Composition doesn't come naturally to many photographers. The technical aspects can be learned relatively easily but some say that composition can not. Although I don't believe this to be totally true, photography is an art form and does require some natural ability.

So what can i do, my composition sucks? Composition is subjective so there will always be someone out there who likes you work regardless of how bad you may think it is. Most non-photographers are not that discerning but to capture truely great shots composition is key. A well composed photograph just works, it's pretty clear cut but it is more a feeling than conforming to a set of rules.

Here are some tips to remember next time you go out to shoot. Keep them at hand and see if they work for you.

1. A painter chooses what to include in a painting, a photographer must choose what to exclude. Decluter compositions removing unnecessary components by selective framing. Use your legs, walk about looking for alternative compositions and use the cameras zoom to control what you want to include and more importantly, exclude.

2. The 'rule of thirds' is a well known compositional practice but doesn't necessarily need to be strictly adhered to. The rule dictates that the main elements that make up the image should fall on or near imaginary vertical or horizontal thirds (see image below).

3. Check your horizon. For me the horizon should only ever be perfectly horizontal. Use the top of the window in the view finder as a reference. I often point the camera downward to align the horizon before recomposing.

4. Don't leave large empty spaces. Leaving large holes in the composition such as uninteresting expanses of water or dark or very bright elements should be avoided. Change perspective by shortening the tripod legs to compress large gaps in the mid to near foreground. Conversely elements should not be cluttered, raise the height of the camera to increase the distance between elements.

5. Take a walk before settling on two or three compositions to shoot. Take time to refine them instead of shooting anything and everything.

6. Make both the foreground and background interesting.

7. Use leading lines such as rock formations or movement in water to lead the eye into the frame.

8. Check the edges of the frame for any distracting elements (half a tree, breaks in clouds etc.), and recompose if necessary. Make sure you are able to concentrate the viewers attention to the subject and try not to distract them away from it unnecessarily. Ask yourself, 'what is this image about?'

9. Try to keep compositions balanced to some degree where possible. A protruding headland or building can upset the balance, eliminate it and look for an alternative composition.

10. Practice, critically reviewing your own work and looking at how other photographers compose their photos. Check out this landscape photographer for a start.

Above all, get out there and enjoy, exploration of composition is a continuous learning curve.

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I wanted to blog about my new tripod (exciting stuff I know) as I'm very happy with it and having spent hours, days trawling the Internet, researching which one to buy I would like to share my thoughts and experience. This post is really for anyone who doesn't quite know which tripod to buy, and is after some ideas on what they need to consider or for those already considering the brand Benro, the tripod I went for.

For many years I have used an aluminium Manfrotto 190 series tripod, with a large three handle tripod head. It did a great job but has now been relegated to use as a spare for participants taking my photography course. I don't treat my gear too well (it's there to be used after all), and the tripod took a bit of a beating, with regular dunks in both salt water and sand, without being cleaned. It is now rusty, almost unusable and too heavy to travel with.

In comes my new travel angle Benro carbon fibre tripod and ball head (Benro C2681 + B-1 ball head). For a cheap carbon fibre tripod I had my doubts but thankfully I'm very happy with it and willing to give them a free plug. At a 'reasonable' $400 AUD from eBay this is cheap by carbon fibre standards.

The Benro tripod exceeded my requirements, which were as follows:

1. It must be light in weight. I have strict weight allowances for luggage on some airlines. Including the head the tripod weighs about 3kg.

2. It must support at worst my 5D Mark II, with a battery grip, batteries, Canon 70-200mm L Series lens, Really Right stuff pano head, filters and allow a bit extra for additional loading due to forces imposed when carrying it, wind etc. The total weight rated for this tripod is 12kg well above the 5-7kg camera gear I have.

3. It must be compact and portable but still able to extend to a comfortable operating height. I'm 6ft2" so at a height of 137cm and 164cm with the centre column extended it was perfect.

4. Long term it should replace my existing tripod and not be a 'travel only' tripod.

5. The price must be reasonable, who can justify the cost of a Gitzo? Not me.

The type of tripod head wasn't so much of a concern to me. I had quite happily been using a clunky three handle Manfrotto head for years. The great thing about the Manfrotto head was that it could be perfectly horizontally panned. This is great for taking panoramic photos where horizons need to stay flat when panning. After buying a Really Right Stuff panning base I could pan to my hearts content on any head so I decided to conform and go with the ball head and must say haven't looked back since.

In addition to the above requirements the Benro also had some great extras which swayed me:

1. It can be used as a monopod. This was something I had not even considered but it has already been a great addition. One of the legs can be unscrewed, the ball head attached and the rig used as a monopod. I used this to great effect at the 2010 Edinburgh Military Tattoo in Scotland, where space was limited, I was using telephoto length's and exposure times were up due to limited light. The monopod helped keep my images sharp.

2. Interchangeable feet. The tripod comes with both spiked and rubber feet. This isn't something my previous tripod had but would have come in handy as the rubber feet needed replacing.

3. Tripod bag, great for transportation.

4. Three extension sections. Not that I really know but four section tripods seem flimsy. The bottom section gets pretty skinny and you don't really save much space when compacted. This one is chunky so at least gives the perception of reliability and stability.

5. Hook on centre column for additional weight giving extra stability. The instructions advise not to attach too much weight or it will have the adverse effect, strange!

6. Water and sand proof extension grips. I guess at least it will delay the inevitable death of this tripod.

Overall this tripod is easy to use, quick to erect, great build quality and suits me down to the ground. Depending on how you plan to use your tripod your requirements may differ. This tripod was an ideal choice for my landscape work and I´m sure it will be great at everything else I throw at it.

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Hello Guys, this one is for the photographers that follow my blog. I've written a step by step guide on capturing the star trails image I posted a couple weeks back AND recorded a video on the post processing in Photoshop. Click the image to browse to the tutorial.

Comments always welcome :)

I stumbled across this really cool application the other week and thought I would share it with you along with another iPhone app I use frequently.

The application I found is called 'The Photographer's Ephemeris'. It has a few features but for me by far the best of these is the map showing sunrise, sunset, moonrise and moonset angles and times. There's an iPhone version coming soon which will suite me better, I can't wait. Check it out, plug in the location you plan to shoot and you can easily figure out if you are best to shoot it at sunset or sunrise. It's also good if you want to figure those really complicated shots where a full moon hovers above the Opera House or Twelve Apostles.

Looks like October will be a good time to shoot a full moon behind the Apostles :)

Another tool I use a fair bit is 'PhotoBuddy' for the iPhone. It's really handy for finding out the sunrise and sunset times at your current location (requires 3G iPhone). I also use it to see when the next full moon is. It has loads of other features most of which I never use or don't really understand...check it out if you have an iPhone.

Lee filters have announced what could we be a solution to any wide angle vignetting worries, a new filter format specifically designed for use with super wide angle lenses. Instead of using standard 100mm filters Lee will soon introduce a holder for 150 x 150mm standard filters or 150 x 170mm graduated filters. Initially only released for use with the Nikon 14-24mm lens it will soon be adapted to fit other wide angle lenses. I'm not quite sure if this would be by using different adapter rings or if they will release custom made holders for each lens + lens hood. There are currently no plans for a circular polarizing filter due to the effects produced when polarizing light over such wide angles. What about when you want to cut down reflections and not polarize the sky such as tropical rain forest or waterfall shots? I'm not quite sure if they have thought about that.

For more information click here

I thought it was about time to show you how I roll. This is the setup I take on all shoots and has been refined over a period of time. These aren't quite the bare essentials but the whole lot isn't overly heavy for short trips. I tend to cut it down if I'll be walking any distance.

1. Lowepro - Mini Trekker
This bag has served me well, very well in fact it saved all my camera equipment when it along myself got dunked in the sea at 1am whilst photographing on my own, full moon, and king tide. I bought this bag after trying several others that didn't quite do the job. I like being able open it right up and have access to everything all at once. I can swap and change the layout as desired with the handy Velcro compartments. The only down side is that you have to put the bag down or precariously balance it on one leg to access your kit. I usually set up the camera somewhere dry before walking with the tripod and camera slung over my shoulder.

2. Canon 5D with 17-40 F4 L Series Lens
A great landscape photography combo, 17mm on a full frame camera. I use this lens for most of my shots so it just stays on the camera in the bag. I've also got a Really Right Stuff L bracket which allows me to change from portrait to landscape and back easily without recomposing or shifting the centre of gravity over the tripod.

3. Canon 70mm-200mm L Series F2.8, great for those long shots and portraiture as it's a fast sharp lens with constant F2.8 over the entire focal range. It is heavier because of this but saves me buying another lens.

4. Canon TC-80N3 remote release, great for long exposures, time lapse, and other funky things, this remote release does it all.

5. Lens hood for Canon 17-40mm, not that I ever use it but may come in useful one day if I have a strong cross light...and I'm not using my filters.

6. Lee wide angle adapter ring and filter holder. I've test the Cokin P & Z Series filter holders and this one is by far the best. I found the Z series intrudes on the frame with the full sensor, wide angle lens at wider apertures.

7. Business cards, there is usually someone interested in what I'm shooting, might as well point them to my website. I get my cards through Moo, great way to show off your work.

8. Lens cloths x 3, if one gets wet use another one.

9. Filters carried in a Lee filter carry case. I've gone from Cokin P Series to HiTech (Formatt) to Lee filters which by far surpass the rest. I currently have both the 0.6 and 0.9 soft edge Lee ND grads along with various HiTech filters both ND grad (soft and hard edge) and solid ND's all of which don't tend to get used (not so neutral in colour as the Lee's).

10. Camera strap, only really gets used this when I'm hand holding shots and carrying the camera round my neck. The strap tends to flap about if not being used which can cause camera shake on long exposures so if the camera is on the tripod I take it off.

11. Manfrotto Tripod 190XB - I really don't take care of my gear, this has had everything thrown at it and has lasted several years.

12. Really Right Stuff panning clamp, this along with the Precision Plus Package (#13) is my panoramic setup. This panning clamp is great as I can get the tripod level and then pan with the panning head rather than move the tripod head potentially making it unlevel.

13. Really Right Stuff Precision Plus Package, this makes up the rest of my pano setup. Removes parallax distortion and allows for flawless stitching of panoramas.

14. LED Maglite, this has also done me well. It's still in perfect condition even after being dunked along with me when I was hit by a rogue wave. The LED light is pretty much white so I use it to light paint long exposures in the dark. It's also handy for setting focus in the dark.

15. Head torch, great for keeping your hands free whilst climbing or walking in the dark.

16. Spare memory cards, always keep a couple in case something goes wrong.

17. Compass, not that I ever use it but one day it may save my life. Good for remote locations and figuring out where the sunset/sunrises are going to occur.

18. B+W 10 stop (3.0) ND filter ND-110 a new bit of kit for me, great for long exposures during the day but can result in some very IR contaminated images, use with care! Read my tips on how to best use it here

19. Cokin Z164 Circular Polarising filter not something I use too often as I mostly shoot wide angles. OK when uneven polarisation is acceptable such as on water otherwise only good at semi telephoto lengths.

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I've had the B+W 10 stop 3.0 ND filter for a few months now and thought I would give it a whirl on a recent trip to NZ. In retrospect I should have played with it before I left or even researched other peoples experiences, needless to say I had mixed results. Since then I've studied up and thought I would share some tips that may help you get better results.

First up how I use the filter. Before you even put the ND filter on follow these steps:

• put your camera on a tripod :) you are going to be shooting upwards of 10s so this is a must.
• compose the shot, if you are using this filter it's likely you want to show some sort of motion blur, include clouds, water, crowds or something that moves and juxtapose this with something static.
• set focus and switch to manual, I wouldn't rely on auto focus through the filter.*
• set the white balance if shooting jpeg (the camera has no chance once the filters on)*
• correctly expose the scene, setting the aperture and shutter speed (for the scene without the filter at this stage).*
• take a test shot and check histogram (re do previous step if unhappy).

Setting the white balance isn't as important if shooting in RAW as it can be changed in the RAW editor. Focus and exposure can be set with the filter on if your camera has 'live view'. Zoom in 100% to set the focus approximately 1/3rd into the image. I find with live view setting the exposure with the filter on the resulting images can come out somewhat dark. I suggest to add an extra stop (3 clicks of shutter speed) to correctly expose the image....or shoot and review the histogram.

Put the filter on!

• stop down the exposure 10 stops (for my camera this is 30 clicks of the shutter speed dial as each increment is a third of a stop - make sure you are going the correct way!).
• go for it, check histogram, correct accordingly.

At 17mm on a full frame camera you really notice lens drop off (darkened edges on the image) so be mindful of this. When you get your photos into post you are likely to have to do a lot of colour correction, first correct the white balance. Colours still look way out? You've either got colour cast caused by your filter (the drop in Formatt (Hi-Tech) filters are bad for this, tisk tisk not again Formatt?) or infrared contamination (images lack contrast, appears 'muddy').

Here is a shot taken at Craters of the Moon, Taupo, New Zealand. Straight out of the camera you can see it looks muddy and the white balance is all off:

After some colour correction in Adobe RAW we get (note the lack of contrast):

Converting to black and white and processing in Photoshop the end result is a far more contrasty shot where colour is not an issue:

IR contamination the good the bad and the ugly:

• foliage (leaves, grass etc.) come out bright, can be a good look in b&w, leaves reflect IR so they don't burn in the sun!
• Blue sky's appear darker, good thing
• Rocks and sand absorb IR, can look muddy and lack contrast
• the sea absorbs all IR, ok to shoot

There are a couple of options to minimise IR contamination.

• The use of an additional hot mirror filter to block IR (I've never tried this so can comment on its effectiveness)
• Shoot the sea to minimise IR
• Don't shot long exposures!
• Shot long exposures as well as short ones and blend in PS

I'm pleased to announce my first knol (a unit of knowledge) titled A Photographer's Guide to Manly. For this guide and more like it from locations around the world check out this website. It's a great resource when researching locations for shooting, a reference I use and will be contributing to in the future.

After receiving an email requesting some Aerial photography advice I thought I would post some information here. There doesn't seem to be much information out there so please post your comments and hopefully we can get something a bit more substantial.

Unless you are Ken Duncan and can afford to hire the entire helicopter, take the doors off and shoot to your heart's content you are likely to be riding with others and shooting through a narrow window. If this is the case riding shotgun will allow you a bit more freedom. Don't expect to be able to take the kit bag up front, space is limited so better make the right lens choice prior to flying. Depending on how high you are flying you want something that is reasonably long. I took my 70-200mm F2.8 Canon L Series glass which was great at 200mm but not quite wide enough at 70mm. I would suggest taking a wide angle lens in a pouch so that you can take it up front with you or even better choose a lens that is both wide and long.

Fast shutter speeds are essential as vibrations from the engine, motion blur and long focal lengths can result in very soft images. Bump up your ISO to get fast shutter speeds, you can also dial down the aperture if you are shooting straight down as you won't need much depth of field. In the following examples I used F14/F16, in retrospect I could have used a lower value as the scene didn't have too much depth of field. This in turn would increase my shutter speed and lower my ISO.

Surprisingly the best time of day to shoot ocean and reef shots from above is in the middle of the day when the sun is at its highest point. The surface reflections are minimal so most of the sunlight penetrates and reflects off the sandy ocean floor giving a more intense blue (the red light is filtered out by the water). You also don't need a polarizing filter at this time of day so less to carry. For all other aerial shots sunset and sunrise is still the way to go and ideal to capture lovely long shadows.

Finally, don't stick any part of your camera out of the window, you are likely to lose it or smash the lens against the window frame.

Image Details: F/16, 1/800th, ISO 800

Image Details: F/14, 1/800th, ISO 800

Look for natural patterns for interesting abstract images

Image Details: F/16, 1/800th, ISO 800

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I'm writing this purely out of frustration. I've spent many an hour on the net researching definitive answers trying to build the best filter kit. I haven't found anything specific to my setup so here it is for anyone else looking.

Neutral Density Graduated Filters

Ok, so I have a Canon 5D, I mostly shoot with the Canon 17-40mm L Series lens and as you may have figured I mostly shoot landscapes. Bracketing exposures is a good option (one for the sky and one for the foreground) but I still prefer the getting it right 'in camera' approach so I like to use filters. We are all after dynamic range so they really are a must...I'm still not convinced by HDR software.

What brand of filters should I buy? Are they truly neutral or do they give a colour cast?

Let's start with filters and colour cast. Cokin P Series filters give a pink colour cast and should be avoided like the plague. I'm sure it's the same with the other Cokin series filter but after my experience with the P filters I'm not going to bother trying. What about more expensive filters such as Lee or Singh Ray? Being of Scottish blood I opted to purchase mid range filters made by HiTech (aka Formatt). For the most part I've had an ok experience with them, they still have a colour cast but are definitely a vast improvement on the Cokins. However, when I use the 3 stop ND filters I get lines across the entire image which are very noticeable in the shadows. The images are unusable as you can see:

HiTech 3 stop ND filter

I learned the hard way and had to throw out a handful of images.

As far as Lee or Singh Ray filters I'll let my fellow photographer Brent explain this one. For the tech heads click here. It would seem that regardless of the cost no filter is truly neutral (does that constitute as false advertising?) and of all the brands Lee are the most neutral. I wonder if there is a difference in the optical quality, Anyone? I will definitely be upgrading to Lee filters in the future and be profiling each combination as Brent has done.

Filter Holder

OK now for filter holders. After dropping my Z164 down a waterfall I decided to buy the correct Z Series holder. Playing with it the other night I noticed a big dirty vignette (arrg!). I decided to investigate further.

I setup the 5D with my Canon 17-40mm L series glass to test both the Cokin Z Series and Lee filter holders. Remember the 5D is full frame, the following is not true for cropped sensor cameras.

F4, 17mm no filter holder

F4, 17mm Cokin Z Series filter holder reversed, 77mm adaptor ring

F4, 17mm Cokin Z Series filter holder with 2 slots, 77mm adaptor ring

F4, 17mm Lee filter holder with 3 slots, wide angle 77mm adaptor ring

F16, 17mm no filter holder

F16, 17mm Cokin Z Series filter holder reversed, 77mm adaptor ring

F16, 17mm Cokin Z Series filter holder with 2 slots, 77mm adaptor ring

F16, 17mm Lee filter holder with 3 slots, wide angle 77mm adaptor ring

From the above test you'll notice little or no difference between the holders. The major difference is between the apertures. What I didn't realise in my initial tests was that what I was actually seeing was lens drop off. That is the outer corners of the frame receive less light than the centre causing what seems to be a vignette.

Circular Polarizing Filter

Yes I know using a Circular polarizer on a wide angle lens will give you inconsistent polarization across the sky, and no it doesn't look good...but what if you want to use one and not include the sky? or just cut down reflections in one part of the frame? Will it vignette? Should I splash out on the Lee 105mm CPL ($500AU - $600AU including adaptor ring)? Or what about Cokins Z164? Which filter holder should I go with?

Well I would say go like brand with like brand, the Z164 won't work in the Lee filter holder (see my previous post) and visa versa. I think it's definitely wise to go for the drop-in filter rather than a screw in and then mount the holder on that. The CPL can be used on any size lens with the correct adaptor ring and you can spin the grads independently.

Will it vignette? Here is the Cokin setup:

F4, 17mm Cokin Z Series filter holder reversed with Z164 Circular Polarizing filter, 77mm adapter ring

F16, 17mm Cokin Z Series filter holder reversed with Z164 Circular Polarizing filter, 77mm adapter ring

Yes it will and it will even encroach on the frame, not quite as easy to fix in post.

Summary

As expected the aperture makes a big difference, as I'm shooting landscapes I generally use F16 which makes for a vast improvement. I'm thinking I should have just splashed the cash and got the Lee circular polarizing filter. I'm sure it still vignettes but probably not as bad, I'll post the results when I find out.

Please feel free to ask questions, post your thoughts, correct me if I'm wrong and maybe together we can put this one to rest! So far my thoughts on the ultimate setup are Lee all the way...that's right, Lee endorses Lee.

UPDATE: Have Lee got the solution? Click here for more information.