Experimenting with long shutter times

Venue
Linlithgow Palace and Loch

Time
Night

Equipment
Sony Alpha 200; Tripod; Torch (to see what I was doing)

Comments
As it was a crisp night I decided to take the short walk to the Loch to try and get some long exposures of the Palace lit up at night. It was extremely cold but the Palace looked really good all lit up so I set up my tripod and took a few test shots. I was using a shutter speed of a second but the shot was too dark. With my battery life disappearing quickly I extended the shutter speed to 10 secs and then 30secs. With these longer exposure times the pictures became clearer and showed the Palace to its full glory.

This exercise highlighted how much longer you have to have the exposure when shooting at night to ensure that you get an even, full exposure. Also how long shutter speeds are very draining on the camera battery.

To see the photos of this session please click HERE.

Shooting Light Trails

Venue
Friends living room, Linlithgow

Equipment
Sony Alpha 200;Tripod; Black card; 2 x Maglites; Glass of blackcurrant squash; Black cotton

Comments
After reading on article on shooting light trails I thought that it would be an interesting thing to try and so off I popped to the shops to get card and cotton. I lay the card against the wall and placed the glass on the card so it would serve as a background. I tied the cotton to the smallest
Maglite so that my hand wouldn't be in the shot and used the other Maglite to light the drink up from above. I set the aperture to f/9 to reduce the amount of background light into the shot and then played with the shutter speeds between 4 and 10 seconds until my battery finally ran out. The smaller Maglite was swung in circles around the glass during the exposure time to hopefully leave light rings surrounding the glass.

I had to experiment the distance above the glass of the second Maglite to make sure that the scene wasn't too bright, not that easy with LED Maglites but for my first attempt I was pleased with the different results. For contrast there is a shot with no second light source.

On the whole I was pleased with the results although the light from the larger Maglite did reflect off the smaller Maglite and is visible in some of the shots which is a little disappointing but something I can improve upon in future shoots. When I have more battery life I will set this shoot up again and explore a wider range of shutter speeds and background and light colours.

To see the photos from this shoot please click HERE.

Shooting around Linlithgow

Venue
Linlithgow Palace and grounds, Linlithgow

Equipment
Casio Exilim Point and Shoot

Time
Afternoon

Comments
Due to bad planning, forgot to take my battery charger for my DSLR, I was using my point and shoot camera again to shoot the Birthplace of Mary Queen of Scots. Continuing with my building theme I tried again to take interesting pictures showing texture and perspective. I am not totally sure that I captured what I was trying to achieve as I felt a little limited with only 3x zoom with mostly automatic settings. However, I am pleased with the church steeple photo and the doorway to doorway photo. I think that I have used the Rule of Thirds well as I have positioned the interesting aspects of the buildings in the key 1/3 areas.

The photos of the Loch were so I could try and stitch them together in Photoshop Elements which I managed to some degree of success. The blending isn't perfect as each shot was metered differently and therefore wasn't easy to merge without showing the join lines. I'll try and duplicate the process but using my DSLR on manual in the near future.

The Snowdrops were shot as they looked pretty on the roadside and the ducks are for John, hopefully he'll tell me what the unusual black and white one is on Thursday.

To see the photos from this shoot click HERE.

Shots around Edinburgh

Venue
In and around central Edinburgh

Equipment
Casio Exilim 12.1mp Point and Shoot Camera

Time and Weather
Shots taken between 1100 - 1500 hrs; cloudy day with sun trying to break through

Comments
As I was travelling into Edinburgh on the train I decided not to take my DSLR as I wanted to travel light. I took my Casio point and shoot as it is versatile as well as being small and easy to fit into my pocket. Although the Casio has some manual setting it is shoots predominantly in AUTO mode so I tried to control as much as I could.

As Edinburgh has some amazing buildings I decided to focus my shoot mainly on the buildings to try and capture the historic feel of the city. I also took some shots of things that are typically Scottish, like the Bagpipers. I also tried to experiment with some of the things that I had read about recently like composition, perspective, silhouettes etc.

As I have been shooting in manual recently I found not having full control a little frustrating at times as I didn't have full control over the creative process. That being said I tried to use this limitation to my benefit by trying to bit more flexible in my approach to framing, composition etc.

The position of the sun trying to come through clouds seemed to hamper some of my shots as I wasn't able to position myself due to terrain so that the light was in a favourable position. This did lead to two good silhouettes (well I like them). After the session with Steve on the Rule of Thirds I tried to use this theory when positioning the items of interest in the picture. I feel that I have been able to do that to good effect on a number of the building shots.

Steve also spoke about using items in the photo to frame other things within the picture. I tried this on a couple of occasions and I like how it draws the eyes into the shot. I will be experimenting with this on future shoots. I also tried to use lead lines on a few of the shots to lead the viewer through the picture, hopefully to some success.

Overall, I had an enjoyable day around Edinburgh and loved how using a point and shoot camera made me think differently about my composition and style. I will look forward to returning to Edinburgh with my DSLR to see what I can do using manual settings.

To see the album to pictures from Edinburgh please click HERE.

Shooting a Low-Key Portrait - Step by Step

1. Focus the Light

Keep the light focused on the model's face with dramatic fall off to shadow on the side facing the camera.

2. Set Flash Power

Play around with the output until you get the exposure you require

3. Select Exposure

Play around with the aperture until you get the required exposure

Shooting a High-Key Portrait - Step by Step

Producing stunning high-key portraits is easier than people think.  Follow the steps below to achieve success with portraits.

1. Set Power Output

Set the flash head to the lowest power output because the flash is set close to the model and ideally you want to shoot at around f/4.  You may have to dial in some overexposure.

2. Adjust the Exposure

After taking a test shot in Manual mode, check whether the exposure is correct for bright, but not burned out skin tones.

3. Position Reflectors

Position the reflectors you have to best produce the bright exposures that have low contrasts between shadows and highlights but avoid skin burn out.  Two reflectors are preferable.

4. Check Highlights

Make sure you're not clipping highlights by using the warning feature on your DSLR.  This is accessed via your cameras view mode. 

Home Studio Tips

• This lighting/exposure style will work for male, female, young and old models
• Shot high-key portrait against white or light coloured backgrounds
• Ask models to wear light coloured clothing or shoot to imply nudity
• Use reflectors and even lighting to avoid shadows on the model's face
• Use your DSLR's highlight warning feature to help assess how far you can push exposures before clipping highlights
• Two lights positioned to produce even lighting will also produce good results

Outdoor and Location Portraits - Professional Advice from Matt Hoyle

Creating a photography is a bit like a sculpture. As you style it, light it, pose it and even as you post-produce it, you're chipping away things that don't make sense to you. What's left is something that is intrinsically you. How you come to select the subject in the first place has to be equally, if not more, personal.

Shooting Themes Projects
Shooting themes is about trying to capture the people of my time in a creative way. As a former creative director in an advertising agency, I tend to see in themes rather than individual, one-off portraits. There's nothing wrong with those but to carry through a vision with multiple images makes more of a statement. There are always going to be one or two shots that resonate more strongly with any particular viewer - it's a subjective field we're in - but you go further to strike a chord if you have multiple characters.

My advice is to begin with yourself. Any photographer who's going to succeed continually and not by accident has to do something that interests them and makes them feel something first. Otherwise they are just going through the motions and will create something quite hollow. Draw on your own world, your past, your present and your surroundings. This could be something that has touched you, whether in reality or in your imagination, or something around you.

Start with something accessible. Discipline yourself to your own neighbourhood to get a taste of a series before jumping into anything too grand. A really good photographer is going to make the mundane and bland seem quite unique and wonderful - just look at the work of William Ecclestone. The most important thing is to set yourself some guidelines and a focus. This will help you to overcome that series of a blank page, which you don't how to begin to fill.

Candid Portraits
When I started taking street photographs, the first thing I had to teach myself was how to find the places where there is what I call 'a hive' of good subjects. In other words, where there is a lot of activity that is likely to yield the ind of photos I am looking for. I went to these places in happenstance mode, ready for anything, and this really taught me how to observe. Of course, these hives are a subjective thing fro any photographer - mine could be very different from the next person's - but, for me, it was initially about finding interesting characters.

Posed Portraits
With my posed portrait shots, I want to take the viewer somewhere that being a fly-on-the-wall, however observant, cannot take them. I want to tap my subject on the shoulder and say, 'Hey, talk to me, relate to me. Let our personalities meet for one moment and let me see the essence of you.' In doing this, eye contact is paramount and you're not going to get eye contact without getting their attention.

If you find, by research or pure chance, a hive of wonderful people, or even just one, and you feel that the unguarded moment is not going to give you a good enough shot, or you think the person is so powerful that you must approach them, then you must make that decision. By doing so, you're running the risk of them saying no and it's a time when you have to have your wits about you and be skilled in dealing with people. This is something that I don't think they teach enough on any photography course; just like being a teacher, you can be knowledgeable and academic but if you're not good with people, you're going to be terrible at your job.

Outdoor Lighting
For outdoor photography, unless you particularly want the harsh shadows of midday sun, go for what photographers call 'the magic hour', which is either at sunrise or sunset, when the sun is at it's lowest , creating deep colours and long shadows of buildings and trees. Both times of day have a different quality of light so find out which you prefer. If you do decide to shoot at midday, or if that is the only time you will find your subjects, avoid a totally open area like the middle of a field or beach. Shoot somewhere where there is some sort of shade or cover so that light on the subject is reflected and therefore much softer than harsh, direct sunlight.

Studio Lighting

This can be challenging and even those photographers who have been working with it for years are still learning all the time. While there is a steep learning curve to using flash, you can embrace it quite easily to begin with, allowing you a great deal more creative control over portraits than simply relying on daylight alone.

Things that Professional photographer Bjorn Thomassen says to experiment with:-

• window light with flash
• flash vs. reflector
• studio flash
• white backgrounds
• flash on location
• flash outdoors
• reflectors

These are areas I look forward to experimenting with over the next few weeks.

Composition - Positioning the Subject

When setting up a portrait, one of your first considerations is how to position the subject within the available space, whether it be a clean white background, a blur of colour or a detailed environment. A lot of photographers talk about finding the light and putting the subject into it, as though the rest of the picture will somehow follow. Steve Shipman has never subscribed to that. For him, the priority is finding an interesting or unusual situation. Once this is established, you can make it work by experimenting with framing and composition to achieve a balance and harmony between the subject and the background.

Here are some of the things that Steve says we should experiment with:-

• The Rule of Thirds (something we covered at college last week)
• Going in close
• Stepping back
• Precision framing
• Lines and shapes
• Depth of field
• Colour
• Unusual angles
• Movement
• Family groups

I will look to experiment with some of these over the coming weeks.

Composition - General

Composing a portrait photograph is about putting in place the building blocks of a picture within the frame of the camera. It involves decisions on where to place your main subject, what other elements you are going to include or exclude and how they will relate to the subject in a way that will enhance it. Light, colour, movement and technical considerations, such as depth of field and lens focal length, also play a part.

Sometimes it is a quick and intuitive process, at other times it must be considered at length, but it is always highly subjective. By experimenting and studying my own pictures and those of others, I can work out my preferences and develop a personal style.

Exposure Play

Yesterday afternoon I set up a small still life scene at my Dad's place using some rock samples; salt and pepper pots and a bottle of wine with a label and placed it all on an antiques wooden storage box. I used a lounge lamp to light the scene and set my camera up using a tripod to ensure that the focal point didn't change.

I then spent about an hour playing around with the different setting that affect exposure including - aperture, shutter speed and ISO settings. The results were really interesting as I now have a much better understanding of how the three different elements have direct effects on how the finished pictures looks.  The kit I chose was my Sony Alpha 200 with my new portrait lens. I chose my new lens to give myself chance no only to get to grips with how ISO, shutter speed and aperture affect the exposure of an image but also how it works so that when I go to take some portrait pictures later I have a better understanding of how to use a larger aperture.  I used a normal household lamp to keep the lighting constant to ensure that the metering was not one of the variables.  I also chose to keep the focal point the same so that the depth of field could be reflected fully in my experimentation with apertures.  For the still life I chose a variety of objects that had different textures, shape and colour to see what effect changing the different variables would have on the surfaces of the different objects. To make the change in depth of field easier to notice I borrowed an idea from John and put a wine bottle with writing on it so that I could see how the different variables affected the clarity of the label print.

If you click HERE it will take you to the album that shows all the different shots that I took ranging from low f/stop numbers like f/1.8 to larger numbers like f/16. There is also a wide range of shutter speeds ranging from 1/160 sec to 1 sec. Different ISO settings were also used from 100 to 3200.

The different results show how changing just one variable can have a huge affect on the photo. You can make the photos seriously under or over exposed as well as getting the perfect exposure. I found it interesting that how an image could be so changed just by changing one element and how if you changed all three you could still achieve the same shot as the previous one.

That is something that I am going to explore in a later photo shoots.

Experiment with f/stops

Shutter Speed

As well as helping you to achieve correct exposure, the shutter speed of your camera also controls the way that movement is recorded.  fast shutter speeds will freeze movement, but slower speeds will record blur, which can be highly effective.  You also need to consider camera-shake, which is caused if you try to take a handheld picture with a shutter speed that is too slow, causing blur to be created when you don't want it.

Beating camera-shake

To combat camera-shake, the rule-of-thumb is to make sure that the shutter speed you use at least matches the focal length of the lens - so 1/60 sec for 50mm, 1/250 sec for 200mm and so on - though much depends on the steadiness of your hand as you take the picture.  You may find that you need to use faster shutter speed than is normally recommended to ensure a sharp picture, or, if you have a particular steady hand, that you can successfully handhold at slower speeds.

Freezing moving subjects

If you want to freeze a moving subject, there are three important factors that must be considered: how fast your subject is moving; how far away it is from the camera; and the direction it is travelling in relation to the camera.  If your subject is coming head-on, e.g., you can freeze it with a slower shutter speed than if it is moving across your path.  Similarly, a faster shutter speed will be required to freeze a subject that fills the frame than if it only occupies a small part of the total picture.  A shutter speed of 1/1000 sec or 1/2000 sec is fast enough to freeze most action subjects.  Unfortunately, however, light levels won't always allow you to use such high speed - even with your lens set to its maximum aperture - so you need to be aware of the minimum speeds required for certain subjects.  See the table below for a guide.

Digital ISO (International Organization for Standardization)

In digital photography ISO measures the sensitivity of the image sensor.  The same principles apply as in film photography - the lower the number the less sensitive your camera is to light and the finer the grain.  Higher ISO settings are generally used in darker situations to get faster shutter speeds (for example an indoor sports event when you want to freeze the action in lower light) - however the cost is noisier shots. 

I will have a session playing around with ISO settings and put the results in a album that you can see by clicking HERE

Reflectors

Reflectors in photography are simply any item used to reflect light towards your subject. Reflectors can be used with a flash or in lieu of a flash.  If you do not have the option of using an off camera flash, or a flash with swivel head, reflectors are an excellent way to achieve a professional lighting effect without professional equipment.  Reflectors are either placed on a stand or other support, or held by an assistant to direct light onto a subject.  Reflectors are generally held at an equal angle from the light source and the subject.

Reflectors vary in size depending on the amount of light needed and the size of the subject.  There is also no set shape of reflectors.  Some are round and some are square or rectangle shaped.  Although there are numerous reflectors manufactured for photography, many photographers use homemade ones.  These can be as simple as a piece of white paper.

Reflectors are also used to change the quality of light in photographs.  The colour of the reflector will show up in the light reflected onto the subject.

Reflectors and Light

• Gold - creates warm tones
• White - neutral colour effect
• Silver - creates neutral tones but brighter than white
• Black - reduces the amount of reflected light

These changes in light tones are based on colour temperature and white balance.

An example of how to use a reflector can be seen by clicking HERE

Please click HERE to view an album of photos that show examples of using reflectors.  They will include a few examples from the internet but mostly examples of my own.

Metering Patterns

Although the job of your camera's metering system is to produce correctly exposed images, it may do so using a range of different metering 'patterns'. These patterns vary the way in which light levels are measured by the camera in order to determine correct exposure, and some are more accurate than others.

Centre-weight average

This used to be the standard metering pattern found in cameras, and is still an option in the majority of SLRs. It works by measuring light levels across the whole image area, but preference is given to the central 60% because it is assumed that that is where the main subject will be in the image. For typical well lit subjects, a pattern based on centre-weighted average can be relied upon to give accurate exposures, but it can also cause exposure error in uneven lighting situations.

Multi-zone / multi-pattern metering

These 'intelligent' metering patterns - technically referred to by the manufacturers Nikon and Canon as 'Matrix' and 'Evaluative' respectively - are the most sophisticated patterns available and make taking perfectly exposed pictures easier than ever. They work by dividing the viewfinder into various 'zones' and measure light / brightness levels in each. The zone readings are then analysed by a microprocessor and an exposure reading is set based on comparisons to model lighting situations. By doing so, the exposure reading is not overly influenced by bright or dark areas in the scene - such as brilliant blue sky - so the risk of exposure error in the image is drastically reduced.

The number of zones in the pattern varies from 4 to 16, depending on the model of camera that you are using - the more zones there are available, the more accurate the system is likely to be.

Partial / selective metering

This pattern measures light levels in a small central area of the view finder - usualy 6 to 15% of the total image area - and in doing so allows you to meter from your main subject, or a specific part of the scene, without excessively bright or dark areas influencing the exposure obtained.

Spot metering

This pattern is similar to selective metering, but it measures light levels in a tiny central area of the viewfinder - anything from 1 to 5% of the total image area. Consequently, you can use it to take meter readings from small areas of a scene, and in experienced hands it is the most accurate and useful system around.

Multi-spot metering

Some cameras allow you to take a series of individual spot readings, store each one in the camera's memory and then average them out to establish the best exposure. This is ideal in situations when you are not sure where to meter from; by metering from the lightest and darkest areas and then averaging them, you will obtain an exposure that makes a good starting point for a successful image.

Depth of Field

Whenever you take a picture, an area extending in front of and behind the point which you actually focus upon will also come out sharp in the image. This area is known as 'depth of field', and it is one of the most important variables in photography, because it allows you to control what will be in- and out-of-focus in your pictures.

There are three basic factors that determine how much - or how little - depth-of-field there will be in a photograph, as follows.

1. The aperture set on the lens

The smaller the lens aperture (the bigger the f/ number), the greater the depth-of-field, and vice versa, for any given lens.

2. The focal length of that lens

The shorter then focal length (the wider the lens), the greater the depth-of-field is at any given aperture.

3. The focusing distance

The further away the main point of focus is from the camera, the greater the depth-of-field will be for any given lens and aperture setting.

Maximising depth-of-field

If you want to achieve maximum depth-of-field so that everything is recorded in sharp focus from the immediate foreground to infinity - which is normal when shooting landscapes - use a wide-angled lens such as 28mm or 24mm and set it to a small aperture such as f/16 or f/22.

Remember that the smaller the aperture is, the slower the shutter speed will be and the risk of camera shake is increased - so try to keep your aperture as large as possible at all times. Ideally you should also focus your lens roughly a 1/3rd into the scene, as this will help accentuate the sense of depth-of-field in the image.

Minimising depth-of-field

If you want minimal depth-of-field - which would result in little more than the main point you have focused on coming out sharp and everything else in the image being thrown out-of-focus - use a telephoto lens in the range of say 200mm to 300mm set to a wide aperture such as f/4 or f/5.6.

This is common practice with subjects like portraits, candids and sports action, in which you want the background to be out-of-focus so that it does not compete with your main subject.

Minimising depth-of-field also creates a strong three-dimensional feel, as it makes the main subject stand out in the image.

Practicing with Two Flash Guns

I tried using my two flashguns for portrait shots today for the first time and am not sure if I'm doing things right but some of the shots look well lit upon first inspection. I will post some of the results once I've had chance to edit them as they are saved in RAW. Hopefully when they gave been processed they will look ok. I have to admit that although I have read about using two flashguns in my shoot I feel a little lost and unsure if what I am doing is right or producing well lit shots. Any comments for development will be gratefully received.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Understanding Exposure

Getting the right amount of light for a correct exposure is like filling a car up with fuel.  Just as the car won't run properly if you don't put in enough of the right substance, an exposure will fail if there is too much or too little light - and if the light is the wrong kind, as well.

Lens aperture settings and shutter speeds

Every time a photo is taken  a photographer has used an aperture (f stop) setting and a shutter speed to control the amount of light making the exposure; the aperture governs the quality of light admitted and the shutter speed controls the length of time  for which that light is admitted.

Both controls are directly related, so they can be used in different  combinations and achieve exactly the same exposure.  Basically, each time you set the lens aperture to the next biggest f/number in the scale - e.g. f/11 to f/16 - you are halving the size of the aperture and therefore halving the amount of light admitted.  Conversely, if you set the lens aperture to the next smallest f/number in the scale - e.g. from f/8 to f/5.6 - you are doubling the size of the aperture and doubling the amount of light admitted.

The same principle applies to shutter speeds.  Each time you double the shutter speed number - e.g. going from 1/60 sec to 1/125 sec - you have the length of time for which the shutter is opened.  However, if you halve the shutter speed number - e.g. 1/15 sec to 1/30 sec - you will double the amount of time that the shutter remains open.

Stops

These units are referred to as 'stops'.  One stop represents a doubling or halving of the exposures and can be achieved by adjusting the aperture, the shutter speed, or both.

To understand this relationship more fully, imagine you are filling your car with fuel.  The amount of fuel required (correct exposure) is provided by opening the valve in the hose (lens aperture) for a certain length of time (shutter speed).  If the valve in the hose is small it needs to be kept open for much longer to fill the tank, whereas if the valve is large the tank will fill up very quickly.  Either way you will end up with the same amount of fuel in the tank.

Exactly the same principle applies to photography.  If you set the lens to a small aperture (big f/number) you need to keep the shutter open for longer, whereas if you set a wide aperture (small f/number) you can open the shutter for less time and still admit the same amount of light.  E.g. if your camera sets an exposure of 1/60 sec at f/11, you could use any of the following combinations to achieve exactly the same exposure -

• 1/8 sec at f/32
• 1/15 sec at f/22
• 1/30 sec at f/16
• 1/60 sec at f/11
• 1/125 sec at f/8
• 1/250 sec at f/5.6
• 1/500 sec at f/4
• 1/1000 sec at f/2.8

Flash Power Values

A flashgun's power is quoted as a 'Guide Number' (GN), usually set at ISO 100. This offers a useful, standardised measurement of flash power, and this number can also be used for exposure calculations. To work out the lens aperture to use, you divide the Guide Number by the subject distance, in metres.

A typical built-in flash might have a GN of 12, so for a subject 2 metres away the aperture should be 12 divided by 2, or f6. If this sounds complicated, the good news is that in practice modern flashguns carry out these calculations automatically.