph water, and how shutter speed affects it, will go a long way towards your seascapes. You can freeze those crashing waves in time or shoot longer exposures for an end result of smooth, silky water. It all depends on your desired result.
3. Chasing tides
When you go out to shoot landscapes, most likely you check the weather forecast beforehand.
For seascapes, it is a good idea to also check the times for high and low tides. The tides may enhance interesting land features at your location. Some areas may work well with both high and low tides, while others may only be accessible during the low. This is a good reason why scouting a location helps with planning your outing.
Similarly, shooting the same area at different tidal times can also be an interesting photo project.
Tidal pools also make great foreground subjects, and as a bonus, it can be reflective as well.
4. How wet?
Sometimes you need to get your feet wet to fully capture the beauty of the ocean. Other times, you may even get in knee-deep. Saltwater is the natural enemy of electronics though, so keep your gear safe, and more importantly, yourself!
It is better to shoot crashing waves from a distance. If you venture close, choose a dry, safe position and have someone help you look out for rogue waves. Wet rocks can be slippery, so be careful walking on them.
Keeping your gear dry is also a challenge, especially the front lens from sea spray. Plastic bags or waterproof covers and microfiber cloths come in very handy!
Tripods in the ocean are a tricky thing to maneuver with the ebbs and flows of the waves, but once you get a sound footing, you are all set.
If you are shooting on the beach, use tripod feet, or implant the feet a couple of centimeters into the sand to increase stability.
When shooting in the sea, wash off your tripod with fresh water as soon as you can. Keep in mind that salt and sand can still get into the leg joints/extenders and affect slide and lock features.
Do you get in the water more often than not? Then a good recommendation is to get a cheap, sturdy tripod that is replaceable. If not, you will need to disassemble your tripod to clean it properly.
5. Let’s reflect
What could be better than an amazing sky? How about its reflection in a large body of water?
The magic of reflections is real, and an expanse of the ocean provides a fantastic opportunity to capture it. When you use other foreground elements such as rocks, keep an eye out for pools and puddles formed within them to add some extra interest.
Wet sand and rocks can also be reflective as waves recede or at low tide. All of these elements can come together to create an awesome composition. Wet rocks are yet another reason to go out shooting after it rains.
Seascapes are definitely worth the effort. The ocean is always changing, and you can get totally different captures at sunrise and sunset or between high and low tides.
Seascapes also work during the day when the sun is high and is enhancing those beautiful ocean blues and greens, at varying depths.
Plan in advance what you want to capture. What angles are interesting? Can you do something different than what has been done before?
When getting your feet wet, do so safely for both you and your gear. But most of all, have fun! Respect the ocean, and you can make amazing images while listening to its soundtrack.
Photography contests are a great way to find out if your images are up to scratch. By taking part in these competitions, you can win big. Either cash prizes, camera equipment, or having your work exhibited.
Even if you gain no financial benefit, having your images posted on the competition’s website has incredible benefits.
Here are 10 photography contests you should enter in 2019.
These awards are forever, so get submitting now. There is no time to lose.
Grand Prize – Gold Bar (Pamp Swiss 1g) & Certificate
1st Place Prize – Gold Bar (Pamp Swiss 1g) & Certificate
2nd Place Prize – Palladium Bar (Pamp Swiss 1g) & Certificate
3rd Place Prize – Palladium Bar (Pamp Swiss 1g) & Certificate
If you are looking for the world’s first and most respected iPhone photography contest, you’ve found it!
The IPPAwards are the Oscars of the mobile photography world. They have launched the careers of many iPhone photographers globally.
This year will be the 12th award since the contest’s start. Last year, they received thousands of entries from more than 140 countries.
There are 18 different categories to join, including architecture, portrait, and travel.
The rules of this photography contest are simple. Every image needs to be an iPhone or iPad photo and submitted no larger than 1000px.
The Neutral Density awards aim to promote photography. They do this by presenting photographers to audiences all over the globe.
This award is a melting pot of some of the world’s most outstanding imagery, and it could be yours. The winning image receives recognition, prestige, and publicity.
This photography contest is the perfect place for professional photographers. It allows them to compete across six main categories. These include fine art, nature, and architecture.
For amateurs, there are five categories. Both competitions go through a respected jury of acclaimed gallery owners, publishers, editors, and photographers.
These awards have been around since 2014. The ND magazine and its community brought this photography contest into fruition.
The International Photography Awards are one of the highest paid photography contests around. It is also the only place you can land a Lucie.
There are 13 categories to choose from. These are for professional and non-professional photographers alike. On top of this, there is also a ‘one-shot’ street photography competition.
This year will see the 17th annual photography contest. The winners receive a travel allowance and accommodation to collect their awards in New York.
This photography contest is actually the main funding machine for the Lucie Foundation. This is a non-profit, charitable foundation to honor the masters of photography.
All winning images are published in a high-quality International Photography Awards book.
The Taylor Wessing Photography Portrait Prize is the leading international photography contest. As the name suggests, it focuses on portraiture.
This prize promotes and celebrates the very best in contemporary portrait photography. It does so through its established reputation.
Talented professionals, amateurs and emerging artists can submit their work. The jury selects the best images, which, for many, are the first time shown.
They touch on ideas and concepts surrounding the photographic portrait while exploring other avenues. A range of moods, settings, characters, and expressions are all present.
All submissions turn into an exhibition, shown at the National Portrait Gallery in London.
It will feature the fifty-nine selected images from the winners, including the winner of the $15,000 first prize.
Category winners – Personalised Award of Excellence & Award Certificate
Most photo contests come with cash prizes. The communication arts photography competition stands out as being one that doesn’t. Don’t let that put you off, it is still a revered photography competition.
To be eligible, your images need to be captured or first published between March 2018 and March 2019.
A distinguished jury of designers, art directors, and photographers chose the winning images.
Apart from winning a personalized award of excellence, your image is distributed worldwide. This takes place in the communication arts photography annual, in both digital and print.
If you are looking for one of the most coveted awards in the photography industry, you have found it. Submit today!
Professional Grand Prize – Slovakia Lakes and Mountain Photography Masterclass
Portfolio Winner Prize – Week-long French Alp holiday
Category Winners – Manfrotto BeFree travel tripod
If you are looking for photo contests with cash prizes, you are in the wrong place. There are more important and special things than financial gain.
By winning, you get whisked away to join a photography master class in Central Europe. Here, pro photographer Justin Mins gives you all the help you need.
If you are the winner of the portfolio competition, you get to go to France. All other winners get a very expensive tripod. What is there not to like?
Having National Geographic on your resume and website means you’ll be set for life.
There are a few rules to abide by. The important one is that the image needs to have been taken within two years of the date of entry. Photo manipulation is not allowed, and only basic adjustments are possible.
The Nikon Small World photography contest gives you the largest chance of winning a cash prize. You can be 1st or 20th, and you’ll still win an amount of money.
This photography competition is all about photomicrography. This is the discipline of photographing through a light microscope. Nikon, being a long-standing camera manufacturer has been running this competition since 1975. That’s longer than I’ve been photographing, let alone alive.
Anyone can enter, and they do in droves. They receive submissions from almost every continent on the planet. There are no restrictions, and you don’t even have to use Nikon cameras or microscopes.
Each participant can upload three images. If you win any prize, your image is exhibited at numerous museums and science centers throughout the United States and Canada.
If you don’t feel like entering, even if it is free, check out the previous winners. The images are stunning, and it might just get you in the mood to apply.
Professional Section Prize – $2,000, certificate & Exhibition
Non-Professional Grand Prize – $1,000, certificate & Exhibition
1st, 2nd and 3rd Category Winners – Certificate & Exhibition
Is black and white photography is your thing? Then this is the photo competition for you. There are 13 categories to enter, ranging across landscapes, fashion and abstract photography.
If you are in the top three of any of them, you get a certificate alongside an exhibition of your work. All winners and honorable mentions are also included in the Monochrome Photography Awards Annual book.
Each image costs $20 for professionals and $15 for amateurs if submitted before July. After, the price jumps up by $5.
The only rule is that the image has to be black and white, film or digital. Toned images, such as selenium or sepia are also accepted, so start getting creative. This is your time to shine.
Professional Photographer of the Year – $25,000 (Sony Equipment) & Exhibition
Open Photographer of the Year Prize – $5,000 (Sony Equipment) & Exhibition
Youth Photographer of the Year – Flights and Accommodation in London & Exhibition
Student Photographer of the Year – $30,000 (Sony Equipment for the institution) & Exhibition
The Sony World Photography Award has four simultaneous photo contests. These are Professional, Open, Youth and Student. Each one has a different prize, and although it looks like cash, the money is for Sony Equipment.
But who wouldn’t enjoy $25,000 worth of camera gear? That’s a lot of everything you need to capture stunning shots. You only need to win first prize.
One of the other great things about this competition is the traveling exhibition. No matter which country I find myself in, I always notice the Sony World Photography Award image show.
The submitted images need to be taken within a year of their entry. There is a minimum of five and a maximum of ten images that you can send, so don’t be shy.
We love this competition because it is free to enter. That’s right, free. and you can enter as many categories as you wish.
For all landscape photographers, enter the International Landscape Photographer of the Year award. This is their 5th year, and it’s still going strong.
The limitations are set to four images per applicant. This is to allow the experience gained from the competition is easily accessible.
From all these submissions, the jury rates the images between 1 and 100. They choose the top 101 images and move to the second round of judging. First, they find the best images, then they search for the best photographers.
There is the photographer of the year, a photograph of the year and five special subject awards. Each section goes through a rigorous selection process.
It costs $25 per image, meaning the maximum you can spend is $100 in total. They also have to be captured within a year of their submission.
The best thing about this photo contest is that you are not restricted when it comes to photography manipulation. Just make sure you do it yourself.
