Tag Archives: cameras

20 November 2025 (Soft Focus and Double Exposure Workshop)

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We spent the club meeting on 20th November learning some techniques that we could try on our Saturday photoshoot at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Edinburgh. We tried two different techniques:

1) Double Exposures

This technique combines two or more exposures together to create a surprising result. Try “double exposure photography examples” as a Google search to see some example images. Common examples include portraits blended with natural or architectural silhouettes, or multiple poses blended together. Exposures can be combined in-camera, or they can be captured separately and blended later using software such as Adobe Photoshop. The following YouTube videos show how to set up a Canon camera:

Ask David Bergman: A Step-by-Step Guide for In-Camera Multiple Exposures

Eric Floberg: How to Shoot a DOUBLE EXPOSURE In-Camera [2023]

If you explore the “shooting menu”, you’ll find Nikon cameras have a similar setup. We discovered that all our cameras had slightly different ways of setting up double exposures, and the newer cameras had more options. If your camera doesn’t have a multiple exposure option, you can still take single exposures and blend them in Photoshop. We tried a few experiments inspired by Leonardo de Vinci’s Vitruvian Man.

2) Soft Focus Techniques

Hans van der Boom had given the club a talk on improving flower photograph using soft focus techniques back in April 2024. Bob Daalder also describes how he uses soft focus techniques in macro photography in the following blog:

Macro Photography: Discover the Little World with Bob Daalder

We explored the following soft focus techniques:

  • Using a wide aperture to blur the background.
  • Making a double exposure (as described above) but combining an in-focus image of a flower with an out of focus image.
  • Using coloured cellophane to mask off an area you want to be out of focus.
  • Using an out of focus image of a crinkled piece of Aluminium foil to create some foreground bokeh.

We discovered that both techniques need a lot of practice to get right, but it is fun to experiment. We came away from our Botanics photoshoot with lots of weird and wonderful images.

18 September 2025 (Graeme Barclay: Street Photography)

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This week we were delighted to welcome our first speaker of the season. Graeme Barclay has a background in hydraulic engineering and started photography in 2017. He is currently a member of Midlothian Camera Club, but also has links to Falkirk Camera Club. Graeme has interests in creative street photography, astrophotography, themed portraits, sports photography and nature photography. You can follow Graeme’s work on social media:

In tonight’s talk, Graeme introduced us to his creative style of street photography. When he first started, he found street photography a challenge. You need to overcome your fear, learn to blend in and remember to press the shutter at the right moment. But once you get started you’ll find yourself a member of an awesome community and feel a special connection with people. It is legal to take photographs on public land, but you need to be careful not to include private spaces (such as the inside of a house or pub through a window). London and Edinburgh are both very good locations for street photography. Graeme finds that Princes Street is a better place for street photography than the Royal Mile because the lighting is better.

Graeme showed us some great shots where street performers had posed for him. However, he prefers candid portraiture, where you catch an expression without someone being aware of the camera. Graeme has several tricks for hiding his camera. He cut a slot in an old credit card and uses it as an adaptor which lets him take level shots while his camera is around his neck with a flip-out screen. He also sets his camera to silent mode and uses a remote shutter release from his pocket. He has mastered some misdirection techniques, such as pretending to look at his phone or picking up his keys. He showed us a series of great candid shots, mostly taken using a 135mm lens with a f/1.8 aperture. The wide aperture blurs the background and reduces distractions, although he found that the side of a passing bus can sometimes make a great background! He also explained how using a hashtag, such as #camden, is a good way of connecting on social media with the people and places you have photographed.

Graeme revealed some dramatic shots he created with an 8-15mm fish-eye lens, especially shots angled upwards from a low angle. You need to get the camera angle just right so that the lens distortion exaggerates the right part of the image, for example showing a huge foot and a leg stretching into the distance. You also need to get within a few inches of your subject to ensure they stand out from the background. Graeme uses centre-point auto-focus to capture his standard portraits, but for these special effects he uses a narrow aperture with the focus set manually to the hyperfocal distance (i.e. the one that produces the maximum depth of field). He uses the Photopills app to calculate the right focus setting for each shot:

https://www.photopills.com/

The evening finished with an audio-visual presentation that showcased Graeme’s street photography collection. We then broke for tea and biscuits. Thank you Graeme for showing us how to take some fantastic and dramatic street photography shots.

Next week we have an informal club night. Please choose 6 images that you’d like to share with other members. You can email them to George Todd or bring them along on a USB data stick. A club night is also a good opportunity to ask questions or to demonstrate something, such as a useful skill or a new gadget.

12 September 2024 (Bring in your Kit)

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This week members brought in their cameras, plus other pieces of interesting and thought-provoking kit. Most members were divided into Nikon and Canon camps, but I also noticed some Sony and Panasonic cameras. George Todd pointed out that the club has a Sony DLSR camera which members are welcome to borrow if they don’t have a DSLR camera of their own. The evening was an opportunity for members to discuss kit and help newcomers and beginners with any questions they might have. There is an opportunity for beginners to pair up with more experienced members who have the same kit.

Some members showed some unusual or particularly useful equipment that you might not know about.

  • Steven showed the oldest camera he owned, a Russian Zenit TTL film camera, only to discover this model is apparently the “new fangled” version which has a light meter built into it. The beauty of this camera is that the shutter works by clockwork, so the camera can be operated without a battery. You could lock the shutter open for hours without worrying about the battery running out.
  • Steven also showed his “Wimberley Plamp“: A useful device which can be attached to a tripod to prevent a specimen from moving in the wind.
  • Steven also showed his smallest and most unusual Nikon lens, a pinhole! Pinhole lenses are made by making a small hole in a sheet of thin metal attached to a plate which fits to the camera. You can buy one for your camera or you can make one yourself by drilling a hole in a blanking plate, covering the hole with aluminium foil and making a pinhole in it. Pinhole lenses give your photos a blurry but arty appearance with a huge depth of field.
  • By contrast, Mike showed us his largest Nikon lens and, in particular, the gimbal tripod head which he used during the air show. A gimbal head takes the weight of a large lens and, when balanced correctly, can hold it steady and make it easier to follow moving objects. It is very helpful for wildlife, aviation and sport photography where your subject is moving.
  • Mike also showed us the sling strap he uses to carry his large lens, which takes the weight of the lens but give some freedom of movement.
  • John showed us the clever thumb rest which attaches to the hot shoe on the top of his compact camera and prevents his thumb from accidentally touching any controls while shooting. Here is one example: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1032640-REG/fotodiox_thumb_grip_b_pro_thumb_grip_for.html
  • There was a discussion about using the rear screen of a camera as a viewfinder. It is easy enough to see the screen in a darkened room, but the screen can be difficult to see in bright daylight. You can buy sun hoods which fit over the screen and make it easier to see. Some of these hoods also include magnifiers which make the display easier to read. Here are some examples: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/LCD-Hoods-Shades/ci/4968/N/3777857691

George showed us the 6 images that will be given to members for the editing challenge on 3rd October. Please contact George if you would like a copy of the images. Select 2 of the images and show us how you have changed them.

George is also accepting entries to our Digital Projected Images competition. Please email your 3 JPEG images to George at georgetodd1957@me.com. Images should be scaled to a maximum size of 1600 pixels wide and 1200 pixels tall. George can help if you don’t know how to do this. We had a discussion about the DPI (dots per inch) setting associated with an image, but you don’t need to worry about this as it is only important when printing.

There was going to be a “Strike a Pose” photoshoot this weekend, but this is being postponed because the organiser is ill. Get well soon. We’ll let you know when it is rescheduled.

Next week we have our first speaker of the year. Fiona Brims will tell us about her journey into creative portraiture. You can check out Fiona’s web site here:

https://www.fionabrimsphotography.co.uk/

Perhaps she will give us some inspiration for the rescheduled “Strike a Pose” session? See you there.