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. 

HowToPhotographKittens

How To Photograph Kittens

 Photo copyright by Amy K Roberts

How To Take The Cutest Pictures of Beautiful Kittens

Recently I had the joy of doing some photography for a pet rescue organisation. They wanted me to take pictures of quite a few kittens and cats on the same day. This was a dream come true to me. Not only am I a photographer but I love all cats and kittens. I felt this task was a lot of enjoyment yet especially challenging.

You may have been told that cat photography is very challenging. It's hard to think that photos of sweet little kittens could be very difficult. What is so tricky about this sort of photography? It is the same thing that makes other types photography difficult; quick motion. Let’s discuss ways to work with some of these familiar issues.

Kitten photography

If you are taking photos of kittens the primary point to appreciate is that you will be working with an unpredictable subject. It is very rare for a kitten to just sit and stare at the camera. You must use toys to guide your kitten with no intimidation or fear. It is crucial to keep the kitten as calm as possible. A playful kitten is very hard to photograph. A relaxed kitten is ideal.

How can you relax a kitten? One of the ways that kitties relax is by letting them use up as much energy as possible. Once they begin to fatigue then you will have a better opportunity of gaining the photographs you need.  You can ask a friend to rattle a toy or blow a whistle over your shoulder so that the kitten stares in the direction of your camera. You may also give them a little bit of kitten food and as soon as they pull their head up following eating, shoot the photo. Strive to get them to look at the camera if possible. This can be tough if they are still in play mode. This is why I say it's easier and less stress for you to take photos of them when they are beginning to calm.

If you would like a spontaneous and entertaining playful shot then it might be at a nice idea to let your kitten play. You can take some splendidly spontaneous photos using this method. You can take a photo of your kitten stretching up and trying to reach for a toy with toy. You can also take a photograph of your kitten appearing very interested in something. These natural and fun and candid photos work very well as an substitute to the average pet portrait photo. I have taken many natural and fun images using this method.

Professional Pet Photography Tips

What are the correct shooting modes to use for kitten photography? People who have not understood manual mode correctly are likely to shoot in semi-automatic shooting modes. I do not believe you can get the accurate exposure when the camera dictates the controls for you. You are more clever than the camera. I always photograph in manual mode for absolutely everything. Kittens included.

What is the reason for this? It is because I understand more than the camera does. I know what will work. I need to have absolute control over my aperture because I want to control my own depth of field. If you let the camera control your f-stop then you are enabling the camera to dictate your depth of field. Your camera will not be aware of how to create a first-class image, it simply knows that it needs to expose for lighting and capture depth of field. It does not comprehend how to get sharp photos of moving kittens.

I typically position myself about a meter away from my kittens. As the focus point changes all the time I make use of auto focus. (Due to the movement of the kittens). Using manual focus can take too much time for your kitten to jump into the plane or focus, if at all. I pursue the kitten about with my finger on the button, constantly focusing and refocusing. To help me to get sharpness of the kittens eyes I am careful and specific about what F stop range to use. I tend to use an f-stop somewhere between F5 .6 and F8. This makes it possible for me to have a rather small depth of field without focus challenges.

I use a shutter speed of around 200th of a second or higher. Your kitten can move very quickly and you want to be able to freeze the movement without blur. If you are making use of the speedlite you will see that you do not need to fret about shutter speed. Flash will freeze the action at around 250th of a second. This is really helpful to work with due to the fact all you have to do then is set your aperture knowing the flash will handle the shutter speed, in effect.

If you set your f-stop to a large setting, like F2 .8 or F4, you may discover clarity eludes you. This may be due to the fact your kitten has moved out of the focal range and the image is no longer holding sharp focus. However, if you use a slightly smaller f-stop you may find you usually do not be subjected to this predicament. Aperture and depth of field are very much related. It is important that you get the true aperture for the distance from your kitten. In other words the larger the f-stop the further in to your subject you need to be. Contemplate this when you are photographing your kittens.

What happens if you don't have flash?

Just prior to one of the photography sessions my flash decided to stop working. Fortunately I was shooting with  continuous studio lighting. I made the decision to take my flash off the camera. I then produced my shots at 6400 ISO, 200th of a second and F 7.1. I chose a very high ISO to compensate for the soft lighting. I wanted to get as much light as I possibly could. I also wanted to use a high ISO so that I could use a rapid shutter speed. Using an F stop of 7.1 enabled me to get some clear and tack sharp images.

How to photograph kittens

I photographed a mixture of typical and candid, yet lively, photos. I made the decision to produce a series of these photos in monochrome. I call this my "Black and White Kitten Series". There are many chances to produce some very innovative photos of kittens. You may capture some intentional blur, side profile photos, intense close up pictures or even use aids such as baskets or flowers.

Just remember the key to photographing kittens is light and movement. It is preferable to get as much light on the kitten as possible. Window light is fine but you also want to light up the scene from the opposite side. You may want to employ reflectors but it might distract the kittens. Alternatively you may want to bounce the light from the flash off the roof as I did. (Before my flash stopped working.)

Bounced flash is terrific. It is also valuable to have a white card on top of your flash unit. This white card aids in leading the light from the ceiling down onto your subject. It is not a good idea to blast your kitten with direct flash. The direct flash may damage their eyes and unsettle them.

You need to be spontaneous and open minded when you photographing your kittens. Always get on the ground and shoot from a low angle. This will assist you to hold sharp focus on the eyes. Be ready to move about with your kitten. It is essential to offer them praise as you go. After you capture them offer them a little indulgence. Animals understand when they are appreciated.

Photographing kittens calls for practical skill and good light. It also requires the photographer to be calm and relaxed. Some days are more productive than others. From time to time your kittens are not scared of the camera. They will look at the camera with curiosity and even move toward you start sniffing the camera. This is a terrific image if you can get it. If you are working with unsettled kittens then be very gentle and very enduring.

Photographing kittens is a fun and interesting experience. Always take care of your animals with utmost respect and love at all times. Kittens and perceptive little beings and must be be treated with respect.

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Amy

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OutdoorPortraitTips

Outdoor Portrait Photography Tips

It’s not uncommon for domestic portrait photographer to head outside on a nice day and photograph their model. As a photographer I find that the studio can make people a bit nervous. The large lights and camera lens can make for a nervous experience. For shy people wanting their photograph taken, a studio isn’t always ideal.

Light is very important even in outdoor portrait photography. You must take your flash with you to fill in any shadows that appear. A reflector is a handy tool too. You can place the reflector under the persons face to shoot a very abstract shot, or, to simply get rid of shadows under the nose and chin.
Recently I did a portrait shoot outside. It was of a young lady who wanted photos for her portfolio. She was hoping to break into modelling. After some ideas back and forth it was decided that going to the park was an ideal way to do the shoot.

Lenses for portrait photography
Firstly, one of the most important features of successful outdoor portrait photography is the lens you use. Using the right aperture, focal length and depth of field are crucial factors to an outdoor portrait shoot.
A fast lens is the preferred lens by professional portrait photographers. What is a fast lens? A fast lens is a lens that has a very large maximum aperture. This may be anywhere between 1.8 and 2.8. This means that you can let a lot of light in and use a fast shutter.

Creative portrait photography ideas
You can develop a multitude of creative portrait photography ideas simply by practicing. Practicing gives you something so incredibly valuable: experience. Once you begin to gain more experience in outdoor portraits you will see how outdoor light and flash work, how shadows interact on peoples faces and most importantly how you can do it better next time.

Many of my most creative ideas come from receiving a formal education, but also, from watching the way light works. Light can give you some great ideas about where to position a person, how to angle yourself to get the best portraits.

Outdoor portrait photography poses
It depends on whether your model is male or female as to how you ask someone to pose for you. There are different stances that a man will take to appear more masculine. There are very different poses a woman will take so she looks more feminine. Female models look best when the lines of her body are accentuated. This involves turning on an angle, tilting the head and using the focus on the eyes. You can employ the use of a foot change to accentuate a postural change.

High key portrait photography
What does high key actually mean? Well if you go by the technical definition it is all about reducing the lighting ratio present in the scene. What this means, in English, is that the lighting is overexposed with just the main details in focus. This is great fun and a terrific way to create interesting portraits.
Can you use high key photography outdoors? Most definitely. As long as you have a strong light source on one side of the persons face, you can use the flash on the other side. Make sure you lock your focus on the eyes first so detail is maintained on the eyes.

(I will post some high key photos on the blog very soon, just as soon as I receive the model release form.)

Remember that shooting outdoor portrait photography is a great opportunity to have an interesting background. A park, beach or city street scene can enhance the story of your photo significantly.

White Balance Explained

White Balance Explained

White balance is the way we gauge and establish the colour of an image. White balance means the "all over" colour tone itself. Colour tone is the broad colour that’s spread right over the entire picture. When you take a photo in the house, with no direct flash, you will sometimes notice a blue colour tone spread over the photo. This is your white balance.

Getting correct white balance is one of the most important factors of photography. When you have the correct white balance you will see that colours look true to life.. Skin tones look real also, instead of looking fake or too yellow. Correct white balance becomes a really central element of portrait photography for this reason.

How do we find the most correct white balance we can? First we need to comprehend that there is no one set white balance for every situation. Each white balance feature on your camera, like Tungsten for instance, is not correct for every occasion. Tungsten makes your photos look quite blue if they are photographed in normal light. When you photograph a subject that is under yellow lights it can make your subject appear too yellow. Photographing in Tungsten will eliminate the influence  of yellow and help take your photograph back to a usual colour tone again. 

Automatic white balance is the general selection for most newbie photography enthusiasts. This is fine as long as you fine-tune your white balance in Photoshop or Lightroom afterward. You will discover that if you shoot in auto white balance on a regular basis, your photography just won’t look very nice. You might find that your pictures just don’t replicate the proper colours that you see with your naked eye.

Shade and cloudy white balance are two favourites if you want to “warm up” your shots. They present a warm colour cast such as yellow, to overlay onto your pictures. This can be a great shooting feature particularly at twilight or sunrise. Shade and cloudy white balance can highlight the vibrancy in your warmer colours. This allows sunsets and sunrises to appear energetic. This is a nice option for sunrises.

Shade and cloudy white balance settings are not suitable for photographing people. The last thing we wish for in our wedding and portrait images is a yellow hue over a photo of the bride and groom. Tungsten is not correct either. We certainly do not need the bride and groom appearing too blue. Auto white balance doesn’t always succeed for portraits because of the way the digital camera is made. The digital camera you own does not naturally comprehend what colours should look like. When you choose auto white balance you give the digital camera free reign to do as it wants. This does not work well when you want true to life vibrancy.

True to life colour is dependent on “training” the camera to recognize colour. This is where custom white balance has advantages. When you level a grey card at the front of the camera and set your custom white balance to it, it then understands what’s happening. It then sets all colour either side of that grey tone. It’s quite difficult how it does this. As a photographer all you need to understand is that colour needs to be true, and a grey card is the means to do it.

Basically modify your white balance mode to custom. Then photograph a grey card with the correct exposure. Then it’s important to “set” the custom white balance from that photo. You will notice that for that precise photo session, your colours come to life. You’ll be able to see finer colours like light pink, magenta and lemon yellow as they really are.

White balance is one of the primary things to producing a striking photograph. If you follow these easy actions, no longer will you feel baffled about why you are not getting correct colour. It will truly transform the way you look at photography forever.

This colours you see are enhanced using a grey card and custom white balance. I've increased the vibrancy in Photoshop a little, but mainly kept everything looking natural.

To learn more just come and see me at www.DigitalPhotographySuccess.com

January 2013: Focus Ezine Competition Results

January 2013: Focus Ezine Competition Results

How to Photograph Texture and Detail in Nature Photography

How to Photograph Texture and Detail in Nature and Landscape Photography

For anyone considering experimenting with photography there are all sorts of possibilities for trying to capture various different textures. For instance, materials such as wood can often give the photographer with a variety of challenges and photographic examination. Regardless of whether the photographs will be shot in full-color or in the black and white style it is vital to make a well thought out “plan of attack” before beginning to capture the photos. This would incorporate visualizing the kinds of effects and consequences preferred and then working out a a small number of different approaches to shooting such images.


Let’s first consider photographs of wood or wooden objects. Because this is an organic material many people may not consider bringing wood into their studio setup for a photo session, but if we take just a second to contemplate how timber might look we can understand how it would succeed in the “sterile” or cleaner setting of a studio surroundings.

Timber may be in the form of manufactured items ranging from pencils right through to home furniture to boxes and bowls. It is also naturally occurring in debris and branches too. A single branch or portion of bark will reveal crevices, moss or lichen, and a large variety of special hues and grains.
A photographer might want to take photos of the numerous textures and tones in a piece of driftwood using only the sepia settings on their camera, or they may instead rely on the color features to photograph the texture and different color patterns in something like Tiger Maple. Clearly, this means that a range of approaches is necessary, and choosing the right setup will become imperative to success.

So, how do you know the correct approach to photographing wooden textures? It all comesdown to your intentions. That piece of driftwood could be photographed along the sandy beach where it was found; with the different tones of the wood and the textures of the sand finishing and where you place things in the photo. This same piece of wood, however, might be brought into the studio and set against a concrete black or white background where its swirls, lines, ridges, and different hues will become the whole scene as an alternative.
Irrespective of the type of wooden textures to be photographed and the choice between color or black and white, it is significant to bear in mind that sharpness in texture is the ultimate goal. For this example we will come back to that piece of driftwood and consider looking at it “up close” and also examine it “au natural” with the digital camera.

If a photographer has decided to bring the wood into the photographic studio and get in close to the patterns and textures that have naturally occurred they are going to need to assess the accurate means to do this. Should they shoot with a macro lens or should they use the equivalent method as they would with up-close portrait photography? Generally, it is best to use the zoom lens (such as put to use in a greater part of portrait settings) to get a really good variety of alternatives. If you select macro for such a photo you are going to have to really battle with the lighting development, but the zoom lens will let the photographer keep at a distance and really flood the wood with a large deal of easily controlled lighting. This means that shadows can be designed when needed or they can be totally eliminated by the lighting setup too.

If we head outdoors to capture that piece of driftwood as it lies on the beach, we are going to have to think about the depth and value of its position in the shot. Is it wise that we stand above it and just shoot down into its patterns? Is it more interesting to juxtaposition it against the pale sands, the gray waters, and the pale blue sky? Should it be created in black and white? Some of these queries have more to do with a photographer’s individual preferences than anything else, but for the sake of this conversation we will opt for the color photograph of the driftwood.

It is going to be an object in deep grey and black tones positioned in a location that is full of paler and softer colors. A photographer must use many of the same procedures for this shot as they would for standard landscape photography. This means they will need to make sure that their foreground and background are in the same focal depth as the subject, and they will need to make sure that the lighting of the setting is balanced. Implementing a polarizing filter can decrease some reflections off the the sea and the sands and keep the colors a bit cooler.

Evidently, these are just straightforward illustrations of how a solitary piece of wood can create an infinite series of photographic opportunities, but it is important for any photographer to keep in mind that their general surroundings are an ideal subject for experimentation.