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Posts Tagged ‘portraits’

Capturing Better Portraits Between Poses

13 Aug

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If you do portraiture of any kind you are probably used to people giving one look when the camera is away from them and another when it is on them. This is the unfortunate game of the portrait photographer.

For my own work, I find that many of the most poignant portraits of people are the ones in between the actual ‘portraits’ taken during a session. These are the moments when your subject is at ease, in their element, thinking about something, and when they have the most interesting expressions.

So how do you capture these and take better portraits?

Paul KostabiThere is an important reason for taking your time to do a portrait session. It gives your subject time to get comfortable with you and the way you work. You can go through multiple backgrounds and ideas, and it is common for subjects to get over the initial portrait trepidation as the time goes on. That deer in headlights look will often (but not always) go away as they get used to how you work and what you want from them. This is the reason that you do not want to start off right away with your best idea because that will often be at their most uncomfortable moment.  Wait until they seem comfortable and in the right mindset.

Give them direction, especially at first. When people do a portrait session they want to be told what to do, even if you want them to just be natural. Talk to them about what you’re doing and what you want from them. Do you want them to give you an emotion? How are their hands and arms? How is their posture?  Where should they stand? I personally prefer to engage the subject and get them standing and interacting in a natural way, but often I will pose people at the beginning just so they feel confident that I know what I’m doing. Then over time I will start trying to get them to pose in ways that feel the most natural for them, as they get more comfortable with what they are doing.

The main key to this is that you want to get them interacting with you. Some types of shots are better posed of course, but you want them in some sort of moment. When they feel something, or think about something interesting, that feeling will shine through in the photograph.

Talk about the person’s life. Get to know them. Ask them questions and get them thinking introspectively. Tell them this is part of the process so they don’t feel uncomfortable or unsure of what to do when they are talking. This is one of the reasons that I sometimes like to interview people as part of portrait sessions. Then, within the interview, right after they have finished talking about something interesting or emotional, I will stop them and ask them to stay just like that and I will take their photo.

Portraits

Sometimes you even have to fake people out. Tell them that you are just taking a few shots to test the light and to relax for a moment. Some of my best images have been taken that way.

There are ebbs and flows in a portrait session. Sometimes it makes you feel like a boxer, bobbing and weaving with what they give you. Other times you will feel like a psychiatrist, trying to bring something out of them. If someone starts to look more and more uncomfortable, don’t keep photographing them hoping they’ll start to get better. Break them out of it by asking them to move to another location or take a break. Keep them on their toes and engaged.

All subjects are different and will react differently to you, but the key is always that you must find ways to get through to them . Then to have the wherewithal to be able to catch the moment once they finally give it to you, because often the best moments are quick and fleeting.

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How to do Great Portraits with One Light

25 Jul

When you first start experimenting with lighting it’s easy to become overwhelmed. Never has the old expression K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid) been more appropriate. The most important step is to master what you can achieve with one light source before you start adding others.

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Besides, what you CAN achieve with only one light source, used correctly, is quite remarkable.

For this article I have delved into my back catalogue and sourced images that were shot with a single speedlight off-camera. I hate carrying tons of equipment and even now, for 80% of my commercial work, I will try to use one light source only when possible.

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Shot with a Canon 600EX-RT Speedlite bounced into a 40” white Profoto umbrella

In the below business portrait a diffused umbrella gives us nice catch lights in the subject’s eyes, while allowing for rapid fall away to bring out the shadows. The portrait is shot against a pop-up Westcott black background. A diffused umbrella is a great low-cost investment that massively improves the quality of light from your speedlight, and is easily set up and transported.

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Lit with a Canon RT600 Speedlite into a Phottix Para-Pro diffused umbrella

To create the image below I had to expose for the blue sky and then pump as much light into the subject as possible – this is a speedlight at the limit of its capability – the umbrella helps to increase the size and evenness of the light spread. The image was shot at 24mm so the umbrella is as close to the subject as possible without being in the frame.

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Lit with a Sony HVL-F58 speedlight bounced into a 40” white Profoto umbrella

It is entirely possible to create professional results without spending a fortune – this cropped cutaway headshot used a Sony SM58 speedlight with an Orbis ring-flash modifier handheld over the top of the speedlight. For this modifier to be effective you really need to be quite close into your subject, as the flash output is significantly reduced by the modifier. Used properly though it can create some great results.

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Lit with a Sony HVL-F58 speed light and an Orbis Ring Flash modifier

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Another example of a portrait shot with the same modifier, lit with a Sony HVL-F58 speed light and an Orbis Ring Flash.

Notes for doing one light portraits:

  • When you are shooting single light setups, you need to remember to keep it simple
  • You can create some great shadows with a single light source
  • Watch out for hotspots created by undiffused light
  • Try blend your added light with the ambient light
  • Using large modifiers can help to spread your light more evenly
  • Move your subjects, not the light, to fine tune your images
  • Experiment by changing your position to the light source
  • Work with the distances, subject to light source, to change the hardness and softness of the light

Below is an example of blending the ambient light with artificial light. The speedlight in this instance is to camera right on a light stand about six feet from the model, and slightly in front of her. Shot at full power with no modifier it is hitting the model and the tree. While by no means perfect the image does work as the over exposure on the tree gives a little separation.

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Lit with a Sony HVL-F58 with no modifier

We can see the same model here closer to sunset; shot with a speedlight fitted with an orange gel, bounced into a 30” silver umbrella to emphasize and enhance the already warm available light.

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Lit with a Sony HVL-F58 speedlight, gelled, bounced into a 30” Profoto silver umbrella

Reflectors can also be used to great effect with a single light source, especially when mixing the ambient reflected light with flash fired directly into the reflector will give your images that extra pop. In the portrait below, the natural light and sun were not enough to light the model. A half-power flash from a speedlight helped to improve the overall lighting of the image, and really make the catch lights in the sunglasses stand out.

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Lit with a California Sun Bounce gold/silver and a Sony HVL-F58 speed light

Sometimes ambient light is almost enough. In the below portrait 95% of the light is coming from a window camera left. A thin white blind diffused the light beautifully and evenly but didn’t give the catch lights in the eyes. To fix this I used a diffused umbrella with a speedlight on ¼ power, slightly to camera right. Because of the low power setting the artificial light doesn’t really change the ambient light but does give the eyes that needed brightness to make the image.

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Lit with natural window light a Sony HVL-F58 and a Phottix para pro diffused umbrella

In conclusion

Everything you see here was lit with a single speedlight, and reasonably priced, easily set up modifiers.

Modifiers used – Silver and white umbrellas, a diffused umbrella and an Orbis Ring Flash all of which can be purchased for a few hundred dollars.

Have you done any portraits using only one light? Do you have any additional tips or questions? Please share or ask in the comments below.

For more portrait help try these:

  • Using Off-camera Flash to Fix Lighting Problems for Outdoor Portraits
  • Tips for Great Beach Sunset Portraits
  • 6 Portrait Lighting Patterns Every Photographer Should Know
  • Portrait – Lighting the Shot, a dPS ebook

The post How to do Great Portraits with One Light by Leo Edwards appeared first on Digital Photography School.


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Overcoming the Fear – Creating Better Travel Photography Portraits

22 Jul

Pick up Oded’s new Snapn Guide (a dPS sister company) Snapn Travel here for only $ 7. A lifetime of travel memories in a Snap.

Traveling is fun and rewarding, but sharing memories of your journeys with friends, family and the world through your own beautiful images can be even better. Especially rewarding are images of the interesting people you meet along the way, because creating travel photography portraits can be an amazing addition to your portfolio.

But, if taking pictures of strangers while interacting with them makes you uneasy, maybe even feeling a bit of fear? GOOD! Then this article is for you.

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The world of photography is divided between two groups of people: those who enjoy creating portrait photography and those who do not. Through discussion with my own students I have realized that only about ten percent of those who avoid portrait photography actually do not like it. The remaining ninety percent, so I discovered, are hiding, deep down inside, a photographer who really desires to shoot portraits, especially when he or she travels to interesting and distant places, meeting people from other cultures.

But it is not that easy. Let’s be honest, sometimes it’s super hard. So what we do is we wrap ourselves with excuses like: “I do not feel comfortable with this”,”I do not want to invade a person’s privacy” and as the “golden excuse” we used that one story of someone who shouted at us at some market in Morocco.

Blue guy

First, from my experience, getting yelled at (and all kinds of other problems) only starts when you take photos of someone from a distance and they catch you in the act.

Paprlika princeBut here is another fact: there is nothing like photographing someone from a close distance. The eyes, the feelings and the huge visual story potential within. Besides, when we work from a close distance while interacting with the person, we gain control of our tools as photographers: composition, background, the “decisive moment” and we also have that amazing ability to tell the photographed person: “you know what, let’s take one more shot”.

In 99% of my travel photography work with magazines, I photograph portraits from a close distance, without hiding myself or hiding the fact I am taking a photo. Now, some will say that when a person sees a camera, it affects the authenticity of the moment. I will address this issue later.

First rule: tell, do not just show

This is the # 1 mistake of bad travel photography: trying to show a story, instead of telling it. Creating a diary instead of evoking feelings. Here is the unpleasant truth; apart from our family and close friends, no one cares where we travel and who we meet along the way. If you want to succeed in exciting your viewers, you need turn to a different approach.

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Before the digital era, it was enough if you traveled to the other side of the world and came back with images of people from some exotic tribe. You know, those “colorful” images, of people with a bone stuck in their nose. Today, when almost every corner of our planet has been photographed, this is not enough anymore and we have to return to the basics; to that one element that hasn’t changed since the beginning of time – a story.

We are just obsessed with stories. A person is not only clothes, a Cuban cigar or colorful sari; a person is an entire story. A story is a complex thing to create, so for the first step I will ask that your images be able to answer this question: how does the person in the image feel? Is it a comedy or a tragedy? Has he just finished a day of hard work or is he enjoying a vacation? Look at the person’s body language and listen to his voice. Try to convey the type of feeling you had while meeting this person.

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Choose the right equipment

Remember the following equation – if you have a telephoto lens, you will to use it, because that is the easiest way of shooting people, from a distance. Instead, go with a wide lens (up to 50 mm for full frame, 35mm for cropped sensor). Also, try to avoid complicated and sophisticated equipment like flash and tripods. This will attract unwanted attention in the streets and you will be busy handling the gear instead of focusing on the story in front of you.

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Read about the culture

Yes, in India they wear sari and in Cuba they smoke cigars. To get a more in-depth story of the culture, you have to learn about it first. Prior to your trip, do a brief study of the place you are about to visit. View images, read material and mainly, answer important questions like:

  • How will people react to the camera?
  • Do I need to pay for taking a picture?
  • Are there things that I should not photograph?

In order to answer these questions you can ask someone who visited the destination or look for information on the web. If you do not know anything about the culture, you will fall into the cliché of photogenic tourist traps. But if you come with knowledge, it will affect your photography. My editor at the National Geographic Traveler magazine calls this “photographic intelligence”. Go the extra mile and read about the history of the place, the religious system, the food and the local music, which leads me to our next tip.

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Use the local music to your advantage

Recently I photographed a story on the Dominican Republic. It was the first time I worked on this side of the world and suddenly I felt as if I almost forgot how to take pictures. I did not approach anyone and at first, my photography did not come out well at all. So, I just listened to some local music on my headphones. I do not recommend staying with headphones all the time, because it cuts you off from the environment. But for the first day, it’s a great tip; it puts you in the groove and makes you feel good. In conclusion, on the first day of your trip, do not trouble yourself with approaching strangers. Relax, listen to the local music, get into the groove and warm up with easier image making: buildings, landscape, food, etc.

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Get outside when the lighting is right

The meaning of “Photography” is drawing with light. Even the most photogenic person will not look good in unsuitable light. There are no rules about lighting – no “good” or “bad”. There is appropriate and inappropriate lighting, because light has varying qualities: color, direction, strength, softness, etc. According to most photographers, the best light for most situations is within the “golden hours”: around sunrise and sunset. If this is your first time approaching people in order to photograph them, let the light be on your side. Try adjusting the correct time to go outside. If you cannot control the time (like when on an organized tour) try to photograph people in the shade.

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Force yourself – get out of your comfort zone

After a day of listening to the local music, getting the groove and warming up with easy shots, it is time to start working. Do not delay it, even if it is very hard for you. Just fake it until you make it:

  1. 72Choose: choose a person you would like to photograph. Don’t use excuses like: “I can’t find anyone special”. Just make the shot, even if it’s only for practice. It is very important that you choose a person who is not on the move, because you need to get ready BEFORE approaching him, so it will be easier in a static situation (a seller in market stand, or someone relaxing at the park)
  2. Get ready: know your lens and exposure. Think about the composition and background.
  3. Approach: ask the person if you can take their photo. You can ask verbally or just by lifting the camera and smiling, waiting for a smile back.
  4. Explain: it doesn’t matter if you are in NYC or Tibet; people want to know why you are taking their photo. You can tell them how much you liked their shop, pet, hair, etc., or just mention that you like portrait photography and you would like to take their photo. Usually this kind of good feedback will be enough.

Now, you might get a NO for an answer. That’s okay! Say “thank you” and then just “get back on the horse”, move on to the next person. You might get a YES. That’s wonderful! Relax, think about the framing and make the image.

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So what about the authenticity of the moment?

It’s True. Usually when a person is asked to be photographed, they will put on a “mask”. You can call it their pose. Sometimes this pose might be the thing you are looking for. When photographing two men for a story I did in India for the National Geographic Traveler magazine, that pose (image below), which is so typical for the Rabari tribe men, was perfect for the story I wanted to tell.

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If you don’t want the pose, my solution – give your subject time and space. Do not stop him or her from making that pose. Give them a positive feedback and show them how nice the first photo came out. From my experience, after a minute or two, the masks fall. That is because someone eventually will enter your subject’s shop, or they will receive a phone call or anything that might make your subject forget you are still there. This is the moment of magic. This is when the best pictures happen.

Pick up Oded’s new Snapn Guide (a dPS sister company) Snapn Travel here for only $ 7. A lifetime of travel memories in a Snap

  • Learn how to bring the emotion of your trip home with you, not just a memory card.
  • Become a travel photographer instead of a photographing traveller.

 

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Using Composition to Create More Powerful Portraits

18 Jul

As part of my series on portrait photography, in this article, I will discuss composition, one of the most important aspects of creating a good portrait image.

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  • Are there any laws regarding framing a portrait?
  • Can I leave hands, fingers, or part of the head out of the frame?
  • Does a portrait have to include a face?

I will answer these questions that my students often ask. It is important to keep in mind that as in all aspects of art, there are no “rules” or “must dos” here, because you can do anything as long as it works for you. So, I will describe techniques that work for me and I hope that they will work for you, resulting in much stronger portrait photography portfolio.

What is a good portrait?

A good portrait is an image of a person that manages to tell a story. A good portrait evokes emotion. A good portrait tells us something about the person in the image, and composition is a key element that helps us create a storytelling portrait.

How can I create a storytelling portrait with the help of composition?

I think good composition is a combination of the scene on the ground and the scene within your head. It combines the available with the desirable.

Here are a few examples of portraits I made recently (using natural light only) with explanations of the thinking process and goals in terms of composition. As Ansel Adams said, don’t forget that every image has two people behind it. the photographer and the viewer. So you might not feel the same emotions as I do with the images I created. But that’s okay, because photography is both an art and a science.

Choosing how much background to include

F11A3496 Exposure 1

Focal length 24mm

I met this boy cutting Paprika in rural Cambodia. It was summer vacation and he was there with his family and other villagers. What’s my visual narrative in one line? “Small boy, big work.”

I immediately knew two things: one, the background is a significant element and two; I wanted to capture the boy working alone. So, I started with the background and decided on a high angle in order to capture this “mountain” of Paprika. It was important for me to show the boy’s entire body with some space above his head so that the viewer could compare (remember my one line story?) the size of the boy to the size of the work.

I even included that basket in the composition to add balance to the entire frame. After I set up my composition, I waited about 20 minutes to capture the boy looking up. I knew that if he was working with his head and eyes down, the whole story would fall apart. I think the wait was worth it.

For me, this is one of the most complex decisions in photography: to identify visual storytelling potential and decide how much time you’re willing to wait until the story materializes.

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Focal length: 17mm

I used the same technique here in Kyrgyzstan, for this shot of six year old Aytinger, which I made for National Geographic Traveler magazine. Visual narrative in one line, “Small boy, big world”.

Here, I made the background much more dominant compared to the previous image. Here the boy is very small compared to the land. Imagine if I framed this image with only his face? I would lose the entire story, because his face alone doesn’t tell the story I want to portray. It was important for me to “include” the path and the big cloud in the horizon, to add sense of an “epic” feel to the image.

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Focal length: 70mm

Here, you can see a different kind of portrait framing. Visual narrative in one line – “Quiet, peaceful, youth”.

I wanted to evoke peace and harmony. So I focused only on the face of this young monk, and included almost no background, in order to avoid interference from the environment. Also, note how the central composition (the subject is in the center of the frame) is balanced with the two orange frames on the sides.

I used soft natural light (coming from the right side of the frame) in order to create a sense of something religious and pure.

Cropping in tight

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Focal length: 70mm

This is the type of framing that I’m asked many questions about by my students: whether it is allowed to cut off part of the head like this. Sure, as long as it helps the visual story you want to tell. Visual narrative in one line, “A sad reflection”.

Apollo’s wife died not long before I met him in the hills of northern Laos. In the image, Apollo’s face and the feeling of something tilting or shifting in his world is the only important thing. By framing his face on the right, while he was looking down and to the right, I wanted to create a feeling of an “unbalanced world”. Compare the very low key, dim lighting (with negative exposure compensation) in this image to the previous one of the monk. I was using the dark part of his house to evoke this story.

TheAccess 4photography people

Focal length: 85mm

This framing is even more radical than the previous one. Please note that this is the composition I did on the ground (no cropping) for a story I did for National Geographic Traveler magazine on Western China. Visual narrative in one line, “Strong and wise”.

Leaving space

When I saw the eyes of this man, the oldest man sitting in the back of a teahouse in remote western China, I knew I didn’t need anything else but his blue eyes. So I made it the dominant factor of my composition.

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Focal length: 24mm

Now you might ask, is this a portrait too? Well, yes, for two reasons: one, do you see a person, and two, do you feel a sense of story?

What’s my visual narrative? It was a particularly hot afternoon. Dozens of worshipers left the mosque. I paused for a moment, trying to change lenses, as I noticed this guy. It seems that he was not affected by the hustle passing him by. He remained alone, continuing to read the prayer book. At first, my initial thought was “wow, what loneliness”. But then I thought, ”wow, what strength”.

I used the empty spaces of the place to enhance the sense of loneliness, but the balanced; “by the rules” composition (rule of thirds) should give the sense of power I was aiming for. The reason I chose to use negative exposure compensation and thus create a silhouette was to not compete with red color in the background and give it a sense of harmony.

Put it all together

You may be asking – “Okay, I understand the thought process. But honestly, do you really think about it before the creation of the frame or only afterwards?”.

Well, I do believe that good portrait photography is an outcome of a thinking process. Should I add the background or not? Should I crop the head or leave it full? Sometimes by over-thinking, the subject might lose patience. It has happened to me more than once. But for me, having the time to think, to plan, and to achieve the story I wanted is part of the fun.

Feel free to leave questions and comments below.

Note: the author would like to thank Nicholas Orloff for his help of writing this article.

The post Using Composition to Create More Powerful Portraits by Oded Wagenstein appeared first on Digital Photography School.


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Zoo Portraits

16 Jul

„Schon seit meiner Kindheit bin ich von Tieren fasziniert“, erzählt der Fotograf und Bildbearbeiter Yago Partal. „Ich habe damals schon Stunden mit einer Enzyklopädie des Tierreichs verbracht, die mir meine Eltern geschenkt haben.“ Diese Faszination hat sich in seiner Kunst fortgesetzt.

Die Serie „Zoo Portraits“ entstand 2013 als Werbe-Kampagne und verbreitete sich sehr schnell viral im Internet, was den Fotografen dazu brachte, sie bis heute fortzusetzen und weiterzuspinnen. Auch war die Serie mit den Tieren in zu ihnen passenden Kleidungen schon in Tokio, Montral, Cambodia, Monaco und Paris in Ausstellungen zu sehen.

Ein Waschbär im Hemd

Eine Schnecke mit Kopfhörern

Ein Hund mit Anzug und Baseball-Kappe

Ein Schwein in einem bunten Hemd

Ein Affe im Anzug

Ein Strauß mit Schal und Melone

Ein Wiesel im Jackett

Ein Nilpferd im Bademantel

Eine Giraffe mit Schal

Ein Warzenschwein mit Hosenträgern

Ein Rentier in einer Felljacke

Ein Bulle in einer Lederjacke

„Ich hätte nie mit einem solchen Erfolg gerechnet“, sagt Yago. „Ich habe einfach nur frontale Portraits von Tieren gemacht und sie spontan mit Kleidung versehen.“

Ein nicht unerheblicher Teil des Erfolgs kommt sicherlich auch daher, dass der Fotograf ein so glückliches Händchen und Auge für die Auswahl der Kleidung seiner Modelle hat. Man kann sich jedes der Tiere in genau dem Outfit gut vorstellen. Die Serie wächst auf seiner Webseite weiter.


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Double Exposure Portraits by John Williams

02 Jul

At April and John’s Wedding at Consall Hall we tried something a little different from our usual bride and groom portraits and combined two photos in Photoshop to create a cool double exposure portrait effect. Here is a brief tutorial explaining the technique behind the effect. First of all, you need to choose your starting […]

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Using Off-camera Flash to Fix Lighting Problems for Outdoor Portraits

23 Jun

Model holding flash better

When you’re taking pictures of family and friends outdoors, you are often not in control of the light, and that can lead to poor portraits.

A few of the possible problems include:

  • Raccoon eyes – deep shadows in the eye sockets (and other the nose) caused by bright overhead sunlight or light overcast skies
  • Bright background obscuring the subject’s face – although some cameras automatically compensate for it, if you’re shooting in the shade and there’s a really bright background, that can mislead your camera into underexposing the image, leaving your subject’s face too dark.
  • No control over direction of the light – the sun is here, and you are there. You can move around the person you’re photographing to get better light, but then you may lose the desired background.

With a wireless flash, these problems can be overcome, and it’s surprisingly easy. Canon’s Rebel line, D-series DSLRs and advanced G-series compact cameras let you control off-camera flash wirelessly, which opens up many possibilities when it comes to changing the quality and quantity of light that you use to photograph someone outdoors.

Raccoon eyes – below (left) is a typical portrait shot under direct midday sunlight with our model, Leanne. The sun, almost directly overhead, casts deep shadows over eye sockets, below the nose and chin, and wherever hair blocks the light. Gear: Canon EOS 70D, 85mm f/1.8 USM Canon lens. Exposure: 1/320 second at f/4.5, ISO 100.

Raccoon eyes before 600 Raccoon eyes after 600

Raccoon eyes fixed – (above right) the flash was mounted on the camera’s hot shoe and provided enough fill light to blow away the shadows, but the light is flat. Gear: same as above plus Canon 430 EX II Speedlight. Exposure: 1/250 second at f/10, ISO 100.

Raccoon eyes, cloudy skies (below left) the clouds move in and soften the light. Better, right? Well, sort of. Leanne’s eyes are still in the shadows. Gear: Canon EOS 70D, 85mm f/1.8 USM Canon lens. Exposure: 1/250th at f/3.5, ISO 100.

Raccoon lightcloud before 600 Raccoon lightcloud after 600

A lighter touch with light – (above right) in this case, less light was required to lighten the shadows, so I used the on-screen flash intensity control (on the Canon 70D, press Q and then touch the flash power icon to access this feature) and reduced the flash output. Determining the right amount of flash output is often a matter of trial and error. In this case, the default setting was too dark, +2 was too bright, but +1 was perfect. Gear: same as above plus Canon 430 EX II Speedlight. Exposure: 1/250th at f/7.1, ISO 100.

Balancing light when shooting in the shade

The ideal way to take a portrait in the shade without flash is to shoot with the bright area behind you (behind the camera). This will give you a wide light source and with nice, flattering light. However, you may not have this option, or you want to include interesting background elements that are, alas, drenched in sunlight.

While an on-camera flash will add enough light, you can add more dimensionality and features to your subject’s face by taking the flash off the camera and moving it around. By combining ambient (existing) light with your off-camera flash, you introduce infinite creative portrait-taking possibilities.

(Not sure how to use wireless? Scroll down to read our primer)

It’s best to have what flash guru Joe McNally calls a “voice-activated light holder” (also known as a human being, a friend, relative or cooperative stranger) to move around and hold the flash wherever you need it. If it’s just you and your model, however, an inexpensive light stand and shoe-mount flash adapter, such as the Flashpoint Heavy Duty Lightstand and Adorama Universal Swivel Holder, will do the job. Total cost? Less than $ 50!

Fixing harsh backlighting without flash

Exposed for the background – in the photo below (left), the background is perfectly exposed but Leanne, standing in the shade of a large Maple tree, is in deep shadow. Gear: Canon 70D, 85mm f/1.8 Canon Lens mounted on a Velbon GEO E535D Carbon Fibre Tripod. Exposure: 1/320 second at f/4, ISO 100.

Exposed for background Exposed for openshade

Add one stop of exposure – (above right image) better, but Leanne’s face is still too dark. Gear: same as above. Exposure: 1/200th at f/3.2, ISO 100.

Spot meter on the subject – by taking a spot meter reading you can eliminate the misleading bright background from the exposure equation and get a pretty good exposure on the face (below left). But the eyes are still too dark, and the background is getting blown out. Gear: same as above. Exposure: 1/160th at f/2.8, ISO 100.

Exposedforface Exposed for shadows

Exposed for the eyes – now you can see Leanne’s eyes clearly (above right), but overall the image is too bright, especially the background. So let’s introduce a flash and balance things out. Gear: same as above. Exposure: 1/125th at f/2.5, ISO 100.

Adding flash to balance with the ambient light

Balanced light, image below left. Now the exposure is spot on! If you hold a flash up a foot or so above your camera while shooting, you should get this kind of light. The slight angle gives Leanne’s face a bit of dimensionality. Gear: Canon 70D, 85mm f/1.8 Canon Lens, Canon 430 EX II Speedlight flash mounted on Flashpoint Heavy Duty Lightstand via an Adorama Universal Swivel Holder. Exposure: 1/200th at f/5.6, ISO 100.

Balanced flash background Balanced flash 45degrees Left

Flash at a 45 degree angle (image above right). By moving the flash (now mounted on a light stand) further to the left of the camera and about a foot above eye-level you get this classic Loop pattern portrait lighting. Note how Leanne is turned slightly towards the light, and how the light falls off her left cheek, creating a more flattering, dimensional look. Same gear and exposure as above.

Flash at 90 degree angle (image below left). Now the flash is directly to camera left, and her face is divided into light and dark halves (also known as Split Lighting). This is a more dramatic look. Same gear and exposure as above.

Balanced flash 90degrees Left Backlit flash with refl

Backlighting (above right) – even though the sun was to the right of the camera, after placing the flash above and behind and slightly to camera left, it looks like she is backlit by the sun. These are the kinds of effects you can get by moving the light around. Same gear and exposure as above.

Add a reflector

If one additional light source isn’t enough, you can easily, and inexpensively, add a second by using a reflector. The Glow 5-in-1 32-inch Reflector Kit, for $ 26, is a versatile option. This dramatically increases the possibilities for controlling and shaping the light, and bringing out the contours in your subject’s face.

One problem – running out of hands. The solution? Have your subject hold the reflector and compose a nice tight headshot.

Balanced flash 45 degree refl2

The reflector adds a new dimension. Here Leanne is holding a silver reflector to her left, which is bringing light back to her face in an approximately 2:1 lighting ratio (the reflected light is half that of the direct light from the flash). Notice how the more angular cross-light brings out her facial features. Same gear as above plus Glow 5-in-1 32-inch Reflector Kit. Exposure: 1/160th at f/7.1, ISO 100.

What if you take away the reflector and put a flash in the model’s hands?

Model holding flash better

Flashie? In another setup, Leanne is holding the flash to her side as the sole light source. This is kind of like a “selfie” but with a flash.

Model holding flash vertical

She’s holding the light. In this tight headshot, Leanne is still holding the flash in the same position as above, but with a reflector to camera left adding light on the other side of her face.

Adding an umbrella

While a stand-alone flash (or one used in tandem with a reflector) is great for close shots, light falls off quickly and may not illuminate the person in a longer shot. To solve this, consider adding an umbrella to your arsenal. This will enlarge the light source and will result in more even illumination when shooting a full body or ¾ length portrait. Using an umbrella is worth an article of its own.

Umbrella sidelight modelfull

While a stand-alone flash (or one used in tandem with a reflector) placed near a subject can be great for close shots, it won’t evenly illuminate your portrait subject in a wider shot such as this one. Normally, the solution is to move the flash farther away, but in this scene, an outdoor porch, there was a wall immediately to the left of the camera. In this situation, bounce the flash off an umbrella. This will enlarge the light source to create more even illumination. Be sure to increase flash power approximately one stop to compensate for the light loss that results from bouncing the flash into the umbrella. (Using an umbrella is worth an article of its own!)

Step-by-step instructions on how to trigger Canon off-camera flash wirelessly

Here are the step-by-step directions for triggering a Canon 430 EX II wireless Canon flash from the Canon 70D. If you’re using another camera, check your manual for wireless flash instructions. Among other Canon systems, the directions will be similar.

flashsettings

  1. Turn the flash on, then press and hold the Zoom button for a second or two. You’ll see a new flash icon and Ch 1 Slave A appear in the LCD screen (see photo above).
  2. Turn the camera on and pop up the flash
  3. Go to Menu; in the first tab (camera operation), choose Flash Control, then scroll down to Built-in flash function setting, select “Wireless Func.” and choose the middle setting of the single flash (see below) Note: Although the on-camera flash is flipped up, it will not fire during the exposure. Rather, it will flash a split-second before the exposure, which triggers the off-camera flash to fire during exposure, so your only source of flash illumination during exposure will be the off-camera flash.

canon-built-in-flash-function-setting

Hopefully you can take these off-camera flash tips and apply them in your photography to help you make better portraits outdoors. If you have any additional questions or tips please share in the comments below.

The post Using Off-camera Flash to Fix Lighting Problems for Outdoor Portraits by Mason Resnick appeared first on Digital Photography School.


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Khalik Allah: Portraits in der Nacht

20 Jun

Khalik Allah. Dieser Name steht für Portraits mit Offenblende. Erst einmal nichts Besonderes, oder? Doch. Denn Khalik hat einen unverwechselbaren Stil, der sich locker von Hunderten anderen Fotografen, die technisch eigentlich dasselbe machen, deutlich unterscheidet. Und somit ein eigentlich ausgelutsches Thema neu belebt.

Khalik fotografiert in New York City. Und zwar ausschließlich nachts. Er portraitiert jedoch nicht jeden, der ihm vor die Kamera läuft, sondern ärmere Leute in Harlem, Lexington und der 125sten. Die Dunkelheit – oder das Nicht-Vorhandensein des Lichtes – definiert dabei die Menschen nur fein akzentuiert.

Aus dem Bildern geht hervor, dass Khalik die Blende öffnet, weil es notwendig ist. Nicht, weil er es kann, sondern weil er muss. Die Schwärze der Nacht zwingt ihn, mit spärlichsten Mitteln zu arbeiten und genau dieser Engpass führt zu sehr unkonventionellen Ergebnissen, die nicht nur technische Ursachen haben, sondern letztendlich auch seinem feinen Gespür für den entscheidenden Moment geschuldet sind.

Straßenfotografie: Ein Mann mit Hut schaut in die Kamera.

Straßenfotografie: Eine Frau mit Brille sieht in die Kamera, im Hintergrund verschwommene Stadt.

Straßenfotografie: Ein Mann mit Mütze lässt den Rauch einer Zigarette aufsteigen.

Straßenfotografie: Eine Ratte, die am Schwanz hochgehalten wird.

Straßenfotografie: Ein Mann bekommt von jemandem Feuer für die Zigarette und starrt dabei in die Kamera.

Straßenfotografie: Ein Polizist, der sein Halstuch über die Nase gezogen hat.

Straßenfotografie: Jemand zündet sich eine Zigarette an.

Straßenfotografie: Portrait einer Person, die ihre Augen halb geschlossen hält.

Straßenfotografie: Zwei Männer, die offensichtlich Spaß haben.

Straßenfotografie: Ein Mann lässt Rauch aus seinem Mund aufsteigen.

Straßenfotografie: Eine Frau mit langen Haaren lehnt sich an eine Telefonzelle an.

Straßenfotografie: Portrait eines Mannes bei Nacht.

Straßenfotografie: Eine Frau mit geöffnetem Oberteil drückt ihre Hand an eine Scheibe.

Straßenfotografie: Portrait eines Mannes, der an einer Zigarette zieht.

Straßenfotografie: Der Fotograf mit Kamera fotografiert sich selbst im Spiegel.

Motiviert ist Khalik durch seinen Glauben an Gott. So erklärt er unter anderem, dass er der Aufforderung Gottes folgt, Gott, seinen Nächsten und sich zu lieben. Fotografie sei der Ausdruck dessen, dass er in jedem Menschen das Schöne sehe.

All das hat eine Freundlichkeit und Offenheit zur Folge, mit der Khalik Allah (!) Menschen begegnet. Vielleicht ist das auch der Grund dafür, warum seine Portraits so ehrlich, ungestellt und tief wirken.

Auf seinem Tumblr-Blog reagiert er auf die Frage* nach einem Tipp wie folgt:

Ich würde sagen: Fotografiere analog. Lerne Deine Kamera kennen. Entwickle Deinen eigenen Stil. Studiere die Werke anderer. Und vergleiche Dich nicht mit anderen.

* Wer Khalik eine Weile auf Tumblr folgt, wird irgendwann merken, dass er jede Frage, die ihm dort gestellt wird, beantwortet. Auch das ist Ausdruck seiner Persönlichkeit.


kwerfeldein – Fotografie Magazin | Fotocommunity

 
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How to use a Gobo to add Depth to Your Portraits with Subtractive Lighting

16 Jun

Mussell044FA

It’s our responsibility as photographers to use the interplay of light and shadow on our subjects to create the third dimension in our two-dimensional media. When the shadows are absent, we should do our best to craft the direction of natural light with tools that do this organically–tools that do not call attention to themselves.

One tool that I often see photographers using outdoors, typically in an attempt to counteract the effects of ambient light on a subject rather than simply crafting existing light, is flash fill. The problem, however, is that the use of flash fill outdoors (especially on-camera flash) frequently results in a very unnatural look and flat lighting—where all of the shadows are gone—which means that they lose the three-dimensional effect that we as artists seek to make our subjects look real. Very rarely is flash used in this manner subtle enough not to call attention to itself.

The answer is subtractive lighting

Subtractive lighting simply involves the blocking of unwanted natural light to create a natural three-dimensional quality to the lighting of people outside. The tools used to block unwanted light are called gobos or flags. Both terms are used in the world of cinematography, but are not used much the still photography world today.

A flag is generally black, opaque, flat, and refers to something you could hold by hand or mount to a stand. As shown in the images below, this tool is used when you have placed your subject in a less than desirable, very open location with flat lighting.

Lopes102

Image with no gobo used

This is typically the lighting you’ll see with your subject out in the open. There’s strong light on both sides of his face, even though the sun is setting behind him. This is what’s referred to as flat lighting and it’s not very interesting.

In the next image you see how this can be corrected. Kathi, my wife and partner, is holding a 42″ flag close to the subject to create a dimensional shadow on the subject’s face.

Lopes112

Showing how the gobo is used

As you can see, just that simple modification of the natural light creates beautiful three-dimensionality.

Lopes106

Image with gobo used (notice the deeper shadow on his left cheek, camera right)

In this next example, we have our high school senior model, Jasmine, in the popular “Freak Alley” in downtown Boise. The sun is setting on camera left and is reflecting off a tall, distant, mirrored building to camera right. We blocked the direct sunlight on the left with our 42″ black flag, creating a nice shadow side on her face. Removing the much brighter sunlight coming from camera left (over 2 stops brighter than the reflected light on the right) also meant that I could open up the lens and slow down the shutter enough to record the dim light in the doorway behind her.

Mussell044FA

ISO 400, F/5.0 at 1/125th

If you don’t have a flag, you can accomplish similar results using a small natural light blocker, like a tree. This is where the generic term “gobo: (from go-between) comes into use. Gobos can be man-made things like buildings, houses, or a porch and they can also be something natural like a tree, forest, or hedges. Really, just about anything used to block light can be referred to as a gobo. The nice thing about a tree is that it can be in the picture, and act as a gobo to create the same type of lighting (called short lighting, where the shadowed side of the face is nearest the camera) that we used on Jasmine above.

Nick, in the image below, is a big athletic guy so I wanted to create some short lighting to trim down his face. To accomplish this, I leaned him into a small tree for its gobo effect which created a nice shadow on his face. The key to making this work is finding a tree with a small canopy. Since he must be very close to the tree for it to make a shadow on his face, the tree can’t have a big canopy or it will block the main light (the sky) and eliminate my nice deep background bokeh (those nice de-focused specular highlights, that will be a topic for a future article).

Connolly76

200mm lens, f/4.5 at 1/250th, ISO 400

Group portraits using subtractive lighting – more difficult but worth the effort

The hand held flag or small tree works great on individuals, but you need a much larger light blocker when photographing groups. To this end, scout your location for any large groups of trees, hedges, buildings, etc., which could serve as your gobo and help add three-dimensionality to your group portrait.

Again, to be effective, you must place your subject fairly close to the gobo so that you can see its effect (the shadow) on your subjects’ faces. Some photographers may have difficulty seeing this rather subtle effect with the naked eye, so I suggest to my students that they meter for the highlights on the subject’s face and take a test photo. It will be very obvious, when viewing the camera’s rear screen, if you have the shadows you’re looking for. How close, you ask, should the nearest member of your group be to the gobo? Usually about ten feet works for me. If you have a really big, tall tree line, then twenty feet may work beautifully.

In this last example, which was taken about two hours before sunset, the family was placed about fifteen feet away from a large stand of trees on the right. On the left, serving as the main light, is a large patch of clear blue sky with no sun in it. The only direct impact of the sun should be in creating backlight for the background.

Canode018

145mm lens, f/6.3 at 1/100th, ISO 400

Important caveat: Don’t stress if you can’t find the ideal location that will create the subtractive part of the natural lighting for groups, it’s not always possible. It’s perfectly acceptable to use soft, flat lighting when working with groups, especially large groups, one or two hours before sunset. Just make sure you have the other elements mentioned: keep the entire group in the shade, with the sun only touching the background, and that large patch of blue sky as your main light. We’ve used this technique to create many great portraits over the years.

Using true natural light, modified with the subtractive lighting technique, will produce superior portraits that will always look more natural than any flash technique. In addition, with the money you save not buying speed lights, soft-boxes, stands, weights, and radio triggers, you can invest in a really nice portrait lens. How’s that for a win-win?

If you have any other portrait lighting tips leave a comment below.

For more portrait lighting tips try out these articles:

  • Lighting Ratios to Make or Break your Portrait
  • 5 Reasons for Doing Natural Light Portraits
  • Let’s Talk About Light – 3 Types of Lighting Conditions and how to Use Them
  • Portraits – Lighting the Shot – a dPS ebook

 

The post How to use a Gobo to add Depth to Your Portraits with Subtractive Lighting by Jerry W Venz appeared first on Digital Photography School.


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In Photos: Sebastian Luczywo’s unconventional family portraits

14 Jun

children-family-photography-rural-sebastian-luczywo-14.jpg

Polish photographer Sebastian Luczywo takes an unusual approach to family photos. His clever and mood-filled photos depict his wife, their two children and family pets in the countryside, often with a touch of the surreal. The resulting images are anything but your standard family portraits. Take a look at his work. See gallery

News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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