All posts filed under: Storytelling

Life lessons from a pro: Joe McNally on capturing his imagination

Joe McNally has seen it all. Known for his technical skills and vast storytelling experience from shooting for the likes of LIFE, National Geographic, and Adidas, McNally has worked in over 70 countries on both journalistic and commercial assignments. In his new book, “The Real Deal: Field Notes from the Life of a Working Photographer”, he looks back at the past 40 years of his work and the stories, skills, and observations to come out of it. We talked to McNally about his book, how he ended up where he is today, the experiences and lessons he has gained along the way, and that time he brought a cow into the kitchen. Where did the idea for the book come from? There are many photographic books in the marketplace that show you the f-stop, the shutter speed, where to put the light, where to put the camera, it’s basically a blueprint for producing X type of result. This book is not that. The motivation for the book stems from being a photographer for a very …

Using HDR for architectural photography

While blending or merging several exposures into one final High Dynamic Range (HDR) image remains a popular creative option for landscape photographers over the years, its use in architectural and commercial shoots has some big benefits that are unique to the challenges of shooting these genres. In many scenarios, especially outdoors, photographers can normally rely on graduated filters to balance a scene by blocking large parts of the frame with a neutral density layer – evening up the brightness from the shadows to the highlights. But while this works well on large, sweeping horizons and foregrounds (i.e., landscape shooting), when it comes to making that process work for odd-shaped buildings and structures with various hotspots and dark areas, we’re often unable to use the same approach. And where using a filter isn’t an option, or where the sheer amount of “fill light” you’d need to balance the scene becomes prohibitive, that’s where Capture One’s HDR Merge function can now deliver the results you need. How It’s Used HDR Merge relies on you capturing two or …

Into the Wild with Landscape Photographer Leroy Souhuwat

Hailing from the Netherlands and with roots in South Maluku, Iceland-based nature and landscape photographer Leroy Souhuwat brings an exploratory passion and a worldly perspective to his images, which are punctuated by raw, powerful landscapes – and the odd adorable puffin or two. Leroy’s work aims to inspire humans to reconsider their relationship with nature, particularly when confronted with its enormity and unpredictability. We spoke with Leroy about his photography journey and how the untamed landscapes of his new home, along with the support and encouragement of the wider photographic community, have inspired his creative endeavors. How did you get into photography? In 2018 I moved from The Netherlands to Iceland, it was a very impulsive move, but it might be one of the best decisions I have made so far in my life. In that first year, I went on many road trips around the country and took all my photos with just my smartphone. I wanted to share all the incredible views with my family and friends abroad. Then I got so into …

The Brenizer Method

Imagine you’re in a situation where a lot of bokeh and negative space would benefit the look you’re aiming to create with your image. Typically negative space and bokeh are hard to achieve because both features negatively affect each other. Why? In short, to achieve a short depth of field, one needs a long focal length combined with a short focus distance. Conversely, creating negative space requires less focal length and more focus distance, resulting in less bokeh. So how do you attain both negative space and bokeh? For starters, a special technique is required, so that photographer can get close to its subject without sacrificing focal length. Usually, this approach results in a very tight frame with almost no negative space. But if a panorama technique is implemented, negative space can be created by stitching the images together in post. That way, one can create an image that boasts excellent bokeh and plenty of negative space. And that’s what’s referred to as the ‘Brenizer Method,’ also sometimes referred to as ‘Bokeh Panorama. For those …