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FEATURE TECH

flash to get good quality, clear and well exposed shots. If you’re not using a flash or tripod and are shooting in low light, pump up ISO to let in more light. Note: increasing ISO creates more noise/grain in the photo and the quality is lower.” SM: “With low light photography, it's very important to keep the camera steady. If you don't have a tripod, improvise with a scarf or jumper wound up into a nest and placed on a stable surface. Using your camera's 'shutter release time delay' setting will help limit camera movement during exposure. “Using a slow shutter speed is a great way to capture movement and blur in low light; but be careful, the slower the shutter speed, the more dramatic the effect, but the harder it is to keep the camera still. “For sunsets and sunrises, the light changes very quickly, so keep checking your exposure settings. The best time to shoot the sun is the moment just before it peaks over the horizon line – it reflects off the sky creating beautiful soft light. Once it's up over the horizon, the light can get much more contrasty. It’s called the 'Golden Hour' but it’s more like the 'Golden five minutes!'” CREATIVE TIP “For a stunning sunset, don't just frame the sun in the middle. Find something to fill the foreground to lead your viewer into the image. Using a low perspective is a great way to emphasise the foreground. Try to avoid having the horizon line in the middle of the frame. Use the rule of thirds to position the skyline in the top or bottom third of the frame.” SM

Photo by ©Scott Hocking

LANDSCAPES GS: “Set the camera on auto-landscape mode, or if going manual, use a tripod and an aperture setting of f8 and the lowest ISO setting you can for optimum quality.” BR: “For those big landscape shots, consider investing in a wide-angle lens and consider a lens with a focal point between 16mm to 24mm. Be mindful that there can be fish eye/vignette distortion when you’re 16mm or lower. “If you’re shooting in low light, golden hour, dusk, night-time or dawn, use a tripod. You’ll be using slow shutter speeds and will want to avoid camera shake. “A shutter release accessory lets you release the shutter remotely to avoid any camera blur when you click the button. You want your camera to be super still!” SM: “With landscape photography, think about the frame in three parts; foreground, middle ground and background. You should be looking to lead your viewer from the front of the image, right through to the background.” CREATIVE TIP “For that beautiful dreamy look where the land and surroundings are super sharp but the water (river, lake, beach) is a smooth blur, you’ll need to shoot with a longer shutter speed and tripod. To capture the moving water in all its detail, you’d need a fast shutter speed (eg. 1/2000 second). If you want the blurred water look, try a slower shutter speed of one second or more. Every situation will have different light/exposure requirements. BR URBAN LOCATIONS GS: “Use as much natural light as possible, in some cases you can use shadows to great effect. If you want to show motion or speed, use a low shutter speed. Be sure to use the right lens for the shot – wide-angle, fisheye or zoom, depending on the shot and effect you want.” SM: “Ditch the zoom lens and get up close. Where you are standing is where your viewer is going to be. Photojournalists and travel photographers like to place their viewers right in the action, so that's where they place themselves.”

Photo by ©Christopher Burnes on Unsplash

CREATIVE TIP “When you find an interesting location to shoot, wait for something to happen. An interesting character interacting with an interesting location will always make an interesting image. Street photographers call this 'fishing' – finding a spot and waiting patiently for something to catch.” SM NIGHT AND LOW LIGHT, SUNSETS AND SUNRISES GS: “If the shutter speed is too low for handheld, use a tripod or a flat hard surface. I find manual mode to be easier for adjusting ISO, aperture and shutter speed for a more dramatic effect. Just before sunset or just after sunrise you usually get the beautiful light coming through that is much softer with a lovely golden glow.” BR: “Allow plenty of time to set up for sunset or sunrise. Whip out the wide-angle lens. Use your tripod to keep the camera steady for a longer exposure. Your aperture will probably be around f/8 – f/16, and try to keep your ISO low. “If you’re photographing people in a dark setting like an event or wedding party, use a

Photo by ©Gavin Schmidt

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