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June 30, 2010
photography questions & answers
Like pretty much anyone who maintains a site diligently, I check my web stats daily. I want to know where traffic is coming from, and how people reach my site. I need to know the referral sites. Of specific interest are the search phrases people use, and then end up on the Tangents blog. To check what search phrases are used, I use Google Analytics and Woopra. Woopra is an amazing real-time analytics program. I can see the moment someone lands on my site, and could track their progress through my site in real time. Right down to the screen resolution they’re using. Astonishing.
But I digress. Looking at the search phrases used, I can see that some photographers are looking for a specific answer. That answer might be hidden deeper down in an article; or might only be tangentially answered. So I thought it might make for an interesting regular post where I directly answer some of those questions.
As an aside – Google absolutely dominates over Bing, Yahoo, AOL, Ask or anything else out there. Google accounts for approximately 93% of all search engine traffic to my site. Yahoo makes it at about 4.5% of search engine traffic to this site, with Bing coming in third at 1.7%
btw … some people really really can’t spell. I’ve seen every possible permutation of the word “aperture”. And the word “flahs” isn’t actually spelled that way.
Okay … let’s look at some of the questions. I selected 10 as a first post on this theme:
I’m still of the opinion that the best flash for a wedding (or for any other event) would be the top-of-the-line name-brand flashgun / speedlight.
You need a flash that:
- has a lot of power;
- and is able to rotate 180 degrees either way;
- and offers the most flexibility;
- and quite importantly, offers the most subtle control over the flash’s output.
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June 29, 2010
example of bounce flash photography
As another example of bounce flash technique, here is a portrait of the bride from a recent wedding. The technique is quite simple, and should be obvious by now to regular readers of the Tangents blog:
I used a wide aperture, focused on the eye closest to the camera .. and bounced my flash towards the bride, but blocked by the black foamie thing. No direct flash. No diffuser cup. No tupperware.
Because of this indirect directional light, we have this broad swathe of light coming in from camera-left. The intention was to mimic window light. The nearest window didn’t have much impact though on the final image. I was more concerned by getting a clean enough background, devoid of hotel-room clutter. I wanted that deep red wall-paper behind her as the single background element. A simple composition to help make the image more striking.
Focusing was tough, since the bird-cage veil got in the way. So I had my assistant delicately lift the veil. As soon as I grunted a “got it” to indicate that I’ve locked focus properly, he would gently drop the veil into position again. I could then fire off a few frames. And there we have it – a strikingly effective, yet simple portrait of the bride.
1/125 @ f4 @ 1250 ISO
Nikon D3; Nikon 70-200 mm f2.8 AF-S VR II (B&H) … at 70mm
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June 26, 2010
dynamic composition – changing your viewpoint (model – Carrie)
Near the end of the recent photo session with Carrie, I walked across the street to find another angle. Walking back, I noticed the sun just dipping behind the roof of this old train station. I thought it might flare interestingly if I caught the sun just on the edge there.
The problem was that I had to step into the street a few times when there was a lull in the traffic. The angle was a tough one since I had to, or rather, wanted to keep my camera at ground level to shoot up. I wanted the flare, and I wanted this angle to accentuate Carrie’s legs.
I resorted to stepping into the road, crouching down, pre-focusing, and then holding my camera away from my eye at ground level. There was no way I was going to lay down in a busy street! It took three tries, each with a series of images, until I “blindly” got the composition the way I wanted it .. with the right amount of flare.
Playing around with the controls in ACR (similar to Lightroom), got me to a retro- faded look I liked. The processing hopefully complements the sun-kissed image and add to the overall feel of the photo.
Settings: 1/250 @ f5.6 @ 200 ISO // no additional lighting
Equipment used: Nikon D3; Nikon 24-70mm f2.8 AF-S … at 24mm
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June 25, 2010
review: lightstands – Manfrotto 1051BAC and 1004BAC
I recently updated the lightstands that I regularly use, to the – if you could use this words in relation to light-stands – the quite sexy Manfrotto 1051BAC (B&H), and the taller, but equally sexy Manfrotto 1004BAC (B&H).
Previously I had used the self-collapsing Red-Wing light-stands. The Red-Wings aren’t made anymore, but the clever design has been taken up by the Cheetah Stand. (I think the Kwik-Stand was a similar design.) These self-collapsing / self-expanding light-stands are an innovative design that makes the moving of the light-stands a breeze. You pick one up, and it collapses. Great. The only problem is that the center column of the stand, which acts as the opening mechanism, acts like a 4th support to the stand. Now, the entire idea why a tripod is stable on uneven ground, is because it has three legs. You add one more, and work on uneven ground, then the light-stand is wobbly. Super-annoying. (As an example, check my comment #25 in the review of the Canon 200mm f2 IS lens, where I used a tall Red-Wing stand.)
Back to the Manfrotto light-stands. They have a few interesting features ..
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June 23, 2010
positioning the softbox (off-camera flash)
I’ve had a number of people ask for more pull-back shots during photo sessions where I use off-camera flash with a softbox. During this recent photo session in New York, with Christina and David, I did step back for a photo to include the softbox …
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June 21, 2010
photography using only the existing light
Instead of a photo session where I had to rely on off-camera lighting to give some color and snap to the photos, I want to show a photo session where I used no additional lighting or reflectors. Just the available light. This photo session was shot in same area as the previous one, but a week later with different light and a different couple, Kristy and Tom. They were just as great to photograph with tons of personality, making my work easier. But I still had to look for opportunity and great backgrounds.
Using off-camera flash makes a photo session relatively easier, since you can have fantastic light on the couple pretty much anywhere you place them. Then it is a simple matter of finding an interesting or complementary background, and then try and capture some element of your subject – in this case, some part of the couple’s relationship with each other.
For this photo session however, I decided to work on my own,
and rely on finding great existing light …
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June 20, 2010
what white balance should I set my camera to?
… that’s a question that baffles photographers who are just starting out with digital photography.
You have a few options in setting the WB on your camera:
- you could shoot in auto white balance (AWB), and hope your camera nails it. And then you can also feel excited as each new generation of camera offers better AWB.
- you could set your camera to one of the preset WB settings, such as Daylight, Cloudy or Incandescent. And hope your camera’s preset is close to the correct WB.
- you could do custom white balance readings and save it as you encounter and work in new situations. These custom white balance readings can be done with all kinds of white balance cards and discs.
These all work … usually. However, what we need to understand is that quite often, there is no ‘correct’ white balance setting. What we are after is a pleasant white balance …
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June 17, 2010
Green Point Lighthouse is the oldest Lighthouse in South Africa. I liked this juxtaposition of the older colorful lighthouse, against the drab blocky modern building. The tight composition reduced the urban landscape to geometric patterns. This was shot on slide film (Fuji RDP 100) at sunset, hence the bold golden colors.
This photo is my entry this week in the Alive for 365 project.
Nikon F90x; Nikon 80-200mm f2.8D // Cape Town, South Africa; ca. 1998
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June 14, 2010
using off-camera flash to give more snap to photos
Scheduling an on-location photo session, we are always left at the mercy of the weather. This Sunday the threat of rain turned into a real downpour just before the photo session with a couple, Jen & Chris, whose wedding I am photographing later on in 2011. During phone conversation while driving in, we agreed to just go ahead and work under the overhangs of various buildings if it should rain. When we started, it was still raining so we moved to certain spots where we were shielded from the rain. I could shoot towards the building facades, or ‘outwards’.
What gave me the most control though over the photo session, was the use of off-camera flash. As mentioned in another article here, why I love off-camera flash, the major benefit of having off-camera lighting, is the control over the quality and direction of light. Instead of being limited in the direction I can shoot, I can use any background that looks good … and add beautiful light to my subject. The colors pop, skin tones are great and it all looks pretty good … with relatively minimal effort. It just works! Place your subject and add off-camera flash.
For this photo session, I again used the Lastolite Ezybox softbox (B&H), with a speedlight, just as recently reviewed. The softbox is easy to carry around; easy to assemble, and is light-weight. And the light looks really sweet …
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June 13, 2010
[ click on the photo for a larger image ]
Often seen in wedding portfolios, this is always a fun setup to do with groomsmen – the Reservoir Dogs style walk towards the camera. A great group of guys, good light with a nice background, and you have the ingredients for a photograph that the couple will just love.
I fired off a rapid series of shots to make sure I have at least one image where the motion and expression of everyone worked. I didn’t need flash, and it would’ve been difficult to set up properly with a large group of people walking towards the camera. So the light depended entirely on the shot being set up like this, with the light from behind them somewhere. The post-processing? No actions or filter. Just a few sliders in ACR (hosted in Bridge), to give a faded retro look. Hopefully the final image has a cinematic look to it that will be a wonderful reminder of the couple’s wedding day.
settings: 1/500 @ f5.6 @ 400 ISO)
Nikon D3; Nikon 70-200mm f2.8 AF-S II (B&H)
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Comments (13)
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