Light reflectors are an absolute must have tool for anyone looking to improve the quality of their photographs. With a good reflector, you can grab a chunk of light and point it exactly where you want it. If you want a colored light, use a colored reflector. The collapsible reflectors are super handy but I use several modifiers that are essentially free. Here are a few of my favorites:
Corrugated cake boards: We ate a cake recently and what do you know, it came with a free gold foil light modifier! Light bounced off of gold foil does wonderful things for skin tones. My 9" round reflector is perfect for isolating a little warm light on a subject's face to quickly make it the focal point of an image.
Old, low thread count white sheet: Draped over a bush, laying on the ground, hanging from a tree... This thing is a gigantic shadow eraser. It also does a fabulous job of softening any light projected through it too. Putting a flash on a stand behind a hanging sheet is a great way to mimic the light from a soft box.
Underbed gift wrap storage container lid: I have a big, flat, clear, Rubbermaid container that I keep my light stands, umbrellas, tripod, flashes and modifiers in. It has a white lid that I use all the time as a bounce surface for both flash and ambient light. The only thing that would make it handier is if it came with wheels and a handle - I'll fix that.
I could go on because I end up finding and using some kind of free reflector on just about every job I shoot. Most locations have good light reflectors lying around all over the place. Look for a sidewalks near shade (just be careful with that up-light, it's not always flattering), awnings, reflective windows, white walls, a sheet of paper, a box of aluminum foil, wall mirrors, compact mirrors, car mirrors, (drape your cheap sheet over the mirrors for a stronger but slightly diffused light), a tanless fat guy with his shirt off... Ok, skip that one, but you get the idea; Free reflectors are everywhere.
To use them, just decide what you want to be the focal point of your image, position your subject in neutral light, then take a reflector and bounce additional light on the spot you want your viewers to see first. There are a thousand other uses for reflectors, but that is the purpose I grab one for most often.
Best of all, you now have an excuse to indulge in that big chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting you've been craving. No, I'm not talking about turning yourself into a tanless fat guy; There's a gold cake board reflector under there, remember? Just be careful when you slice it so you don't tear up your golden ticket to free light. Enjoy!
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
New Camera Demands Photographer Upgrade
When I read a new camera review I often find myself wishing for at least one new feature that I don't have on my current camera bodies. I've written detailed specs for my dream camera that continue to evolve as newer cameras push the envelope and I haven't been shy about sharing some of my frustrations with my current gear's limitations either.
But then I got to thinking, what if my cameras could make their own list of features they want in a photographer? I wonder what sort of frustrations my camera bodies might have with me. What would their photographer wish list look like?
A few possible items from the list:
1) Body Color: Not a critical consideration
2) Shake Reduction: Ability to hand hold 1/15 like a rock with shake reduction turned off
3) Dust Reduction: Keeps their gear spotless
4) View Finder: Knows how to find the interesting shot and nail it
5) Manual Zoom: Hello, could we get a model with actual working feet please? How many shots do you really need from the same spot?
6) Auto Priority Mode: Knows what really matters in life and keeps it all in perspective
7) ISO (Sensitivity): Connects with all subjects on a personal level - Even when shooting the obligatory cat, sunset and flower macros
8) Noise Reduction: Patiently waits for new releases and knows when to shut up and shoot already
9) Durability: Has the stamina to get to interesting places and keep shooting all day with energy to spare
10) Auto Firmware Update: Constantly learning and applying new information
11) Intuitive Help System: Teacher at heart with a history of freely sharing what they know
12) In camera processing: Knows how to get it right in the camera
13) Advanced Image Processing Engine: Knows how to post process to fully translate their vision into something stunning
14) Pop up Flash: Random flashes of brilliance constantly popping into their mind and the ability to translate those ideas into photographs
15) Advanced Lighting Control System: Knows how to find, create, place and manipulate all forms of light
16) Internal Controls: Keeps their emotions in check when they miss a shot because I didn't focus quickly enough for them (ouch - this camera's been spying on me)
17) Frame Rate: Takes at least one picture/day, every day.
18) Live View: Constantly framing pictures in their mind no matter what they are doing
and probably most importantly...
19) Pixel (peeping) Density: Less is more - Photographer's pixel peeping density is getting excessive already, what I really want is less noise... refer #8. Would definitely trade a lower pixel peeping density for a higher frame rate any day.
What would your camera put on its list if it had the chance to shop for a new photographer? We all ask a lot of our gear. What if we started focusing on giving a little something back to the tools that work so hard for us now and then? Maybe the best investment in a gear upgrade is an investment in your camera's photographer. Just imagine what that thing could do if it could only get it's hands on the right tool for the job.
But then I got to thinking, what if my cameras could make their own list of features they want in a photographer? I wonder what sort of frustrations my camera bodies might have with me. What would their photographer wish list look like?
A few possible items from the list:
1) Body Color: Not a critical consideration
2) Shake Reduction: Ability to hand hold 1/15 like a rock with shake reduction turned off
3) Dust Reduction: Keeps their gear spotless
4) View Finder: Knows how to find the interesting shot and nail it
5) Manual Zoom: Hello, could we get a model with actual working feet please? How many shots do you really need from the same spot?
6) Auto Priority Mode: Knows what really matters in life and keeps it all in perspective
7) ISO (Sensitivity): Connects with all subjects on a personal level - Even when shooting the obligatory cat, sunset and flower macros
8) Noise Reduction: Patiently waits for new releases and knows when to shut up and shoot already
9) Durability: Has the stamina to get to interesting places and keep shooting all day with energy to spare
10) Auto Firmware Update: Constantly learning and applying new information
11) Intuitive Help System: Teacher at heart with a history of freely sharing what they know
12) In camera processing: Knows how to get it right in the camera
13) Advanced Image Processing Engine: Knows how to post process to fully translate their vision into something stunning
14) Pop up Flash: Random flashes of brilliance constantly popping into their mind and the ability to translate those ideas into photographs
15) Advanced Lighting Control System: Knows how to find, create, place and manipulate all forms of light
16) Internal Controls: Keeps their emotions in check when they miss a shot because I didn't focus quickly enough for them (ouch - this camera's been spying on me)
17) Frame Rate: Takes at least one picture/day, every day.
18) Live View: Constantly framing pictures in their mind no matter what they are doing
and probably most importantly...
19) Pixel (peeping) Density: Less is more - Photographer's pixel peeping density is getting excessive already, what I really want is less noise... refer #8. Would definitely trade a lower pixel peeping density for a higher frame rate any day.
What would your camera put on its list if it had the chance to shop for a new photographer? We all ask a lot of our gear. What if we started focusing on giving a little something back to the tools that work so hard for us now and then? Maybe the best investment in a gear upgrade is an investment in your camera's photographer. Just imagine what that thing could do if it could only get it's hands on the right tool for the job.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Click and Learn
An opportunity to learn more in a single day, with a single mouse click, than many will learn in years with hundreds of shutter clicks but no training:
Digital Photography School - Top 10 Articles
Digital Photography School - Top 10 Articles
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Rapid Fire Sharpness Trick
A lot of today's cameras have a continuous shooting mode where you can hold the shutter button down and the camera will keep taking pictures until you release it. The obvious way to use this feature is to catch a series of action shots but I use it often for a different reason. I use it to get a much sharper image.
When you press the shutter button, no matter how good you are, you will move the camera ever so slightly. If you have a camera with image stabilization it will correct for the movements but the technology isn't perfect. I'm convinced that the I.S. on my camera actually introduces motion sometimes, which is why they tell you to turn it off when you mount the camera on a tripod.
When I take a three shot burst, most of the time the second image will be sharper than the first or third image. The reason is probably the fact that I'm not pressing or releasing the shutter button, and the I.S. technology is caught up on that one shot, so the camera sensor is at its stillest moment on the second image. For whatever reason, it just works.
If you have a continuous shooting mode on your camera take a series of non-stop shots and see for yourself. Put them on the computer, zoom in to 100% and take a really close look at all of them. The results may just surprise you.
When you press the shutter button, no matter how good you are, you will move the camera ever so slightly. If you have a camera with image stabilization it will correct for the movements but the technology isn't perfect. I'm convinced that the I.S. on my camera actually introduces motion sometimes, which is why they tell you to turn it off when you mount the camera on a tripod.
When I take a three shot burst, most of the time the second image will be sharper than the first or third image. The reason is probably the fact that I'm not pressing or releasing the shutter button, and the I.S. technology is caught up on that one shot, so the camera sensor is at its stillest moment on the second image. For whatever reason, it just works.
If you have a continuous shooting mode on your camera take a series of non-stop shots and see for yourself. Put them on the computer, zoom in to 100% and take a really close look at all of them. The results may just surprise you.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Think of the Children!
Why bother? Why go to the trouble to get really, really, really good at photography if you aren't planning to make a living at it? You've got albums of snapshots lying around, right? How many of of your snapshots are so good that your great, great grandchildren will be hanging them on their walls? I've picked up a few clients so I go even further. How many of my client's great, great grandchildren will be hanging my images on their walls? You may never collect a dime from you photography but that doesn't mean they aren't worth far more than you realize. Let me just push you a little, what if you invested in your ability to capture images from your life as dillegently as you are investing in your 401K? (You are investing in your 401K right?)
Maybe I'm just too caught up in my lineage but I sometimes study the photos of my heritage. Does my son have PaPa Martin's cheek bones or is he really going to grow up to be a clone of my wife's brother like I suspect? Man, I wish my grandfather had been as great a photographer as he was a soldier. I would love to have a display of his images from World War II next to the Japanese officer's sword he captured from a smuggler in Okanowa near the end of the war. He gave me that sword as an testament to my proud lineage before he passed away, but you know what? The old black and white photo of him holding that sword is even more valuable to me. I can go to any Army surplus store and buy those swords by the dozen but I could never replace my Grandfather's sword, the one in that photo. I have no idea who shot that image but I thank God he was there at the time and that he knew what he was doing.
If you ever feel the urge to become immortal, reach over, pick up your camera, hold it out at arm's length and snap a shot of your face. Now, turn the camera around, hit the image review button, look yourself in the eye and ask a simple question, "what am I going to shoot today that my great, great grandchildren will count among their treasures?" Not every single picture you take has to qualify, but wouldn't you like to have at least one? What are you willing to invest to get that one shot for your heritage?
How good do I personally want to get? As good as my great, great grandchildren are going to wish I had been... Hopefully even better. I want to earn a spot on their wall, not a corner in their drawer. The fact is, that if you earn that spot it probably won't just be your heritage that finds value in your effort. You may pick up a client or two with their own heritage in mind. You may even make a living at this some day, but don't count that accomplishment, or lack thereof, as a measure of the value of your photographic gifts. We are each and every one worth so much more than we know... Especially when we are armed with a camera and the knowledge of how to use it well.
Of course, I still reserve the right to bump my shoulders a bit and reduce the size of my abs in Photoshop... you know, for posterity's sake. :-) It's not just a picture, it's a visual document of a moment in an immensely valuable life. Learn accordingly. Be better than good - Leave a legacy!
Maybe I'm just too caught up in my lineage but I sometimes study the photos of my heritage. Does my son have PaPa Martin's cheek bones or is he really going to grow up to be a clone of my wife's brother like I suspect? Man, I wish my grandfather had been as great a photographer as he was a soldier. I would love to have a display of his images from World War II next to the Japanese officer's sword he captured from a smuggler in Okanowa near the end of the war. He gave me that sword as an testament to my proud lineage before he passed away, but you know what? The old black and white photo of him holding that sword is even more valuable to me. I can go to any Army surplus store and buy those swords by the dozen but I could never replace my Grandfather's sword, the one in that photo. I have no idea who shot that image but I thank God he was there at the time and that he knew what he was doing.
If you ever feel the urge to become immortal, reach over, pick up your camera, hold it out at arm's length and snap a shot of your face. Now, turn the camera around, hit the image review button, look yourself in the eye and ask a simple question, "what am I going to shoot today that my great, great grandchildren will count among their treasures?" Not every single picture you take has to qualify, but wouldn't you like to have at least one? What are you willing to invest to get that one shot for your heritage?
How good do I personally want to get? As good as my great, great grandchildren are going to wish I had been... Hopefully even better. I want to earn a spot on their wall, not a corner in their drawer. The fact is, that if you earn that spot it probably won't just be your heritage that finds value in your effort. You may pick up a client or two with their own heritage in mind. You may even make a living at this some day, but don't count that accomplishment, or lack thereof, as a measure of the value of your photographic gifts. We are each and every one worth so much more than we know... Especially when we are armed with a camera and the knowledge of how to use it well.
Of course, I still reserve the right to bump my shoulders a bit and reduce the size of my abs in Photoshop... you know, for posterity's sake. :-) It's not just a picture, it's a visual document of a moment in an immensely valuable life. Learn accordingly. Be better than good - Leave a legacy!
Really Good Free Imaging Tools
I recieved an e-mail today that's "worth" passing along. You will see a mention of Gimp, which you can explore right HERE. These are all great tools to use to add a little, or a lot, of punch to your images. Best of all, they are FREE! Here is the announcement from Worth1000.com:
Hi GoldenWreckedAngle
I almost never send out these emails, but I wanted to let you know about something huge that's going on at Worth1000 now. As you might already know, Worth1000 is a contest site primarily dedicated to Photoshopping images.
Over the 7 years since Worth1000 launched, I have been asked by thousands of people who viewed our Photoshop contests: How do I make images like the amazing Worth1000 entries?
Most were asking because traditional desktop software was simply too expensive or hard to learn. Seriously, $2,000 for editing tools?! It was time for a change. I decided it was my responsibility to the awesome design community at Worth1000 to be the one to do it.
So, I created Aviary
Aviary, is a suite of free design tools. Now anyone with internet access can use them without installing anything. You just need to visit Aviary and you're all set.
Aviary should be enough for anyone to get started making some really amazing images (and other types of media). Aviary also allows you to share and work on files with other people in the Aviary community, which makes it even easier to learn.
So far we have released 4 applications into public beta, with many more planned:
- Phoenix: an image editor (similar to Adobe Photoshop / Gimp)
- Raven: a vector editor (useful for logos / and clothing design)
- Toucan: a color editor
- Peacock: an effects editor
We even created an entire free education center where people can learn how to make awesome effects!
If you enjoyed Worth1000, I hope you'll also take the time to try out Aviary
At the very least, I encourage you to let anyone interested in image editing to know about it. Feel free to forward this email to a friend.
The more people that try out our software, the less big corporations will be able to charge to use their software! In a time. when every penny counts, this is vitally important to keeping art software affordable for artists of all ages. Together, we can make a difference.
Here's a special page for Worth1000 users only:
http://www.aviary.com/home?worth1000
Sincerely,
Avi Muchnick
Creator of Worth1000
I almost never send out these emails, but I wanted to let you know about something huge that's going on at Worth1000 now. As you might already know, Worth1000 is a contest site primarily dedicated to Photoshopping images.
Over the 7 years since Worth1000 launched, I have been asked by thousands of people who viewed our Photoshop contests: How do I make images like the amazing Worth1000 entries?
Most were asking because traditional desktop software was simply too expensive or hard to learn. Seriously, $2,000 for editing tools?! It was time for a change. I decided it was my responsibility to the awesome design community at Worth1000 to be the one to do it.
So, I created Aviary
Aviary, is a suite of free design tools. Now anyone with internet access can use them without installing anything. You just need to visit Aviary and you're all set.
Aviary should be enough for anyone to get started making some really amazing images (and other types of media). Aviary also allows you to share and work on files with other people in the Aviary community, which makes it even easier to learn.
So far we have released 4 applications into public beta, with many more planned:
- Phoenix: an image editor (similar to Adobe Photoshop / Gimp)
- Raven: a vector editor (useful for logos / and clothing design)
- Toucan: a color editor
- Peacock: an effects editor
We even created an entire free education center where people can learn how to make awesome effects!
If you enjoyed Worth1000, I hope you'll also take the time to try out Aviary
At the very least, I encourage you to let anyone interested in image editing to know about it. Feel free to forward this email to a friend.
The more people that try out our software, the less big corporations will be able to charge to use their software! In a time. when every penny counts, this is vitally important to keeping art software affordable for artists of all ages. Together, we can make a difference.
Here's a special page for Worth1000 users only:
http://www.aviary.com/home?worth1000
Sincerely,
Avi Muchnick
Creator of Worth1000
The Hot Shoe
There are several reasons why a Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) camera has the POTENTIAL to make better pictures than a smaller sensor point and shoot. Note the emphasis. Buying a DSLR and getting better pictures is not a given but it does increase the odds and the abilities to get the shots you really want.
The one feature that made the single biggest difference in my photography when I stepped up to a DSLR was not the bigger sensor, the better lens selection, more manual controls or even the ego boost I got from finally shooting with a "real" camera. Yes, that is actually one of the benefits of owning a DSLR. Our belief has a way of shaping our reality. The early belief that my DSLR automatically made me a better photographer was instrumental in helping me become a better photographer. It also helped me realize very quickly that my former camera had not been my biggest limitation. :-)
So what was the feature that made the biggest difference in my photography? The hot shoe - That little bracket on top of the view finder where you attach an external flash, or at least some kind of trigger to light one. You can buy small sensor cameras with a hot shoe on them but they are going to cost at least as much as some of the entry level DSLR's so unless the smaller size is important to you, you may as well invest in a system that will give you maximum flexibility. As with all gear in this addictive hobby/profession, you can spend a little or a lot on lights. I've invested plenty myself but I think I only paid $15 for the off camera flash I use most often, a Vivitar 4600 with a vari-power slave module on it. More on that light later...
Take a look at these two lighting lessons on how to use the hot shoe to your biggest advantage. Like so many up and coming photographers, I owe a huge debt of gratitude to David Hobby for helping me understand the power and use of off camera flash. Fair warning, the way of the Strobist is addictive. Once you learn to use an off camera flash you will be hooked on well lit photography for good. Here is just about everything you need to know on the subject from a true master of the craft:
Strobist Lighting 101
Strobist Lighting 102
The one feature that made the single biggest difference in my photography when I stepped up to a DSLR was not the bigger sensor, the better lens selection, more manual controls or even the ego boost I got from finally shooting with a "real" camera. Yes, that is actually one of the benefits of owning a DSLR. Our belief has a way of shaping our reality. The early belief that my DSLR automatically made me a better photographer was instrumental in helping me become a better photographer. It also helped me realize very quickly that my former camera had not been my biggest limitation. :-)
So what was the feature that made the biggest difference in my photography? The hot shoe - That little bracket on top of the view finder where you attach an external flash, or at least some kind of trigger to light one. You can buy small sensor cameras with a hot shoe on them but they are going to cost at least as much as some of the entry level DSLR's so unless the smaller size is important to you, you may as well invest in a system that will give you maximum flexibility. As with all gear in this addictive hobby/profession, you can spend a little or a lot on lights. I've invested plenty myself but I think I only paid $15 for the off camera flash I use most often, a Vivitar 4600 with a vari-power slave module on it. More on that light later...
Take a look at these two lighting lessons on how to use the hot shoe to your biggest advantage. Like so many up and coming photographers, I owe a huge debt of gratitude to David Hobby for helping me understand the power and use of off camera flash. Fair warning, the way of the Strobist is addictive. Once you learn to use an off camera flash you will be hooked on well lit photography for good. Here is just about everything you need to know on the subject from a true master of the craft:
Strobist Lighting 101
Strobist Lighting 102
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