White balance is always trying to pull a fast one on you and sneak by with the wrong color in your photographs. Here's the case in point, today: It's a sunny day, not a cloud in the sky, so you set the white balance to Daylight, which is just what the camera manufacturer advises you to do. But then you end up with a picture like this that has significantly too much blue in the skin tones. What the heck? Shade is sneaky The trouble is that although the subject is standing in the sun, the light shining on her face is actually coming from … [Read more...] about Portrait Tips: The sneaky secret of white balance
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Mirrorless Camera Maniac: Take–Make–Shoot
I suspect that you need to shoot more pictures. I was recently teaching at a dude ranch in Montana (it was a marvelous week--I hope to see you next year) and the one thing each of my students needed to do was to shoot more pictures. People often notice that when I'm talking about the act of recording images with a camera I always say "Let's make a picture." This is 100% intentional. I do my best not to take pictures, but to make them together with the people I'm photographing, or to be intentional and contemplative when photographing … [Read more...] about Mirrorless Camera Maniac: Take–Make–Shoot
Portrait Tips: Use HDR For Softer Light
If you know anything about HDR, you probably know it shouldn't be used for portraits. High Dynamic Range photography techniques usually increase the ability to see details, and nobody wants to see more detail in the skin in a portrait. However, used properly, HDR can give you softer transitions from shadows to highlight areas, and that can be flattering and it can help rescue portraits made in bad lighting. Harsh Light Makes Dark Shadows I made this picture late in the morning on a mountain top and the sun was quite direct and … [Read more...] about Portrait Tips: Use HDR For Softer Light
Portrait Tips: Dramatic Light Made Simple
A simple and impactful way to make a portrait is to position your subject next to a window and in front of a dark background. With the proper exposure, your subject's face will stand out starkly against the dark background with dramatic light coming in from the side. This is probably my favorite kind of portrait. But there's one key that will either make the portrait striking or bland. The Shady Nose The thing that makes the picture look dramatic is the play of shadows and highlights across the face. See the highlight on the edge of the … [Read more...] about Portrait Tips: Dramatic Light Made Simple
