Have you taken a photo in wireless mode and notice that your pop up flash is contributing too much light to your photo? Ever wonder how to remove the pop up flash effect when you are using wireless flash mode?
Have you ever encounter any problem with your pop up flash during wireless flash photography? Is the pop up flash contributing unnecessary light to your photo like the one below?
There are actually a few simple methods that you can use alone or even a combination of them:
- Use a darker aperture( e.g. f11). This is because the pop up flash does not have as much power as the wireless flash. Thus the effect wont be so obvious on you photo.
- Use lower ISO (e.g. ISO 100). The reason is almost the same as the first one. With lower ISO the image sensor wont be too sensitive and it wont capture the pop up flash effect.
- Use a shutter speed faster than your flash sync speed so that High Speed Sync is activated (e.g. shutter speed of 1/320). When your shutter speed closed faster, less light will be captured and so the pop up flash wont be caught on your photo.
- Use a piece of exposed/ developed negative film in front of your pop up flash. You can also use a masking tape to tape the pop up flash. You do this so that the thing in front of your pop up flash will filter the flash and the flash being fired wont be too strong.
There you have it, this are just a few simple tips for you to explore when using the wireless flash mode of your external flash. If you've used the steps above, you will have something like this.
Panning
Ever wonder how to do panning shots? Some of the important aspects that you need to take note while doing panning shots is your camera mode and body movement.
Panning is actually a technique to capture a moving object where the moving object is sharp in focus and the background is simply blurred off. It is done using horizontal movement of the camera.
The first tip for you is to make sure that your camera is in shutter priority mode. The shutter speed is very important because your object is constantly moving. You would want to capture a sharp object and not an object which is affected by motion blur.
If you are shooting F1 cars, it is best to use a shutter speed of around 1/250. This is because the F1 car is moving in a very high speed. You would need your shutter to work fast. If you are shooting Japan GT cars, you could actually lower your shutter speed to around 1/125. While for other moving objects you could use shutter speed ranging from 1/60-1/250. Experiment with different shutter speed and come share your results by leaving a comment here.
Next tip to take note is your body movement. Usually most photographers will move their head when doing panning shots. It is advisable if you move your hips instead of turning your head. If you turn your head too much, your head might get dizzy easily or even have neck pain if you are taking too many panning shots. On the other hand if you use your hips to turn, you will have more firm and steady shots. So start practice turning your hips.
Then while making panning shots, make sure your camera is set to continuous focusing mode. Your object will be constantly moving that's why your camera should be told to continue focusing on your object .
Lastly, you must follow your object. Follow the movement of your object and take 1 or 2 snap shot once you get the feel. Try not to shoot in burst mode as your camera might not be able to handle so many shots at 1 time and in the end your photos will all have motion blur.
When to use the different mode of your DSLR?
Did you ever wonder how to use the different modes on the camera dial of your DSLR? Read more after the jump
There are a total of 4 different mode on your DSLR that you can actually make use to create a nice picture. The 4 main mode that you will be using is the P, A, S and the M (symbol based on the Sony DSLR). Each of the symbol has different meanings which are P for program mode, A for aperture priority mode, S for shutter priority mode and M for manual mode.You wont be needing much of the other mode as these 4 modes are already sufficient for you to shoot in whatever kind of occasion that you want to shoot.
So here is just a simplified list for you to refer and I will be explaining the purpose of using the different modes in different occasions below.
P- quick and easy events, generalS- panning, freezing, long exposure, sports
A- shallow depth of field (DOF), portrait, group picture, landscape
M- stage environment, video light disturbance, consistent lighting, panaroma, hdr, white balance constant, flash photography,macro, studio, landscape linked with spot metering, stage performance
The program mode is actually is almost the same as your Auto mode. Its just that it is much more clever as the 'small brain' in your DSLR will help you determine the proper setting to get a correct exposure. It will be useful in quick and easy event as it can help you get the setting very fast as soon as the camera has fixed it's focus. You wont need the hassle to figure out the settings needed.
For the shutter priority mode, based on my explanation in shutter speed, you would have known that the shutter could help you create different kind of effects on your photo. Therefore shutter priority is suitable for the above occasions.
Since the aperture can mainly control the depth of field, you can use it to shoot pictures with shallow depth of field, portraiture and even sceneries. You can even use this mode if you would like to shoot a blue sky as I have experienced it myself.
As for manual mode, you could use different kind of setting combination to create different kind of stunning effects. Normally the 3 modes mention before this will help you to get a picture which is metered in the centre. Thus if you want your photo to be less exposed or more exposed, you would have to do it manually.
I hope that with the few tips above, you will be able to use the mode in an appropriate manner to create your photos. Enjoy shooting.
When to use ADI and TTL flash?
Ever wonder when to use the ADI or the TTL flash which is found in the Sony DSLR's? Read more after the jump.
The ADI flash system can actually be found only in the Sony Alpha system. Basically in the ADI flash system, the camera will measure the true distance of the object and power the flash according to the distance between the object.
As for the TTL flash which you can find it many other DSLR brands, the camera will measure the light around the subject and power the flash accordingly. The camera will ask the flash to fire two burst of light with in a very very short period of time until you wouldn't notice it. The 1st burst of light will tell the camera the ambient lighting and then the camera will calculate set the power settings appropriately. The 2nd burst of light is only the real flash that will illuminate the subject.
The external flash uses the TTL system by bursting out a preflash to get the exposure of the ambient and then fire a second flash to fill/ correct the exposure based on the information obtained from the 1st flash.
The ADI and TTL flash has its own strong points and you should know when to use them properly. Some said that the TTL is sometimes not accurate. when there is a black or white background because the exposure is calculated based on how much light is being reflected during the preflash. Therefore in this kind of situation its best you use the ADI flash as the exposure can be calculated much more accurately based on the subject's true distance. ADI flash should be used when the subject is behind a glass or window too.
You should not use ADI flash when you are attaching diffuser or other light shaping tools to your camera as your camera won't know that these stuff is being attached and might underexpose the flash power.
As for white or black background, depending on how you are metering, TTL flash should work well. ADI flash can only work accurately if the subject is directly in front of the flash being fired. If you bounce the flash, the camera will automatically switch it to TTL mode. This is because the camera won't be able to know the flash to subject distance in bounce mode.
What you can learn if you shoot at PC fair?
Ever wonder why so many people bring their DSLR to PC fairs? What are they shooting actually? Read more after the jump.
Nowadays you will see many people bringing their DSLR to shoot at PC fair. Do not think that these people just go to PC fairs with the main purpose of shooting all the pretty girls. If a photographer is really serious in improving his or her skills, PC fair is actually is a very good place for you to practice. So why do I say this? Below are a few reasons of mine.
- There are actually free models for you to shoot. You don't need to spend money to hire a model. If you ask nicely, I bet they won't mind pose a bit and let you shoot. after all they are paid to do that. ;)
- Now the serious part. As you know that the lighting are different from hall to hall. So this is the best way to learn how to use the correct white balance setting. After a few tries around the halls, I bet you will get the correct white balance in the end.
- The next trick that you can learn is how to compose your picture, focus and shoot quickly.There won't be enough time when you see your good opportunity to shoot the model. The gap between you and the model will not be always empty, so you've got to think and shoot fast before someone else block your perfect view.
- As I said just now, you should have known the lighting is very different in each hall. Thus after the trial and error, you should have learn to get the correct flash settings to try and balance the background lighting and the subject.
So here are just a few tips if you really want to shoot at PC fairs.
- Use manual mode, shutter around 1/50 to freeze the subject, direct flash and pump up ISO until the histogram in your camera is ok. Its also a thumb of rule to shoot in RAW as you can adjust the white balance at home using photo editing software.
- Make sure you adjust your bounce flash properly so that you won't have the problem of the face is well lit but the body is very dark. Although its a bit hard as some of the models are tall some are short, but after a few tries I'm sure you will get the hang of it.
- If you are shooting in the same environment, its better to shoot in manual mode to avoid auto calculation done wrong. The settings should be around the same.
- Do not be afraid to pump up your ISO and worry about noise. You can get rid with the noise using the photo editing software nowadays. As for aperture it will be up to you as you want bokeh or not.
- If you have shot in RAW, later you will be able to control your shadow, white balance and highlight when you get back home.
So don't be afraid to shoot at PC fairs. Just shoot away :)
Studio Lighting
Here I'll be sharing some of my experience on using studio lighting. Its a simple tips on mastering the essentials & techniques of studio lighting and styling. Hope you all will benefit from it. :)
There are a few basics that you should know before starting the lesson. 1st you must know what are the basic studio lighting equipment. Here is just a small list:
- Backdrop
- Continuous Light and Strobes
- Light Shaping Tools
The backdrop is very essential as in portraiture shots, you would not want the backdrop to be too disturbing. This mainly is because the portrait which is the object should be the main topic. We would not want the background to steal the lime light of it right? You want people to one look at your picture will be drawn to the portrait and not the background.
The backdrop that we usually use is either black or white in colour. If you could not find any of these 2 to be your backdrop, try to make use of your 'bokeh' and try to blur of you background as much as possible unless the background plays an important part to bring out your subject.
I will break down this studio lighting part to many many small parts which are important.
- Light shaping tools & light meter
- Lighting ratio
- Basic portraiture setup, broad and short lighting
- Open loop and close loop lighting
Light shaping tools & light meter
Here I will show you some of the different light shaping tools that you can find in the market and the function of a light meter.
Different kind of light shaping tools can give you different kind of effects. Some of the light shaping tools that can be found in the market is shown below:
The next important tool which you need when using studio lighting is the light meter. A light meter is a device used to measure the amount of light. It can be used to determine the proper exposure for a photographer. Typically a light meter will include a computer (analog or digital), which allows you the photographer to determine which shutter speed and f- number should be used for the best exposure, given a certain lighting situation and film speed.
A light meter can be used to measure incident and reflected light. A camera metering system only measures reflected light. A light meter can be set to Shutter priority or Aperture priority just like your camera. When shutter priority is used, at a given ISO, the light meter will measure the corresponding aperture. Usually we fix the shutter speed and find the appropriate f-number and ISO. Why??? This is because we would want to optimise our flash sync speed. Some of your camera can sync with the flash up to 1/250 shutter speed.
Lighting Ratio
The next thing that you will need to learn before you actually start using the studio lighting is to understand lighting ratio. So what it is? It is the difference between the main light and the fill.
If your main light were twice as bright as your fill, the ratio would be 2:1. Thinking about exposure factors, a factor of 2 is equal to one stop of exposure, and if you increase your exposure by one stop, you are allowing in twice the amount of light.
Thus, a 2:1 ratio would mean that there is a one- stop difference between the lights. A 3:1 ratio would be a stop and a half difference, and 4:1 would be a two stop difference.
So how do we deal with this ratios? Its actually just either multiply or divide by 2. This means if you want to determine how much exposure difference there is in a ratio of 5:1, you would divide 5 by 2. The answer would be 2 1/2 stops. If you had a scene with 2 1/2 stop difference between the lights and you wanted to determine the ratio, you would multiply 2 1/2 by 2 and would give you 5 for a 5:1 ratio.
The table above is just some of the common lighting ratios which you use for different situation.
So after I've been mentioning main light and fill light, do you really understand what does it mean? Main light is actually the key light that illuminates your subject. It has the most power that is why it is called the main light. As for the fill light, it just fills up the light on your subject. It cannot be more powerful than the key light or else this fill light will become the main light in the end.
Open loop and close loop lighting
Here is 2 simple lighting styles which are commonly used by photographers in portraiture photography. One of it is open loop lighting and the other is close loop lighting.
Open loop
"Open loop" lighting is obtained by using the short lighting method. The shadow formed by the nose does not 'join' to the shadow on the side of the face that faces the camera. You can create the same effect if you increase the angle of the light which is coming from the side of the face which is not towards the camera. Below is an example of how open loop lighting looks like:
Did you see that the shadow of the nose does not connect to the shadow at the other side of the cheek? But after you add the softbox down, the effect becomes not so obvious.
Close loop/ Rembrandt Lighting
Rembrandt lighting is obtained by combining short lighting and butterfly lighting. The main light is positioned high and on the side of the face that is away from the camera. This technique produces an illuminated triangle on the cheek closest to the camera. The triangle will illuminate just under the eye and not below the nose.
By looking at the picture above, can you get a glimpse of what I'm trying to say? This effect can be easily obtained when you decrease the angle of the light coming from the face that is away from the camera. The shadow will eventually do a close loop.
Basic portraiture setup, broad and short lighting
In this section I will be showing you the basic portraiture lighting style and what is broad lighting, short lighting. This is some of the easiest lighting styles which you should master.
The picture above is actually the typical portraiture lighting setup for any kind of shoot. Its very basic and very useful in shooting any portraiture shots.
Broad LightingBroad lighting is when the main light is positioned in such a way that it illuminates the side of the face that is turned towards the camera. This technique is used mainly for corrective purposes. It will de- emphasize facial features and is used mostly to make thin, narrow faces appear wider.
So if you don't want your girl friend or wife to complain that they look fat in the photo, DO NOT use this technique. Or else bare the consequences yourself. :P
This method is also used to promote cosmetic products. This is because the light will illuminate the face and the cosmetic effect can be seen much more obvious. Below is an example of broad lighting:
Short Lighting
Short lighting is when the main light illuminates the side of the face which is turned away from the camera. This technique is used when the subject has an average oval face. Short lighting emphasizes facial contours more than broad lighting.
This style can be adopted for a "strong" or "weak" look by using a weaker fill light. This is narrow lighting (as it is sometimes called) is especially good for use in low- key portraiture. Because short lighting has a narrowing effect, it is great for use with subjects that have particularly round or plump faces.
Just now broad light can make your face fatter, so with the short lighting technique you can make your subject face look slimmer. Below is an example of short lighting:
The Umbrella
Here is another useful light shaping tools which is the umbrella. It is one of the most favourite light shaping tools used by all photographers. It can have many functions that will help enhance your light quality. Read more after the jump.
The umbrella is the most commonly used light shaping tool and is by far the most portable and versatile in any lighting setup. Other than effectively enlarging the light source, it can be used equally as an effective fill. Due to the rounded shape, it produces a pleasing catch- light for portraiture work. The only setback is the light spill caused but if used and positioned well, the spill can transit and blend well into the environment or other light sources. One of the creative usages of an umbrella is to add in a coloured gel filter.
The umbrella comes in three main varieties:
- Reflective (white/ silver/ gold)
- Translucent (shoot through)
- Umbrella box
The above is just some of the types of umbrellas that you can find in the market. The top left is the reflective type, top right is shoot through and the one below is the umbrella box.
For the umbrella box, the studio light is being fitted inside the umbrella box . The light will be reflected on the umbrella's surface 1st before it goes through another layer of transparent material. Usually the light come out from the umbrella box is very soft as it might be 2 stops down and you might want to up the power of the light so you can get sufficient light.
The shoot through umbrella's purpose is to let light pass through the umbrella so that not so much light is being reflected back. As for the reflective surface umbrella, the light will be totally reflected of the surface and it is much more efficient.
This is how you use your umbrella with the studio lighting. The light is suppose to face the umbrella so that when the light is fired, the light will be spread out by the umbrella's surface and create a spill of light. The same setup can be used for the external flash.
High Key & Low Key
Ever heard of High Key and Low Key images? Here's some explanation for you on what is High Key and what is Low Key. There's also tips on how to do the setup for both types of shots.
Both High Key images and Low Key images make an intensive use of contrast, but in a very different way. When approaching a shoot of a dramatic portrait, the decision of making it a High Key, Low Key or "just" a regular image has great impact about the mood that this picture will convey. While High Key images are considered happy and will show your subject as a tooth- paste poster; Low Key portraits are dramatic and convey a lot of atmosphere and tension. Let's explore those two dramatic lighting alternatives. High Key images are considered happy. They convey positive emotions, while Low Key images are darker and present drama or tension.
When looking at a High Key picture, you will probably notice two things right away. The first thing is that the picture is bright. Yes - to create a high key image you need to set your exposure levels to high values.
The other noticeable feature of High Key images is the lack of contrast. An addition for the tone being bright, you will notice that it is almost even across the scene. This is achieved by carefully setting the lighting of the picture.
A third feature, that need closer attention to notice is the lack of shadows in the picture. The shadows cast by the model (or subject) are suppressed by the lighting in the scene.
In Low Key images the tone is darker, and the controlling colour is usually black. There will be lots of dark areas in the picture. It is very common for Low Key images to give special attention to contour lines, emphasizing them with highlights.
Low Key images are also notable for a great deal of contrast that they display. Most notable is the rim light i.e. a light surrounding the subject illuminating only the contour of the shape. So the contrast is between dark shape and bright contour.
Lighting Setup for High Key- Subject (portrait) typically wears a brighter colour (white or light colours)
- White or light coloured backdrop is used
- Background is metered to be at least a stop or up to 3- stops higher than the Key Light
The basic High Key portraiture lighting setup is as above. You will need to brighten up the background so that it will be easier to do High Key shots. Example of High Key images can be found here.
Lighting Setup for Low Key- Subject (portrait) typically wears a darker colour although not always necessary.
- Black or dark coloured backdrop is used
- Background is metered to be at least a stop or up to 3- stops lower than the Key Light
The basic Low Key portraiture lighting setup is as above. A black or dark colour background will make it easier to shoot Low Key images. Below are some examples of Low Key images.
It is also actually possible to do a Low Key shot using white background. Although the background won't be perfect pitch black, at least you will still be able to get a dark grey as the background. The tip for achieving this is to make sure your key light and fill light wont reach your background. You should make sure the fall off of the light is fast and not much spill occurs.
Butterfly/ Paramount
The butterfly lighting or normally called Hollywood style is one of the favourite among all lighting styling. It is simple to create it once you know how it is formed. Read more after the jump.
Butterfly Lighting is achieved by positioning the main light directly in front of the subjects face and adjusting the height to create a shadow directly under, and in line with, the nose. This style is best suited for subjects with a normal oval face and is considered to be a glamour style of lighting best suited for women. It is not recommended for use with men because it has a tendency to highlight the ears - creating an undesirable effect.
This lighting style ha s been popular for the past 10 years and its still going on. The main reason for this is because of portable reason. You can just use 1 of your external flash to create this effect. The shadow will be formed directly below the nose.Those with high cheek bone can cast a shadow below the nose and make them look slimmer. The light source should be placed 2 feet above the eye level in order to create the effect and should also be tilt more than 60 degree.
The above is just a very simple and typical butterfly lighting setup. You can use a light attach to a boom stick and hang it in front of the model (subject) so that it would not be obstructing you when you are trying to frame your subject properly.
Can you see the light being placed directly in front and high up of the model to create the butterfly lighting style? The side lighting with the umbrella acts as the fill light.
High Key with Butterfly effect
You can also add an extra light in front of the model to add in a catch light in the eye.
Basic Portraiture/ Posing Guides
Here's a simple posing guides for all models out there. It can give you some basic idea on how to pose to get different kind of feel. Read more after the jump.
Full Face
This is produced when the model is facing directly into the camera. In this pose, both ears are visible. A full- face pose is good when you want to show the symmetry of a model's face, or when you want to convey an assertive attitude.
3/4 FaceWhen the model's face is turned slightly away from the camera, the far ear disappears. This is a three- quarter view of the face. The pose is good for revealing the shape and contours of the face. It is also more demure and less assertive than a full- face view. Normally, it is recommended that the face not be turned so far that the nose extends past the line of the cheek.
ProfileWhen the face is turned at a 90- degree angle to the camera, the pose is called a profile. In this pose, only one side of the face is visible. this is a classic type of portrait that exudes grace and abiding beauty.
Head & ShoulderWhen taking head shot and upper body portraits of people one simple posing tip that is high effective to angle the shoulders of your subject rather than to have them even or squared in your shot.
While the shoulders might not seem like an important aspect of a portrait they can actually set the tone for an image as they're the widest part of your subject and they are visually what the main point of focus for your image (the head) is sitting upon.
Generally speaking, angling the shoulders slightly gives you shot balance and helps lead your viewer's eye into the shot towards your main foal point. It also stops your subject seeming out of proportion as it lessens the width of the shoulders slightly.
Getting this effect might mean actually getting your subject to lean in one direction or another or it could simply mean getting them to turn their body a little so you're not photographing them directly front on. Another technique can be to frame your subject slightly off centred so that one shoulder is actually out of the frame.
Of course- this isn't a hard and fast rule and sometimes the completely front on symmetrical shot can leave a shot can have a very powerful (and often confronting) impact upon your readers also. So as always- experiment with posing your subject in a variety of ways and see what works best for you and your subject.
Here is a guide on different methods on how to solve different portraiture issues. Follow this guide and you can never go wrong.
