Shadows is a great thing to start seeing. There are all types of shadows. Some are harsh and some are really soft. So anything goes as long as we can see some shadows. Here are a few creative ideas of shadows. http://www.digitalpicturezone.com/digital-pictures/30-shadow-photographs/
Things to think about.
1. If you want the whole picture to be in focus (mostly for scenic photos), shoot in "A" mode and shoot more towards f/10-f/22. Also, try not to shoot at longer focal lengths if you don't want the blur. Don't zoom in on stuff if you can help it.
2. You will need to make sure your meetering is not on "Spot" metering if you want a well balanced scenic photo. Spot metering meters only the spot where you are focusing on. Look up metering in your camera's manual. If you are taking a scenic picture, you will most likely want a metering that meters the entire picture...not just one spot of it. You probably want center weight metering.
Here is an article on metering if you are interested on learning more about it. http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/camera-metering.htm
How about we post our photos here from now on: http://camfamphotos.blogspot.com/
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Debbie - Rule of Thirds
I am glad for this assignment because I am not very good at cropping (which is why none of the pictures I have posted so far were cropped at all!). I'm not sure I did very well with these so let me know what I need to do different. The one of Kayla was hard for me. Is that one of those that will be a little more in the center? It looked funny otherwise...but maybe that is just because the picture was too close to begin with so I didn't have much room to play around with. I need to stop trying to get so close in the original picture.
The original picture is on top with the cropped picture below it.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Rule of Thirds
Rule of Thirds
Universities offer whole courses on composition. I am not really going to go into any of it except here is a little article that is useful: http://ruleofthirdsphotography.com/
Mostly though, I just want you to see the elephant and the graph. I don't think the picture of the elephant would be near so nice if the photographer would have put the eye in the center. So we are going to practice composing a photo in different ways.
I have been noticing the tendency to put the eyes in the center of the picture. Let's just try and get the eyes up into the top third of the photo. Here are a few examples. Oh, and it is okay to chop off part of someone's head. ;) Just so you know. Don't be afraid to do this.
Also, in motion photos, give your subject some room. It gives a sense of motion. You can practice some of these. Also, you can crop pictures later to get this effect.
The last one that we will look at is to just simply put your subject away from the center. It gives the photo a different look.
Assignment:
Take a picture the way you normally would for comparision sake. Then reposition your subject so they (or their eye(s)) are not in the center of the picture. Post both. Sometimes, center is best. In this picture, center is best, but let's starting thinking beyond the center!
Universities offer whole courses on composition. I am not really going to go into any of it except here is a little article that is useful: http://ruleofthirdsphotography.com/
Mostly though, I just want you to see the elephant and the graph. I don't think the picture of the elephant would be near so nice if the photographer would have put the eye in the center. So we are going to practice composing a photo in different ways.
I have been noticing the tendency to put the eyes in the center of the picture. Let's just try and get the eyes up into the top third of the photo. Here are a few examples. Oh, and it is okay to chop off part of someone's head. ;) Just so you know. Don't be afraid to do this.
Also, in motion photos, give your subject some room. It gives a sense of motion. You can practice some of these. Also, you can crop pictures later to get this effect.
The last one that we will look at is to just simply put your subject away from the center. It gives the photo a different look.
Assignment:
Take a picture the way you normally would for comparision sake. Then reposition your subject so they (or their eye(s)) are not in the center of the picture. Post both. Sometimes, center is best. In this picture, center is best, but let's starting thinking beyond the center!
Monday, March 7, 2011
Debbie - Depth of Field and Bright Eyes
Ah bummer. Markie beat me to posting pictures first. :) I'm so envious of people who do weddings. What I would love to do is just tag along and do someone's wedding but NOT be the main photographer. That way there would be no pressure, but I could learn what to do.
Here are two pictures practicing DOF. I think I was able to get his lead eye in focus. Is this what you were talking about Erin? (ignore the evil looking tiny windows in his eyes) :)
Erin, I think I might have teased you about getting "bright eyes" when taking pictures at the family reunion. When I took over your camera for a while you told me to be sure and get bright eyes, and I laughed. I just thought I'd mention that because it was making me chuckle just now. (tee-hee-hee!) It is such a funny concept but it really does make the picture look so much better! I now have the bug and find myself looking for window reflections in everyone's eyes. :)
This one of Kendal doesn't have very much reflection in her eyes, but I thought the lighting was nice.
This picture of Kayla has nice big windows, but I feel like her eyes aren't very much in focus, even after using your REB Sharpen action. But still a nice picture I think.
And here is one of Kaiden:
Kayla is by far our most cooperative picture taker. So here are a few more pictures I took of her. I have tried doing different angles but probably could have been a little more creative.
And here are two pictures I liked used your orton tech action. I just love how it makes everything a pretty blur except for her eyes which are perfectly in focus. For what occasion would you usually use this action?
Sorry that was a bazillion pictures. This is just so much fun! Let me know what I can improve on.
I'm ready for more assignments!
Okay so here is a little sample of what I did. This was a wedding of Jill's sister Becca. I had a hard time posing do to interference and camera time with Jill's aunt. So to say the least this is the best ones where John and Becca are both looking at me. So let me know. If you want more information on aperture speed and such let me know I can get it.
I am proud of this picture I don't know why I really like it.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Lesson: Depth of Field and Bright Eyes:
I think it would be fun to work on depth of field and looking in our subject's eyes for good lighting. Quickly take a look at Audrey Woulard's blog:
http://www.audreywoulardblog.com/
I love this lady’s photography…and so do a lot of other people. She is a very well-known photographer. Anyway, look at the post for January 25th. There is a boy in an orange shirt and denim jacket. If you notice, his eyes are in focus, and as you move away from his eyes, everything starts to blur. That is a very professional look. Notice though that in the next picture of him in red, you don’t see the blurring to that degree on his body. It is kind of an up close thing. Another element that sets off a professional photo is the light in the subject’s eyes. I can see a big window in his eyes, and it looks awesome! I love to see light in people’s eyes. It really brings them out. This is just one reason why I don’t like on camera flashes. All I see in the eye is a little dot. Not as pretty.
Assignment: Create a professional DOF (depth of field) and concentrate on the light in your subject’s eyes. Remember that the best way to learn is to practice! Take LOTS of pictures. Post some, and I can help you see what you are doing right and what you can improve on. Oh, and remember to get on your subject’s level, and get up close for these!
If you already know quite a bit about photography, here is what we are going to work on. If you need more information about what all this means, keep reading below. :)
Quick Reference Quide:
• Before taking the picture, can you see good light in the subject’s eyes?
• Use “A” Priority Mode.
• Set aperture to its lowest (or is it called highest?) setting. If you don’t have a great aperture range, step away from your subject and zoom in.
• Focus on the lead eye! Very important!!!!!!!
• Make sure your AF is set to “Single Mode”!
• Watch your shutter speed. Don’t go below the focal length of your lens!
• Need more light? Try increasing your ISO.
Step 1: Find light!
If you are shooting indoors, see if you can find the biggest windows in your house…not only for the light it provides, but also for that beautiful reflection in the eyes. Try and notice what time of day you get the best light near your windows. Even a bathroom can be a great place to take pictures. Bathrooms reflect light well depending on the size and color of the bathroom. Before you even take any pictures, look into your subject’s eyes. Can you see the light reflecting in them? If you can’t, neither can the camera, so find somewhere else! :)
Step 2: “A” Mode
In case you don’t know what “A” mode is, “Aperture Priority” mode lets you control the aperture while the camera determines the shutter speed. In order to get that cool DOF, you need to set your camera to its lowest (or is it called highest) aperture setting for the lens you have. Debbie, you will use your 50mm and set your camera to f/1.8. You will need to get up close to your subject’s face. One of the most important parts about shooting at f/1.8 is to make sure your camera is focused on the lead eye. This is where you need to make sure that you are shooting in "Single" AF-Mode. I think the camera's default setting is "Dynamic Mode". It might look like you are focusing directly on the lead eye, but you actually aren’t! Look in your manual on how to change your AF to "Single Mode".
Note: If you don’t have an f1.8 lens, try stepping back a bit and zooming in on your subject.
Technical Note: Dynamic Mode is great for when your subject is moving and farther away (vs a total close up). There are a few focusing options for Dynamic Mode, but the point is to keep moving subjects in focus. If you have a low contrast, moving subject to focus on, Nikon recommends using the 21 or all 51 area AF setting. Do not use the Auto mode because it is unpredictable, and you are learning how to use your camera, right?
Helpful Hints: Even while shooting in “A” mode you still need to pay attention to your shutter speed. A basic, uncomplicated way to tell if you are okay to shoot at that particular shutter speed is to never shoot below the focal length of the lens you are using. Also, just know that anything under 60 is going to be more prone to accidentally turn out blurry. So Debbie, with your 50mm, I would try and never go below a shutter speed of 50 and actually, until you learn more tricks, I wouldn’t go below 60 for now. If I had a 70-200mm lens and was shooting at 150mm, I probably wouldn’t want my shutter speed to be below 150. If I have my prime 85mm, I don’t shoot below a shutter speed of 85. Does that make sense? This is a very general rule to live by. You can always break the rule of course. :)
Note: If your shutter speed does go below what it "should" be, you can get more light by increasing your ISO. So try changing your ISO to 200 or 250. I don’t know how high your camera can go before it gets too “noisy”, but with my D200, I couldn’t go above 400. There are other tricks to get more light, but we can just focus on that one for now.
If you have any questions, my email is erin@wegowayback.com
http://www.audreywoulardblog.com/
I love this lady’s photography…and so do a lot of other people. She is a very well-known photographer. Anyway, look at the post for January 25th. There is a boy in an orange shirt and denim jacket. If you notice, his eyes are in focus, and as you move away from his eyes, everything starts to blur. That is a very professional look. Notice though that in the next picture of him in red, you don’t see the blurring to that degree on his body. It is kind of an up close thing. Another element that sets off a professional photo is the light in the subject’s eyes. I can see a big window in his eyes, and it looks awesome! I love to see light in people’s eyes. It really brings them out. This is just one reason why I don’t like on camera flashes. All I see in the eye is a little dot. Not as pretty.
Assignment: Create a professional DOF (depth of field) and concentrate on the light in your subject’s eyes. Remember that the best way to learn is to practice! Take LOTS of pictures. Post some, and I can help you see what you are doing right and what you can improve on. Oh, and remember to get on your subject’s level, and get up close for these!
If you already know quite a bit about photography, here is what we are going to work on. If you need more information about what all this means, keep reading below. :)
Quick Reference Quide:
• Before taking the picture, can you see good light in the subject’s eyes?
• Use “A” Priority Mode.
• Set aperture to its lowest (or is it called highest?) setting. If you don’t have a great aperture range, step away from your subject and zoom in.
• Focus on the lead eye! Very important!!!!!!!
• Make sure your AF is set to “Single Mode”!
• Watch your shutter speed. Don’t go below the focal length of your lens!
• Need more light? Try increasing your ISO.
Step 1: Find light!
If you are shooting indoors, see if you can find the biggest windows in your house…not only for the light it provides, but also for that beautiful reflection in the eyes. Try and notice what time of day you get the best light near your windows. Even a bathroom can be a great place to take pictures. Bathrooms reflect light well depending on the size and color of the bathroom. Before you even take any pictures, look into your subject’s eyes. Can you see the light reflecting in them? If you can’t, neither can the camera, so find somewhere else! :)
Step 2: “A” Mode
In case you don’t know what “A” mode is, “Aperture Priority” mode lets you control the aperture while the camera determines the shutter speed. In order to get that cool DOF, you need to set your camera to its lowest (or is it called highest) aperture setting for the lens you have. Debbie, you will use your 50mm and set your camera to f/1.8. You will need to get up close to your subject’s face. One of the most important parts about shooting at f/1.8 is to make sure your camera is focused on the lead eye. This is where you need to make sure that you are shooting in "Single" AF-Mode. I think the camera's default setting is "Dynamic Mode". It might look like you are focusing directly on the lead eye, but you actually aren’t! Look in your manual on how to change your AF to "Single Mode".
Note: If you don’t have an f1.8 lens, try stepping back a bit and zooming in on your subject.
Technical Note: Dynamic Mode is great for when your subject is moving and farther away (vs a total close up). There are a few focusing options for Dynamic Mode, but the point is to keep moving subjects in focus. If you have a low contrast, moving subject to focus on, Nikon recommends using the 21 or all 51 area AF setting. Do not use the Auto mode because it is unpredictable, and you are learning how to use your camera, right?
Helpful Hints: Even while shooting in “A” mode you still need to pay attention to your shutter speed. A basic, uncomplicated way to tell if you are okay to shoot at that particular shutter speed is to never shoot below the focal length of the lens you are using. Also, just know that anything under 60 is going to be more prone to accidentally turn out blurry. So Debbie, with your 50mm, I would try and never go below a shutter speed of 50 and actually, until you learn more tricks, I wouldn’t go below 60 for now. If I had a 70-200mm lens and was shooting at 150mm, I probably wouldn’t want my shutter speed to be below 150. If I have my prime 85mm, I don’t shoot below a shutter speed of 85. Does that make sense? This is a very general rule to live by. You can always break the rule of course. :)
Note: If your shutter speed does go below what it "should" be, you can get more light by increasing your ISO. So try changing your ISO to 200 or 250. I don’t know how high your camera can go before it gets too “noisy”, but with my D200, I couldn’t go above 400. There are other tricks to get more light, but we can just focus on that one for now.
If you have any questions, my email is erin@wegowayback.com
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