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keskiviikko 30. marraskuuta 2016
PictureCorrect.com: How to Use Photography Reflectors to Save on Lighting Costs
We all know that photography is about capturing light. We all know that the basic setup for a portrait requires three lights. Now for the ugly part: buying good quality studio portrait lights is expensive! Enter photography reflectors.
“Colin using reflector in street work” captured by Peter McConnochie
If you can’t afford to get a top quality three light system, the best option is to buy just ONE good quality light (rather than 3 cheap—and mostly useless—lights). Then replace the other lights with reflectors that cost next to nothing. You can even make them yourself.
Here’s what you do:
1. Set up your one studio light at around 45 degrees between your subject and the camera. Make it about 45 degrees above them as well. That’s your main light (your main light could even be the sun if you are outside).
2. Set up a large white reflector near to the model on the opposite side of your light. This will bounce light back into the shadowed side of the face. That’s light number two—the fill light.
3. Position a mirror above and behind your model. Angle the reflective surface to be pointed at the top and back of the model’s head and reflect light into his or her hair. That’s the hair light—light number three. To avoid accidents and breakage, you can use mirrored plastic. Safety comes first. Or, in a pinch, you could use aluminum foil taped to a piece of poster board.
“Jordyn Portrait 5” captured by Edson Hong
4. Using a larger mirrored surface (mirrored sheets come in sizes up to 4 feet) angle it to push light onto the background. With the judicious use of gels and cookies, you could “project” colors and patterns on the backdrop, too! This is your separation light. Light number four.
5. Using a smaller piece of the mirrored material, have someone hold it (or mount it on a stand) to kick some additional light onto the face. Now if you expose for the light hitting the face, it is more than the light hitting the rest of the scene. So the rest goes slightly darker and subtly forces attention to the face. This is a major pro tip! This one is called a kicker and it is light number five.
“Friday Night” captured by Paris
Need I continue?
You could light an entire set, with as many light sources as you want, with only one actual light and homemade or inexpensive photography reflectors. Try it. It’s fun and you will learn a ton!
About the Author:
Dan Eitreim writes for ontargetphototraining.com. He has been a professional photographer in Southern California for over 20 years. His philosophy is that learning photography is easy if you know a few tried and true strategies.
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PictureCorrect.com: Why Does “Bad” Composition Work?
The rule of thirds is a common framing technique used in photography and cinematography and likely one of the first lessons most photographers learn. This method brings balance and natural appearance to the composition, often resulting in a crisp, appealing image. But Brain Flick has some different views on the rule of thirds and how it can be abandoned in situations that no longer require it. They challenge the idea that the rule of thirds is the go-to method for beautiful photography and cinematography by pointing out that research doesn’t fully support it:
The golden ratio is found a lot in nature and has been used in art for centuries, dating back to the B.C. timeline. It naturally occurs in the spiral arrangement of leaves amongst other things, leading to this general consensus: if we’re used to seeing the golden ratio applied to things that we consider beautiful, then the rule of thirds will be attractive because it is a similar standard. Therefore, it also leads to humans thinking the rule of thirds is necessary to have a beautifully framed image. However, a sample of research shows that the rule of thirds might not be as important for evaluating the visual quality as previously assumed.
As an example, the television show Mr. Robot uses unconventional framing techniques to demonstrate going against the grain while filming each episode. The important thing to remember is that the rule of thirds is a strong place to start learning about photography and how to frame your image. However, after gaining adequate experience, a photographer should feel inclined to experiment with framing to achieve three different key points.
1. Create an emotional investment in the photograph.
Draw the viewer in and mesmerize them, whether it is with emotion, question, or just simple adoration.
2. Find a balance in your work that displays just how well your framing lessons paid off.
Now that the rule of thirds is all of a sudden on the back burner doesn’t mean you shouldn’t come back to it. Excessive skewed framing can appear distorted and without significant meaning.
3. Your method of framing and positioning your subject opens up a world of possibilities to get your message across.
The different perspectives and focal points throughout these shots offer numerous messages, whether they are intentional or subliminal. The audience wants to have its own interpretation of your work and always will. Still, your influence on the crowd’s reaction comes from more than the photo’s material.
“What matters is not only that Ancient Greek temples exhibit similar geometric golden ratios, but also the context of their form in relation to Greek and human culture, the meaning and significance to the observer.”
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PictureCorrect.com: Interesting Photo of the Day: Wilshire Grand Drone Portrait
There are many jobs out there that definitely aren’t for everyone. Some require being underwater, underground, or well above the rest of us climbing a tower or building. For those who do the climbing, they put their safety at risk to complete construction and engineering projects that would certainly stop others in their tracks. The daring aspect of this profession leads some to turn away and others to climb very, very tall structures. So, if you’re scared of heights, this job isn’t for you:
“Say Cheese” by Gary Leonard (Via Reddit. Click image to see full size.)
This image shows five workers relaxing on top of the new Wilshire Grand building in downtown LA, the tallest building West of the Mississippi River. Coming in at 1,099 feet tall, this building sits next to several other very high buildings that can clearly be seen in the backdrop. Photographer Gary Leonard with the Wilshire Grand Center Project captured this amazing shot with a drone to show the height that these men scaled to get there. Let’s hope they’re all properly harnessed!
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PictureCorrect.com: How to Work with Lens Flares in a Home Photo Studio
One of the golden rules of studio photography is to never point lights straight at the camera. Doing so can create lens flare, reduced contrast, and all sorts of other problems. Yet, in the video below, portrait photographer Gavin Hoey shows us that rules like the one above are meant to be understood and then creatively broken:
Like any art, photography has a number of rules even experienced photographers are expected to follow. There are rules about composition, how to light the model, how the model should pose for best effect—and all of these exist for good reasons. But following these rules blindly can definitely put a damper on your creativity. Just take a look at the effects Hoey is able to create by going completely against the rule–they’re both artistic and unique, as well as quite beautiful.
The image above was created simply by pointing two speedlights at the camera, adding gels to them, and adding a bit of fog. (He also had a standard beauty dish in front and a background light.) When he used a black and/or foggy background he had next to no post-processing to do and came out with a stellar image.
With the gray background, he had a little more work to do removing the stands, but by using the healing brush on proximity match, it took just seconds to complete the task.
He tried working with the clone stamp first, but cloning doesn’t work so well when there’s a gradient involved. The healing brush without the proximity match did OK, but it turned out that the healing brush with the proximity match checked gave the best effect.
The result? A brilliant effect.
Gear Used
- Olympus OMD E-M5 Mark ii
- Olympus Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f/2.8 Pro
- Flashpoint Xplor600
- Flashpoint Extension Head
- Flashpoint StreakLight 360 Ws Creative Collection
- Flashpoint Zoom Li-on Manual On-Camera Flash
- Glow ParaPop 28″ R Softbox
Of course, this effect will work with just about any gear used in a similar fashion, but the effect is just one part of the puzzle. Perhaps even more important is the willingness to explore beyond convention or rote learning, to learn not only why the rules exist but experiment with breaking them to see if something new or interesting can be created. As Hoey says at the end of the video,
“It’s so often the case that breaking the rules of photography will increase your creativity.”
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PictureCorrect.com: Landscape Photography Elements
There are many factors that go towards creating great landscape photography. Some of the most popular and successful landscape photos usually follow a few of the elements described in this article while ignoring a others in order to create a unique scene. Here are a few items to consider while setting up your shot.
“Let it shine…” captured by PictureSocial member Ian
Lens
Using an ultra wide angle lens is standard, in order to pack us much of a scene as possible into the picture. However, it’s worth experimenting with a telephoto lens too.
Composition
Pay attention to the rule of thirds, i.e. break the image down into a nine square grid, then place any lines in the picture, or focal points, along the lines of the grid.
Focal/interest points
Placing a person, trees, or a building in the foreground can give a focal point and add a sense of scale to an image.
Light
Some landscape photographers never shoot during the day, only at dawn and dusk when the light can strike life into a landscape. It’s not just the reds and pinks of sunrises and sunsets that can create drama, but the golden light of a low sun can warm a scene and create surprising textures and patterns thanks to its low angle. Similarly, storms, mist, thunderous clouds and dark skies can be much more exciting to work with than a sunny day or a beautiful sunset.
“Scudding Sky” captured by PictureSocial member Tony Taffinder
Depth of field
When using an SLR, or a digital SLR, combine a slow shutter speed with a small aperture to make sure your photograph has sharp focus up to the very edges. For this you will need to ensure your camera is steady as any handshake can create blur. The obvious solution is a tripod or if you don’t have one try to find something on which to rest the camera.
Exposure
Because the sky is usually very bright and the ground not so, this presents all cameras with exposure issues. If you can, then using a graduated filter will help to even out the brightness.
Location
Walk around the location to find the best place from which to take a shot. Time spent preparing is never time wasted, especially when you find a more interesting point of view to shoot from. Wander around, get down low or climb a tree to find that interesting vantage point.
Atmosphere
Shooting in black and white can produce some dramatic landscape images. If shooting film and you have two cameras, you could simply switch cameras to the one loaded with black and white film. Alternatively, with a digital SLR camera, it is simple convert it to monochrome in Photoshop afterwards.
Sky
In most landscape shots, either the foreground or the sky will dominate. If the sky isn’t particularly dramatic, place it in the upper third. Conversely, if the sky is full of interesting colours and cloud shapes, place the horizon in the bottom third.
“while sheep watch” captured by PictureSocial member David Hobcote
Movement
Few landscapes are as truly still as we might imagine. Birds flying through the sky, clouds blowing, water running and waves in the sea are all examples of potential motion in landscape shots. Incorporating motion can add drama and focal points to a photograph, although it will mean that you will probably need to employ a longer shutter speed (up to a few seconds). Because this will mean greater exposure, you will have to use a smaller aperture or an appropriate filter.
About the Author:
Miranda Wilson writes about Digital SLR Photography for Calumet Photographic.
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tiistai 29. marraskuuta 2016
PictureCorrect.com: How to Avoid the Red Eye Effect
There was nothing more frustrating back in the day than having your disposable camera’s photos developed just to find that your subject(s) had red eyes. This is an annoying effect that comes from camera flash and the harsh light that enters the subject’s eyes. Michael Aranda shares this video informing us about how the red eye effect is caused and how to prevent it in your photography:
What causes red eye?
Light passes through the cornea, the pupil, and then a lens in your eye so it can be focused and absorbed by photoreceptor cells in the back of your eye. The muscle-filled iris controls the size of your pupil and the amount of light that’s let in. The red eye effect usually happens in a dark environment when your pupils are very wide. With a bright camera flash, all the light floods into your eyes before your iris muscles have time to contract. If light reflects off the blood vessels in the back of your eye, it shows up as a glowing red light in your photos.
How can you avoid red eye in your photos?
To fix this, some cameras make a couple quick flashes of light before the actual flash, so that your iris muscles start contracting and let in less light.
You can also try brightening the room so your subject’s pupils aren’t as wide in the first place—or have the subject avoid looking directly at the camera lens.
On a side note, the red eye effect can be useful for diagnosing eye problems such as an infection, cancerous cells, or twisted blood vessels. Make sure you pay attention to this effect and how to avoid it!
“Your eyes are basically fluid-filled orbs that can detect light and send messages to your brain, so you can see images.”
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PictureCorrect.com: Interesting Photo of the Day: Sunflowers Under the Milky Way
The complement between foreground and background in a night sky exposure is the light that shows the viewer the detail normally lost during the nighttime. In this image, that light is shown in full effect on a colorful sea of sunflowers looking upwards toward the starry sky. The yellow pairs beautifully with the blue-green Milky Way and sky. The detail is precise and visually striking from top to bottom:
“Sunflowers under the Milky Way” by Ryan Heffron (Via Reddit. Click image to see full size.)
Photographer Ryan Heffron captured this image near Lawrence, Kansas. He shot it with a Nikon D750 and a Samyang 14mm lens, at f/2.8, 20 second, and ISO 2000. In order to paint the sunflowers with light during the 20 second exposure, he waved a small LED panel across the sunflowers. This helped him create a vibrant foreground with the Milky Way as the bright, looming backdrop.
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PictureCorrect.com: How to Photograph a Simple Silhouette
Silhouettes have been in vogue since before the advent of photography. Before the 1830s and the appearance of the first cameras, cutting out the likeness of person on a dark card was one of the easiest and least expensive ways of capturing a person’s likeness.
Today, there’s not much of a demand for the traditional paper portraits of old. However, many artists and photographers pay homage to this technique when they capture their subjects in silhouette. Jay P. Morgan provides his insight when it comes to creating the graphic, gorgeous effect using nothing more than available light and the correct camera settings:
The hallmark of a silhouette is bright background with little to no light hitting foreground elements. Whether you’re photographing skylines, still objects, people, or landscapes, a well done silhouette is almost always appropriate. As long as a subject has distinct, defined shape, it will likely lend itself well to being portrayed in profile.
Perhaps the most simple way of creating the silhouette effect is to bring your subject into the shade. The shade will naturally and immediately shroud whatever or whoever you’re photographing in darkness. From there, you can just allow your background to blow out and drown out any foreground elements or details in your composition.
Bringing your subject into the shade isn’t always a viable option. Luckily, this doesn’t prevent you from being able to create a stunning silhouette. Using a spot meter or a camera’s built in spot mode can be incredibly helpful in creating the results you’re after. In spot mode, whatever happens to fall in the viewfinder’s central bracket will be automatically exposed. So, by simply arranging the composition so that the background falls within the central bracket, you’ll instantly produce perfect silhouettes.
The next time you’re looking to cultivate a dramatic, romantic, or visually distinct feel on your next photo shoot, consider using silhouettes to set the mood! Whether it requires finding a little shade or adjusting the settings of your camera, this crowd pleaser is easy to improvise and sure to surprise.
For further training: Cyber Monday Photography Deals
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maanantai 28. marraskuuta 2016
PictureCorrect.com: Getting the Correct Exposure is Essential
Getting the right exposure is essential to any quality photo. Exposure is the amount of light that is let into the camera which contributes to the photograph that is recorded. A good exposure has the correct amount of light to produce a balanced shot.
“you can get tacos really late” captured by PictureSocial member Jason Lavengood
Light is the key word here. Allowing the correct amount of light in can be tricky, but luckily our cameras have automatic features that measure it. Some cameras allow a manual feature, which means we can manipulate the amount of light that reaches the camera’s sensor. If we allow too much, the photograph becomes overexposed, meaning the image is too light and washed out. Details become hard to see in an overexposed picture.
To the same effect if we let too little light in, the photograph is underexposed. This means that the picture is darker than it should be. This makes the photograph look shadowy and gloomy, but underexposing is still better than overexposing. Why? Because the picture can be lightened later and the detail will still be there, whereas in an overexposed picture, details cannot be rescued as they were never captured in the first place.
Your camera has a function to adjust the brightness. This is symbolized by the + or – symbol, normally allowing you to adjust the light by 3 stops either way. You need to do this before you take the image. So for example, you could take a photograph of a tree, and decide it is far too bright because of the sun. You need to change the exposure to -1, then take the shot again and see if it has helped. If it is still too bright you could reduce it to -2 and see if the shot is satisfactory.
This is sometimes called bracketing. When you take the same shot but at different exposures from -2 to -1 to 1 to +1 to +2, this is bracketing. It gives you the option to choose the best photograph of the bunch.
Metering
Metering is the way that your camera decides on the correct exposure. The meter in your camera measures the amount of light in the area where you are taking the photograph. Ideally, the camera will pick up on a mid toned area that is neither too dark nor too light, so that the light is balanced. When you buy a SLR camera you will be given a few options on how to meter your images.
There is ‘center weighted’ or ‘average metering’. This means that the camera will take an average of the light in the scene. Most cameras focus on the center of the photograph, whereas some take into consideration the edges. Since the focus of a picture is generally in the center of a frame, this produces a good overall result.
“watching…” captured by PictureSocial member David Hobcote
Multi zone metering is also known as ‘Matrix metering’. This method calculates various zones in the scene to come up with the best exposure, normally from several spots. Different branded cameras will differ in results.
Then there is ‘Spot metering’. With this method, only a small area of the viewfinder is measured, typically a ‘spot’. For the best results, you should move the spot to a mid toned area so you get an even amount of light.
The advantage of spot metering is that it is very accurate and you can control it tightly. It is good for difficult scenarios, for example, when we have a bright beam of light, then very dark areas. Too great of contrast between dark and light confuses the camera. Average metering would presume that the whole scene was bright and meter incorrectly. With spot metering, we can choose a grey area so that the camera will not overestimate the light and compensate accordingly.
“Two Hundred and Seventy Five Million Dollar Deal” captured by PictureSocial member Thomas Hawk
A good way to become familiar with spot metering is by choosing the function and pointing it at different areas of the same scene and taking the photographs. Then compare how choosing the different areas affects the finished picture.
Most professionals will choose spot metering for landscape photography, as it gives greater control.
Where speed is important, Matrix metering is useful, as there is less guess work involved.
Flash
Flash is commonly used with point and shoot cameras, but it’s used with caution in landscape and wildlife photography. The flash is normally attached to the camera body. When the camera detects low light, the flash pops up automatically, although you can manually adjust the settings so that it will remain down.
If you require more power, you can buy a separate flash head. This is common in press and fashion photography, where they spend a lot of time working at night or indoors and they need to capture evenly lit images when there is plenty of action going on without any risk of blurring or poor lighting.
“Ford Mondeo August 2013” captured by PictureSocial member Alan Golden
Flash is useful in a night time situation. If there is no other light source then you will have to use flash, although you can use creative techniques like delayed flash to capture some movement and trails of light.
Overall though, the effect with flash can be harsh. It is also unsuitable for reflective surfaces, like mirrors, as it will shine the bright light back into the camera. For landscape photography you need to know how to turn the flash off, especially if you are using a slow shutter speed for the specific blurring, as the camera will automatically want to use flash.
Flash is useful in extremely dark situations as a fill-in light. This is called flash fill, and is used when you have a bright sun behind the subject and all that is left is the silhouette of the object. Using flash will put the detail back into the image.
About the Author:
This article was taken from the e-book “The Secret to Awesome Nature Photos Everytime”. Naturalphotography dot us. Article assembled by Sharon Cutajar.
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