Shadows

This has been done many times before, but I enjoy taking pictures of shadows - usually it's when I only have my mobile phone with me.  With some, it's obvious what they are, but with others, it's not so obvious and I feel that if in my future photography, I could get really creative with shadows, maybe my images would give the viewer something to really think about or question... 

*** 3 additional images to be added to this page *** 

Double exposure - On a mobile phone!

I've acquired a new mobile (i)Phone recently, and it has way more fun things to play with, that my old phone, so I thought I'd try out a double exposure.  I downloaded a wallpaper (of a warm, sunny, far away place) then used the 'Photoblend' app to merge it with a picture of my daughter - here is the result:

Not a great example as the horizon line is very prominently stretching across the forehead, and the two images aren't really related. But, trying this out has made me want to give it a go in Photoshop with some other images! 

Head Shots

I was asked to do some head shots for a lady, Carrie, who was auditioning for a singing job.  I asked her what her requirements were, advised on the different backdrops available, and invited her into the studio for a shoot.  Here are the photo's:

We tried different poses, a natural pose with her head tilted to the side...

The above image, cropped in to fill the frame...

Looking over the shoulder - I feel the smile in this photo is a little forced...

I asked Carrie to 'lift her chin/pull her head forward a little' - she was very pleased with this result as it removed the extra chin! 

To me, this is the most natural pose, but I adjusted the white balance to 'Flash' in Photoshop and I think this has made the image a bit too warm.

And finally, we had some silly time :) 

My First Wedding Shoot

My cousin asked me to photograph his wedding last year, and aside from feeling nervous about it, I was more than happy to help out, after all, you can never gain enough experience! 

These are just a few examples of the photo's that I captured of their special day. 
I used 2 camera's, both Canon's, an EOS 400D and a 5D mark II (my friend's kit!).  It was an amazing experience, albeit a tad stressful, I relished the opportunity to work with different cameras and lenses, and the Bride & Groom were very pleased with their photographs. 

The Dress

Ring Cushion

Bride's bouquet

Posing the kids!

The Blushing Bride-to-be! 

Keeping the kids entertained ;) 

So Natural ...

One of  the Bridesmaids - "Smile!"

The Venue

It's so important to capture something so memorable to the family

Nerves kicking in ;)

Proud mum and coy son ... 

First kiss as a married couple

Reception table setting

The Head Table

 Boys larking around! 

Bridesmaids bouquets

A more relaxed Happy Couple

The rings

Action shot! 

The bride's favourite photo ... of nan :) 

Colour Management

Colours deeply effect our emotions.  Different colours and combinations of colours, produce a different emotional response from us, or in us.   As a photographer, it's important to use this knowledge in your work!  Ultimately, the style of a photographer working in colour develops and becomes individually recognisable because of his/her own responses to colour. 

We know that cool colours (blues, greens) can have a calming effect of highly strung people while at the same time having  a depressing effect of people of a depressive nature.  Hot colours (reds, yellows, oranges) have a stimulating, positive effect on laid-back people, but can sometimes prove too stimulating and heighten tension in more highly strung or even violent people. 

The contrast and density of the colours in your images will be considerably affected by exposure.  Underexposure produces saturated colours and high contrast, while Overexposure produces washed-out colours and soft contrast. 

Steve McCurrry is a famous photographer who's images are recognisable by his use of warm & bright but muted colours. Here are a few examples:

When you are setting up a portrait or still-life pictures, it's important to be aware that every colour you introduce will influence the mood of your photograph.  

The only way to learn what your end results could be, is to experiment with background and colour combinations to see what moods you can create! 

Colours can be used to convey a feeling almost regardless of your subject matter. 

Aperture explained...

* Aperture controls the depth of focus of a lens *

The depth of focus is the distance in front of and behind your photo's main subject that is also kept sharply focused.  It's also referred to as 'Depth Of Field (DOF)'.

The design of the Aperture is based on the iris of the eye - The iris of your eye opens when light is low (to allow more light in), and it closes to a smaller diameter in  bright light.  The aperture of a lens works in the same way. 

The lens aperture is calculated in a series of  f-stops, or f-numbers, which are fractions of the focal length of the lens. For example:

If your lens is a 50mm F2 lens, it means that the maximum aperture is HALF the focal length of the lens.  So, in this case, 25mm (50 divided by 2).  F-stops are fractions, so the larger the f-number, the smaller the aperture, and equally, the smaller the f-number, the larger the aperture.

Clear as mud? Good :)

The term to 'stop down' is often used to mean the closing down of the aperture to a smaller diameter.  To 'open up' means to increase the aperture to a larger diameter. 

Increasing the aperture by 1 stop (this is done by using the aperture ring on the lens), doubles the volume of light entering the lens (eg. F5.6 to F8).  Decreasing by 1 stop, halves the volume of light allowed to enter (eg. F5.6 to F4). 

This used to confuse me and I still have to think about it every time I take a photo! 

This is what an Aperture ring looks like - many aperture rings also have half-stop positions, so for example, a stop between F5.6 and F8:

It's important not to snap away at your subject without considering the Depth Of Field or focus.  

I shot this image at F2.8 with a shutter speed of 1/60 sec.  The aim was to ensure the background and foreground was blurry (shallow depth of field), and that the main subject/model remained sharply in focus. If I'd wanted a sharper subject, I could've increased the shutter speed to 1/250 sec. 

To increase/widen your DOF (everything in sharp focus, lots of detail):  try stopping down and using a slow shutter speed. 

To decrease your DOF (shallow): open up the aperture and use a quicker shutter speed. 

Enjoy experimenting!  More pics to follow .... 

Studio - Still Life

My Still Life Images

“Growth”

This is one of my attempts at black and white Still Life photography.  I placed one softbox (as a continuous light source) to the right of the camera at just above head height & at a 45 degree angle, and another the other side of the camera at the same angle.  My camera settings were:  Manual exposure mode, 1/60 sec, F/11, ISO100 and WB Auto. I should’ve experimented with the white balance set to tungsten but quite liked the result so left it as is.

My intent was to show some depth of field. By placing some stones in the background and focussing on the light reflections on the vase, I was able to achieve this result.  The settings on the light to the right of the camera were lower, hence the shadows to the right and bottom of the image. 

This is simply some metallic butterfly confetti, placed on top of a light box – experimentation. 

We found a foot in the studio so I took the opportunity to photograph it.  Admittedly, I didn’t put a lot of thought into the lighting, or white balance, hence the blue tinged background, but we just wanted to experiment at this stage.  If I was to take a more professional image of this foot, I would have directed a light source at the background or used a wireless flash trigger and strobe/flash lights.

An attempt at injecting some humour into our foot’s photo shoot J

This photo was taken in the college studio with one beauty dish light placed to the front right of the set-up, at a 45 degree angle, emitting a soft, gentle & continuous light.  Rather than focussing on the reflected light on the vase, I focussed on the flower head which threw the background and some of the leaves slightly out of focus, giving a little depth of field. It is a dark photo as my settings weren’t quite correct.  My shutter speed was 1/125 sec, F/5.6 and ISO100.  In future, I would change the shutter speed to 1/60 sec, maybe F/8 or F/11 and keep the ISO at 100.

This was the studio set up:

Finally, for this image, we kept the vase away from the background, I used the black and white setting on the camera, and focussed on the middle flower in order to show some depth of field.  I thought the background would show more contrast and look textured in black and white. I like the highlights in this image but although it looks a little grainy due to increasing the ISO to 400, I was also pleased with this effect.  

Studio - Lighting Styles

Lighting Styles

There are 7 main lighting styles that are used in Studio photography and I'm going to look at them in this post. 

REMBRANDT lighting is achieved by placing a single main or ‘key light’ at a high angle, approximately 45 degrees from the model or subject.  The model turns away from the light slightly, so that one half of the face is shadowed, with a triangle of light on the far cheek, just under the eye.   The shadow side can be lightened by using a ‘fill light’ roughly half the strength of the main or key light, or by using a reflector on the far side of the model. 

This is what a basic 'Rembrandt' lighting set up would look like: 

SPLIT lighting uses one strong light positioned directly to one side of the model to create a dramatic portrait, where one side of the face is lit and the other is completely in shadow.  Split lighting is usually used with the subject facing square to the camera. It is a moody ‘accent’ lighting option and is often used when a dramatic feel to the image is required. 

This is what a basic 'Split' lighting set up would look like: 

BROAD lighting - The subject is posed such that the main light is directed at the side of the face that is closest to the camera.  This can sometimes add weight to the face and may be unflattering in some instances, but would be an ideal style of lighting for a thin model. 

This is what a basic 'Broad' lighting set up would look like: 

SHORT lighting in basic terms is where the side of the models face that is furthest from the camera, gets the main light.  The side of the face closest to the camera will get less light.  This lighting set up may slim the face. 

This is what a basic 'Short' lighting set up would look like: 

BUTTERFLY lighting – positioning your main/key light with a Softbox directly in front of the models face, but raised to above head height, creates a butterfly lighting effect – a soft shadow under the nose and/or cheekbones.  It can be softened with a ‘fill’ light or by the model holding a reflector, making this a very glamorous beauty light for women. 

This is what a basic 'Butterfly' lighting set up would look like: 

LOOP lighting – To create this effect you would adjust the main/key light so that the shadow of the nose forms a little loop under the models cheek.  This is an alternate to ‘butterfly’ lighting, is easy to create and suits most faces. 

This is what a basic 'Loop' lighting set up would look like: 

RIM lighting is achieved by positioning a rim light behind the model (must not be visible) and facing the camera so that it illuminates the edges of the model, visually separating it from the background and emphasising the models shape.  Due to the highlight around the hairline, this is also known as HAIR lighting. 

This is what a basic 'Rim or Hair' lighting set up would look like: 

PARAMOUNT lighting is a combination of all of the above lighting styles.  It is also sometimes referred to as Butterfly as it often leaves a shadow under the nose.