Portrait work

Today I'd like to discuss portrait work. There are many types, including but not limited to: individual, groups, indoor, natural lighting, flash or strobe, mixed lighting, as well as various poses. Posing is an art, it can be learned, but some come by it naturally. There are numerous books on the topic, so rather than try to list various posing techniques here, I'll simply encourage you to do a little research and a lot of experimentaion to see what works or doesn't work for you. One of the things I learned at the Joe McNally workshop I attended recently, is that catch lights in the eyes of your subject are paramount. His assistant checks every shot to see if there's a catch light in the eyes. You can enhance the catch light in post, but without them, your subject(s) simply look like Zombies, or lifeless.


This does not necessarily need to be done with a flash, as some of the best portraits I've seen were done with ambient light. As a beginning photographer, until you purchase a flash, try having your subject stand next to a window, and allow some soft light to illuminate them. Above is an example of this type of lighting scenario. I'm not saying ambient light will solve every lighting situation, but you have to work with what you've got. If I teach you to use 5 flashes, and you don't have 5 flashes, what good does that do you, really? The second point I'd like to make is that as photographers, our job is to flatter the subject(s). There is such a thing as unflattering light, and you should avoid it like the plaque! Noon outdoor lighting (without a scrim) is a perfect eample of this. If you don't have a choice (and why don't you?) and you find yourself trying to photograph someone outside on a sunny day (no clouds), try to get them in some shade, as that will be much softer light. Otherwise, tell them you'd be doing them a great disservice, and perhaps you should photograph them another time. An alternative is to use a scrim, which is a fairly large and light (in weight) diffusion device that will soften the light as it passes through it. For this I recommend an assistant. They hold the scrim, you shoot.


Last, but certainly not least, is that whether you're working with people or animals, they have feelings, and some people find being photographed a tense situation. Try to take 10-15 minutes (or longer) to break the ice and put them at ease. If you make it seem like it's difficult, they'll sense it (even animals) and be nervous. Make it fun, and that will transfer to the image. You'd be surprised at how many times I've thought I had gotten a set of great images, only to review them after the shoot and discover that the subject has an apprehensive look upon their face. A fake smile looks like a fake smile. The only other advice I'm going to give you at this time is, buy a reflector. It's a great way to help wrap light, and it's a lot cheaper than a flash. Once you do buy a flash, it becomes another light source, making one light into 2.

Landscape Photography

Had a class tonight, led by Will in our club...and I'd like to share this with an anyone who is interested in Landscape photography.
A tripod is a must for and decent landscapes, as it allows you to slow your shutter speed down, which you may not be able to do hand held. I usually use a wide lens, as it will enable me to capture a wider area of the scene. I can always crop later, in post processing (hereafter referred to as simply "post"). I use the Manual setting on my camera, but many use Aperture Priority, so adapt this to whatever you use (if you're using "Auto", that's a whole different ball of wax also.
So now you've got your camera on a tripod, with your widest lens on it, and you may ask, "what's next"?
Set your aperture to somewhere between f/8-f/16 (higher f-stops may result in fringing, even though you'll achieve a longer Depth of Field (hereafter referred to as "DOF"). I recommend setting your ISO as low as it will go, UNLESS for some reason you really like that noisy effect in your images...which many do not. These things will help you to determine the other third of the exposure triangle, which will be shutter speed. I recommend Evaluative metering, UNLESS you have a dark portion of the scene you'd like to expose for and perhaps lose the detail in your highlights, then you may want to use center weighted or spot exposure metering. Remember, I'm talking about exposure here...that's how bright or dark your image is. Now about what to focus on. A well composed landscape image will have a foreground as well as a background. I recommend focusing on the foreground, and although you could focus with your center focusing dot and recompose, I change the focusing point to be typically in the lower third of the image, which is typically also the foreground. Keep those horizons level, and don't center the horizon or the sun (also don't look through the lens directly at the sun), as this will create a "Bullseye" in your image, and typically remove some of the interest from it. There are lots of useful tools to use, such as Circular Polarizing filters, and Neutral Density Filters, which come at different prices and strengths. I suggest you research them, as they can do some great things!
Once you've composed your shot, got the exposure correct, you may want to utilize "mirror lock-up" on your camera. As you capture an image, the mirror flips up and out of the way to reveal your sensor to the light coming through the lens. This is to enable you to look through the viewfinder and see what your lens is actually seeing, as opposed to NON SLR cameras, which have a viewfinder that is seperate from what the lens is seeing. Single Lens Reflex (herafter referred to as "SLR") have an advantage in that the photographer can tell what the lens is actually seeing, but they are more costly. The other cameras we usually refer to as "Point and Shoots". Anyway, the mirror moving can introduce a tiny amount of vibration inside the camera, which believe it or not, may actually cause some "softness" in your images. That is to say, the focus isn't tack sharp, or slightly blurred. Another useful tool in this endeavor is a remote trigger. I recommend a corded type at first, as it's job is to actuate the shutter, and for a long exposure, you don't want to have to worry about the battery giving out! This also will reduce vibration in your camera, and prevent that "softness' we were talking about earlier. Starting to get the picture? If it's windy, hang something from the center pole of your tripod, that 10 pound equipment bag will finally have a use! Try different things and experiment. Remember the rule of thirds, then break the rules! Try to bracket your exposures, I usually try 1 stop increments, and either use HDR, or exposure blending to help acheive better results. Remember, the camera can't capture the dynamic range your eyes can! Happy Shooting!

Joe's Blog

If you go to Joe McNally's blog http://www.joemcnally.com/blog/ you'll see an image of a Nubian Princess looking model wrapped in some heavy rope. I and Will were privileged to witness both the creation as well as the process through execution of this image. To see the process was somewhat awe inspiring, but the finished image is wonderful! Also, the group shot of his assistants must have been taken on the date we attended, or they wore the same attire daily...If you have a chance to attend one of his lighting workshops, as we did...I highly recommend it!

Joe McNally's New York Workshop

My good friend Will and I went to the last day of the Joe McNally indoor lighting workshop he held in New York on the 1st of July, 2009. It was $350 for the workshop (they provided a sumptuous breakfast and lunch), and we paid hotel, gas and dinner. It stormed horribly on the way up, and pretty badly on the way back...but the knowledge I gained was so worth it! He said something I wish someone had told me much earlier in my photography " start with no lights (ambient light only), and then solve your lighting issues one light at a time. Starting with 6 lights/ flashes just means you start with 12 problems to solve". Sometimes the things that sound simple are the most inspiring! He showed us different lighting scenarios, solving issues as he went. I expected someone as famous and knowledgeable as Joe McNally to get it right the fist time, and his showing us that sometimes he has to try, try again and overcome obstacles the same as us really gave me hope and inspiration! I suspect I shot some of the best images in my life while there, and that's a good thing...