Test your colour vision

Apparently 1 out of 255 women and 1 out of 12 men have some form of colour vision deficiency.

That's not good news if you're a photographer, you're processing the photos you've just taken and you're trying to get them looking right on the monitor.

But you can test your colour vision here.

On the screen you are presented with 4 rows of coloured tiles, all mixed up, and you have to sort them in to the correct colour order by dragging and dropping, up and down each row.

It's not as easy as it seems! It's best done in a darkened room - which is also the way you should work on your photographs if you're really serious about getting them to look their best.

Why men should have a far higher level of colour vision deficiency than women I don't know. Maybe that's why we men tend to be less concerned about the colour of a car and more interested in its performance.

Rain starts play

When it rains, most photographers pack up their gear and head for shelter.

Don't.

Rain provides lots of opportunities to get different and unusual shots. There are reflections from wet streets, colourful umbrellas and rain gear, people pelting for shelter, or landmarks with a sheen you've never seen before. Rain changes everything.

If you don't want to get your camera wet you can take photographs from inside, through a wet window ...


But get outside too. Most cameras are a little more waterproof than we realise. If the rain is only a light drizzle you can keep your camera dry under your coat and bring it out to take the shots. A few spots of rain on it won't do any harm.

But if it's really pouring down you can waterproof your camera very effectively with nothing more complex than a clear plastic bag and an elastic band. Put the camera in the bag with the lens poking out through the opening and secure the bag around the lens barrel with the elastic band.

It won't look very elegant ...

... and the view through the viewfinder will be a little blurry. But it's a simple, cheap and effective method. If you use this set-up in conjunction with a good lens hood too, the front element of the lens will be well- protected.

And it's the photos you want ...

A challenge

The other day I overheard a kid - I'll call him Jack - who was eagerly awaiting the delivery of a new camera. It was an entry-level DSLR. And he said:

"I hate my friend right now. He says I won't be successful in photography with my D40. It's too small."

Oh dear. Listen kid. It's not your camera that's important. It's your eyes and brain behind the lens. Take a look at this ...

... three photographs taken using a tripod from exactly the same spot. They were taken one after the other, within the space of a few minutes, using three different cameras:

1. A 7-year old, 3 megapixel Point and Shoot: Pentax Optio 330
2. A medium-level 6-megapixel DSLR: Nikon D70s
3. A top-of-the-range, 12-megapixel DSLR: Nikon D3

Can you tell which camera took which photograph? (Warning. The photographs are not necessarily in the same order as the list.)



The answers are in the comments section.

Did you get them right? Even if you did, I think you'll agree that it was pretty difficult. You had to look closely.

In other words, if you want to take photographs for your family album (though statistics show that 77% of photographers never print their images), photos to to e-mail to friends, photos to put on your website or on Flickr, even photographs to hang on your wall or use as wallpaper for your computer, almost any digital camera will give you excellent results. The images above prove that.

But, if that's the case, why does anyone buy an expensive camera (apart from wanting to impress friends)?

Because there is a difference in image quality, though you have to look hard.

If you are taking photographs for your own pleasure, most cameras will do a great job. But if you're intending to sell them they have to be the best possible quality. Whilst image taken with a 3mp point-and-shoot may look fine on your computer screen, it won't look so good if blown up to fit an A3 poster.

Here is a section from each image blown up to 100%. They're arranged in order of quality now, the 3mp point-and-shoot at the top, and the Nikon D3 at the bottom (I'd like to put them side by side, but can't seem to do it on Blogger):

See the difference? It's not huge, but it's significant.

So, Jack, don't worry what your friend says. He's a dweeb. Get out there with your D40 (a great camera, by the way) and take some stunning pictures. You're the key to beautiful images.

A little Tweet

I'm now 'Tweeting' about things photographic (and some that are not) on Twitter, under the name of PhotoZone.

If that means nothing to you, don't worry about it.

But if you want to follow me on Twitter, I'm here.

Or you can read my latest 'Tweet' at the bottom of the page.

Tweet. Tweet.

Beware

Why not enter a photographic competition?

• Entering a competition sets you a challenge
• It can expand your photographic horizons
• The process makes you think about what you want to achieve or to say with a photograph
• You can compare your work to other entries
  
• You could win an amazing prize
• Not to mention the glory
• And something good for your CV.

But, be careful. Read the rules and conditions very carefully. A surprising number of photographic competitions take 'all rights' to all entries.

Here's an example from the rules of the 'PictureYourself' competition, currently being run by the UK's National Trust:

"If you submit any material to us, you agree to grant The National Trust a perpetual, royalty-free, worldwide, non-exclusive licence to use your contribution in all media. This includes the right to copy, edit, publish, grant sub-licences and exercise all other copyright and publicity rights over the material."

(Full terms and conditions here)

What this means is that, by simply entering, you give your photograph, to the National Trust. Effectively they own it.

Now, if you win first prize (which in this case is a camera worth £230) you could could argue that you've been paid for your image. Fair enough ... although that's a very low price for selling the copyright to a high-quality image.

But in this case, as in far too many other competitions, the National Trust take all the rights to all entries.

In other words, if you have a magnificent photograph - and doesn't everyone submit their best? - which doesn't win, the NT gets it for nothing.

Is that fair or reasonable?

Look at the quality of some of the images that head the competition page. They're pretty good photos.

If you think the terms of a photo competition are not fair or reasonable, here's an image you can submit:

The original is available from the Pro Imaging web site here. This web site also has further information on suspect competitions and how to spot them.

And, by the way, no need to submit this to the National Trust Competition. It's already been done. At least twice.

Be careful out there and, if you're tempted to enter a photographic competition by some fabulous prizes, read competition rules carefully before you submit anything.

I'm stuck at home ...

... with a broken leg, darn it.

But I still managed to produce some images for World Pinhole Day.

With its soft, ethereal feel, gigantic depth of field, wide angle of view and massive exposure times, the pinhole technique is well-suited to subjects such as landscapes, deserted places, misty woodlands and the like.

There can be an eerie, dislocated feel to pinhole photographs. If people appear at all they are either ghostly waifs, or they have to stand very still for the length of the exposure. Clouds and moving leaves melt into each other. Water becomes soft and dreamy.

Check some of the marvellous images that are now being posted in the World Pinhole Day 2009 gallery.

Unfortunately, I'm stuck at home with a broken leg. No chance of setting off into the countryside to find a suitable scene. I am somewhat immobile.

Even so, there are still opportunities. Some just a bit odd ...


And others eerie ...

Even though World Pinhole Day is over, you can still experiment with the technique. Here's how I made my pinhole camera at almost no cost at all.

Why not give it a go?

And here's the world's largest ...

... pinhole camera.

An entire aircraft hangar.

It produced a photographic print nearly 33m wide and 26m high.

Makes my efforts look puny.