Pixology Magazine Sample Issue

Pixology
The Magazine for Photographers
August 2015
Pixology
The Magazine for Photographers
CONTENTS
On the Cover: Clouds provide a bit of drama in the sky,
as well as dramatic contrast of light and shadows in the
rolling hills of the Palouse region of eastern Washington
State. Captured at a lens focal length of 35mm, with an
aperture of f/8 and a shutter speed of 1/250th of a second
at 100 ISO.
4 What is a Selection?
9 Instant Fix for Keywords
9
15 Step by Step: Adding Texture
25 Lens Cleaning
35 Seeing in Sunlight
25
From the Editor
One of the things that I think is
critically important in photography is
for photographers to truly understand
the tools they’re using, and how to
optimize the use of those tools.
An article on selections in Photoshop,
for example, should help demystify
this helpful and powerful feature. And
an article on cleaning lenses aims to
point out some key considerations
that might not be obvious when it
comes to keeping your lenses clean.
I hope you find the articles in this
issue of Pixology to be helpful. As
always, I welcome your feedback on
what topics you’d like to see covered in
future issues.
Thank you,
Tim Grey
Editor
PIXOLOGY
PIXOLOGY
This issue of Pixology includes
several articles aimed at helping
photographers understand aspects
of their photography that might not
always be top-of-mind.
3
What is a
Selection?
Understanding a
Valuable and Powerful
Feature in Photoshop
By Tim Grey
Photoshop is a remarkably powerful
software application, and among the most
powerful features within Photoshop is
the ability to make use of layer masks
for targeted adjustments and composite
images. These options, in turn, often
employ selections as the basis of
identifying which area of a photo you
want affected by a given adjustment, or
which portion of a photo you want visible
in a composite creation. I find that many
photographers are confused by selections
in Photoshop, and tend to believe that
selections are much more complicated
than they really are.
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4
A Simple Stencil
Put simply, a selection is a stencil that is used to
identify specific areas of an image. Areas that are
selected are will be affected by an adjustment, for
example, while areas that are not selected will not
be affected. I think this is a relatively easy concept
to understand.
In the context of Photoshop, a selection is
represented as what is essentially a black and
white image. In other words, while you will see
the “marching ants” display on a photo when
you create a selection, that animated dashed
line isn’t how Photoshop is really representing
your selection internally. Instead, the selection is
represented by a black and white image.
While Photoshop generally presents a selection as an
animated dashed line (left), the actual selection is
essentially a stencil (right) where white areas are selected
and black areas are not selected.
PIXOLOGY
A selection can be thought of as a special layer
within your image, much like an image layer is
represented by pixels of varying color and tonal
5
values. A selection will therefore consist of the
same overall pixel dimensions of the underlying
image. Areas of the image that are selected will be
represented as white pixels within the context of
the selection in terms of how Photoshop represents
a selection internally. Areas of the image that are
not selected will be represented as black pixels.
In other words, a selection is simply a black and
white image where white areas represent selected
pixels and black areas represent pixels that are
not selected. So again, a selection in Photoshop
is really just a stencil that represents a particular
portion of a photo.
Shades of Gray
A selection can consist of fully selected areas (white),
fully deselected areas (black) and partially selected areas
(shades of gray).
Of course, a selection can consist of more than
simply white (for selected pixels) and black (for
deselected pixels). While a selection is represented
by a “black and white” image, in this context that
black and white image is really a grayscale image.
In other words, a selection can be represented by
various shades of gray in addition to the black and
white values.
Pixels within an image can be completely selected,
completely deselected, or partially selected. If a
pixel is partially selected, the selection will reflect
that pixel as a shade of gray. The closer to white the
pixel is, the more “solid” the selection is.
So, in the context of a selection, white represents a
pixel that is 100% selected, and black represents a
pixel that is 0% selected. Thus, a middle gray pixel
in the context of a selection would be represented
by a 50% gray value, meaning the pixel is 50%
selected. Other shades of gray would similarly
represent varying degrees of selection.
It might seem odd to have the ability to “partially
select” a pixel in Photoshop. But this ability
is tremendously helpful. In the context of a
targeted adjustment, for example, a pixel that was
100% selected will receive 100% of the impact
PIXOLOGY
6
of the adjustment you’ve applied. A pixel that
was not selected will not be affected at all by
the adjustment. And a pixel that was partially
selected will receive a toned-down version of the
adjustment you apply.
So, if the targeted adjustment you applied
brightens the image by one full stop, areas of the
image that were selected (represented by white
in the selection) would be brightened by one
stop. Areas of the image that were not selected
(represented by black in the selection) would not
be brightened at all. And areas of the image that
were 50% selected (represented by middle gray
in the selection) would be brightened by one-half
stop (half the strength of the adjustment).
When you understand that selections are
represented within Photoshop (at least “behind the
scenes”) as a grayscale image, suddenly the various
ways you can modify selections make a lot more
sense. When you adjust the shape, edge transition,
or other attributes of a selection, you’re really just
modifying a grayscale image that serves as a stencil
to define the selection.
Variations on a Theme
Of course, when it comes to applying targeted
adjustments or creating composite images,
selections aren’t the only tool that might confuse
photographers. You can save a selection, preserve a
selection as an “alpha channel”, and use a selection
as the basis of a layer mask, for example.
But all of these different features actually just
represent variations on a theme. In all cases these
objects within Photoshop are really just grayscale
images serving as a stencil to identify specific areas
of an image.
So, just as you can see a visual grayscale
representation of a layer mask on the Layers
panel when you use an adjustment layer to
apply a targeted adjustment, so too can you see
PIXOLOGY
7
other representations of these various “stencils”
in Photoshop. Saved selections are visible on
the Channels panel, for example, just as other
alpha channels and even the mask for the
Quick Mask mode if you’re using that option to
modify a selection.
While there are a variety of ways to define specific
areas of a photo, such as selections, saved selections,
alpha channels, and layer masks, in reality these are all
represented within Photoshop as grayscale images.
PIXOLOGY
I think if you keep in mind that selections are
simply stencils within Photoshop, where white
represents selected pixels, black represents
deselected pixels, and shades of gray represent
partially selected pixels, you’ll have a much
easier time understanding what selections are.
Perhaps more importantly, I think this basic
understanding will make it easier for you to
work with selections, and to fine-tune your
selections (and layer masks) to perfection
when applying targeted adjustments or creating
composite images in Photoshop. v
8
Instant Fix
for Keywords
By Tim Grey
Lightroom Provides
a Fast and Easy Way
to Correct Spelling
Errors and Other
Problems with
Keywords
PIXOLOGY
When photographers ask me why I
recommend Lightroom as one of the
best solutions for managing a large (and
growing) collection of photographic
images, I often explain that some of the key
benefits of Lightroom don’t seem especially
significant until you need those features.
Correcting spelling errors or other problems
with keywords is one of those situations
where Lightroom can provide a tremendous
benefit compared to other applications.
9
Keyword Errors
A spelling error in a keyword (such as “Horseshow”
rather than “Horseshoe” here) can be problematic and
frustrating. In Lightroom, however, it is very easy to
correct such keywording errors throughout your entire
catalog of photos.
There are a variety of reasons you might need to
apply corrections to the keywords for your photos.
Perhaps one of the most common scenarios
involves a spelling error. Especially if you are
adding keywords for an unfamiliar subject or
location, you may use the wrong spelling or the
wrong term altogether for a keyword.
You might also need to fix keywords due to an
inconsistency. For example, you might choose to
always use the English version of city names when
adding keywords to your travel photos. If you then
inadvertently added the local spelling of a foreign
city name, you might want to change that keyword
to the English version.
And, of course, you might simply identify a subject
or location incorrectly. In this case the keyword
itself might be perfectly valid, just not applicable to
the images to which you assigned the keyword.
Whatever the reason, if you have keywords
that are inaccurate, those keywords won’t be
especially helpful when it comes to locating
specific photos or identifying a key subject in a
photo. Therefore, you’ll want to quickly resolve
any errors in the keywords you’ve assigned.
Fortunately, correcting inaccurate keywords is
remarkably simple in Lightroom.
The Quick Fix
If you’ve spelled a keyword incorrectly, you might
assume that it will be challenging to resolve
that issue, especially if the misspelled keyword
has been assigned to a large number of photos.
However, in Lightroom it is very easy to resolve
this type of issue.
On the right panel in the Library module in
Lightroom you’ll find the Keyword List section.
Here you’ll find every single keyword you’ve ever
added to any photo in the current Lightroom
PIXOLOGY
10
The Edit Keyword Tag dialog in Lightroom enables
you to make corrections to keywords across your entire
catalog of photos.
catalog. What you might not realize is that this
list also makes it easy to resolve spelling errors for
your keywords.
To correct a misspelled keyword, for
example, you can simply right-click on
that keyword in the Keyword List section,
and choose the “Edit Keyword Tag” option
from the popup menu. This will bring up
a dialog where you can change the text for
the keyword. Simply change the text in the
Keyword Name field and click the Save
button to save the corrected keyword.
When you edit a keyword from the Keyword
List in this way, that keyword is updated for
every single photo to which the keyword was
applied. It really is that easy. So whether you
spelled a keyword incorrectly or used the
wrong keyword altogether in the context of
your photos, it is easy to apply a correction
for all images that have the incorrect keyword
assigned to them.
PIXOLOGY
11
Mixed Fixes
Of course, in some cases you might have a
situation where you need to change the keyword
for some images, but not for others. For example,
maybe you assigned a keyword that incorrectly
identifies the key subject in some photos, but
other photos have that keyword assigned correctly.
In other words, you can’t simply use the “Edit
Keyword Tag” option, because doing so would
not only correct the photos that have the wrong
keyword, but also create an error for photos that
had the keyword assigned correctly.
This situation is a little more tricky because you
need to perform some additional steps, and you
need to filter your images so you are only seeing
those that need to have a keyword changed.
If you need to apply changes to keywords for a specific
subset of photos within your Lightroom catalog, it is
important to select those photos in the Grid view so
you can update the metadata for multiple photos at the
same time.
PIXOLOGY
The first step in this case is to make sure
that only those photos that have the keyword
assigned incorrectly are currently shown on
the filmstrip, or to select only those photos you
want to update. You could, for example, simply
12
navigate to a folder that only contains photos
where a given keyword is assigned incorrectly.
You might also apply a filter based on whatever
criteria will enable you to ensure that only
photos with an incorrectly assigned keyword are
displayed on the filmstrip.
Once you have filtered your images so that
the filmstrip only shows photos that have a
given keyword assigned incorrectly, you need
to switch to the grid view display so you can
update the metadata for multiple photos at once.
To switch to the grid view display you can press
the letter “G” on the keyboard, or click the Grid
View button at the far left of the toolbar that
appears directly below the preview area for your
photos in Lightroom.
Next, select all of the photos that are currently
displayed by pressing Ctrl+A on the keyboard
on Windows or Command+A on Macintosh.
Note that you can also select only a portion of
the currently availalbe photos if needed. Then
locate the keyword that was assigned incorrectly
from the list in the Keyword List section of the
right panel.
If the keyword in question has been assigned to all
of the photos currently displayed (and selected),
you will see a check mark icon to the left of that
keyword in the Keyword List section. If that is
the case, simply click on that check mark icon to
remove the applicable keyword from all of the
selected photos.
When you have selected multiple images and some
include a keyword and some don’t include that keyword,
you will see a “dash” icon to the left of the keyword on
the Keyword List.
PIXOLOGY
If the applicable keyword has been assigned
to some but not all of the selected images, you
will see a “dash” icon rather than a check mark
icon to the left of the keyword in the Keyword
List section. In this case you will need to click
on the icon twice. The first time you click on
the icon the keyword will be assigned to all of
the selected photos, and you will then see a
check mark icon in place of the “dash” icon. The
second time you click (this time on the check
13
mark icon) the keyword will be removed from
all of the selected photos, and you will see an
empty box in the position you clicked.
Once you’ve removed the incorrect keyword from
the selected photos, if necessary you can add a
“replacement” keyword to those photos. First, it
is a good idea to scroll through all of the selected
photos, just to make sure that the keyword you
want to add should indeed be added to all of the
selected photos. If not, you can either update your
filter criteria, or deselect some of the photos before
adding a keyword.
When you’re ready to add a new keyword to all
of the selected photos, once again make sure you
are in the grid view display so you can update
the metadata for multiple photos at once. Then
go to the Keywording section on the right panel
and click in the field that displays the text “Click
here to add keywords”. You can then type the
new keyword you want to add to the selected
photos, and press Enter or Return on the
keyboard to add the keyword.
Organizational Solutions
Keywords can serve an important role in a photomanagement workflow, but inaccurate keywords
can cripple that workflow. Fortunately, Lightroom
provides simple yet powerful options for
correcting keywords for your photos. The key is to
ensure that you are either certain that you want to
completely replace a given keyword in your entire
catalog, or that you have filtered your images to
include only those that you actually want to update
in terms of specific keywords you’ve assigned.
For more information on resolving common
organizational challenges in Lightroom, you might
be interested in the course “Cleaning Up Your Mess
in Lightroom”, available in the GreyLearning video
training library (http://www.greylearning.com). v
PIXOLOGY
14
Step by Step:
A d d i n g Te x t u r e
By Tim Grey
In my photography I often find I’m
drawn to textures in the scenes before
me. Sometimes those textures lead
to photographing a wider scene, and
sometimes I’ll photograph the texture
all by itself. Presented here are the steps
involved in adding the texture from one
photo as an overlay to another photo.
PIXOLOGY
15
1
PIXOLOGY
Open the Texture
While it is possible in theory to combine a texture
with a base photographic image by sending both
images to Photoshop from Adobe Bridge or
Lightroom, doing so will result in a completely
new image (which you may or may not want)
and will cause the base image to be flattened if it
contains layers. For this reason, when adding a
texture to a photo I generally take the “manual”
approach that starts with opening both images in
Photoshop. So, with the base image already open,
choose File > Open from the menu and open the
photo that contains the texture you want to use.
16
2
PIXOLOGY
View Both Images
Now that you have both the base image and
your texture image open, you’ll want to be able
to see both of those images so you can easily
combine the two. To view the images side-by-side
choose Window > Arrange from the menu and
choose either “Tile All Vertically” or “Tile All
Horizontally”. You will then see both of the images
arranged in separate tabs.
17
3
PIXOLOGY
Choose the Move Tool
Next, select the Move tool, which will be used to
add the texture layer to the base image. You can
choose the Move tool by clicking the button for the
tool at the top of the toolbox, or by pressing the
letter “V” on the keyboard.
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4
PIXOLOGY
Add the Texture Layer
With both the texture image and the base image
available, and the Move tool active, you can now
drag and drop the texture image into the base
image in order to combine the two. First, make
sure the texture image is the active image, which
you can do by simply clicking (but not dragging)
within the texture image using the Move tool.
Then hold the Shift key on the keyboard, click
the thumbnail for the texture image layer on the
Layers panel, and drag-and-drop that image layer
into the base image. Because you were holding
the Shift key when you dragged the texture image
into the base image, the texture image layer will be
centered within the base image.
19
5
PIXOLOGY
Adjust the Layer Order
When you drag a layer from one image to another
in Photoshop, the new layer—in this case the
texture layer—will be added directly above the
currently active layer in the destination image.
Generally speaking when adding a texture to an
existing image you will want the texture layer to
be the top layer on the Layers panel. If that is not
the case, you can adjust the layer order by simply
dragging the thumbnail for the texture layer to the
top of the “stack” on the Layers panel.
20
6
PIXOLOGY
Transform as Needed
If the texture image and the base image have
different overall pixel dimensions, the texture
won’t fit perfectly within the base image. The
texture image might be too large or too small,
depending on the images you’re using. If you want
to resize (or even stretch or skew) the texture
image layer, you can do so by making sure the
texture image layer is active on the Layers panel,
and then choosing Edit > Free Transform from
the menu. You can then drag any of the handles
attached to the edges of the image to adjust the
size and overall aspect ratio of the image. When
you’re finished adjusting the transformation you
can simply press Enter or Return on the keyboard
to apply the change.
21
7
PIXOLOGY
Change the Blend Mode
At this point the texture image will completely
hide the base image, because the default blend
mode for an image layer is the “Normal” blend
mode. You can choose a different blend mode by
clicking the popup at the top-left of the Layers
panel that shows the “Normal” blend mode by
default. In most cases you will want to use the
Overlay blend mode in order to add contrast to
the underlying image based on the texture of the
image above.
You might also test the Multiply (for darkening)
or Screen (for lightening) blend modes
depending on the nature of your texture image,
or one of the other blend modes if you want a
more dramatic effect.
22
8
PIXOLOGY
Desaturate the Texture
The color in the image you are using as a texture
can influence the overall color in the underlying
photo, depending on the degree of color in the
texture image, the blend mode you use, and the
opacity setting you eventually establish. To remove
all of the color from the texture image so that only
the actual texture will impact the final image, make
sure the texture image layer is active on the Layers
panel and then choose Image > Adjustments >
Desaturate from the menu.
23
9
PIXOLOGY
Adjust the Opacity
After changing the blend mode for the texture
layer, you may find that the overall effect is far too
strong. You can mitigate the effect by reducing the
value for Opacity using the control at the top-right
of the Layers panel. And, of course, you can go
back and forth among the various steps involved to
alter the appearance of the texture, and even apply
additional overall adjustments to the composite
image to fine-tune the final result. v
24
Lens
Cleaning
Tips for Ensuring Your Lenses Provide a
Clear View of the Scenes You Photograph
By Tim Grey
It seems to me that a lot of attention
is paid to sensor cleaning for digital
cameras, and for good reason. Dust
spots or other blemishes on the filter in
front of your camera’s image sensor can
require considerable cleanup work in postprocessing. However, it is also worthwhile
to make sure your lenses remain clean.
While blemishes on your lenses aren’t
likely to be visible in most photos, they
can become a serious problem in certain
situations, such as when photographing
with the sun in—or nearly in—the frame.
PIXOLOGY
25
A clean lens is especially important when you will
include the sun in (or near) the frame of a photograph.
Just as you must take care when cleaning the
sensor on your digital camera, it is also important
to be careful when cleaning your lenses. Those
lenses are, after all, critical—and often expensive—
tools in your photography.
First: Avoid Scratches
You can probably appreciate how frustrating it is
when you are trying to solve a problem and you
create an even bigger problem in the process. In
the context of cleaning your lenses, that “bigger
problem” can be scratches on your lens elements
caused by your cleaning efforts.
For example, grains of sand are capable of creating
some serious scratches on your lenses. If you simply
wipe the front lens elements with a lens cloth, a
single grain of sand that was stuck to that lens
element can cause a significant scratch. Therefore,
the first step in cleaning a lens is to make sure that
any abrasive contaminants have been removed.
PIXOLOGY
26
The first step in cleaning a lens is to use a brush or other
soft material to gently remove any sand or grit that has
the potential to scratch the lens elements.
The key here is to initially use a technique that
will remove any abrasive contaminants without
harming your lens. There are a variety of tools
and techniques you could use at this stage. For
example, a simple bulb blower can be used to blow
grit off the lens. You could also use an appropriate
brush or even a lens cleaning cloth to gently
remove any grit.
Make sure you are not applying pressure to the
front of the lens, or “dragging” across the lens
element. The aim is to knock any sand or other grit
free from the lens without causing harm to the lens
in the process.
A Wet Solution
Once you’ve made sure there isn’t any sand or
other grit on your lenses, you can move to a
technique that employs a liquid solution to clean
the lens elements. There are a wide variety of
products to choose from, depending on which
PIXOLOGY
27
Cleaning with a wet solution that is known to be safe for
coated lens elements can help ensure that all dirt and
contaminants are removed from the lens surfaces.
approach you feel works best for you. This, in turn,
partly depends on whether you’ll be cleaning your
lenses in the comfort of a studio environment or if
you need to be able to clean your lenses in the field
and on the go.
There are two basic components to this type of
“wet” lens cleaning. Those components are the
liquid solution that will help to break down grime
and clean spots on your lenses, and the cloth you
will use to actually wipe the lens element.
You can purchase the cleaning solution and
cloths as separate items, if you’d like. You can
also purchase pre-moistened wipes in individual
packets, specifically designed for cleaning
lenses. There are many options available. I’ve
had good results with the cleaning products
from Photographic Solutions, including their
Eclipse cleaning solution (http://timgrey.me/
eclipsesolution), for example. You might also
consider the “Lens Cleanse” kits available from
Hoodman USA (http://timgrey.me/lenscleanse).
PIXOLOGY
28
I do highly recommend using cleaning solutions
specifically designed to be safe for lenses,
especially considering that many lenses include
special coatings on the lens elements.
The process of using these products for cleaning
lenses is rather straightforward. What I consider to
be most important is to make sure you’re cleaning
the lens elements thoroughly, and that you’re not
leaving any residue behind. In some cases it may
take more than one cleaning pass to get all of the
spots and blemishes off the lens.
Buffing the Lens
A lint-free cloth of high quality can provide a great
finishing touch for lens cleaning, and in some cases
might be the only cleaning step required for a lens.
PIXOLOGY
Cleaning the lens with a cloth and liquid solution
will generally result in a clean and blemish-free
lens. In some cases, however, it may be helpful
to finish your cleaning by “buffing” the lens
with a dry cloth. You may even find that this dry
approach is all you need, without having to use a
liquid cleaning solution.
29
A product such as the LensPen can be particularly
helpful for removing stubborn smudges from the
elements of a lens.
In both cases you will want to be sure that the tool
you’re using to buff the lens will be safe for the lens
element. In many cases I simply use a lens cloth,
which provides a lint-free fabric that will help
clean the lens without causing any harm.
Another option is a product such as the LensPen
(http://timgrey.me/pen4lens), which includes a
brush on one end and a rubber surface on the other
end that can be used to buff the lens. I find this tool
useful not only for cleaning lens elements, but also
for cleaning the LCD on the back of the camera and
for finalizing the cleaning of the camera’s sensor.
Don’t Forget the Back!
It seems to me that most photographers focus
their attention on the front lens element, and tend
to ignore the rear lens element. While the front
element is certainly subjected to the environment
much more than the rear element, that doesn’t
mean the rear element always stays clean.
PIXOLOGY
30
When cleaning a lens, don’t forget about the rear element
and possibly the metal contacts on the lens mount to
make sure all key components of the lens are clean.
I therefore recommend that you also check the
rear lens element when you’re cleaning the front
lens element, and clean that rear element if
necessary. You might be surprised at how much
dust and moisture spots (and even fingerprints!)
can accumulate on the rear lens element over time.
The same basic processes you would use for
cleaning the front lens element can be used
to clean the rear lens element. There are,
however, a couple of additional precautions I
recommend taking.
First, with many lenses the rear element is
recessed and not as easy to get to, so you need to
use additional care when cleaning the rear lens
elements. Second, because the rear lens element
is positioned inside the camera when the lens is
attached, it is especially important to make sure
there isn’t any debris on (or near) the rear element
that might end up inside your camera where
internal components could be damaged.
PIXOLOGY
31
It is also worth keeping in mind that when you
remove a lens in order to clean the rear element,
you are also exposing the internal components of
the camera. This is of particular concern with a
digital SLR that includes delicate components such
as the mirror and shutter mechanisms. When you
remove a lens for purposes of cleaning that lens, I
recommend attaching a different lens (or a body
cap) to the camera to help protect the internal
components of the camera.
Clean the Contacts
When you remove a lens from the camera so you can
clean the lens, be sure to attach another lens or a body
cap to the camera body to prevent anything from getting
inside the body of the camera.
PIXOLOGY
As long as you’re cleaning the front and rear
elements on a lens, it isn’t a bad idea to clean
the contacts on the lens and camera body
mount that are used for the lens and camera
to communicate with each other. Over time
oxidation and contaminants can accumulate,
causing problems with the communication
between camera and lens.
32
Back in my early days working with computers it
was common to use the pink eraser found on the
non-writing end of many pencils to clean metal
electrical contacts. However, these erasers are
quite abrasive and can actually remove the gold
plating from the electrical contacts you’re trying
to clean. Therefore, I recommend using products
specifically designed for cleaning these types of
metal contacts.
One such product you might consider is the
DeoxIT Pen, which provides a convenient
method of cleaning metal contacts that employs
a deoxidizing solution. This product is produced
by CAIG Laboratories, and you can find more
information at http://timgrey.me/deoxpen.
Consider Professional Service
When it comes to a basic cleaning of the external
lens elements and even the metal contacts on your
lenses and camera bodies, there isn’t a tremendous
risk of damaging your lens (or camera) as long as
you exercise a degree of caution. However, there
are situations where you may want to send a lens
to the manufacturer for a professional cleaning
and service.
To begin with, you are only able to clean the
external elements on your lens. In most cases
there are more than a few additional lens elements
internally, which you aren’t able to access on your
own (or at least I don’t recommend accessing
those internal lens elements on your own). While
most lenses are sealed well enough that internal
contaminants aren’t generally a significant
concern, it is still possible for small dust and
other contaminants to get onto the internal lens
elements. This can be especially true for zoom
lenses, which can create a vacuum that draws in
dust when the zoom is adjusted.
In addition, there are other issues you may
want to have addressed for your lenses. Internal
components may benefit from additional
PIXOLOGY
33
lubrication, you might want to have the tension
for the zoom mechanism adjusted, and you might
want to have the lens itself tested to make sure it
still meets the original manufacturing tolerances.
The point is, in some cases you may want to
consider arranging to send your lens back to the
manufacturer for service, especially for lenses that
have provided more than a few years of service
under challenging environmental circumstances.
A Cleaner View
A lens is a critical component to creating a great
photographic image, so it is important to keep
your lenses clean and in good working order. By
using care with your lenses, paying attention to
the condition of the lens, and cleaning when it is
needed, you’ll help ensure your camera will always
have a clear view through your lenses. v
PIXOLOGY
34
Seeing in Sunlight
Why You Should be Carrying a Loupe in the Field
By Tim Grey
We’ve all had the experience multiple times.
You capture a photo and want to review
the image and perhaps the histogram, but
you can’t see the display on the LCD on the
back of your camera because the sunlight
is too bright. Perhaps you try to cup your
hands over the display, or turn your back to
the sun to provide some shade. Even then
it might not be especially easy to see the
display adequately to evaluate your capture.
Fortunately, there is an easy solution. All
you need to do is carry (and use) a loupe to
view the LCD display on your camera.
PIXOLOGY
35
If you’ve never used a loupe to view the
display on the back of your camera, I highly
recommend that you either purchase a loupe or
find a way to test out the experience of using
a loupe for this purpose. The first time you
look through the loupe and can suddenly see
the display as though you were standing in a
perfectly dark room, you’ll be convinced that
a loupe deserves to have a permanent place in
your camera bag.
One of the most obvious—and significant—
benefits of using a loupe to view the LCD display
on your camera is that doing so causes the ambient
light to be blocked so you can actually see the
display at its full brightness potential. There are,
however, other benefits available depending on the
specific loupe you choose.
Under bright lighting conditions it can be very difficult
to effectively evaluate the display on your camera’s LCD.
PIXOLOGY
Many of the loupes that are designed for viewing
your camera’s LCD display also provide a
magnification of the display, so you’re able to
get a closer look at the details of your photo.
36
Magnification can also make it easier for you to
make out other details that might be presented
on the LCD display, such as the histogram or
information about camera settings.
You can also find a variety of loupes that include
a diopter adjustment, so you can essentially set
the focus for the loupe. This allows you to apply
compensation, for example, so that you don’t need
to wear your eyeglasses to get a clear view of the
display when looking through the loupe.
A loupe designed for viewing the LCD display on your
camera can provide a clear and luminous view of the
preview of your photo and other information presented
by your camera.
PIXOLOGY
If you’re particularly serious about the use of a
loupe, you can even find models that will attach
to your camera so you don’t need to hold the
loupe in place. Some models attach to the flash
mount, for example, while others use various other
means to attach to the camera. In some cases the
attachment will cause the loupe to be attached in a
fixed position on the camera, while others include
an attachment that enables you to swivel the loupe
away from the LCD display.
37
I personally use a loupe manufactured by
Hoodman, as I have found that they offer a wide
variety of product options with a high degree of
quality. You can find a selection of loupes from
Hoodman at http://timgrey.me/photoloupe. There
are, however, a wide variety of loupes available
from a number of manufacturers.
I do recommend visiting a camera store to see
several different loupes in person before you make
a choice about which product to purchase. It is
also important to choose a loupe that is designed
to accurately fit the LCD display size for your
specific camera.
Once you’ve found a loupe that meets your needs,
I think you’ll find that your loupe is an invaluable
accessory that you’ll always want to have in your
camera bag, and that you’ll want to make use of on
a regular basis. v
PIXOLOGY
38
Pixology
The Magazine for Photographers
Pixology magazine is published electronically on a monthly basis. For more information, visit:
www.pixologymag.com
Copyright © 2015 by Tim Grey. All Rights Reserved.
To contact the publisher:
Tim Grey
243 5th Ave #131
New York, NY 10016
www.timgrey.com
[email protected]
About Tim Grey
Tim has authored more than a dozen books and hundreds
of magazine articles on digital imaging for photographers,
and has produced dozens of video training titles on a
wide variety of subjects. He publishes the Ask Tim Grey
email newsletter in addition to Pixology magazine, and
publishes video training through GreyLearning. Tim
teaches through workshops, seminars, and appearances at
events around the world.
For more information:
www.timgrey.com
Every attempt has been made throughout this magazine to distinguish proprietary trademarks from descriptive terms by
following the capitalization style used by the manufacturer and marking those marks as either a trademark or registered
trademark. All trademarks and registered trademarks included in this book are the property of their respective owners.
The publisher has made best efforts to prepare this magazine, but makes no representation or warranties of any kind with
regard to the completeness or accuracy of the contents herein and accept no liability of any kind including but not limited to
performance, merchantability, fitness for any particular purpose, or any losses or damages of any kind caused or alleged to be
caused directly or indirectly from this magazine.
Parting Shot
A paraglider soars above the rolling landscape
of the Palouse region of eastern Washington
State, viewed from atop Steptoe Butte.
Captured at a lens focal length of 24mm
with an aperture of f/8 and a shutter speed of
1/1,000th of a second at 400 ISO.