Hopefully, you enjoyed the first part of this guest post on flash photography. Now it’s time for the last part, which I’m sure you’ll enjoy as well!

Lesson #6: Flashes are good at light, but great at creating shadows

Even though I was concerned with removing shadows in the last lesson, it’s important to remember that sometimes shadows can look cool.

Signs of life, by Jo Christian Oterhals on Flickr

I had noticed this little flower that was growing in the most unlikely of places, and knew that I had to photograph it. But the day I had time, the light was dull and grey and absolutely shadowless. It just didn’t look good. So what I did was that I placed a flash off camera, a few meters to the right of the flower. I didn’t use any softening devices at all; this was all direct flash.

The small blip of flash made the flower cast a nice shadow. In addition the flash added some color to the scene, so that what really was a gray day looked like a sunny afternoon.

Conscious use of shadows can be used with great success and effect when photographing people. Sometimes it elevates a scene from mundane to great. This nude photo by the Flickr user sneaks85 is a great example:

nude, by sneaks85; on Flickr

The light is great of course, but it’s the shadows that accentuates the model’s body and curves. So be aware of shadows: Shadowless lighting is not an ideal in itself. It can be, but surprisingly often it’s not.

Lesson #7: Sometimes light should come from behind

We’re so accustomed to seeing subjects lit from the front, that merely placing the light behind the subject you’ll create a more «edgy» look. Not only that, but sometimes you should think more about lighting little than much.

Don’t give up, by Jo Christian Oterhals on Flickr

In this case I just wanted to light the rim of the faces, so both models here hand-holds one flash each. They hold them just below the edge of the frame and tilts them a little upwards. The flame is caused by stray light from one of the flashes.

Even though in one of the lessons above I say that you should mix available light and flash light when you can, in this particular case I wanted to remove all available light. So the combination of a small aperture and high shutter speed rendered the parts that are not flash lit black. It was really only the edge of the faces that were lit (often referred to as edge lighting).

Eve and Adam 2009, by Jo Christian Oterhals on Flickr

This another example using the same technique, but with a twist: I keep enough available light to render the bodies somewhat, but an overexposed background creates a high-contrast silhouette look.

Lesson #8: Light can be colored

Flash light is white or neutral. The great thing about white light is that it can be colored. Wrap a sheet of colored plastic over the flash head, and you suddenly have a colored light.

Doing the dishes, Tron style, by Jo Christian Oterhals on Flickr

This can be used a lot of ways. One obvious way is to color whatever it is you’re trying to photograph. In this photo I’ve placed a blue plastic gel over the flash. The scene is as ordinary as running water from a tap, but the blue light gives the water an unreal, almost metallic look.

Lesson #9: Go manual

After dabbling with flash photography for a while, you’ll see that when the computer inside your camera makes every decision for you, the results will be pretty average. The computer will always try to expose perfectly, and a perfect result in a computer’s mind is a photo that includes as much tonality between totally white and completely blown-out as possible.

The strange thing is that the world is seldom as average as this. Now’s the time to take charge. Start with exposure compensation. Just as your camera has exposure compensation functions for letting in more or less light than what your camera has chosen for you, the flash will probably have the same possibility. So try to output more or less light from the flash using flash exposure compensation. Learn when your flash/camera combo makes good decisions for you, and when they don’t. You’ll soon see that you’ll get better photos once you’ve mastered this.

Halo, by Drippy2009; on Flickr

For many this will be enough fiddling around, but for those of you who want to take it a step further: Go manual. There are several reasons for going manual, one of them can be if you are using one of the eBay radio trigger sets. Then you have no choice but to go manual. But manual is also an option if your TTL/automatic system gets fooled by sudden changes in ambient light. With manual settings you’re ensured that flash output stays identical from exposure to exposure.

Manual control of flash is hard to grasp at first, because it involves some head calculations. But when you get the grip on it, you’ve got more control than ever. Flashes providing manual control gives you the opportunity to tell it to blast at 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, etc., of full power. Some flashes let you reduce as much as 1/128. The lower the power, the faster the flash will recharge. An unexpected but cool side effect of lowering output power, is that the time the flash is actually lit shortens. Imagine photographing droplets: The shorter time the flash lights, the more frozen the drop will be.

Final lesson: Experiment! Sometimes wrong is right!

This may be the most important lesson. Sometimes wrong is right. Experiment with output, with reflecting light off wrong-colored surfaces, overexpose, underexpose; be amazed by how things did not turn out like you thought (and make notes when these wrongs actually looks good).

As I’ve shown above, with flash you can: turn dull days in to colorful days; freeze droplets; make bodies more interesting; simulate movement.

In short: Experiment. Flash photography is fun!

If you liked this post, you may also like:

1. 10 tips to get you started with flash photography, part 1
2. 9 tips to make this year’s Christmas photos better than last year’s

Used to the mediocre output of the built-in flash, lots of photographers dismiss using flash for lighting altogether. But if you upgrade to an external unit and you use it when and where it’s really useful, you’ll be able to achieve results you wouldn’t have otherwise.

These are the first 5 tips on this topic. The other 5 will be published in another article in a couple of days. So stay tuned!

High Speed Photography, by phatmax95 on Flickr

Days are (on the northern hemisphere at least) still dark. This means that for most amateur photographers, daylight’s gone by the time they’ve got a few minutes to spare for photography. If you’ve ever thought about venturing into flash photography, there’s probably no better time than right now.

But there are many myths concerning this, the two biggest being that flash light is always ugly and the second that it’s difficult to do right. This keeps many from using it. Personally I don’t find it particularly hard, neither do I find flash light particularly ugly.

Below you’ll find a few lessons that I personally find useful.

Lesson #1: If a built-in flash is all you have, use it

Although most of the lessons here will tell you that light looks best off-camera, sometimes on-camera flash is all you have. You may not get photos sutiable for publishing in fashion magazines this way, but at least you’ll get photos that are better than they could have been.

This sensational photo by Flickr user kittenmoon proves my point:

Shopping for dinner.., by kittenmoon on Flickr

A self portrait in front of a fantastic sunset made possible by a small P&S and a kiss of light from the built-in flash. Without the built-in flash, this would have been a photo of a silhoutte in front of a beautiful sunset. But with it, the photographer’s got a smashing self-portrait. In short, this may be one of the best examples that you should use whatever light you have with you.

The built-in flash can help you get rid of harsh shadows when photographing outdoors and in daylight, combined with high ISO it can help you get nicer indoor pictures, etc. You probably have a built-in flash. Use it.

Lesson #2: Equipment matters

Some people claim that great equipment doesn’t make great photographs. Up to a point they’re right. But when it comes to flash there’s still a minimum of equipment needed. At least you’ll need a flash, and regardless of what I said in lesson #1, you should preferably invest in an external unit.

If you don’t have one, now’s the time to buy. Go for an external flash with as much output power as you can afford. Preferably you should buy one that has a head that can be tilted and rotated. Canon, Nikon, Panasonic, etc., all produce flashes for their systems, but there are also lots of third-party vendors of flashes for your camera. This means that you have lots of options, and you’ll always be able to find something that suits your budget.

If you can, get one that can be triggered by your camera even when it’s off camera. Although most camera makers now have this facility built-in, some SLR models needs a second flash or a special triggering device to achieve this (most notably the Canon EOS series). If you’re on a tight budget, you can opt for radio triggers instead. They can be found on eBay for less than $50.

You’ll probably have to operate your flashes manually with these, but doing that is actually easier than it sounds at first. Personally, I use the triggers on the photo for just about anything now (click photo to see them on eBay). This kit may not suit you, but for me it does the job.

Lesson #3: Mix available light and flash when possible

If you normally shoot your photos using P or «green square», try flipping the command dial over to aperture priority.

Spread em, by Benny Vision on Flickr

On the fully automatic modes, the camera will normally shoot at your cameras flash sync speed – usually somewhere around 1/125 to 1/250 depending on what camera you have. It will completely disregard what shutter speed it should have chosen to expose the ambient light correctly.

Sometimes you may want to remove available light altogether, but in all I think those situations are fewer than the opposite. They do exist, however. See Lesson #7 for an example.

Lesson #4: Use second curtain flash sync

When mixing ambient light and flash, you’ll sometimes experience that shutter speeds drop too low to render everything sharp.

No need to panic, though. The flash will help freeze your subject and render it sharp or semi-sharp. The downside is if your subject moves. Then you’ll see «ghosting» or «speed trails».

This can look good, however, if your camera is able to synchronize flash to second shutter curtain (also called “rear curtain”), i.e fire the flash when the shutter’s closing instead of when it opens. With this function enabled, the frozen, sharp version of your subject will come after the ghosting has occured. The ghost effect will then look like speed trails and give you a natural sense of speed and direction.

Boom, by keithpyt on Flickr

Looking at the image I’ve used to exemplify this, taken by Flickr user keithpyt, you’ll see a great use of slow shutter speed and second curtain sync. The biker is nice and sharp, and the trails give you a feeling of speed. Had the photographer not used second curtain flash sync, however, it would have looked as if the biker flew backwards. The result is in this case a great photo.

So use second curtain sync as often as possible. You should probably leave your flash on second curtain sync all the time. (If you use a radio trigger set like the one I mentioned above, you may experience that second shutter sync is impossible)

Lesson #5: Light looks best when it come from anywhere else but the camera

You’ve seen it outdoors: Light almost never comes directly from behind your back. As long as you just have a built-in flash you don’t have much choice in the matter. But if you also own an external flash: Why insist that flash light should come from your forehead?

Direct flash will create harsh light and shadows, that more often than not is unflattering for your subject. If your subjects are close to a wall, deep shadows will dominate the background. And in dark rooms they’ll get the dreaded red eyes. In short: Unless that’s the effect you’re going for, avoid direct flash.

The solution is to get the light to come in from somewhere else but the top of your camera. What’s great is that you can do this without taking the flash off your camera. If you’ve got the rotatable and tiltable kind of flash you’ve got plenty of possibility to bounce light of walls, ceilings, etc. The ability to bounce will alone open a world of possibilities for creating more subdued indirect light effects.

Portrait before Christmas, by Jo Christian Oterhals on Flickr

In this example I’ve fixed a flash on my camera. I’ve rotated the head 180 degrees and tilted it a little upwards, so that it actually fires partly into the ceiling and a wall behind me. A nice side effect of this technique is that it creates a soft, nice shadowless light, almost like a large softbox. No deep shadows in the face here, and none in the background. A great side effect is nice and large catchlights in his eyes.

One shortcoming of this technique is that the walls should be white or as close to white as possible. If they’re not, the reflected light will have added some of the color of the surface it reflects from. Unless you’re converting your images to black and white later on, this is something you’ll have to be aware of.

If you’ve got the kind of flash that can be remotely controlled by your camera, this problem can be avoided by placing the flash off camera somewhere to the left or right of the subject.

End of part 1. Check out part 2 next week!

If you liked this post, you may also like:

1. 10 tips to get you started with flash photography, part 2
2. 9 tips to make this year’s Christmas photos better than last year’s
3. Take pictures in aperture-priority mode

(Every image is linked to the photograph’s page on Flickr. Do click to see other photos!)

(yes, I actually had the nerve to include one of my own… )

If you liked this post, you may also like:

1. Explore yourself with a self-portrait project on Flickr
2. Shoot vertical subjects in portrait mode
3. Introduction to digital black & white photography

Christmas Shopping HBW, by Photocillin on Flickr

Watch the background

Christmas time is decoration time. Often loads of it. This is of course an important part of creating the right Christmas mood (good), but it can also generate very fuzzy backgrounds for your photos (bad). Be sure to take your background into account when shooting, to avoid elements in your background that takes too much attention from your subject.

Move closer to your subjects

If the background is fuzzy, consider moving closer to your subject. More often than not, a photo will improve by removing the surroundings and filling the frame with your subject(s).

Christmas-time is bokeh-time

Day 4, by Phil Peck on Flickr

Don’t take only posed photos

When you look at Christmas photos, they often include people looking straight into the camera (“Say cheeeeeeese!”). In gatherings like these, I usually prefer that people are not posing, as this often looks unnatural. I want my photos to capture the mood as it was, not how it was staged. Candid shots are great. Capture the intense glee the kids show, instead of the unreal calmness when they are posing.

Use a tele for kids

Speaking of kids. They have an uncanny ability to notice that someone is taking their picture (“Can I see, can I?”), so why not try and make it more difficult for them? If there is sufficient light, try using a tele lens so that you can get more distance to the kids and perhaps get some really nice shots of them playing.

Get down on children-level

Let’s not leave the kids just yet (after all; they are the most important part of Christmas, right?). Too many photos of kids are taken downwards. Get down to their level. This perspective is a lot more pleasant and interesting. Or even better; get lower! Photos of kids taken from below creates an unusual perspective that will add an interesting twist to your photos.

Cross-process some of your photos

Unique, by pixelprints on Flickr

Try to avoid flash

If you own one (or can borrow), go for a fast lens like a 50mm 1.4 or 1.8. This will enable you to take a lot of your photos without flash. If you use the built-in flash, most photos will have hard shadows and unnatural lighting. And a quality flash won’t help you much if it isn’t used right. To capture the warm, cosy Christmas mood, it is better to shoot without a flash. A fast lens (and a little higher ISO) is your friend!

Capture the details

As I said earlier, Christmas is very much about decoration. Which means details details details. Many of these details can be interesting subjects if you use your creative vision. Photos of details will add a nice touch to your Christmas photo album (you do print some of your photos, right? They don’t all just stay on your hard drive…?). Well, they look great in digital albums as well, of course

I hope these tips will help you take better photos this year! Do you have some tips on your own? Please share them with us! And if you’ve taken Christmas photos that you are particularly satisfied with, do share them in the comments section.

I wish you all a wonderful Christmas!

If you liked this post, you may also like:

1. 10 tips to get you started with flash photography, part 1
2. 10 tips to get you started with flash photography, part 2
3. Wedding photography: How to capture the mood of the celebration

It’s customary to hire a photographer to take photos of the couple, the best man and woman, the family. Often lined up. Many photographers do some “classic” setups of the couple, and some creative, using the location to best advantage.

But, when this is done, the photographer usually goes home and it’s up to the guests (that means you!) to document the rest of the celebration. In this article I aim to offer some advice on how to take interesting photos of a wedding.

The wedding shoes

I’m married. For my wife Hanne and me, this was a huge event. We invited a great many of our family and friends. And we wanted lots of photos, so we bought disposable cameras, put them out on the tables and asked our guests to use them during the celebration.

Lesson 1: Disposable cameras are wasted.
Scarce light + unskilled photographers + poor quality cameras = mostly junk (even vulgar) photos!

We also asked those of our guests who brought their own cameras to kindly send us their photos when they returned home.

Lesson 2: Most guests shoot lots of frames of the wedded couple, and little else. And as we’d already hired a professional, we had enough photos of us. (And besides; we spent quite some time getting everyone to send us the photos.)

So, is all this rambling leading anywhere, or am I just high on exposing my private life?

It leads up to this core question:

How to take better wedding photos?

Most photos from a wedding are of the couple. What you often don’t get are photos that catch the atmosphere of the celebration. All the small, but important, details that contribute to the success of the event.

Weddings are, of course, very much about people. But also about details. Lots of details. All of which play their part in creating the atmosphere of the celebration. In remembering the wedding, thinking back, many of those details disappear. And with them, a part of the atmosphere.

As photographers, we can capture those details. And often, they make for nice subjects!

This is all about using your awareness. As you walk around, you must try and put aside your role as a guest and focus on mood and details. Close-up photography is key to capturing lots of details. Get close to small details, and use bokeh actively.

If you’re going to shoot guests, try doing it candid. Leave most of the posed shooting to the hired pro. Posed shots can be nice, of course, but we’re aiming for mood, remember?

If you can, try adding a humorous touch to some of the shots. The above photo of the wedding shoes is a great example. That specific photo is guaranteed to trigger a memory!

Prepare! If possible, visit the location on beforehand. You’ll probably get several ideas you can work on when the day has come.

Do you have other tips? Or maybe you have wedding photos that may inspire others? Please share, we’d love to see!

All photos featured in this article are shot by Astrid Tvedt. Check out her photostream on Flickr. The wedding photos have their own set.
A big thank you to Astrid for letting me use her photos!

White feather on rust, by Marius Waldal

Where to give critiques

Visit a site like Flickr, browse through images and spend some time analyzing each. If you see a great photo, try analyzing why the photo is great. What works? How are the elements ordered? What creates visual harmony (or visual tension)? What compositional tools has the photographer utilized to compose the scene? Look for lines, colors, symmetry (or asymmetry), balance and angles.

I really recommend that you join a site like Flickr and give photo critiques on a regular basis. You will learn a lot from doing this. And as an added bonus, those you critique will probably visit your profile and give you critiques back. This will enable you to look at your own pictures in new ways, learning a whole lot in the process.

What is a photo critique?

Sunny autumn colors by Marius Waldal

Writing the critique

You should start by writing a few words about how the photo affects you, how you “read” it. Maybe even say something about what you think the photographer is trying to convey with the photo.

Continue by considering the technical qualities in the photo. Is the focus ok? Do you see imperfections in the image, clipped highlights or blocked shadows, familiar objects that has an incorrect color rendering?

Then, focus on what you like about the photo. In most any photo there is bound to be some points that are positive. Write what you think works well in the image. This may be technical, compositional or artistical.

The photographer should be pretty warm by now and have the impression that you’re giving a serious critique. So now is the time to comment on the weaker points, but with a constructive basis. Write something about what could be done to improve the image, or what you would have done differently should you try and take the same photo.

Wrap it all up with a conclusion.

For an example photo critique by framed reality, see this link:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ashumittal/4114761522/

1. Shoot vertical subjects in portrait mode
2. Fast and easy Flickr upload with FlickrExport for Aperture
3. The Exposure Triangle – Aperture

Quadruple the Fun!, by raineys on Flickr

Natural framing is the concept of finding something in your surroundings, natural or man-made (yes, we still call it “natural framing”), that can be used as a frame for your “real” subject. There are many things that can be used as natural frames. Common choices are taking a photo out of a cave-like opening, through bridges and windows. But the possibilities are limitless if you are creative enough. So why use natural frames?

Enhances depth and leads the eye

Marrakesh Pink, by Edwin de Jongh
on Flickr

Keeping the attention

The frames also have the effect of keeping the viewer’s attention inside the photo. This is an important part in making the viewer’s eyes wander around inside the photo, rather than wandering out of it.

Creates order

Oh.. My.. God!, by SonOfJordan on Flickr

Incomplete frames

The frame must not necessarily be complete to work as a frame. Actually; more often than not, they aren’t complete. A tree trunk on each side can be effective. The arch of a bridge, the legs of a person, a low-hanging branch are all possible and effective natural frames that does not surround the entire image. When looking at such an image, our mind completes the frame for us.

Natural frames are everywhere!

The Ring, by Marius Waldal

Do you perhaps have tips for natural framing? Share them with us in the comments, as well as your photos with natural framing!

]]> http://www.framedreality.com/natural-framing/feed 6 http://www.framedreality.com/shoot-vertical-subjects-in-portrait-mode http://www.framedreality.com/shoot-vertical-subjects-in-portrait-mode#comments Sat, 10 Oct 2009 19:39:21 +0000 Marius Waldal http://waldal.no/fotoblogg/?p=45

1. Take pictures in aperture-priority mode