Digital Camera World » natural light photography

Sunrise photography tips: DSLR shortcuts that are guaranteed to brighten your day

jmeyer — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 23:01:54 +0000

In our latest Professional Photographer to the Rescue post our pro takes our apprentice on a sunrise photography shoot on the stunning Dorset coast.

Meet our professional photographer

Dorset-based Guy Edwardes is one of the UK’s most respected landscape and nature photographers. He’s been a pro for more than 15 years and sells his work through image libraries all over the world.

Meet our apprentice

Dave Sayer, from Glastonbury, loves to shoot coastal scenes, but worries that his pictures lack impact. The perfect candidate for a seascape masterclass with top pro Guy Edwardes!

Technique Assessment

Set the white balance
“Dave had his white balance set to Auto, leaving his DSLR to pick the right colour temperature. I advised him to stick to one setting, eg. daylight, so his shots look consistent when he is reviewing them in JPEG format.”

Choose central AF
“I told Dave to change from the Automatic AF (autofocus) point selection mode to the central autofocus point. He had all the focus points selected, so the camera had all the control. By using the centre focus point he can select what to focus on, and then recompose his shot.”

PAGE 1: Meet our professional photographer and apprentice
PAGE 2: Sunrise photography tips for during the shoot
PAGE 3: Final sunrise photography tips from our professional photographer
PAGE 4: Our professional photographer’s recommended gear
PAGE 5: Shot of the Day

Photography Lighting: simple ways you can make the most of natural light

jmeyer — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 23:01:34 +0000

In the third part of our Shoot Like A Pro series post on photography lighting in all its forms, we take a look at how you can make the most of natural light on any given occasion.

For large subjects such as landscapes or buildings it’s not feasible to control the light, so you will be at Mother Nature’s mercy.

However, you can choose the direction of the light by your viewpoint, and with a little planning you have some control over the quality of light by shooting at different times of day or in varying weather.

The classic time to shoot scenic images is during the golden hour. This is the hour after sunrise and before sunset when the sun is low in the sky, giving strong side lighting on the landscape to reveal texture and shape.

When the sun is low in the skyyou will find that the colour temperature is lower, giving your shots a warmer look.

Shoot into the light
One of the most dramatic and striking lighting effects is when you shoot into the light. This technique – also known as contre jour or backlighting – gives your images a totally different look to shooting with the light in front of the subject.

With the light behind the subject you can get two completely different ‘looks’ by altering the exposure. By exposing for the background the subject will be dark, producing a silhouette, while exposing for the subject will over-expose the background, giving a much brighter, high-key effect.

When you’re shooting into the light you should always avoid looking directly at the sun, so try composing using Live View, rather than the optical viewfinder.

You’ve probably seen the ‘perfect’ sunset, even if only from your house or car window, but how many times have you seen it when you’ve been out with your camera?

If the answer is many then you’re either extremely lucky, or more likely you spend too much time checking the weather forecast!

But knowing what conditions to look for, and the timing and position of the sun during the day, is the key to getting the most from natural light.

PAGE 1: Making the most of natural light
PAGE 2: Predicting the natural light
PAGE 3: Shoot in the direction of light

Photography Lighting: simple ways of improving the light

jmeyer — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 23:01:15 +0000

In our latest Shoot Like A Pro series post on photography lighting in all its forms, we take a look at some of the easy ways you can improve the light available to you.

Controlling the light for large subjects such as landscapes is impossible, but for smaller subjects such as portraits, close-ups or details in the landscape you don’t always have to make do with the lighting conditions exactly as they are.

There are plenty of different ways that you can alter the light, especially when you find yourself having to shoot in harsh, direct lighting conditions.

As we have already explained, to get softer light you need to make the light source appear larger to the subject. Moving the light closer to the subject will help to produce softer light, but this isn’t always convenient, or even possible.

Without a diffuser

If you are shooting a small subject in sunlight, then you need to use a diffuser between the light and the subject, to make the light source appear much larger.

This doesn’t have to be an expensive piece of kit, it can simply be a piece of semi-transparent white paper or cloth, or you could go for one of the folding diffusers such as those from Lastolite.

With a diffuser

PAGE 1: Taking control of the light
PAGE 2: Use a reflector to fill in the shadows
PAGE 3: Using fill-in flash

Shooting in full sun: 3 ways to banish shadows shooting portraits outside

jmeyer — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 10:59:57 +0000

Are unflattering shadows spoiling your outdoor portrait photography? Here are three simple ways you can rescue your portraits when shooting in full sun.

Photographers are naturally drawn to shooting on sunny days. Everything appears bright and colourful, and these conditions often seem ideal for cheerful images.

But bright sunlight can create harsh, unflattering shadows and over-exposed hotspots, especially if you are shooting during the middle of the day.

Our before image

One way to improve your results is to limit your photography to times when the natural light is more appealing (earlier or later in the day), but this can be restricting and may not always be possible.

Instead, you can try these quick fixes to solve the problem and help bring your people pictures out of the shadows.

Three easy ways to take flattering portraits when shooting in full sun

01 Shoot in the shade
If possible, move your subject into the shade to avoid direct sunlight. Make sure that both the subject and the background are lit similarly to avoid problems with an unbalanced exposure. Deep shade can cause a blue cast, however, so adjust the white balance to compensate for this.

02 Use a reflector
Position your subject with their back to the sun so that there is no direct light falling onto their face. This creates an appealing rim-lit effect around the subject, but their face will be under-lit, so use a sliver or white reflector to bounce light back onto your subject’s face.

03 Fire some flash
Using a reflector can be awkward without help, so use your flash to do a similar job. With the subject looking away from the sun, light their face with fill-in flash. For a more subtle effect dial in around -2EV of flash compensation and check your results to ensure the flash light isn’t too obvious. Adjust the compensation if necessary.

Photography Lighting: easy ways to take control from natural light to using flash

crutter — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 23:01:53 +0000

In our new Shoot Like A Pro series we take an in-depth look at photography lighting and how you can take control of the elements to get more balanced, beautiful pictures. We start this week by taking a closer look at the character of light and how the quality of light will affect your images.

Light is more than just how bright or dark it is; it’s also the key to the look, mood and atmosphere of your images. The direction of the light will affect how the shape and texture of your subject appears, while the colour and how soft or harsh the light is can totally change a shot’s appearance.

Light’s very important, so in this series we’ll show how a few simple camera tricks and techniques can guarantee better images – from choosing the right time to visit a photo location to taking complete control of the light by using flash.

You’ll also discover how to alter the character and contrast of photography lighting by using diffusers and reflectors. As you’ll learn, there’s nothing esoteric about mastering light, as much of it comes down to careful planning…

Understanding the character of light

There are three basic characteristics of light that determine how your shot will look: how harsh or soft it is, the direction and the colour.

It’s easiest to tell the quality of the light by looking at the shadows, rather than the areas in the light. Harsh, direct light creates strong, well-defined shadows, while the shadows created by more diffuse lighting are much softer.

The location of the shadows tells you where the light is coming from, as they appear on the opposite side to the light.

Lighting positions

How hard or soft the light appears is due to the apparent size of the light source from the subject’s position.
A small light source produces hard, directional light, while a very large light source produces much softer light.

Remember it isn’t the actual size of the light that matters; it’s how it appears to the subject that you are shooting.

For example, the sun is huge, but because it is so far from the subject it acts like a tiny light source.

The direction of a light source, and the shadows it creates, will affect how the texture and form of the subject will appear.

Light from the camera position (or behind it) will produce flat light on the subject, and also create shadows directly behind the subject.

This is good for capturing fine detail, but won’t reveal much of the texture or shape in the subject.

You’ll get much more interesting results when the light is coming from one side of the subject. This effect, known as side lighting, produces shadows on the opposite side to the position of the light, revealing texture and contours in the subject.

A common photography lighting situation you’ll encounter shooting outside during the middle of the day is when the light is falling from above the subject.

This can create unflattering results, especially when shooting portraits, as the eyes will be dark, and there will be shadows under the nose and chin.

How white balance affects the quality of photography lighting

Along with the quality and direction of the light, the colour of different light sources can have an effect on the appearance and mood of your images.

This variation in light is known as the colour temperature, and it’s why your camera has a white balance setting to correct the colours from these different coloured light sources.

The colour temperature of light is measured using the Kelvin scale. The lower the colour temperature, the more red the light will be, while the higher it is the more blue.

Normally you’d set a white balance to get neutral coloured results, either by using the automatic setting, or a preset white balance such as Tungsten, Sunny or Cloudy. But by setting the ‘wrong’ white balance you can also use these presets to give warmer or cooler results.

PAGE 1: Understanding the character of light
PAGE 2: How to control your photography lighting
PAGE 3: Taking control of the light
PAGE 4: Use a reflector to fill in the shadows
PAGE 5: Using fill-in flash
PAGE 6: Making the most of natural light
PAGE 7: Predicting the natural light
PAGE 8: Shoot in the direction of light
PAGE 9 Exposing in low light
PAGE 10: Shooting in twilight vs complete darkness
PAGE 11: How to shoot handheld in low light
PAGE 12: Why you might want to use flash
PAGE 13: Soften the light from your flash
PAGE 14: How to use flash triggers

Color Photography Explained: simple tips for making your brightest-ever images

jmeyer — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 01:00:53 +0000

Color photography. We kind of take it for granted, don’t we? From cameras with better dynamic range to simple photo editing methods for improving – and rescuing – our tones, many of us leave color as an afterthought.

In the first of a new series here on Digital Camera World, we’re going to explore color photography in depth. We’re going to answer every question from what is color temperature to what are complementary and clashing colors, to best methods of using filters and software to fine tune your tones to get the color photography you want.

This week we’ll start by demystifying color temperature, color spaces, gamut and some of the other common color photography jargon you may have heard but always been confused by.

Digital cameras offer today’s photographer incredible flexibility. No more carrying two or more SLR bodies loaded with different film stocks, or a bag of color correction filters to counterbalance unwanted color shifts in different lighting conditions (well, you can still carry filters – more on that later).

You can now add color, take it away, make it subtle, make it vivid, make it colder, make it warmer – all in a matter of seconds using a single camera. To create unforgettable images though, you still need to understand the basics of color theory.

You need the ability to judge the color of light and a knowledge of when you’re camera’s going to get it wrong.

This series gives you all the information you need to start taking more control of your photography. We show you exactly why certain colors combined in a single frame can be used to increase the power of your shots, while others can turn perfectly composed, beautifully exposed photographs into painful viewing experiences.

You’ll also find a useful guide to Photoshop’s color enhancement tools towards the back of the back – see what can happen when you go to extremes…

Awareness of digital color photography

We see the world in color, and it’s often color which attracts us as photographers. An understanding of colors – which colors contrast with each other, and which work in harmony – can help you produce better photographs.

It’s always been important to develop an eye for color, and for subtle shifts in the lighting at different times of day, and getting accurate color is particularly important if you want to reproduce the subject exactly as you saw it.

Digital photography adds an extra dimension, of course. It’s now possible to alter colors after you’ve taken the photograph, and with far more subtlety, speed and control than in the past.

PAGE 1: Awareness of digital color photography
PAGE 2: Warm vs cold color
PAGE 3: The color of natural light
PAGE 4: What are color spaces?
PAGE 5: What is color gamut?
PAGE 6: What is bit depth?
PAGE 7: What is color temperature all about?

How to track the sun for perfect landscape photos

jmeyer — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 13:00:37 +0000

One of our best landscape photography tips has nothing to do with your camera. In our landscape photography tutorial below, follow our simple technique for tracking the sun and you’ll always get the best light in your landscape photos.

Besides letting you know it’s time to get up to capture that glorious sunrise, a common analogue wristwatch can also tell you from which direction the sun will be rising and setting.

Not only is this a help to you now, being able to predict when the sun will be in a better position later in the year will really boost your landscape photo compositions.

The sun rises in the east and sets in the west. However, the position of sunrise and sunset on the horizon varies throughout the year, caused by the Earth’s axis of rotation.

To work out roughly where the sun will rise or set on the 21st of each month, begin by pointing 12 o’clock due north. In mid-summer (June, with the 21st being the longest day) the sun will rise at approximately ten past and set at ten to.

In mid-winter (December) it will rise at approximately 20 past and set at 20 to. It moves between these two points at roughly two minutes per month.

FOR EXAMPLE…
1 This is approximately where the sun will set on the 21st May and the 21st July.
2 This is roughly where the sun will rise around the 7th April and the 7th August.

In the Southern Hemisphere
Our example above took place in the UK (Somerset to be exact). But tracking the sun will be different for everyone at different latitudes – and particularly those who live in the southern hemisphere!

Here is a simple tutorial on how to find north using your wrist watch in both the northern and southern hemispheres. There are also more sophisticated ways of calculating the sun’s path.

All that said, if you lack an analogue watch or the patience to try this technique, you can download The Photographer’s Ephemeris app for your smartphone or tablet which accurately calculates how light will fall on the land, day or night, wherever you are on Earth.

Silhouette photography: tips for shooting into the sun

jmeyer — Fri, 09 Nov 2012 11:45:22 +0000

Sometimes it is the simplest pictures that work best. And in terms of photo composition and lighting, shots don’t come any simpler than silhouette photography.

Silhouette photography is when you shoot a subject with backlight so that you only show its outline. As the subject is thrown into shadow due to the position of the lighting, you can’t see texture, you can’t see its three-dimensional form, and you can’t even see its colour. What you are left with is the shape alone.

To shoot successful silhouette photography you first need to choose a subject that can be identified by its two-dimensional shape.

A strong outline is not enough: you also need to photograph the subject from the right angle to accentuate this shape. Silhouette photography of a person, for instance, works better if you shoot their profile rather than shooting them head on.

For a bigger subject, such as a building, you will need to hunt out the best angle to shoot from by walking around it, and then possibly coming back when the sun is in front of you and behind the structure.

To get clear silhouette photography, you need a subject which can be isolated against the sky or by a plain bright backdrop – it is much harder to get a silhouette of a building in a built-up area than of one that stands in an open space.

Although you can shoot silhouette photography in practically any weather, silhouettes look more impressive when shot against a deep blue sky or a dramatic scarlet sunset.

The biggest problem with silhouette photography is getting the silhouette to look dark enough. If you shoot in auto modes, your camera will refuse you to give you a perfect exposure.

You want the shadowy outline to be as black as possible, and not a muddy grey. Because of this you need to take control of the settings yourself. Here’s how to do just that…

Step by step how to shoot silhouette photography

01 Find your position
The best time for shooting silhouettes is at the beginning or end of the day, when the sun is low in the sky. You don’t necessarily need to have the sun directly behind the subject, it just needs to be in front of you. Hunt out the camera angle that shows the best outline of your subject.

02 Turn off Active D-Lighting or Auto Lighting Optimizer
By default, your camera will likely have some sort of dynamic range enhancing feature to pull more detail from shadow areas. Nikon DSLRs will have Active D-Lighting, for instance, while Canon DSLRs have Auto Lighting Optimizer. These features essentially adjust the contrast in your picture, helping you to pull maximum detail from shadows. For shooting silhouette photography, you need to turn this Off.

03 Get up to speed
Set your camera to Aperture Priority mode, and use a low ISO setting of between 100-200 to avoid noise. Set a mid-aperture of around f/8, as this should help minimise the amount of chromatic aberration (colour fringing) which can be a particular problem when shooting into the sun.

04 Exposure compensation
With the settings you have now, silhouettes will not be dark enough, so you must use exposure compensation. You will typically need to dial in a setting of between -1 to -3 EV (the more sky in the shot, the less negative compensation you will need).

PAGE 1: Step by step how to shoot silhouette photography
PAGE 2: Photo ideas for shooting into the sun

Child Photography: tips for taking natural-looking portraits of children

jmeyer — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 11:30:30 +0000

Photographing children is something that many photographers say should be avoided at all costs! While it’s fair to say that child photography can be challenging, it really doesn’t need to be a painful experience. If you’ve got children of your own or friends with kids, grandchildren, nieces or nephews, taking family portrait photography to capture the magic of an exploding smile, the emotion of a child in thought or the expressiveness of a mischievous grin far outweighs the risks of tears and tantrums.

If you’ve ever struggled with photographing children, we’ve got the solution to your problem. We’re going to show you how to take the stress out of child photography and create a natural environment that’ll reward you with winning shots.

Forget about formal settings and posed shots. Those aren’t the ideal situations for taking portraits of children that also express their personalities. For natural-looking child photography we’re going to create a relaxed and casual environment in which children can simply play and be themselves, and while they’re playing we’re going to capture candid images.

This is a great way to capture natural expressions and the children won’t get so frustrated with adults pointing cameras in their faces or shouting at them to ‘say cheese’.

Despite the natural approach we’re taking, and the informal look of the resulting photographs, there’s an art to successfully capturing a real winner.

You need to make sure you’ve got the right location for child photography as well as for play, and that your camera and equipment is ready to go, as the children won’t wait for you to tweak your settings and setup. Let’s see how it’s done…

Step-by-step how to shoot natural-looking child photography

01 Go natural
Natural light is the best, so try to create a shooting environment outside using available light. We’re using a tree house, which works a treat as there’s some nice open shade and the background is good and natural. Otherwise most parks have great play areas that can work just as well, although make sure other people’s kids aren’t in shot.

02 Be prepared
Before you do anything you need to make sure your camera’s exposure settings are all sorted out. If you’re fiddling with dials or scrolling through menus in the middle of the shoot, not only will you run the risk of missing the shot, but the children will quickly start to lose interest in the whole event. Time is of the essence; use it wisely!

03 Action shooting
The settings you’ll need are similar to those you’d use for shooting sports or action photography. Use a fast shutter speed (such as 1/125 sec or faster) to avoid any subject movement. Don’t compromise on this – if you have to increase your ISO to 400 or 800, do so: your DSLR can handle it.

04 Beautiful bokeh
A wide aperture such as f/2.8 helps you achieve a fast shutter speed and creates a shallow depth of field, which will throw the background out of focus. This can be a useful way to de-clutter a distracting background. Depending on your lens, it can also introduce some striking bokeh effects.

05 Exposure Compensation
It’s usually a good idea to use exposure compensation. About half a stop overexposed works well. Your subject’s face can often fall into shadow, and this ensures there’s enough detail. The amount needed will vary depending on the location and light, so try a test shot if you’re uncertain.

06 Continuous mode
Switch your camera’s shooting mode to Continuous. When you’re getting some good shots, keep the button pressed to fire several shots in succession and you’ll be more likely to capture a winner. You’ll need lots of memory on your card, especially if you’re shooting raw format files (which you should be).

07 Fun time
Once you’ve got your camera set up you should be ready to start. It’s a good idea to start playing a game or engage with some sort of activity with the kids to get started. Don’t bring out your camera until everyone’s spirits are high. However, keep it near by so you can grab it when you need to.

08 Start shooting
Once everyone’s having fun, get your camera and fire off a couple of shots. A winning shot isn’t all about big smiles with the subject looking the camera – sometimes a more contemplative shot of a child concentrating on a game or puzzle or eating can be just as engaging.

How to bounce light and lift shadows from your subject’s face

jmeyer — Sat, 06 Oct 2012 04:00:46 +0000

With nice weather there is always the temptation to go outside and shoot outdoor portraits. But unfortunately with nice weather you get strong light, which can prove just as great a challenge for photographers as rain and bad weather. This is because of the harsh shadows it casts under eyes and chins. Below is a simple method you can use to bounce light back on to your subject’s face, and a metering technique to help you get a spot-on exposure.

Our first shot

Bounce the light
On all but the most overcast days, harsh shadows caused by direct sunlight are a problem.

Use a reflector or some ordinary white cardboard to reflect light back onto your subject’s face and illuminate shadow areas around the nose, neck and eyes.

Pick a metering mode
You want to expose for the skin tones without worrying about the background exposure, so use centre-weighted metering. Keep the subject’s face in the middle of the frame, lock the exposure value (EV) and then recompose.

Check the image
Take the shot, look at it on your camera’s LCD screen and check that the skin tones appear bright and smooth. Now call up the histogram. It should look fairly balanced around the central midtones without being stacked heavily to the far left or right.