Portrait Photography on the Beach

Portrait Photography on the Beach

Landscape Photography Tips- Adding Drama To Your Landscape Photography

Landscape Photography Tips- Adding Drama To Your Landscape Photography

Tips For Studio Portrait Photography

 I took this shot above to show you the position of the softboxes either side of my model. The output and direction is very important.

If you have ever wanted to know how to capture beautiful portraits in a photographic studio then you will not want to miss these hints. Recently I did a photo session of a friend in the photographic studio. She wanted a simple portrait for her website. I used a few tips and tricks to not only pose her well, but light the photo in a pleasing way.

Studio portrait techniques are not hard to become skilled at. They simply need an understanding of just how much lighting you must use, and, where it is coming from. Studio light is very uncomplicated and can be mastered with some preparation. It's essential not to hurry these things as you achieve an understanding of studio lighting.

Studio portrait lighting techniques rely a great deal what quantity of light falls on the subject. The majority studio lighting is equipped with several lights including softboxes. Softboxes are pretty simple to use. They are lights that have a continuous mode to them, but fire with a wireless trigger. This means that the lights stay on until you link a wireless remote trigger to them. This small tool sits on your camera. Its counterpart attaches at the rear of the light. When you press the shutter button that light shoots out a burst of light, similar to the light from the flash. The rationale for this is that we want to create a well lit portrait.

We can't always do this with diffused light. The light has the softbox clipped on to it so that you can light your portrait properly, but still have the bright light you need. Its the same principle as using a huge white box to help you diffuse the light on top of your speedlite. Its ideal light for studio portraits.

The direction and output of light are two things to take into consideration when creating beautiful studio portraits. You need exactly the right amount of light on the persons face. not enough can create too many unpleasant shadows under the nose, chin and darken the eyes. This is not the effect we want for normal studio portraits. Its crucial to fill in any possible dark areas on the subject’s face. We do this by ensuring the persons face has the right amount of light.
Next we must inspect the direction of light. Typically studio

portraiture depends on front on lighting. This is for precisely the same reason as the first example. If you have an individual light to the side of the persons face you will create deep shadows across their face. This is most ideal for a dramatic effect but it won't work for a relaxed, family studio shot of your friend or family member. You can light the person from the face with an individual or two. If you use two lights they must be placed at identical distances on either side of the subject’s face. For example, you can place one light two meters away from the persons right side of the face. After
that, you can place a light at exactly the same distance on the other side. That will give you an flat lighting style across their face, removing any shadows entirely.

What about the background? You can keep the background plain if you want the major focus to be on the face. Alternatively you can bring in a small amount of studio props. These might be things that the person loves, such as flowers, a push bike and even a lovely old chair. At all times keep the lighting uncomplicated. Consider what you want to illuminate and place the light in that position. I know it sounds a lot simpler than it really is, but with some preparation you will master the studio in no time.

Glamour Photography Tips

Photo by Amy K Roberts. This photo is copyrighted and must never be used without written and signed permission from the photographer.

Domestic portrait photography is one of the most popular forms of photography for the home-based services market. Many of these include weddings, newborns and infants, celebration,  events and glamour photography. Glamour photography is very popular today. What are the main differences between domestoic portrait photography and this stylish photography? Furthermore, in what way can we shoot the most ideal images for the task?

Glamour photography is a stylised representation of someone. Stylised will mean that that someone is styled, had their hair and make up done to look a particular way. It may also employ props such as home furniture, clothing and elegance to make someone look a particular way. Fashion photography is quite comparable but it’s not quite the same as glamour. Glamour photography is created for the domestic market and fashion is created for promotion.

Many people love this type of glamour photography. It’s actually a lovely service to provide for a friend. For the client, especially women, it is quite exciting to get made up for a photo with the specific aim to look as beautiful as she can. As a photographer there is a lot of possibility for this kind of service.

In this glamour photography tutorial I will be discussing how photographers can develop sound and successful lighting and shooting methods to photograph the very best in people. To begin with, look at how people want to be photographed.

Ask the customer how they want to come across in the photo, and, what sort of photo they want. It’s a great idea to ask them to offer you photo examples of what they love. If they don’t know what suits them you can always have photographs to show them. They will get a well thought out idea of how they want to look. You can then chose the lighting set up according to what they want to look like. You can also suggest clothing and colour ideas.

Colour matching is necessary in glamour photography.  Colours help to create elegance and beauty. The best colours usually have a sensual feel to them. Colours that are bold work well with feminine make up styles. One of the best and most effective ways to get your colours appearing real and genuine is to do a custom white balance. Why is this so essential? For skin tone primarily. There’s nothing inferior than skin tones looking a little yellow or green because the white balance is wrong. At all times use custom white balance with a  grey card.

Once you have done that you can create outstanding and brilliant colour using bright clothes or material. In the recent glamour shoot I did, I used a long piece of energetic scarlet chiffon. Chiffon is a beautifully light, semi-transparent fabric.  It hangs in straight lines that work suitably for the feminine body. It has a fine and beautiful feel to it. I folded it over itself a few times to take away transparency.

Next, lets look at some glamour photography tips to get you started. Once you have a real comprehension of how your friend wants to look, set up your lighting. More often than not glamour photography is done in a studio using what we call modelling lamps, or key lights as they are known, and fill lights. The key light is your most important light source and your fill lights are the lights that help minimise some of the dark areas. Usually your key light is brighter than the fill lights. This is how you recognize which is which.

A deep black setting, an individual source of light from the side and a splash of colour is more often than not what distinguishes glamour photography from other sorts of portrait photography. This is usually done using a piece of black paper type of material that can taken out of a huge spool attached to the top of the wall. That’s all very well if you have a costly set up. If you only have your living room or garage to work with then you need to get creative.

Think about your lighting. Soft flash lighting from the side works well. If you can take your flash off your camera and link it remotely then do so. Each time you press the shutter the flash will discharge. You can change the intensity output of the flash manually. This is done shooting with  the manual mode on your flash.

Once you have your lighting set up, consider your environment. If you do not have an appropriate background then don’t use a background at all. It’s better to use no background than a background that does not match. Try tightly framing the photo by photographing a head and shoulders shot.

Lastly, lets look at some glamour photography poses. These are usually done by making lot of angles of the body. A flattering glamour photo of a woman is not one where she is standing front-on. It looks flattering to have one shoulder higher than the other or her head somewhat titled away from or in the direction of the camera. For thoughts of finding the right pose, have a look at glamour photography websites. See how other photographers have requested their models to pose. If you get caught for ideas use other photographers photos to inspire you.

Try to photograph from different angles. I shot my model from a higher angle for a few photos. I then got on the ground and shot from floor level as she lay in front of the camera. Lastly I did the shoot at normal standing height as she sat on a stood. You can get very resourceful. Make sure you have the background to support this. If you don’t try some closer focal lengths that crop the background out.

Always remember your lighting. It is one of the most important things in glamour photography. Use flattering poses and opt for no background if you can’t find a background that works. And most of all have fun!

How To Create Beautiful Portraits With Window Light

 

How easy is it to create a beautiful, softly lit portrait? It feels hard if you do not know how to do it.  Once you have your light right then half the battle is over. What happens when you have no studio light? What then? I have good news; you don’t need studio light. Why not consider window light? 

If window light were so successful then everyone would use it, right? Well, yes, that is right. The trouble is that with this is that no one uses window light properly. Many photographers position the subject in front of the window. They do not turn their subject to face the window. By turning the subject to face the window it is a great way to take advantage of some beautiful light. It’s not only beautiful but it’s ideal light for portraits. Many photographers don’t actually use the light from the window to illuminate the subjects face or eyes. Instead they photograph the subject side on or with the window light from behind. This method will not work and you will be quickly disappointed with the results. 

So let’s now look at some ways to create lovely window light portraits. 

First, think about the quality of the light coming through the window. Is it hard or soft? Usually the light is soft. A portrait looks fantastic when the light is soft. Blemishes are reduced, skin tone evens out and there are no harsh shadows under noses or eyes. It’s really an ideal kind of light for portraits.

Think about the temperature of the light. Changing the white balance to suit your portrait is essential if you want to create beautifully warm and fresh skin tones. It’s easy to create unsuitable colour tone through a lack of understanding about white balance and how it affects your friends skin tone. In this case do a custom white balance before you shoot. 

The way to do a custom white balance is as follows: Take your light meter and place it on the persons face. Face the light meter towards the window light with the invercone extended. (That's the little white round thing that comes up to to read the light)> Now press the side button and take a reading. Make sure the light meter and the camera have the same settings. For example if the light meter tells you that F1.4 and 1/60^th of a second is ideal, and your lens is unable to go to F1.4 then you may not use the setting. Move your light meters dial to the aperture you want to shoot at. It will then give you a reading you will able to set on your camera. 

Now that you have the ideal exposure take a grey card and place it in front of the lens. Set your camera to the settings of the light meter. Take a photo. Set the photo of the grey card to the correct white balance on your camera. Now your white balance should be ok. It’s been set for the conditions you are shooting in. 

The direction of light is very important too. It’s good to get a window that is quite long so the majority of light comes from the person’s top and side, not directly from above only. If you have too much light from above only, then shadows under the nose and the eyes may occur. To avoid this, try and find a window that is quite large. This will help disperse the light evenly.

If you find that you still have too much shadow on the opposite side to the window, then try using a reflector. A reflector can bounce the light back onto the persons face to fill in the shadows. This works very well in some situations. 

If you place your subject too close to the window you may see more contrast on the persons face. If you want softer light and less shadows, move them away from the window. This will even out the light across their face, but darken the overall exposure of the image. Simply adjust this by increasing your ISO. 

When shooting a portrait using window light its important to keep the emotive affects of that light clear in your mind. A soft light cast across someone’s face can often create an endearing affect. This is ideal for weddings, young people and children. If you want to create something theatrical and moody, try a different direction and quality of light. However, for windows, you will find that creating an endearing affect is easier than you think. 

Consider window light as a wonderfully accessible way to shoot portraits. Always make sure you have plenty of light and use a tripod. Window light is soft and subdued and ideal for portraits. Face your portrait towards the light, not away from it. The direction of light needs to light the persons face to help create a gentle and soft look and feel. If you use window light in this way, you will be better equip to handle many lighting situations.

Panasonic Lumix TZ 40

Recently I had the pleasure of experiencing a little Lumix camera. Lightweight and easy to use, I thought I'd write about it. Also, you can win one, so I will tell you about that soon.
Upon examining the features of the camera I could quickly see the good quality of the lens. I really love Leica lenses, they are good quality and have served both the amateur and professional for years. It's very important to get a camera with a good lens, or a dslr camera that you can put a good lens on. Good glass is what gives you the optical quality that we so desperately seek as photographers.
This beautiful little camera has 18 megapixels, which is pretty good for a small compact. It shoots video as well as stills, and you can easy get wide angles and zoom in for a closer crop. You can easily capture panoramas for those beautiful landscape scenes, making it easier to find good control points and create beautiful images. One of the most impressive features is the wi-fi technology. You can successfully send images from the camera to your phone or tablet. How cool is that?
I love this camera. It's smart, compact and easy to shoot with. If you live in the UK you can win one.

"We are currently running a Facebook competition where you can win a Panasonic Lumix TZ 40. The competition is open to everyone over 18 in the UK.  

All you have to do is upload a holiday picture that shows why YOU deserve to win a new camera for this year’s holiday. Spread the word about your entry, and get your friends and family to help you by liking your picture.

On the 2^nd August the entry with the most likes will be announced as the winner.  It is as simple as that. You can enter the competition on our Facebook page here: http://woobox.com/xba3db."

How to take sharp photos

Photo copyright by Amy K Roberts

Many people ask me if there is a secret to getting sharp photos. I often respond that it is a combination of a few factors. These factors include shutter speed, aperture and f-stop, using a tripod and distance to subject. These things work together to create a sharp image. Once you learn how to work these things together you can say goodbye to blurry images.

Blurry images can be caused by camera shake. Camera shake is the movement of the camera when you take the photo. You may have noticed that when you are shooting in low light, there is a little bit of blur throughout your image. This is due to the shutter speed slowing down and accidentally recording the movement of camera when you press the shutter button down.

There's an easy way to fix this. Blurry images due to camera shake are preventable. What you need is a tripod. In low light situations the shutter will slow down. It slows down so that you can capture as much light as possible. If you move the camera when the shutter is open your image will usually be blurry. If you hold the camera very still you will see that this problem may go away entirely. A great way to keep the camera still is to use a tripod. A tripod will prevent blurriness duty camera shake.

Shutter speed and sharp photos go hand-in-hand. The quicker your shutter speed is the less likely you are to accidentally blur your image. If you do not have a tripod then simply photograph your subject at a faster shutter speed. This requires using the camera in manual mode. Using the camera in manual is by far the best option because it gives you the most control. Remember, the camera doesn't take photos, you do.

Sharpness in photos is also attained by using the correct f-stop. Your f-stop is a numerical representation of your camera's aperture. Your lens determines what f-stop range your camera has. The higher the number f-stop means the sharper your photo will be. This is because it controls your depth of field. Depth of field means that area of your photo that is in focus. If you try and take a photo with something in the distance and you use a low f-stop number such as F2 .8, you will find that not everything in the scene is sharp. The best way to get good sharpness in your photos is to use the right aperture for the scene. The more that your subject is in the distance the higher the number you will need. The close your subject is the small the number you may use.

If you have a DSLR camera you will have the ability to interchange lenses. Interchanging lenses is a wonderful way to have more control over getting sharp photos. You will see that on the side of your lens there is a small switch or slider controls automatic or manual focus. If you find that the camera is unable to focus on your subject, due to low light or distance, you can always switch your focus to manual focus.

Let's take the example of photographing a subject at night time. Sometimes the camera will struggle to see the subject when you use auto focus. If there is not much light the camera won't be able to see what it is supposed to focus on. If you are able to see the subject well you can simply switch your focus to manual. Turn the focus ring on your lens to bring the subject into clear focus. You may find that you get a sharp image this way.

These are just some of the things that you can do to get sharp photos. You will find that the more practice you do the better your photos will look.

Come and vistit me at my website and learn more about how to create beautiful and stunning images with the simple click of your shutter button www.DigitalPhotographySuccess.com

A Couple Of Really Great Ways To Use Flash In Portrait hotography

There are lots of ways to light a person for a portrait shoot. Light can come in many forms and none so portable than the flash. There is a trick to using flash. The trick is knowing about the colour of the flash, the output, proximity to your person and shadows.

There are many flash photography techniques you can use. In order to get beautiful photos with the flash you need to understand a couple of things about the flash and how flash photography works. These key things are the following:

Intensity (Brightness): The flash is pretty intense. It shoots out a short burst of intense light. This is called “output”. The final quality of your images depends greatly on the output of the flash. In other words the more intense or bright the light is the more it dilutes colour, washes out skin tones and can create high contrast.

Direction: The direction of your flash can make or completely break your portrait photo. If you use the flash at an angle, too close, then you create a high level of contrast. For portraits this may or may not work. As a result of firing the flash front-on you may just see shadows under the person’s nose, chin and cheeks. You may see the dark shadow of their body on the wall behind them.
Outdoor flash photography: The reason why we use flash outdoors is to employ a technique called fill flash. Some people call it flash fill. Whatever you call it, just know that it has a special purpose. It only has one purpose and this is it: to fill in shadows.

Using fill flash can put the right amount of light on someone’s face so that shadows are not as present. To do this you need a soft output. You need to be standing at just the right distance away where the flash is not too bright that will diminish colour from their face. What is the right distance? The more intense the flash output is, the further away you can stand. The less intense the output the closer you can stand.
The key to using flash in portrait photography is to create soft light. Portrait photography looks great when the light is soft. This is evident in wedding photography. The last thing we want to do is fire the flash up close in a brides face. Firstly people hate the flash in their eyes, and, secondly, it can ruin the photos.

Bouncing the flash:  A great technique you can use is to swivel the flash head to the ceiling. When you take the photo a lovely burst of light from the flash will hit the ceiling at a high intensity. It will then bounce off the ceiling. The reflected flash light from the ceiling creates a lovely soft light over your portrait. It’s a much nicer effect and such an easy technique. You can really only do this if you have an external flash.

On-camera flash techniques for wedding and portrait photography: If you only have an on-camera flash then try turning your output down to the lowest setting. In other words it’s better to try and fire a soft burst of light rather than an intense burst of light. Make sure you do not stand too close to the person. Fire off a few practice photos first with something around the house to see the effects of the output and distance.
Keep practicing with the flash. These flash techniques are easy to do and will become second nature the more experience you get. They are a lot of fun and you can create some beautiful results with them.

How To Take A Better Photo - Capturing Great Moments And Working With Light

You’ve almost certainly heard me chatting about how significant it is to get your photos accurate when you photograph them. What does this imply? Well it simply means not to rely on Photoshop to patch up everything. Photoshop is great, and we must use  it, but it’s not a restoration tool. It is a tool for enhancement.

You may improve your photography quite certainly when you know a thing or two. I’ll share some inventive ways to take photographs in these shooting tips. Firstly one of the most ideal ways to take really interesting photos is to take into consideration your light. Light has four major features to it; brightness, colour, contrast and direction.  Shooting good photos is dependent on taking the light in such a way where your photo appears clear and well exposed.

Another great photography tip I can share with you is continuously watch out for some key moments in time. Holiday snaps are pleasant and we all fancy them, but knowing how to take stunning photos can rely on your capability to photograph a defining moment. A defining opportunity might be when two elements meet and interact directly or indirectly to create one powerful message.

Portrait photography is a great way to master the technical features of lighting and create a powerful message as well. You can capture people interacting with each other, showing love and fondness or just having fun. Candid portraiture is specially terrific for this. Taking candid photos of people is a terrific way to learning about watching light and aiming for a good story in your photos.

One great way to take stunning portraits is to bounce the flash off the roof. Nothing ruins a portrait faster than a huge blast of unappealing white light in someone’s face. People are likely to squint and find it such an imposition. Instead, if you can, rotate the flash head to face the roof. When you press the shutter and take the photo your acquaintance will be immersed in a lovely smooth light. This smooth light will enrich facial features, naturally emphasise beautiful skin tone and bring energy to their eyes.

Taking beautiful photos demands a solid comprehension of light and how to generate a story through your photo. If you truthfully want to improve your photography and discover what you will need to take good photographs then patience and persistence are keys. Continuously analyse your own pictures. It’s good to determine what you like, what worked, what didn’t and if you can improve on what you did. This is the way I developed my abilities and eventually things started to fall into place. I am always happy to assist you where I can.

Basic Digital Photo Techniques for Beginners

Photo copyright by Amy Renfrey

There are a lot of ways to discover how to use your camera, but do these things make you a superior photographer? The answer to that is “maybe”. You see, the digital camera is just a tool to generate inventive photographs. It is dependent on the way that tool is ultilised that determines the best and most beautiful photos.

Basic Digital Photography Techniques

To get spectacular images we first need to look at some basic photography principles. The first one I am able to share with you is learn about lighting. Anytime you learn about light and how it forms a relationship with with the direct environment then your shots will get better.

Check out shape and form- Where you place things in the photo is next. Continually consider the vantage points and structures of the things you are photographing. Do they generate a symmetrical shot that is pleasant to the eye? One method to master the techniques linked to photographing ideal composition is to see where these objects guide our eye.

Each time you shoot, try to look for a balance and simpleness. Put into practice these things by shooting uncomplicated things that have nice straight lines, or curved lines and proportioned patterns. Don’t have anything else in the rest of the scene. A nice way to get started with this artistic technique is taking photos of architecture. Architecture is filled with lines. Take shots of walls, angles in the walls, look at how these lines direct us and the way it looks as a photograph. This is great practice. This technique of seeking symmetry will greatly progress your photography, ten fold in fact.

Easy Photography Techniques

Investigating light- One of the simplest techniques I know is to examine and scrutinize light. Try this: every time you have a look at something, note how bright the light is, what direction it is coming from, how much darks and lights it produces and the colour of that light. For the next week, each time you photograph something, write down what you noticed and then how it appeared as a photo.
Once you have effectively mastered this technique start shooting your lines and curves. If you begin shooting in this manner you will see that a) your technical capability increases and b) your photos begin to look creative  and a whole lot more appealing. It’s not just easy to do, but a lot of enjoyment.
You will start to feel like you are experiencing a bond with light. Your comprehension of light improves. As your understanding improves, so do your shots. You will start to know what will work as a photo just by looking at the scene in front of you. It’s a fantastically positive and empowering feeling.

Better Photography Techniques

Better photography techniques come with training. Training takes time. Time takes dedication and a motivation to learn. One of the things that helped me to become skilled at photography was the exploration of light and shape.
Another useful thing you can do is to write everything down on paper. Before you shoot write down notes about the light. Ask yourself and write down the answer to:  What is the light doing? How does it make your scene appear? How does the light change the mood of your scene

 Next, write down:
•    Notice the quantity of light
•    What direction it is coming from
•    How much differences between light and dark it creates
•    The colour of that light.

Then, if you are shooting in auto mode, write down what the internal light meter is saying as you point the digital camera to that scene. note the shutter speed and f stop it requests to shoot at. (It will be mistaken and generally underexposed, but more about that another time.)
Then, change your cameras mode to the manual setting and modify the adjustments to what the auto setting just said. It will be incorrect, so make sure you put the dial in the center, or slightly to the right of the middle.

Subsequently, look at the lines and shape of the subjects in your photograph. Where do they direct your eyes? Are there any irrelevant elements in the scene that you really don’t want?  Imagine that shot as a two dimensional medium and look again. Is there someone in the way? A tree that doesn’t really look like it fits? A lot of cars whizzing by that detracts from the intensity and authority of the building?

Always ask yourself these things before photographing.

Digital Photography Specialist Techniques

One of the greatest ways to become skilled at photography is becoming good at a photo editing program. Photoshop is an incredibly wonderful application to have but it needs time to gain knowledge of it's finer points for better photos. It’s very complicated to the starter so take some formal lessons if you need to. You can also learn Lightroom, which is a simpler version of Photoshop. It’s easier to learn and you may not always need official instruction.

Whichever way you decide to go, specialist methods come from not only nice photography and shooting techniques but tactics in post processing. Post processing is a term given to editing, increasing colour and vibrancy and fine tuning your photos in a software program.

There are so many extremely extraordinary things you can apply in both Photoshop and Lightroom. Softening the outer areas of a photograph and improving colour and contrast are just some of the basic features within both programs. You can also include items that were not there prior. You also have the ability to remove irrelevant subjects in the environment. These programs are dynamic for wedding and portrait photography because you can add depth to colour, create smoothness for skin tones, make facial features glow and the eyes sparkle. A whole new world opens up to you as you realise what Photoshop and Lightroom can give you, and, how much improved your images can appear.

You can become absorbed for hours when you are post processing, so gain knowledge of good techniques. The last thing you want to do is spend 1 hour taking pictures and 6 hours retouching all your photos. The faster your post processing methods are the better photographer you turn into.

On-Camera Flash Techniques for Digital Wedding and Portrait Photography

The most horrible way to use your flash in wedding and portrait photography is front on. Firstly, others hate the flash being blasted in their eyes. Also, the direct flash is not really meant for front on work (unless it’s a special circumstance, in which case it would be turned to its lowest intensity.)
The flash is made for brightening shadows. Professionals usually have an external flash and face it up in the direction of the ceiling, to the wall or place something over it to reduce its intense, white effects.

I never ever use flash front-on for weddings and portraits because the light is too bright. When we have light that’s strong and white on someone's skin, we lose a lot of the smaller and softer details of a persons face. It makes people look horrible in photographs!

Digital Black and White Photography Techniques

Techniques for photographing in black and white are no different to shooting in colour. Still, on saying that, you may want to photograph black and white things with the aim of generating a black and white photo. That’s okay too.

If you would like some really striking black and white photos then strive to photograph items that have a naturally brilliant contrast. For example a white sign with deep black letters next to a silver building may appear really nice. A person’s face with cherry lipstick and deep eye make up looks great in black and white.

Digital Photography Lighting Techniques

I have covered how to assess light and how to use the flash properly, but what about ambient light? Ambient light is the light that exists within the environment we are photographing in. Light from a window that fills up a room is regarded as ambient light for instance. It’s imperative to take note of ambient light just as much as extra light sources.

Ambient light is reflected light. It’s light that arrives from a light source and fills up the environment without a distinct angle. This is quite critical to take note of since it determines how you take the photo. If you have a lot of ambient light you may have light evenly spread all the way through your photograph. This is nice. But what if that’s not the effect you require? What if you want a moody and sombre photo instead? In that case, you would try and shoot anytime the intense light source is at an angle. Using a hard directional light that generates deep shadows can really create a dramatic photograph. The way light is within a scene has an effect on  the way you take the shot and the create the mood of the photo. This is very important, do not underestimate this.

Canon Photography Techniques
I got asked yesterday what camera I owned. I replied a “5D Mark Two”. It delighted the person I was talking too. The fact is that no matter what digital camera you shoot with you will still need to get behind the methods  of good photography and master them. There is in truth no such thing as exact photography principles for a Canon and a set of different methods for a Nikon camera. It’s still photography and light is one of your main concerns.

Digital SLR Photography Techniques
 
You have better opportunity to control the digital camera if it is a dslr. There are extra controls and more approaches to get the specific effects you care for. I am not saying that it’s dreadful to have a point and shoot camera. I am simply saying that you have greater influence over the way your images turn out. I have looked at some spectacular images come out of small compact cameras because the photographer understood how to scrutinize and work with light and composition.

The main reason I use a Dslr is because I want more management over my image making. I want to be able to amend my focal length and have various kinds of lenses on the camera if I choose. I also need the chance for high speed camera work if the occasion calls for it.

I also want a very fast shutter speed from time to time. A really fast shutter speed takes place when you use a fast lens. This will mean that the maximum aperture of the lens is quite wide. A lot of light can come in to the lens and you have more light to work with. You may get a fast shutter speed this way.

Dslr cameras have more various controls such as a high ISO, multiple frames per second, the capability for exchangeable lenses, the ability to have an external flash and much more. You will still be able to get lovely shots with a point and shoot camera, but after a while you will start feeling restricted in what you can do.

To really master photography it’s most ideal to be trained by someone who is experienced at it. This comprehension can save you years of mistakes and disappointments. Learn to control light, composition, your compact  and you will have the structure to be an incredible photographer.








Want to learn more about photography? Come and visit me and learn better photography techniques to make your photos look stunning. You can also talk to me personally on Facebook.

What is composition in photography?
By Amy Renfrey

If you look at all the great masters of photography you can often feel like they knew a secret. Well, this is not far from the truth. The fact is the greats like Sebastio Saldago, Ansel Adams, Imogen Cunningham (just to name a few) did indeed know how to frame and compose their photos.
So how did they do it? The secret is that they know how to design and structure their photos long before pressing the shutter button.  Design elements are applied to photography which creates the arrangement and formation of your subjects within your photo. Let’s look at some of them now.

Photography composition basics

A good photo is one that forms a strong story. It is clear and provides a good structure for us to base our assumptions on. There are a number of design rules that allow us to do this and as a result, create some powerful imagery.

Basic photography composition is not only working with the rule of thirds, which I’ll explain in a moment, but it’s understanding why we need to photograph things from certain angles. Lines and shape are the basis to this understanding.

The elements of visual design

To begin with let’s look at tone. Tone, very simply put, is a variety of brightness and shadow. The variation is referred to as tonal range. If something has a large tonal range is has many variations of brightness and shadow. Think of a really nice black and white photo. What makes it so beautiful? It’s often because it has a wide tonal range. This means there are many variations of bright and shadow in the photo.

 "Concrete" by Amy Renfrey

These variations enhance the photo because highlights tend to “move” forward and dark areas tend to look as if they are further behind. This makes it look like the photo is more three dimensional. The more that a photo looks three dimensional the better it tends to appear.

Always think about how your brighter areas work with your darker areas to make shapes look the way they do. Consider if you can make them stronger and give them more contrast to emphasise lines and shape.

Let’s look at the lines within a photo and what they mean. Every single photo has shape and much of that shape consists of lines within your photo. Whether it is the horizontal line of a horizon in your sunset photo, the vertical lines of a street sign or curving lines of a beautiful shell you find on the beach, you will still need to place those lines in certain areas of the photo for maximum visual appeal.

The great thing about a little bit of knowledge is that it can yield powerful results. Lines can be used to direct the viewer’s attention to a specific part of the photo.

• Horizontal lines represent stability and calm. 
• Vertical lines represent strength and power, and a sense of firmness. 
• Diagonal lines represent energy and motion. 
• Curved lines represent beauty and sophistication. 
• Converging lines represent depth and perception. 
• Crossing lines represent complexity and rapid movement.

  "Mess" by Amy Renfrey

 "Into The Future" by Amy Renfrey

 So how do we compose our photos with such specific structure like this to create beautiful images? There’s no hard and fast way, but the rule of thirds might help you further.

Photography and the rule of thirds

The rule of thirds relates to the placement of interesting parts of your subject on areas of your photo. For example, it might be a little bit uninteresting to place someone’s smiling face right in the center of the photo. If you moved the camera and positioned their face closer to the edge of the frame it might be more interesting. It might give a more positive message and captivate your audience a bit more.

The rule of thirds is an imaginary grid that we place over the top of an image. We place the interesting elements of our subject close to the junction points. This gives the opportunity to deeper and more meaningful photos for years to come.

You can create beautiful photos anytime. Start by looking at your lines and tonal range. These two things can prove to be powerful visual elements for creating beautiful photos.

Photography Lighting Tips That Will Help You Take Stunning Photos

Light tells us many different things. It tells us whether the scene is safe or not. It tells us if we can trust our environment. It tells us how hostile or safe it is. There is a reason why kids are afraid of the dark, and this exercise proves we have never truly grown out of that. However, not all photos with heavy shadow creates this sense of fear. In fact depending on how we set up the photo, and photograph it, we can actually create something really interesting.

Light also have an impact on tone, texture, colour and our surroundings. We can control our light in many ways; aperture, shutter speed, using the flash, changing the intensity of the flash, using other light sources, using only one light source, using filters, altering our photos in Photoshop, moving a person from a dark room to a window and many more things. It’s very important to work with light because it helps you tell your story. And story telling is what photography is all about.

When you want a well lit scene but can’t get it, it can be extremely difficult. This can include things like shooting fast movement indoors, without the subject being too blurry. This is almost impossibility so we then use extra light sources to help us get more light so we can speed up the shutter. We speed up the shutter so we don’t capture any blur. In a case like this we make use the flash, use a higher ISO to make the camera more sensitive to light or use other lighting sources.

On saying that though, sometimes you may not want a well lit scene. Sometimes you may want to create something quite moody and intense, or alternatively, gentle and romantic. This may require dim or very little light. You can still get good photos with a low intensity of light.

Many wedding photos of the bride on her own are used with very soft light. It makes the story and overall scene look romantic. Window light is an example of light that can do this. There are other ways to create lovely photos using very little light. I’ve done it so many times. It takes time but soon you will understand light and be able to get the effects you want.

You don’t always have to photograph people when using soft light. You can put an emphasis on the shape of an object. You may only want to highlight some things and not others. Let’s take a look at an example of a photo I took with this exact theme in mind.

Canon 5D, F5.6, 1/250th of a second, ISO 4000, 105mm.

In this photo here I photographed my husband’s hands. He was in his studio drawing up measurements for his next painting. As I watched his hands glide over the canvas I couldn’t help thinking how lovely the light was. It cast a soft and warm light over the entire room. I wanted to capture the softness of the activity, by keeping the light on certain parts of the image and not others.

Photography Lighting Tips

 

Photography Lighting Tips

The Importance of Lighting in Photography

The Importance of Light in Photography

You’ve heard me talk about how imperative lighting in photography is, but do you really know why? You may know that getting sufficient light is crucial, but there is a lot more to the story. Light comes in a couple of ways. The first is straight light from a light source, such as the sunlight. The second way is reflected, such as light reflections from a river or another surface.

In order for your pictures to look high-quality you need the correct light. You don’t just need sufficient light, but you must have the right light to help create the narrative for your image. The warmth (colour) of light, the brightness of light and whether it’s soft or hard play a crucial part in your photography.

Let’s look at the four major things to take into deliberation when investigating your light:

1.    Intensity (brightness)
2.    Direction (where the light is coming from)
3.    Hard or soft (how much differences between light and dark this light produces)
4.    Warmth or Cool (what colour the light appears).

Digital photography lighting techniques

I can tell you how to light something in a certain way but it doesn’t genuinely show you anything about how to progress your own sense of light observation|inspection|examination|study}. I was compelled to compose this article when someone emailed me last week. She inquired “I have to photograph my grandchildren and I need to know what settings to use, can you help?” I was sad to read this because she had not understood what photography is all about. Photography is not wholly about settings. Let me repeat that; photography is not totally about settings. 

As photographers we use lighting to convey emotion. When we want a photo to convey a feeling of romance and an engaging mood we use warm light. If we want to convey a photo that tells of a hard, tough and challenging story, then we could use close, strong light with deep shadows. This creates strong contrast. It’s all in the way you utilize light that creates mood.

Light has a powerful influence on how we emotionally understand what’s occurring in the photo. There are particular things you can carry out to enrich your story such as using the flash, not shooting with  the flash and using window light instead and making use of different temperatures of daylight.

Lets look at what certain types of light express.

Low light photography without direct flash

Many photos that have low light (dim and soft light with no intense shadow) have been used in lots of stories that embody sadness, bereavement, secrets and even intimacy. Light such as this can reflect introversion of some type; whether it is positive or unconstructive.

Artificial light photography

Artificial light comes in the form of uninterrupted light, like lights in a photography studio. This lighting is often reminiscent of daylight conditions. Bright, white light can signify confidence, pleasure, sociability and energy. Flash is also artificial light. Depending on the way you utilise this light (i.e. direction and angle you shoot it from) you can recreate these emotions.

Morning light photography

Morning light is typically soft and does not contain as much brightness as the daylight we see at midday. Remember the time of year play a crucial function in the intensity of light too. On a sunny day in the summer time the daylight is very intense and very white. This will mean that that there possibly will be a lot of contrast in your scenes, such as bright areas and deep shadows. This might work well if you want to include shadows to tell your story. It does not work for quiet, romantic portraits.

Dramatic lighting photography

Dramatic lighting usually relies upon strong lighting and strong shadow areas. This is a high contrast situation where the lighting creates and impacts the mood. It is also very dependent on the number of lighting sources and at what direction the light is coming from. If you point one light source next to a persons face you can create a lot of hard shadows across their face. This will produce a very different feeling from a softly lit portrait photo taken at sundown.

Hard light photography

Using hard light can create many bright areas and deep shadowed areas that can be selected to express a story, just as dim light can. You can use this type of lighting to enhance quietness, secrets, desolation and other feelings similar to this. Alternatively you may want to photograph a black and white portrait with close, strong shadows in the background and keep your subject well lit. This method will mean that that there may be a secret aspect to the persons life or situation.

Light is not just about exposure- it’s about mood and sentiment. As you recognize lighting you can then move forward and photograph many different styles of emotions for your photos. When you take photos of the same thing with different light, that object takes on a completely different feeling. The way you think about it alters, and that’s the strength of photography.

This is why photography is not just about settings. It’s about generating powerful, emotive photos. You certainly use settings like f-stop and shutter speed to be in command of the light. You direct the light to direct the emotion and narrative.

Begin investigating light today. Examine the light you see today and ask yourself those four things. This will support you so much.

These photos are exactly the same. I took the colour photo then made a black and white copy. See how differently you feel about them and why. 

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