Photography Lighting,Photography Studio Lighting

Funny Photography

2010-06-12T21:49:00.000-07:00

A common cause of injuries during winter shooting is photographers not paying enough attention to their surroundings while focusing on a subject. And in cold conditions, almost any surface can be covered in ice, which is often completely invisible. Be sure to pay attention to where you are about to step, and wear shoes or boots that have heavy soles with good traction.

Photography lighting equipment

2010-06-12T21:46:00.000-07:00

Everyone knows to wear a coat or sweater if you’re going to be outside for any length of time in cold weather. Faces and hands are the most endangered body parts in cold weather photography. But photographers can’t completely muffle their faces or hands or they won’t be able to handle their camera and other equipment successfully. To keep most of your face warm while shooting, try wearing a ski mask to reduce the amount of skin exposed to cold wind and wintry weather.

Keeping your hands warm is particularly problematic for photographers in the winter. Gloves keep your hands warm between shots, but often you’ll have to remove your gloves to handle the camera or equipment more easily and accurately.Depending on how cold the weather is, you may even risk having your fingers freeze to the metal on the camera, which can damage your skin and the equipment.

To solve cold-finger problems, try wearing gloves in layers. Wear silk or fine mesh gloves first, or use glove liners. Over these thin gloves add a pair of fingerless crafters gloves for more warmth on your palms, which will cut down on hand fatigue. Hunters’ gloves have a removable fingertip section, which can add still another layer that leaves your fingers free. Finally, top all the layers with regular cold-weather heavy gloves. Because you will have to remove these while shooting, be sure to bring a cord to hang them around your neck to prevent losing them.

Your fingers will still get cold while you’re shooting, but the extra protection will stave off damage to your joints and skin until you put your heavy gloves back on. In bitterly cold or windy weather, try keeping a chemical heat pack in your coat pocket to quickly reheat your hands between sessions.

Pay extra attention to your feet when shooting outside in cold weather. Even when you wear well insulated boots, your feet can become damp if you walk in snow higher than the tops of your boots. Wet skin is a major cause of damage from cold weather, and damp socks inside cold shoes are a recipe for disaster when you get home and take your boots off. Keep extra socks with you at all times in case you have to change them while you’re out shooting.

Photography lighting kit

2010-06-12T21:44:00.000-07:00

Is Your Battery charged?

Digital SLR cameras are totally battery power dependant, so if you find your battery is low or worse still, dead, you’ll find yourself heading home earlier than expected! Try to get into the habit of charging your battery’s after each time you use your camera. This way they’ll be ready at a moments notice. It’s always a great idea to have a spare in your camera bag, so if you do, be sure this one’s also charged fully.

Format Your Memory Card.

Unless you’ve purchased a memory card with a huge capacity, it’s a good idea to format your card every time before going out to shoot pictures. Formatting basically wipes clean your card, removing all old images so you have as much storage space as possible. BUT make sure you have safely transferred or printed any images you want to keep BEFORE formatting or you’ll lose everything on the card!

Check the ISO Setting.

The ISO speed plays a vital role in digital photography, it effectively allows you to take pictures of moving subjects, or take pictures in low light conditions, by altering the sensitivity of the cameras sensor. However it does have a down-side, the higher the ISO, the more ‘noise’ is visible on the final image. This is a grainy effect seen on the picture. So, it is best to use as low as ISO setting as possible, although higher ISO’s are needed to catch some photography types such as sports.

Select the Correct File type.

Digital SLR’s allow you to select different file types for saving your images. JPEG is the most popular setting and we suggest this file format for amateur and enthusiasts alike. Most digital cameras also give you a second setting option for the size of the image. This is normally small (S), medium (M), and large (L). This primarily affects the size at which the image can be printed at, whilst retaining its quality.

Portrait Photography Lighting

2010-06-12T21:40:00.000-07:00

Though it may seem simple from an outside perspective, portrait lighting is one of the trickiest photography skills to nail down and takes years to master. On the plus side, because of the posed and scheduled nature of portrait photography, it is also one of the easiest ones to practice. If you’re considering starting a studio in your garage or living room, here are a few handy tips to keep in mind before you call your subject in for the shoot.

Brighter Isn’t Better
Hard, bright lights definitely make shooting a breeze and give you plenty of illumination to properly expose your photos. However, these lights are rarely flattering and should be avoided if you want natural results. Portrait lighting is best achieved with soft light. You can find this light in the shade, on overcast days, or by using umbrella reflectors in the studio (these are available at a relatively low price).

Light Setup
Two lights should be sufficient for portrait lighting. Use one main light to determine the tone and direction of your light, then offset it with a second light placed near the camera. This will soften any harsh shadows and help even out the contrast. Another great way to achieve this effect is by placing one light above the camera and one fill reflector below the camera. Both of these solutions will give you great results with very little equipment.

Use What You Have
If you don’t have the cash to invest in a professional light setup, you can often get near-professional results by moving a couple of desk or floor lamps around. For even more control, try using sheets to reflect the light around the room.

Don’t Forget the Sun
We often associate portrait photography with studio photography, but the truth is that the two are not codependent. You can get amazing results using natural light if you’re careful about how and when you use it. For instance, if you have a large window in your house, use it as a natural source of soft light.

Photography Lighting Techniques

2010-06-12T21:39:00.001-07:00

Photography Lighting Techniques

Tips to shoot in the outdoors
Beginners to photography need to bear in mind to avoid clicking outdoors during midday. This is the time when the sun is overhead and will cast harsh shadows on the subject. In case you have to shoot in the outdoors, use reflectors to cast light on the subject. Sunrise or sunsets give a different natural glow to any photograph. Shooting at these timings would obviously give you the appropriate lighting without the need of worrying about results. Always remember to keep some element of contrast in the photographs. There are times when you may face a problem of not having enough light for the subject/situation. You can use the element of shadow to provide mystery and drama to the composition.

Tips to shoot inside the studio
Shooting in the photography studio would require you to know about the basics of photography lighting techniques. You need to experiment and gain practice to know how to create a perfect balance of light and dark.

Diffused lighting is very important when you want to soften the effects of other lights. This is particularly required for portrait photography. A simple method would be to place a tracing paper over the studio light to soften the light cast by the bulb. A fill light is one that is used to have control over the contrast. When you increase the effect of the fill light, you reduce the amount of contrast in the composition. When you decrease the effect of the fill light, you increase the contrast in the composition.

For a dramatic effect in your photograph, you can use side lighting. This gives a spectacular effect to your photograph due to a high level of contrast. One side gets maximum light and the other side is cast in darkness. This type of lighting adds more depth to the subject.

Backlighting is yet another technique used in photography. Here, the source of light is placed behind the subject. Backlighting is used to catch the silhouette of the subject. A photographer can use a fill-in flash for the frontal portion if details are required.