The other day a fellow contacted me about a picture I made nearly ten years ago. He was an assistant to the master woodcarver and I spent a few minutes making pictures with them. The event was Baby Animal Days at the Western Heritage Center in Logan, UT, and the entire Cache Valley Photographers club came to make pictures for the day. This was my favorite. Patch made hand-carved wooden spoons to sell to tourists, and he did it with tools from the mid-nineteenth century. As if this wasn't enough camera fodder, he also had a genuine eye patch. … [Read more...] about Portrait Tips: A chance with Patch
soft light
Portrait Tips: How to use V-flats to light a group
When you light a portrait, a good rule of thumb is that your light should be about the same size as your subject. That's easy for a single individual where any softbox will work, but what about lighting a group of people? A light that big is hard to find. V-flats offer an easy way to make a large light that gives soft, even coverage for your group. You can use them to make soft light on the whole group, but you can also move your subjects around for different effects. V-flat as a modifier The V-flat is two large sheets (typically 7 or 8 … [Read more...] about Portrait Tips: How to use V-flats to light a group
Removing harsh shadows using natural light
Removing harsh, ugly shadows from what would be a beautiful portrait is relativity easy. You find a shaded area, set your camera to a low aperture of f/2.8, diffuser the light and then let Mother Nature’s light do the rest. It really is that easy. Here are the steps in more detail on how to remove harsh shadows using natural light. Find a shaded area Look for a close shade treetop canopy or an open shade area — a building or an object blocking direct sunlight — to remove your subject from direct sunlight. This solves the problem of harsh … [Read more...] about Removing harsh shadows using natural light
Portrait Tips: How close should the light be to your subject?
This is a great question, but when you're getting going making portraits (and especially when you're buying gear) it often gets overlooked. How close should your light be to your subject? Furthermore, what effect does a different distance have on the photo? Let's start with the impact the distance makes. Feel free to skip to the last section for the quick answer. Closer is softer but more contrasty When you bring a light closer to your subject, you make it bigger in relation to your subject, and a bigger light is softer. For instance, the … [Read more...] about Portrait Tips: How close should the light be to your subject?
Portrait Tips: Soft Light vs Hard Light
I'm always talking about soft light and how great it looks for portraits. But what does it mean? If there's soft light, is there hard light? Let me show you what it means and you'll see that yes, there is hard light, and soft light is waaaaay better. Soft/Hard = Big/Small Hard light comes from small lights, and soft light comes from big lights. The important thing to remember is that the softness depends on the size of the light in relation to your subject. So even if your light is the size of a bus, unless your subject is close to it can … [Read more...] about Portrait Tips: Soft Light vs Hard Light
Portrait Tips: Deep Drama With One Light
Every time you make portraits you should make one shot that pushes your limits or gives you a little thrill. The client may not like it, but it will help fill your soul. I usually use one light from the front to make portraits, but it's amazing how much impact moving the light can have, and that's the case with the following picture. It's made with just one light, and it's the kind of portrait I love to make even though I know my client probably won't love it. Big Light To make this kind of lighting, you just need to get your subject very … [Read more...] about Portrait Tips: Deep Drama With One Light
Portrait Tips: The Best Light For Portraits
Here's a classic geeky photography thing to say: "The only thing that alters how hard or soft the light is on your subject is the size of the light in relation to your subject." Said more simply, Big Light = Soft Light Small Light = Hard Light Let's consider the sun. It's huge, right? So it should be a soft light. But, even though it's 865,000 miles wide, you can completely cover it with your thumb held out at arm's length. So, in relation to us on Earth, it's very small, and that means it's a hard light. Hard or Soft? It's all in the … [Read more...] about Portrait Tips: The Best Light For Portraits
How to Use On-Camera Flash for Events
Using a flash at an indoor event is a probably the simplest way to make pictures of small groups look their best. At weddings, parties, and fundraisers, friends and families are together for a short time and they are surprisingly willing to be in a photograph. It's best to use a speedlight, not your camera's pop-up flash, but the speedlight alone will probably give you faces that are too bright, backgrounds that are too dark, and light that is too harsh. There are lots of camera settings listed below, but if you'll do the following it'll make … [Read more...] about How to Use On-Camera Flash for Events
Find Great Light on the Porch
We love to use natural light, and even when I have to shoot in the studio, I’m usually trying to mimic natural light. While not all natural light is great light, one simple quality to search for is light falling from the side. In the studio, I put my softbox the side, maybe slightly higher than my subject’s eyes. When I’m outdoors, I can find this kind of light anywhere there’s a porch. What Is a Porch? A porch is just a roof with at least one wall, and at least one side open. I made the portraits in this post on the porch on the front of … [Read more...] about Find Great Light on the Porch
Always Photograph Flowers This Way
Flowers are magical. The first thing I photographed with my first camera was a flower in my yard. It was the perfect subject because it was beautiful, colorful, and it didn't move around. I sat there practicing on it every day, trying out all the camera's settings and learning how they affected the pictures. Today, I still love photographing flowers, and I've got one tip you should always use when photographing flowers. Find the Backlight Flowers are colorful, but they are also translucent. When light shines through a flower's petals, a … [Read more...] about Always Photograph Flowers This Way
