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2009年9月22日

7 Tips for Better “First Dance” Weddi...

7 Tips for Better “First Dance” Wedding Shots

从 How to Photograph Fireworks Displays 作者：Guest Contributor

有 21 人喜欢此条目

Today Ronan Palliser shares tips on how to capture the ‘first dance at a wedding.

You are most likely invited to weddings every now and then, and I’m betting that most people bring a camera with them. Chances are, if you looked back at your photos and compared them with those that other guests took on the day, there will be many shots that are the same. The most photographed moment of the day is often the bride and groom’s first dance, and with a little bit of know how, and if you’re lucky enough to have it, some extra lighting tools, it is possible to get a shot of the first dance that will stand out from the crowd and identify you as a capable photographer.

Tip 1: Change your shooting angle

Most people, most of the time, take photographs from the same viewing point - i.e. they hold the camera up to their eye and press the shutter. For a different view, deliberately take the camera low down and you’ll immediately have a shot that stands out. Wedding receptions are often held in rooms with ornate ceilings, so this can be a good way of getting that detail in the background also.

Tip 2: Move to the other side of the dance floor

99% of photographs of the first dance that guests take are captured from the same side of the dance floor. For a unique shot, move around to the other side and include the “paparazzi” in your shot. The resultant image will be fun, capture the excitement of the guests, and more than likely the enjoyment of the bride and groom at all this attention.

Tip 3: Post process your images

Instead of just settling for the images straight from the camera, bring them into some photo-editing software to enhance them. This can be as simple as increasing the contrast, or you can get artistic and apply some effects such as this spot-colour effect, done in Photoshop Elements, to make the bride and groom stand out. Photographers might think this look is cheesy, but many brides and grooms love it. Notice also that this image uses the tips above as well - don’t be afraid to combine different ideas in one shot.

Tip 4: Slow down your shutter speed

By slowing the shutter (and keeping your camera steady, on a table or chair for instance) you’ll get shots that show movement on the dance floor. You may also get lucky, like I did above, and find that someone else’s flash goes off in the middle of your exposure to help freeze the bride and groom. Or you can make your own luck by following tip 5….

Tip 5: Take your flash off the camera

If you own a flash that can be taken off the camera and fired remotely, see what happens when you fire it from a different position to your camera position. For the image above my wife was holding my Nikon SB-800 just out of the frame at camera left, and pointing it towards the bride and groom. I triggered it using the wireless CLS system on my Nikon camera, but remote triggers from Ebay would do the trick as well. The end result is another distinctive looking first dance shot.

Tip 6: Make use of the videographer

Often during first dances, there’ll be a videographer filming the event, and he’ll probably have a video light on top of his camera to illuminate the bride and groom. If you underexpose your shot and wait for his light to brighten up the bride and groom you’ll get a pretty cool spot like effect. Or you can achieve the same thing by using the off camera flash mentioned above and zoom it in as much as it will go.

Tip 7: Light the dance floor

The shot at the top of this page was lit by two off camera flashes, one either side of the band, pointing across the dance floor in an X to light the entire floor. The wider shot above shows a similar arrangement - you can see how the two flashes (mounted on the band’s speakers) light the whole floor. Depending on where you position yourself relative to these lights and the bride and groom, you can get some great front light, back light, side light or combinations of all of these for a professional looking shot.

About the Author: Ronan Palliser is an Irish photography addict, living in Dublin. He maintains a daily photoblog at http://www.ronanpalliser.ie/blog and publishes a new photograph every day, with in-depth technical details about how the shot was taken.

Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips.

7 Tips for Better “First Dance” Wedding Shots

Shooting with Available Light - Lifes...

Shooting with Available Light - Lifestyle Portraiture

从 How to Photograph Fireworks Displays 作者：Guest Contributor

有 23 人喜欢此条目

In this post Véronique da Silva from www.dasilvafoto.com shares more tips on how to take portraits with available light.

One recurring question I often get asked is, “Do you use flash?”. My answer is “I prefer not to”. I was trained commercially, using some of the best flash equipment on the planet, and I know how to use them. But I choose not to, for the most part. Life offers us some of the most beautiful lighting and it is literally up to us to step up to the challenge of unpredictability, to seek it and to use it properly. As a natural light photographer, I do make use of reflectors and diffusers to play with the available light and tweak it to my liking.

I am a portrait photographer, and I have noticed that the average person does not feel comfortable in a studio setting with lights flashing at them. It becomes overwhelming and does take over and interfere with the image capture. My general rule is if I can photograph them outside or in their element with minimal additional lighting, I will do so. The result will inevitably be better.

Here are some tips for shooting with natural light!

When shooting outside in full daylight, many people feel tempted to either use flash or place their subjects in open shade. Yes, it is true, open shade makes for easy light, but the more interesting light, the shadows, the sparkle, lies in the sun! Push your comfort level by stepping out of the shade, and shoot tons! Photograph in full daylight, at all hours of the day. Shooting mid-day will be the most challenging, but be creative! Look for interesting shadows and shapes, and play with them. Stop and analyze a scene before shooting and look for interesting vantage points that enable the light to play its amazing tricks.

When photographing people in daylight, my recommendation is to begin by shooting with the sunlight in back of your subjects. Most people will squint in full sun and/or blink frequently. By back lighting your subjects, you will allow them to be more comfortable and in return they most certainly will be more cooperative!

What happens with blown-out skies? The answer to that is “nothing”! There really is nothing wrong with exposing for the subject and letting the rest go where it goes. Perfectly lit images (with detail in the whites and shadows) have their place, but I find it can be restrictive and really unnecessary when photographing people (and trust me, I LOVE the perfect Ansel Adams print!).

With the use of reflectors, you can minimize the contrast and reclaim some detail in the background. A silver reflector will add a nice clean sharpness to the image (I really love a silver reflector when shooting professional head-shots), but remember that it is a strong reflector and you do not want to blind your subject! I use a simple white reflector most of the time to slightly open up the shadows but keep the charm of back lighting. I also love playing with sun flares! They are completely unpredictable but can be so lovely! It goes without saying that to make the most out of the use of reflectors you will need extra hands – this is when a helper comes in very handy!

When using flash, I prefer using it as a secondary light, letting the ambient or surrounding light play the main role. When shooting interiors, I will bounce the flash off the ceiling or off my handy reflector, and create a softer light than shooting forward straight off the camera. It is also a much more flattering light. I typically under-expose the flash 1.5-3 stops and slow down the shutter to let the beautiful ambient light filter in.

As with everything, practice is a must! Play around, and don’t let intimidation or the unknown guide your decision – you’ll surprise yourself and definitely expand your skills! Most importantly, have fun!

2009年9月18日

Autumn (Fall) Photography - Capturing...

Autumn (Fall) Photography - Capturing Colours

从 How to Photograph Fireworks Displays 作者：Darren Rowse

“Darren, it’s Fall here and the colours in the leaves in our town are wonderful. How can I capture their vibrancy? Every time I shoot them I end up with muddy and dull images!” - question by Grant

Image by Black Dog Photography

I love Autumn photography - you’re right the golden and red leaves on a background of lush green grass and beautiful blue skies is a wonderful thing. So how do you capture it? Here’s a few starting points to boost the colours in your Autumn photography (in fact they’re appropriate for boosting the colours in your Spring shots too):

1. Use a Polarising Filter

The saturation of colours that you get with one of these is fantastic. It is particularly useful in getting lovely blue skies but you’ll find that it decreases some of the haze that you often get at this time of year also.

2. Shoot in the Golden Hours

While you can get great results at any time of the day - I love shooting Autumn colours at the end of the day just before sunset when the light is golden. This accentuates the reds and golds even more than normal.

Image by Clearly Ambiguous

3. Don’t ignore the Overcast Days

Some people keep their cameras in their bags on days where the sun isn’t shining - but they can actually be the best days. I like overcast days because they help create a mood that you can’t get on a sunny day - plus the images are nice generally nice and rich.

4. Look for Contrasts

One way to accentuate the colours in your shots is to think about framing your shots in such a way that the different colours contrast with one another. Golden leaves on a blue sky - a red leaf on a lush green grass etc.

Image by harold.lloyd

5. Avoid Shooting Into the Sun

Shooting into the sun will result in shadows, lower saturation of colours and lens flare (which further reduces the impact of colours. On Sunny days - keep the sun at your back. If you do have to shoot into the sun use a lens hood or shield your lens with something to avoid lens flare.

6. Play with White Balance Settings

Sometimes Auto mode with White Balance won’t give you the most vibrant results. Warm up your colours by increasing the colour temperature a touch (not too much). You can do this by increasing the kelvin numbers or by selecting a setting like ‘cloudy’ if your camera has semi-auto settings. Read more on White Balance here andhere.

Image by ionushi

7. Warm Up Filters

I don’t use these anymore (I tend to make changes in Photoshop) but in my Film Camera days I did use a warm up filter on occasion to give my shots a slightly warmer glow.

8. Underexpose Your Shots (slightly)

Pull back the exposure on your shots a touch and you’ll find that it gives your colours a slightly deeper saturation. Again - much of this can be done in photoshop - particularly if you’re shooting in RAW.

Of course keep in mind that once you’ve taken your digital shots that you can always boost your shots on your computer afterward. This isn’t the place to go through it (as I mainly focus upon in camera techniques here) but if you shoot in RAW you’ll be in a good position to do some post production on your shots after.

Autumn (Fall) Photography - Capturing...