Why everyone should take photos outside.

Some of you already know that I do photography. Not as much these days as I'd like, but this is the perfect time of the year for me; It's nice out without being too hot. I don't do indoor photos unless I absolutely have to. If I were to run a class on photography, I would tell everyone to go outside and take photos.

Outdoor lighting is usually perfect and ou really can't go wrong, but there are some common mistakes that people can make. One thing is thinking that your subject should be in the bright light of the sun. Wrong. I used to be one of those people. Iused to hope for a sunny and bright day, but now I hope for cloudy days. Why? they offer just the right lighting. In the article,
How do I take great outdoor photos? the author states, High clouds turn the entire sky into a giant lighting softbox, and all of nature becomes your portrait studio.

Another mistake one may make is posing their subject in the direction where the sun is, thus causing them to squint. Positioning your subject with the sun behind them allows them to be able to see and not squint.

Of course, according to the article, Basic Photography Tutorial, you still need to rely on these three things:
ISO-Controls sensitivity to light
Shutter speed-How long light can get through to the sensor
Aperture-How big of hole the light can pass through

They might sound scary, but most digital cameras make it easy for you to control them for a perfect photo.

Ok, now go get your camera and go outside and take some awesome photography!

Using Contrast to make a great photo.

Contrast in a photo can make all the difference between an okay photo, and an awesome one. There are two types of contrast in photography. According to the article, Digital photography contrast highlight and shadows, Tonal contrast is the term used to refer to the range of grayscale tones between the darkest black and whitest white in an image. A high contrast scene has mostly black and white with few (sometimes no) shades in between.
Both kinds of contrast can work for a photographer when trying to pose a photo and set a mood.

Take the popular black and white newborn photos that most photographers do now. The bright white of the baby contrasts with the black background, thus creating a tonal contrast.

Posing your object or model in the shade and working with the sunlight coming in to create the contrast will look more natural then using a flash. I don't know about you, but I try not to use flash if all possible and I try to use the shadows that fall on your subjects face and where the light hits naturally is a much better look.

Working with contrasting takes alot of practise, but with time, you'll automatically find the right lighting and exposure and take beautiful photos!

Friday Photography-Focusing.

This week's Friday Photography, we are going to discuss focusing your subject. Many beginning photographers with autofocus cameras tend to have the nose or chin in focus, forgetting to place their focusing spot on the subject’s eyes when shooting. This is a prominent problem with photographers who tend to rely on the camera, which by default focus at the center of the image.

The proper way to focus, is to find your subject’s eyes in the frame first, slightly depress the shutter-release button, holding the focus, compose the subject in your frame, then further push the shutter-release button to take the photo. This technique may slow you down a bit at first, but once you develop a feel for it, you’ll find it will ensure your subject’s eyes are always in focus.

To add to focusing, you need to think about space around your subject. In the article, Photography Positioning of the Subject of Your Photo , it states that positioning the camera horizontally creates a sense of space in the photograph, while positioning the camera vertically provides a sense of focus on an object.

If you learn to focus on the eyes and compose the image, your subject’s eyes will be sharp and people will think that your photos were taken by a professional!

Friday Photography-Lighting

When I do a photo session, my main issue is lighting. I almost always take my photos outside because I hate indoor light. Our house is very dark, and finding quality light is almost impossible. I have a Lightsphere, an off camera flash, and a light filter for my camera flash. The only thing is, I hardly use them at all. I prefer natural light. I love natural light. I live for natural light. Sound corny? I know, slap me!
An article that I read recently on the Internet titled, Finding Quality Light , had some helpful information on the different light sources that photographers look for. Anyone that is having problems with finding the right light or what to do about harsh light, may want to read it.
An interesting section of the article talked about back lighting and how newbies are taught to avoid this because of the harsh result. But, if you do it just right, you can make an effect known as rim lighting, which produces a beautiful glow around your subject.
Being self taught-meaning, that I just bought the equipment and experimented and practised til I got it right-I wasn't aware of the different lighting techniques, such as, balance light, filter light, block light, etc.
Another techique is using fill light when taking photos. The article, How to add a Fill Light When Taking a Photo explains about filler light in more detail.
Makes me think that maybe I should read a book or two on the subject. Especially if I hope to have an indoor studio someday, so I may take photos all year round and not just certain seasons. Could be more profitable that way!

Friday Photography-Bokeh

My favorite type of photos to take are Bokeh pictures. Bokeh is Japanese for fuzziness. I'm sure you have heard of it from other blogs.

I use this effect for my review photos.

And for my doggie photos.

And for the kids photos.

This effect has become more and more popular with photographers, and there are lots of information on the Internet to learn how to make this effect.

I found an interesting article titled, Bokeh pictures-How to make one easily

In this article, the author explains about the different lenses that allow your photos to have the bokeh effect. Some lenses would probably be out of my price range, but if you can afford them, you could make some fabulous photos!

Macro lenses can give the same effect when shooting something up close. In the article, Learning the Craft of Closeup Photography, the author explains the different lenses to use and about the subjects that make great closeup photos. This could make for great visual tools for foodie bloggers. The article also has some great photos that demonstrate macro photos.

So, take this weekend to practise some bokeh or macro photography and post about it on Monday to show everyone how you did!