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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Want Better Photographs? Use Your Lens Hood
Lens hoods are probably one of the most overlooked and important pieces of gear that we have for our lenses. They help with a number of things — with everything from reducing lens flares to getting rid of haze caused by the sun. What Does a Lens Hood Do? "Shade" Your Photographs Lens hoods are made to redirect the sunlight that reaches your lens, and in turn, help to "shade" your photographs. When shooting with a lens hood on, you protect your photographs and end up getting a more realistic contrast than you would without a lens … [Read more...] about Want Better Photographs? Use Your Lens Hood
Portrait Tips: Remember the White Balance, Forget the Histogram
A popular way to make portraits is to place the sun behind your subjects (often done in a field of tall grass at sunset). It's a pet peeve of mine, however, that these pictures are often the wrong color. White Balance for the Faces Your camera's white balance control helps you make portraits with great color by correcting for the color of light illuminating your subject's face. The common problem with backlit portraits is that the photographers thinks to himself, "My subjects are standing in sunlight, so I'll use the Daylight white balance," … [Read more...] about Portrait Tips: Remember the White Balance, Forget the Histogram
How I Got the Shot: Controlling Natural Light with a Diffuser
Midday, with the sun at its highest point in the sky, has often been typecast as the worst time to take outdoor photos. With the light falling straight down, little to no light falls on the subject from the side producing dark shadows. The eyes on portrait often become very dark. Some say it's best to put the camera away for a few hours and wait it out. But what if that's not an option? What if that's the only time you have to get the shot? To solve this problem, we used a diffuser to control natural light. This is how I go the shot. Quick … [Read more...] about How I Got the Shot: Controlling Natural Light with a Diffuser
“Shoot in the Shade”
If you are new to photography and want to photograph people in an outdoor setting you might be under the impression that more light is going to make a better image and you may be tempted to shoot your photos in direct sunlight. Well, light is obviously a necessity when doing photography, but when you are outside on a sunny day one of the best things you can do for your photographs is to find a shady spot for your photos. Believe it or not there is a LOT of light in the shade. It might be difficult to notice it at first because your eyes are … [Read more...] about “Shoot in the Shade”
