The best atmospheric photos of the world. How to create atmospheric portrait photos

Artem Kashkanov, 2012

Probably, not everyone knows what "atmospheric photography" is. In general, it is difficult to give a clear definition of the concept of "atmospheric". In the general case, this is a set of visual means that immerse the viewer in the atmosphere of a picture, photograph, film, computer game. Sometimes images and photographs made in this style have very little in common with reality, but at the same time they do not lose their exceptional emotionality and attractiveness.

The first thing that comes to mind when viewing these photos is "wow !!!", or "well, it obviously could not have done without photoshop!". As for the second statement, I'm willing to bet anything, but you don't need Photoshop to get most of these images. The maximum that is required from software is a RAW converter that has a basic set of tools for image correction - adjusting white balance, levels, saturation and other basic settings.

There are two main approaches to taking "surreal" photographs:

1. Take a picture of an ordinary landscape in Photoshop (or another similar editor) make the picture surreal with computer processing. It falls under the same category.

2. Force the camera see picture the way we want to get it thanks to the use of some auxiliary devices.

Both approaches have their merits and demerits. In the first approach, the biggest disadvantage is that you must master Photoshop, be able to notice flaws that come out during processing and correctly correct them. The matter is complicated by the fact that you have to be content with the characteristics of the camera - photolatitude (dynamic range), a set of sensitivity settings, shutter speeds, apertures. No matter how perfect the technique is, still such frames regularly appear that cannot be captured in 1 shutter actuation - you have to turn on bracketing, and then reduce the resulting images into one using special and not always free software. Often, it is long and not always creative work. As for the level of Photoshop skills, it should be exceptional. Unfortunately, most amateur photographers do not have such a store of knowledge (and I am no exception!) That would allow them to turn ordinary photographs into masterpieces of surrealism, while maintaining impeccable image quality.

The second method is convenient in that you yourself, with the help of controlling the depth of field, filters, reflectors and other "gadgets", already at the entrance to the lens form an image that will not need further processing (or, it will be enough to limit yourself to basic operations - brightness, contrast , BB). The disadvantage is that you need to have a whole set of additional accessories in your arsenal, sometimes not cheap - firstly, and secondly - be able to use it. This article will focus on exactly this approach in relation to landscape photography. Photographs taken by me during a recent morning "expedition" with a camera to the floodplain of the Oka River (near the city of Pavlovo, Nizhny Novgorod Region) will be taken as visual material.

What equipment did I take with me to the shooting?

• Camera Canon EOS 5D. Let beginners not be embarrassed by the class of technology, such things are also quite "too tough" for amateur DSLRs.
• Lens Canon EF 24-105mm 1:4L IS USM. For cropped devices, I recommend an equivalent wide-angle lens, such as the Canon EFS 15-85mm.
• Polarizing filter HOYA HD CIR-PL (77mm)- I recently bought it in the Softmarket online store for 3790 rubles, now it has risen in price there, but it still costs much cheaper than in stores.
• Gradient filter - sometimes it helps a lot, sometimes it spoils - until I finally tried it :)
• Tripod- did not come in handy, and lay in the trunk.

Before going to shoot...

You need to do two things - decide on the time of the photo shoot and its place. The most valuable time is from the moment the sun rises until it rises high. As a rule, it is about two hours. The time of sunrise in your area can be viewed on the Internet - a lot of sites contain such information, for example this one - travel.org.ua/sunrise. There are similar programs for mobile phones and tablets, very convenient!

The best weather for filming is in the morning on a clear, calm day. Morning weather can be predicted by a number of simple signs - abundant dew on the grass in the evening, a clear horizon at sunset. If the wind rises at sunset - this is a bad sign, even if it does not blow clouds, it will disperse the fog - this can greatly spoil the results of the photo expedition. Control check weather - an hour before dawn. If the sky is clear, with light cirrus clouds, and there is no wind, then you can safely go. If the sky is covered with a veil of clouds or the wind has risen, you can safely sleep on.

When choosing a shooting location, it is better to give preference to those places where there is thick fog in the morning. Basically, these are water meadows with small lakes and rarely growing trees. Such a landscape is often found in floodplains. There is nothing to do in the forest (as well as on forest lakes) - all the delights of morning nature are fog, it is difficult to find huge drops of dew on the grass in the forest. The maximum that you can see is a light fog creeping from the shores of forest lakes.

Beautiful, of course, but on a clear summer morning you can find more interesting landscapes!

Oddly enough, beautiful landscapes can be found at dawn where we are used to seeing a very dull landscape during the day. As I said, we are going to flood meadows. Naturally, there is no more water on them - since the end of spring, tall grass has grown on them. So, let's look at typical scenes from the "dawn over the meadow" category and see how best to photograph them.

The sun in the frame

How is it usually? Here typical example from Yandex-photos - the truth is not dawn, but sunset. I was looking for sunrises - a continuous "triumph of Photoshop", but I was interested in "raw frames".

« » on Yandex.Photos

Familiar situation, right? Whitened sky, the sun was smeared into a huge pancake, the earth is almost black. The dynamic range is sorely lacking. This problem can be circumvented in two ways:

1. Tripod, bracketing, HDR- long, dreary and a good result is not guaranteed. Here is a good example, but nevertheless the picture looks a bit artificial. Nevertheless, the processing time was spent, in my opinion a lot.

Sergey Stepanenko "Field bulbs"

2. gradient filter. An example of usage is below...

Almost the same, but without any dances with a tambourine. EXIF data: shutter speed 1/80 sec, aperture 8, focal length 28mm, ISO100 - as you can see, nothing special, these parameters can be set on any device, even a soap dish! Naturally, you can continue to process the image in Photoshop, but I decided that it was quite possible to stop there when shooting.

morning sky

In the early morning on a sunny day, very light cirrus clouds often appear in the sky, forming interesting swirls. Unfortunately, they are very faintly visible to the naked eye, because the fog surrounds us and practically hides the sky. To see him will help us polarizing filter. Let me remind you that the main property of a polarizer is to "mute" the reflected light. The polarizer makes the fog transparent, but it does it in a very interesting way - the fog lying above the ground remains dense, but above us, as it were, a "window" is formed through which cirrus clouds are visible.

I think this example is enough to understand how to use a polarizer when shooting in the morning in the fog. The polarizer works best when the sun is on our side.

"Other planet"

The photographs below are the result of an experiment - the combined use of a polarizing and gradient filter.

The results of the filters were superimposed on each other - the polarizer "pierced" the layer of fog and made it possible to see the blue sky (although there were no clouds), the gradient filter made this sky darker and helped to lighten the earth a little. A mystical and, I would even say, unearthly atmosphere was created in the photo - a different sky, a different grass, a different air!

As mentioned earlier, a circular gradient filter is a thing that can both help and hurt. Here is an example when the gradient filter works "on the verge of a foul" - the top of the tree also "fell under the hand" and turned out to be darkened.

There are two more features of the joint use of two filters. First, vignetting. At focal length 24 mm, black corners are visible at the edges of the frame. To get rid of them, you need to push the zoom to at least 35 mm.

The second feature - do not screw the filters tightly to each other! It will be more difficult to separate them later than to connect them :)

"Hedgehog in the Fog"

This famous cartoon received several awards for "Best Animated Film", including foreign ones. And it's not just...

On the morning shooting you get into about the same atmosphere! For example, when I was climbing along the shore of the lake, I slipped and almost flopped into the water along with the camera :) It's funny, but there is some truth in every joke.

Being in dense fog, the photographer gets a wonderful opportunity to build very harmonious and balanced compositions literally "out of the blue". Fog hides all photo debris, making it possible to focus the viewer's attention on the desired object or combination of them.

In the fog, many principles of classical photo composition break down and completely different principles come into force - those on which compositions in style are built. minimalism. The main object does not have to be 100% visible. If an understatement remains in a photograph, then it can be compensated for by the richness of associations that a photographic work can evoke in the viewer.

misty rainbow

This time I observed this interesting phenomenon for the first time in my life. It arose 1.5 hours after sunrise, when I was already driving home. Unfortunately, the road ran through an open field, so it was not possible to build some more or less finished composition, however, I am attaching a photo.

On this optimistic note, I believe that the theory can be completed and practice can begin. I wish you all successful experiments!

We will show and tell you how you can go beyond the "limits" of the classic studio portrait and create "atmospheric" photographs. Capture the atmosphere - the spirit - of a place in its inextricable connection with people, the relationship between them and their daily work.

Try to create "others", add freshness and innovation to them. Take a look at the world anew, leaving the walls of your usual studio and plunging into its wide embrace. Atmospheric photography is a style of taking portraits. His idea is to show people in their familiar environment. Where they live, work and play.

Usually, atmospheric photography is in demand in the magazine and newspaper press. Pictures that include details of someone's "environment" can "tell" more about it than classic portraits.

Creating a photo story in the style of atmospheric photography is perfect both for fulfilling a commercial order (shooting a business process in an institution, at an enterprise), and for creative experiments in order to “open up a second wind” in shooting portraits.

A serious advantage of reporting in this style is the relaxed state of the characters. After all, they are in their daily environment. As a result, it will be easier to capture them in natural poses. To create spectacular "atmospheric" shots you will need your DSLR equipped with a standard lens and a little patience. We'll show you how to use all of this to create a reportage in atmospheric photography style.

We headed to the Community Café in Bath to take pictures of the staff at work. The place is perfect for a workout. It is constantly “boiling” with life, and the environment is attractive with details and creates a context for a photo story.

The secret of good atmospheric photography lies in finding the “golden mean” between the hero and his surroundings. Remember that the semantic center of your frame is a person. The environment surrounding him hints, "slightly opening", on his individuality and features of life.

Check out our guide on how to use props for different shooting situations where you can get great portraits. Learn how to add variety to your shots by shooting with a wide-angle lens ( approx. translator - you can learn more about the types and parameters of lenses in the second part of the series) and black and white photo effects. And also what camera settings to choose to create quality pictures in every shooting situation.

• Read more: "10 Common Portrait Photography Mistakes"

"Warm up" by capturing some spontaneous scenes. Capture what the characters do every day. For example, in the photo above, barista Ash is preparing coffee. Stay a little "out of the way". The less you impose on your heroes, the more relaxed they are. It takes a few minutes for people to get over the awkwardness that comes with knowing they're being photographed.

Additional accessories can emphasize the individuality of the hero and "take hands", create conditions for a more comfortable posing. An example is a photo of Katie with a cake. Props help make the photo meaningful when the background is dull. Products for sale, tools, even parts of a uniform, such as a chef's hat, instantly arouse interest in what is happening in the image, providing it with detail.

To enhance the "documentary" feel of the photo, transform it into black and white during the processing stage. Black and white photography is always relevant. In addition, discoloration “unloads”, makes it easier to perceive, a picture full of actors. An example is the photo above.

• Read more: "10 Common Posing Mistakes"

When several spontaneous scenes are "imprinted" on a memory card, ask the characters to pose for you.

Place the model in the semantic center of the frame, in focus, against the background of what is happening around. Keep up a conversation with the hero while taking pictures. This will allow the person portrayed to remain relaxed, and emotions alive. If the background is "cluttered" with events, reduce the aperture value, for example, to 3.5, to more "blur" the background.

• Read more: "17 Tips for Shooting Body Models"

To look at what is happening from a “different angle”, make sure you have a wide-angle lens in your bag with photographic equipment, for example, Sigma 10-20 mm. Include more details of the surroundings in the frame. Shooting with a wide-angle lens is especially useful when you want to capture several people crowding next to each other in one shot.

If you're shooting indoors like we do, ask your model to stand near a source of natural light. We asked barista Alistair to stand next to the window to make the final picture brighter. At a low level of illumination, a reflector, for example, "gold", can help. Ask a friend to hold the reflector in such a way as to direct more light onto the person being portrayed.

Camera settings

Switch to aperture-priority (“A”) shooting mode

You will be photographing handheld in a rapidly changing environment, so shooting in manual mode("M") may not be the best choice to create high quality images. By switching to aperture-priority (“A”) shooting mode, you will control the aperture value. The rest of the settings will be taken over by the camera.

Increase your sensitivity

If you're shooting indoors, you'll need to raise the sensitivity to, say, ISO 1600 to compensate for the lack of light. Grains will be visible on the final images. But the “fee” is justified by the freedom of movement and the ability to get sharp pictures in any shooting situation.

Try to shoot with a large aperture

It is quite natural in portrait photography if you aim for shallow depth of field ( approx. translator - you can learn more about the depth of the field of view in the third part of the series). However, when you're shooting "atmospheric" photos, try to avoid too much "blurring" of the background. If you are shooting with the lens that comes with your camera, set the aperture to a fairly large value, such as 8. Then most of the environment will remain in "clarity" and saturate your photo story with details.

We will show and tell you how you can go beyond the "limits" of the classic studio portrait and create "atmospheric" photographs. Capture the atmosphere - the spirit - of a place in its inextricable connection with people, the relationship between them and their daily work.

Try to create "others", add freshness and innovation to them. Take a look at the world anew, leaving the walls of your usual studio and plunging into its wide embrace. Atmospheric photography is a style of taking portraits. His idea is to show people in their familiar environment. Where they live, work and play.

Usually, atmospheric photography is in demand in the magazine and newspaper press. Pictures that include details of someone's "environment" can "tell" more about it than classic portraits.

Creating a photo story in the style of atmospheric photography is perfect both for fulfilling a commercial order (shooting a business process in an institution, at an enterprise), and for creative experiments in order to “open up a second wind” in shooting portraits.

A serious advantage of reporting in this style is the relaxed state of the characters. After all, they are in their daily environment. As a result, it will be easier to capture them in natural poses. To create spectacular "atmospheric" shots you will need your DSLR equipped with a standard lens and a little patience. We'll show you how to use all of this to create a reportage in atmospheric photography style.

We headed to the Community Café in Bath to take pictures of the staff at work. The place is perfect for a workout. It is constantly “boiling” with life, and the environment is attractive with details and creates a context for a photo story.

The secret of good atmospheric photography lies in finding the “golden mean” between the hero and his surroundings. Remember that the semantic center of your frame is a person. The environment surrounding him hints, "slightly opening", on his individuality and features of life.

Check out our guide on how to use props for different shooting situations where you can get great portraits. Learn how to add variety to your shots by shooting with a wide-angle lens ( approx. translator - you can learn more about the types and parameters of lenses in the second part of the series) and black and white photo effects. And also, what camera settings to choose to create high-quality images in each of the shooting situations.

• Read more: "10 Common Portrait Photography Mistakes"

"Warm up" by capturing some spontaneous scenes. Capture what the characters do every day. For example, in the photo above, barista Ash is preparing coffee. Stay a little "out of the way". The less you impose on your heroes, the more relaxed they are. It takes a few minutes for people to get over the awkwardness that comes with knowing they're being photographed.

Additional accessories can emphasize the individuality of the hero and "take hands", create conditions for a more comfortable posing. An example is a photo of Katie with a cake. Props help make the photo meaningful when the background is dull. Products for sale, tools, even parts of a uniform, such as a chef's hat, instantly arouse interest in what is happening in the image, providing it with detail.

To enhance the "documentary" feel of the photo, transform it into black and white during the processing stage. Black and white photography is always relevant. In addition, discoloration “unloads”, makes it easier to perceive, a picture full of actors. An example is the photo above.

• Read more: "10 Common Posing Mistakes"

When several spontaneous scenes are "imprinted" on a memory card, ask the characters to pose for you.

Place the model in the semantic center of the frame, in focus, against the background of what is happening around. Keep up a conversation with the hero while taking pictures. This will allow the person portrayed to remain relaxed, and emotions alive. If the background is "cluttered" with events, reduce the aperture value, for example, to 3.5, to more "blur" the background.

• Read more: "17 Tips for Shooting Body Models"

To look at what is happening from a “different angle”, make sure you have a wide-angle lens in your bag with photographic equipment, for example, Sigma 10-20 mm. Include more details of the surroundings in the frame. Shooting with a wide-angle lens is especially useful when you want to capture several people crowding next to each other in one shot.

If you're shooting indoors like we do, ask your model to stand near a source of natural light. We asked barista Alistair to stand next to the window to make the final picture brighter. At a low level of illumination, a reflector, for example, "gold", can help. Ask a friend to hold the reflector in such a way as to direct more light onto the person being portrayed.

Camera settings

Switch to aperture-priority (“A”) shooting mode

You'll be shooting handheld in a fast-paced environment, so shooting in manual (M) mode may not be the best choice for capturing quality shots. By switching to aperture-priority (“A”) shooting mode, you will control the aperture value. The rest of the settings will be taken over by the camera.

Increase your sensitivity

If you're shooting indoors, you'll need to raise the sensitivity to, say, ISO 1600 to compensate for the lack of light. Grains will be visible on the final images. But the “fee” is justified by the freedom of movement and the ability to get sharp pictures in any shooting situation.

Try to shoot with a large aperture

It is quite natural in portrait photography if you aim for shallow depth of field ( approx. translator - you can learn more about the depth of the field of view in the third part of the series). However, when you're shooting "atmospheric" photos, try to avoid too much "blurring" of the background. If you're shooting with the lens that comes with your camera, set your aperture to a fairly large value, such as 8. This will keep most of your surroundings "clear" and fill your photo story with detail.