In photography, creative inspiration often comes from trying out something new and photographing a scene with this new technology. Creating glass ball scenes is a good example of this, as it allows you to capture fish-like scenes using telephoto lenses. Where the glass ball creates a state of mystery, because it has some relationship with some to see the future. However, shooting with a glass ball is easy to accomplish with just a few simple steps!
How to take landscape photos with a glass ball
To get good landscape photos with a glass ball, you will have to apply some basic rules, and understanding the nature of the place will also help you achieve your goal. Here are the steps you should take to take such photos:
- Choose a scene you usually shoot with a wide-angle lens.
- Shoot this scene and the sun behind you, to illuminate the scene you want to capture.
- Place the ball in a fixed place so as not to fall.
- Arrange your scene and the ball inside.
- Make sure the horizontal lines inside the ball match the background.
- Focus the camera on the scene inside the ball, and the best way to do this is by using live vision and manual focus.
- Use an aperture of about f / 4, as this will make the ball sharp and the background obscured.
- Take the picture, and repeat it if you are not satisfied with the sharpness in the ball.
- Rotate your photo in post-processing so that the scene is not upside down. In some cases, you can skip this step.
Alternative landscapes with a ball, and how to create it
It’s easy to understand that every scene or situation needs a photo of a glass ball. However, this is not the case, as you need to study carefully when choosing which image to take. The most important thing to do is to find an attractive topic that appears prominently within the glass ball. Once you complete these basic features, you will find below some different methods that you can use to create landscape photos using the glass ball.
1. The classic method
In this way, the ball fills the majority of the frame, making the full edges of the ball visible. This will produce glass ball landscapes that have a direct impact, with areas on both sides of the sphere blanked. This type of image is often taken with macro or telephoto lenses with an f / 4 aperture to create a bokeh effect around the sphere.
2. Approach method
As you approach the glass ball, you will confirm the scene inside the ball, and this also requires framing, which cuts some edges of the ball. The concentrated composition can be used with both the top and bottom of the ball here, and this has the advantage that the top and bottom parts of the scene cannot be easily inferred. The other composition follows the rule of thirds, which shows the edge of the sphere in the left or right third of the image.
3. Give the ball a little space
There are many ways to photograph the glass ball, and using a wide-angle lens with this technique is very effective. In this case, you want the background scene to be moderate while making the ball stand out in the scene. This scene does not need to be rotated in post-processing, because you compose the scene in the background. In this type of image, the ball and the landscape should form a balanced composition.
4. Move the ball to a high area
As with all landscape photos, the distinctive high position of the glass globe images works well. Go to a tall building overlooking the city, or head to a hill – both are good options. Once you reach a distinctive high point, find a good place to put the ball so you can see the scene inside. You have to make sure the ball is stable and that it will not fall, so be very careful of its location.
5. Don’t forget the view from the ground floor
Streetball placement doesn’t always work, as you’ll find that half of the scene isn’t visible due to the ground. However, there are many situations that work well when placing the ball on the ground.
- The ball is slightly above the rest of the scene, so it is at the top of the terrain.
- That there be a reflection in the scene from a marble or pool surface.
- The Earth is an attractive element in the image.
6. The human element
Having people in the glass ball landscape is not always the best option. The blurry background may look less attractive when someone is in it. However, there are several ways to add people in a photo, while maintaining their aesthetic.
- Sizing people inside the ball. Using a long telephoto lens (Tele Photo), the compression process will make people appear inside the ball, so the background will be clean and clear without the people in it (as shown below).
- Take the picture and have someone else catch the ball. The hand here is the human element in the image, and you will find that the landscape is still inside the sphere (as shown above).
Where can you try this technique
The places you might visit to take regular landscape photos will also work well with this technology. And the roofs of tall buildings in cities work very well, or eye-worm technology from street level will also be good. Moreover, the beach or desert is an excellent choice as well, given the mild nature of these areas.
One of the classics of this type of photography is sunset photos on the beach with the glass ball. As for mountains and forests, they provide good places as well. And photographing a single tree with this technique is also a nice topic, as well as photographing tree trunks inside the glass globe. And on the mountain tops, you can easily fill the scene inside the ball with a large number of outstanding landscapes.
- How to get the glass ball??
From Amazon you can get an 80mm glass ball at a price of no more than $ 20, and this is a good option although it may be heavy when you carry it. You can also use the small ball 40 mm in many cases, which costs about $ 9, and when you carry a heavy camera bag, it will be a good choice.
Once you get a glass ball, it’s best to start your creativity and see what works best for you. You can also share your work with us. One last tip, be careful with sunlight and ball. Where the glass ball works with sunlight, such as a magnifying glass, it can burn you, or burn your property, or cause a fire if it is close to dry grass or the like.
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