Marat Stepanoff Photography: 2019

понедельник, 9 декабря 2019 г.

THE BEST TIME OF THE YEAR TO VISIT TUSCANY

THE BEST MONTHS TO VISIT TUSCANY

The best time of the year to visit Tuscany from April to June and from September to October. There is warm weather, low prices, and relatively few tourists.

Average Temps by Month	Highs	Lows
January	52 °F (11 °C)	37 °F (3 °C)
February	55 °F (13 °C)	37 °F (3 °C)
March	61 °F (16 °C)	43 °F (6 °C)
April	66 °F (19 °C)	46 °F (8 °C)
May	73 °F (23 °C)	54 °F (12 °C)
June	81 °F (27 °C)	59 °F (15 °C)
July	86 °F (30 °C)	64 °F (18 °C)
August	86 °F (30 °C)	63 °F (17 °C)
September	81 °F (27 °C)	59 °F (15 °C)
October	72 °F (22 °C)	52 °F (11 °C)
November	61 °F (16 °C)	45 °F (7 °C)
December	54 °F (12 °C)	40 °F (4 C)

MONTEPULCIANO

Montepulciano is a medieval town in Tuscany, Italy. The town located 180 km from Rome and about 95 kilometers south of Florence. Montepulciano is a walled hill town on the hilltop and surrounded by vineyards for Nobile red wine.

The Pozzo de’ Grifi a de’ Lioni

Town Hall

PIENZA, ITALY

Pienza in Italy is a tiny town in the heart of Tuscany and located 188 km from Rome and 120 km from Florence.

The first mentioned is from the 9th century and the town was called Corsignano. In the 15th century, Pope Pius II renamed it himself to Pienza which means “city of Pius”. Today it is Pienza.

Pienza is a UNESCO World Heritage Site — it’s charming, full of history and culture and a wonderful place to spend a few hours in the afternoon. Highly recommended.

Pienza

The trapezoidal piazza in the center of Pienza

Pienza street

Wall of Pienza

четверг, 28 ноября 2019 г.

SEASCAPE DAYLIGHT WINTER WORKSHOP

This is a photo workshop for beginner photographers and travelers who want to see the best and most beautiful in the Lofoten Islands. Take a picture of it with the help of a professional landscape photographer.

Of course, you can always count on my help during the shooting and choosing the best angle.

NORTHERN LIGHTS PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP

We’ll learn the Northern Lights camera settings. I’ll show you how to research the area, how to find excellent features for the foreground like rocks, water, and background. I’ll help you set the correct shutter speed, aperture, and ISO and focused. Also, I will take some photos and edit them after the workshop and send you by email (LR preset included).

WINTER TALES

In winter Lofoten is one of the best places to observe the Northern Lights. During the workshop we will learn to shoot the Northern Lights, of course, this will depend on the specific weather, but I believe that Nature blesses us. Much attention will be paid to the technique of shooting the seascapes, and we will shoot mountains and sky. One local woman told me one day that the Lofoten has an absolutely stunning sky.

GOLDEN FALL AND AURORA

Lofoten is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. The captivating beauty of the Lofoten islands attracts many photographers from all over the world. There are sharp mountain peaks, sandy beaches with turquoise water, fjords, authentic fishing huts.

Autumn time in Lofoten is low season. It is perfect! We were lucky. No crowds of tourists, no photographers.

But there is everything else.

October, like February, is the best month to shoot the Northern Lights. Mountain peaks are already covered with snow, and the forest below is all yellow, orange, red.

During the workshop we will learn to shoot the Northern Lights, of course, this will depend on the specific weather, but I believe that Nature blesses us.

Much attention will be paid to the technique of shooting the seascapes, and we will shoot mountains and sky. One local woman told me one day that the Lofoten has an absolutely stunning sky.

MIDNIGHT SUN LOFOTEN WORKSHOP

Many photographers visit Lofoten Islands in winter. But summer opens new opportunities for photographers. Midnight Sun is one of them.

In the summer workshop we can shoot from above. There are no high mountains and all of them are available for everyone with standard physical fitness.
Of course, the photos of the mountains are amazing. And we will be there at the best time of the day.

LOFOTEN AURORA PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP

VENICE PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP

Join me for Venice Photography Workshop https://maratstepanoff.com/photography-workshops/venice-photography-workshop/ next Spring. In a trip that offers great photo opportunities beyond all expectations. Situated in Northern Italy, Venice is one of the most photogenic towns around the World.

Medieval Palacio on the Grand Canal, hundreds of streets and canal labyrinths, gondolas and Alta Acqua. There are the most iconic scenes of Venice cityscape photography.

The area around Venice has attracted photographers and artists for years and it’s easy to see why. Venice is a beautiful town and you can’t help but be seduced by.

I will take you to some of the best locations, and you can shoot a classic Venice cityscape. During the photo tour, I will provide workshops and you can learn to process this type of Architectural and Street photography.

TUSCANY AUTUMN

Highlights of tour

Florence
Siena
Motepulciano
Pienza
Val d’ Orcia

Join me for a Tuscany photography workshop https://maratstepanoff.com/tuscany-autumn/ next Autumn. In a trip that offers great photo opportunities beyond all expectations. Situated in Northern Italy, Tuscany is one of the country’s most photogenic destination.

Unlike the spring photo tour, we will focus on architectural photography. Of course, we will shoot the landscapes of the Val d’ Orcha.

Gray rolling hills covered with fog, old tiny towns, misty mornings, and roads punctured with cypress trees. This is one of Tuscany landscape photography’s most iconic scenes.

The area around Val d’Orcia has attracted photographers and artists for years and it’s easy to see why. Tuscany is a beautiful landscape and you can’t help but be seduced by.

TUSCANY SPRING PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP

Join me for a Tuscany photography workshop https://maratstepanoff.com/photography-workshops/tuscany-photography-workshop/ next Spring. In a trip that offers great photo opportunities beyond all expectations. Situated in Northern Italy, Tuscany is one of the country’s most photogenic destination.

Green rolling hills covered of colorful wildflowers, old tiny towns, misty mornings, and roads punctured with cypress trees. This is one of Tuscany landscape photography’s most iconic scenes.

The area around Val d’Orcia has attracted photographers and artists for years and it’s easy to see why. Tuscany is a beautiful landscape and you can’t help but be seduced by.

May is the best time to visit Tuscany. The grass has not yet been cut, poppies bloom, and early in the morning the valleys are filled with fog and create a mystical landscape. These are incredibly photogenic images.

LOFOTEN PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS

Lofoten is one of the world’s top ten destinations for landscape and seascape photography.

The beautiful beaches of Haukland, Skagsanden, Myrland, Uttakleiv, stunning coastal villages of Hamnoy and Reine and the northern lights.

Join my workshops and we discover Lofoten.

https://maratstepanoff.com/photography-workshops/lofoten-workshops/

вторник, 12 ноября 2019 г.

REINEBRINGEN

Reinebringen is the most popular mountain in the Lofoten Islands in Norway.

Despite the low altitude, hiking on the Reinebringen was one of the most difficult and dangerous in Lofoten.

EASY WAY TO MAKE CREATIVE VIGNETTE IN PHOTOSHOP

Vignette in Photoshop is a very popular visual effect adding expressiveness to your photo. In this article, you will learn how to draw the attention of a viewer to a subject with a vignette.

Vignette-in-Photoshop

вторник, 5 ноября 2019 г.

REINE NORWAY

Reine is one of the quiet fishing village in Norway to stay if you are exploring the Lofoten Islands.

The amazing village of Reine is located on the island of Moskenesøya on the Lofoten Islands, Norway. Red and white fishermen’s cabins located the shoreline and surrounding mountains peaks of the Reinefjorden. Reine calls the most beautiful place in the world.

This village is a favorite destination on the Lofoten Islands for many photographers around the world.

вторник, 24 сентября 2019 г.

NIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY SETTINGS

Camera settings for the night photography will change from photo to photo. Your main goal is to take a correctly exposed picture without digital and color noise. For me, night photography is one of the most fascinating genres of photography. There is a night landscape or night street photography, in any case, I’m on board.

In most cases, I shoot in M-mode. I adjust the Shutter Speed (“Rule 500”)and ISO setting. Usually, I start at ISO 1600 or ISO 3200 if it’s dark enough. And finally, I set up the Aperture.

Typically, at night the settings are f/4, 25sec, ISO 3200 and reduce or increase ISO if necessary. Are these the best settings for night photography? For my camera, yes. In any case, I will start from f/4, 25 seconds, ISO 1600.

In this article, you will learn about the camera settings for night photography. However, we have already learned.

But why is it the best settings for night photography?

четверг, 22 августа 2019 г.

NORTHERN LIGHTS IN NORWAY

Northern Lights in Norway is one of the most amazing sights on Earth. The dance of “green lights” in the night sky is unforgettable.

Where to see the Northern Lights?

When I planned the trip I was looking for the best place to see the Northern Lights in Europe. Aurora can be seen everywhere in Scandinavia, but in the end, I chose Norway. Beautiful landscapes, relatively mild climate and developed infrastructure.

In this short article, I will tell you how to see the Northern Lights in Norway.

https://maratstepanoff.com/northern-lights-in-norway/

Northern Lights at Lofoten Islands Norway

среда, 31 июля 2019 г.

EXPOSURE IN PHOTOGRAPHY

Exposure in Photography is the first part of a fundamental series of articles for beginner photographers: 'Simple Photography'.

EXPOSURE TRIANGLE CHEAT SHEET

Exposure Triangle cheat sheet is a short infographic will help you get skills and understand the elements of exposure.

You are one step closer to your goal – to get creative control of the camera. This is a short infographic Exposure Triangle cheat sheet. You will see how these 3 elements work together.

WHITE BALANCE

Correct setting of White Balance in your camera or in post-processing is the most important step in getting a beautiful picture.

In this article you will learn:

What is White Balance used for
Understanding White Balance
Does White Balance affect exposure
Does White Balance matter in RAW
How to set White Balance on the Lightroom
How to set White Balance a camera

четверг, 27 июня 2019 г.

Photography Exposure Settings Intro by Marat Stepanoff - FilterGrade

суббота, 15 июня 2019 г.

3 EASY STEPS TO FIX WHITE BALANCE IN PHOTOSHOP

Despite the fact that you are editing JPEG, you can fix the White Balance in Photoshop. I was surprised at how some authors complicate this process. https://maratstepanoff.com/white-balance-photoshop/

F-STOP CHART

F-Stop Chart that in diagram form illustrates the special aspects of photography aperture and its connection with the F-stop, lens, light, and depth of field. https://maratstepanoff.com/f-stop-chart/

DEPTH OF FIELD. WHAT IS DEPTH OF FIELD – GUIDE FOR BEGINNERS

The Depth of Field is important concepts for photographers. You can also see the term DoF (Depth of Field). Understanding and ability to set DoF is needed to shoot beautiful photos in any genre. I continue to publish articles for beginning photographers “Simple Photography”.
https://maratstepanoff.com/depth-of-field/

среда, 22 мая 2019 г.

Photography Workshops

Landscape photography workshops are a wonderful way to experience the world’s most beautiful places and improving your technique.

I lead interesting signature tours to some breathtaking places in Italy, Norway, and Iceland, with other professional landscape photographers and local guides.
We bring you to amazing locations at the exact time!

https://maratstepanoff.com/photography-workshops/