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