Location, Location, Location

Transcription

1 Location, Location, Location 63

2 SS 1/2500, f2.0, ISO mm 2.0 Lens

3 I can t tell you how stressed out I used to get over the weather. I was a nervous wreck before my sessions, hoping I would remember what to do in every situation, what settings to use, what settings to change, all on top of trying to make kids smile. If you look at my work, my top choices for lighting fall under one of these 4 categories: Backlit, open shade, overcast, or magic hour. While I will shoot in other lighting situation, the majority of my work is done under those conditions. But before we talk about light, I want to talk about location Location, Location, Location I am very particular about my locations. I have spent countless hours driving around my city searching for great locations, and I am ALWAYS on the hunt for new ones. Why? Well I learned very quickly that your favorite dreamy perfect sunset location, or favorite dreamy tree filled orchard can disappear at the blink of an eye. It has happened to me multiple times. I learned I can never get complacent on my location selections, because I don t own the locations (side note: I am incredibly fortunate to have an amazing backyard that I can do a lot of outdoor work in!) 65

4 Guidelines for Location Selection Interesting backgrounds Identifying where the sun will be at the times You need to know if the locations can work throughout the day or only at certain times of the day. Take into account seasonal changes Note the angle of the sun. I quickly discovered how much seasons affect my shooting locations. An amazing location that works for backlighting in October will not be the same amazing location that works for a session in July. It s not just the time of day the light is in the sky, the angle changes. So, when you go assess your locations make note on where the light is in the sky so you will know where and when you can shoot and have multiple spots. You never know when you might need plan B! I love to shoot up a dirt road, and have had to find a different location a few times, because there was a herd of cows smack dab in my location. I have had to move locations quickly because of a huge hatch of mosquitoes. Be on your toes always! So what is it that I look for in a location? Personally, I like the focus to be on my subjects vs subjects in their environment, so generally, I m looking for things that can create depth in an image - foliage (bushes, shrubs/trees) long grasses, and wild flowers. If you prefer a more urban setting, the same thing applies - but you ll be looking for man-made items to add depth in your images. However, you may have an entirely different shooting style, where you want to highlight the everything in the scene - it s all about YOUR style and vision! The location doesn t have to be magic. It s what you can put in your viewfinder behind your subject that matters. As we ll show on the following page, with the right time of day and a little imagination, you can make great locations out of very little. 66

5 SS 1/1250, f2.0, ISO mm 2.0 Lens SS 1/1250, f2.0, ISO mm 2.0 Lens random locations we spotted while filming! 67

6 SS 1/2500, f2.5, ISO mm 2.0 Lens

7 Additional tips for locations selection No railroad tracks. It s dangerous. It s illegal. Just don t do it please. No trespassing signs. Obey them. Ask first before shooting on private property. If the property is owned by someone else ASK BEFORE you shoot there. And if they kindly let you, be sure to let them know you appreciate it! Water You may notice I rarely shoot families by the water. I live in the middle of the Canadian desert, and in the middle of our city runs a river, a sometimes very fast moving & swift river. Wildlife When taking clients into outdoor rustic sessions, you must be on alert for wildlife. Find out if there have been any local sightings in the area you are shooting in prior to the session. I have never encountered a bear, and I hope I never do. Bugs I carry baby/maternity friendly repellent. We get a lot of mosquitoes - if they are really bad, find locations where there are less (ie: not in the middle of a field by a creek!) Take more than 1 vehicle Why? Well what happens if you lose your keys or client loses theirs? Bring a first aid kit, jumper cables, bottles of water & snacks. Just in case. Always tell someone where you are going. I refuse to put my clients in danger. Take your cell phone and make sure its charged. As for creeks, as long as they are slow moving water, I have shot in them. I do love the effect of water, when its shaded and not blown out. But shooting with around $10K in equipment over water makes me a little nervous. 69

8 Lighting Scenarios 70

9 SS 1/1250, f2.2, ISO mm 2.0 Lens

10 Full Sun Overhead mid day sun is not kind. Try to avoid shoots at this time if possible. When faced with a noon session on a sunny day head for the shade and shoot on the edge of the light, and backlight. If it is midday (or mid morning/mid afternoon in the summer), the sun is directly above your subject s head, which means the light will be illuminating your subject from directly above. No good! This creates lots of harsh shadows on the contours of your subject s face (and as you can see, you ll get dark shadows under the eyes, nose, chin) - not flattering at all! (plus, that bright sun is going to make your subject squint!) However, if you chose to shoot in full sun I have a few tips. Avoid having your subject make eye contact with the camera (they are going to be squinting). Have them close their eyes or look down (works great with maternity images or families hugging) Or, ask them to look away so you don t notice the squint as much. (and find an angle where the sun isn t flooding over their face) SS 1/4000, f2.0, ISO mm lens SS 1/4000, f2.0, ISO mm lens 72

11 Open Shade I love open shade (and you ll see that I often get my clients under a tree or in the shade of big grove of trees) But what IS open shade exactly? It is an area that is out of the direct light but still has lots of light bouncing around in it! So, you ll find this area near the edge of where shade starts (on the shade side of that line...with your clients facing TOWARDS the open sky - not into the shade with open sky at their back) This is going to ensure their faces are illuminated AND that they have beautiful catchlights in their eyes (the catchlights are reflections of the open sky behind you). SS 1/1600, f2.0, ISO mm lens And what is creating the shade? It can be anything - trees, buildings, large hills, etc. But you have to be careful working with open shade. If you are too close to the edge of light, they ll get too much light on them and the backdrop will be too dark. If place them too far into the shade (away from the edge of light) you won t get great catchlights! SS 1/1250, f2.0, ISO mm 1.4 lens 73

12 Tips when working with open shade * Turn your subject around and look for the light in their eyes. * Face them out toward the light for the best catchlights * Be on the look out for dappled light (those spots of sunlight that filter in onto the subject) Dappled Light Dappled light is the little speckled spots of light that can filter down through the trees on to your subject. I find them especially prevalent when shooting mid-day under the trees. Open shade not only gives great even light and beautiful catchlights - it also will prevent your clients from squinting (which is a real challenge mid-day!) But not all open shade is not equal. Watch your white balance in open shade the colour tone is very blue and if shooting kelvin you will need to adjust your settings to correct the caste (if shooting RAW, it s not as critical...but less time editing, the better!) SS 1/1600, f2.0, ISO 160, 135mm lens Notice the dappled light on side of face and arm - not only distracting, but hard to fix in post-processing! When scouting locations, be sure to also be noting areas with dappled light (l look at the ground for clues! If you see them there, you ll see them on your subject!) When I run into dappled light I move my subjects a little further into the shade of the tree to make sure the dappled light is gone. (or use a diffuser to soften the light) 74

13 SS 1/1600, f2.5, ISO mm 2.0 Lens

14 Back-lighting A huge portion of my outdoor work is done with backlighting, I love the way the sun leaves a golden ring on hair and creates that beautiful golden light. I do some of my backlighting in morning sessions or late afternoon and tons of it in golden hour. I love how it looks!! So how do you achieve great back lit images? It s all about the placement of the sun. With backlighting you have 3 different options. #1. The sun right behind the subject, #2. The sun outside the frame #3. The sun inside the image (creating lens flare & haze) With backlighting the sun is behind the subject, to the right, to the left or directly behind. When I started playing with backlighting I was surprised to discover the subjects don t have to be directly between the lens and the sun, in fact, it s better if the sun hits them more at an angle! Watch their face and make sure you have nice even light (you don t want bright spots on their face!). If the sun is hitting their nose or cheek, adjust them a bit, turning their head or face so the light is only on the back of their head. So where do you place your subject for great backlight images? By having the sun behind your subject but still relatively high in the sky and the sun not in the image you will achieve images like the ones on the following page. 76

15 SS 1/2500, f1.8, ISO mm lens SS 1/1250, f2.0, ISO mm lens SS 1/1250, f2.0, ISO mm lens 77

16 Lens flare Now, lens flare can be good or bad it depends if lens flare was your intention (and if it covers anything important...faces, for example. Unless, that was your vision!). What causes it? Bright light directly hitting your lens (which can cause a starburst or a more subtle decrease in contrast) Unless you want flare, make sure the sun doesn t hit your lens directly. How? You can use a lens hood, change the angle of your shot, or use a hand/notebook, etc to shade the top of the lens. lens). By mid-day, the sun is high in the sky, so if you are trying to bring in some lens flare, you ll need to get a bit creative with your shooting angles because you will need to be pointing upwards to capture some direct sun rays!) (note: some people prefer adding flare effects in post-processing so they can control where in the image it is) Traditionally, flare was a major no-no in photography. However, in recent years it has become quite popular. Personally, I don t mind it at all, and sometimes I use it on purpose! Lots of practice will tell you if it is going to add something or become a distraction in your portrait. If you want some flare in your image, pay attention to the direction of light, and position your camera so the lens faces the sun. The easiest time to incorporate lens flare into your image is going to be morning and evening, when the sun is lower in the sky (and it feels like a natural shooting angle to get some sun hitting your SS 1/1250, f1.6, ISO mm 1.4 Lens 78

17 Haze Yummy haze! I love haze! Like lens flare, to some pro photographers it is also a big no-no! (how lucky we get to decide for ourselves how we want our art to look!) By allowing the suns rays to filter in and hit your camera you can create haze. You can block some of the light coming in with your lens hood or with your hand. And you can adjust the amount of sunlight hitting your lens by slightly changing your camera angle. I like to shoot so I have a little haze in my camera, but the sun is still out of the frame. If you find you do have too much haze you can increase your contrast and blacks in post processing, but it feel so much better and rewarding to know you got it right in camera. When the sun is partially blocked you can have gorgeous rays of light streaming in. And for fun try this tutorial ht tp://w w w.diyphotography.net/make- cool-haz y-light-leakmystical-photos-with-a-sandwich-baggie-and-a-colored-marker SS 1/2500, f2.0, ISO mm Lens 79

18 SS 1/640, f2.2, ISO mm 2.0 Lens

19 Metering + Focusing with Backlight Focusing in backlit situations is one of the trickiest. Your camera will hunt trying to find something to lock focus on. I can usually get very close to my exposure by spot-metering the darkest part of their face. From there, look at your LCD or histogram and adjust The reason for this is that when we flood our lenses full of light, we reduce the amount of contrast, so it makes it much harder to focus. What you want to do is find something on the focal plane you are trying to focus on (could be an eye) to get that focus to lock. This is when using your lens hood comes in handy, it will help block out some of the light that is spilling into your lens. If you simply can t get your auto focus to lock, it s time to switch to manual mode! What do you meter off? In backlit situations, I typically meter of the face. If it s looking a little dark, I typically will reduce my shutter speed. If too light, I increase it. Remember - you need to expose for the subject! This is the most important piece of a great backlit shot. If you don t spot meter your camera will try to expose for the whole scene, and you ll end up with a dark, muddy face. SS 1/1250, f2.0, ISO mm 1.4 Lens 81

20 Ow - I m blind! Yup that s another tricky thing with backlighting. If not done correctly, you end up looking right into the sun, which makes it nearly impossible to see what you are shooting and hurts your poor eyes too! All I can say is practice, practice, practice (and then practice some more) You WILL find the sweet spot and achieve great portraits that don t hurt your eyes to take! There is one final challenge with backlit photos...and that s getting nice light on the subject s face and catch-lights in their eyes! It s a challenge because the light is right behind them. But, if you have them facing a reflective source like a reflector, a body of water, open field or a bright wall bouncing light at them, you will create fill light and can achieve catch-lights too (you can also wear white to act like a moving reflector!) SS 1/2500, f2.0, ISO mm Lens SS 1/2000, f2.2, ISO mm Lens 82

21 Golden hour Golden hour light is pure magic. I have never seen an action, filter or texture that can replicate this light! It is warm, soft, dimensional and pure magic. So when is Golden hour? Roughly, it is the hour after sunrise and the hour before sunset. Golden hour depends on a few factors and depending on what part of the world you are in, and the season, you will get a longer or shorter golden hour (and it changes daily!) Why is it so awesome? The warm glows adds an ethereal effect to the image. Because it is a soft light (which means the shadows are soft = not a lot of contrast), you ll find beautiful transitions between highlights, midtones and shadows. You won t blow out the highlights, yet, you ll be able to pull detail out in shadows that create an extra depth to your image. SS 1/4000, f1.6, ISO mm 1.4 Give yourself extra shooting time and start a little earlier. Shoot fast! That sun can drop quickly! Also check out your locations before hand. If your location is surrounded by trees or mountains, that sun can dip behind it before the golden hour calculator indicated. I often drive out to a location the night prior to check out the sunset and approx. times I want to be there. Some things to watch out for.clouds! I have had many a sunset ruined because of clouds which accumulate along the horizon. Check out the golden hour calculator - 83

22 Magic Hour (blue hour) This is the magical time of the evening after the sun has set (or first thing in the morning before the sun has risen), and it s neither day nor night (dawn/dusk) It creates an amazing open shade that allows you to shoot in pretty much any direction you want and the light is always amazing! (this is the time you can get those images with the gorgeous purple/blue quality). In my experience, blue hour is very quick and the light drops off quickly. SS 1/1250, f2.2, ISO mm 1.4 Lens I need to continue to raise my ISO as I shoot to risk underexposure (this is not the time to seeking locations - know exactly what you want for location and posing and shoot, shoot, shoot!) A fantastic article that goes into more detail on magic hour & golden hour. SS 1/250, f1.6, ISO mm 1.4 Lens 84

23 Sunny/cloudy/sunny/cloudy/sunny/cloudy Yup you read that correctly.those days, the sun comes out, and then behind a cloud, and over and over through your session. It almost makes your hands hurt how fast you have to change your settings! That is one thing you have to be aware of shooting on days where the sun goes in and out of clouds - the light totally changes, and the golden light turns cool very quickly! I can tell you I learned quickly to always check my exposure on the back of my LCD when the light changes. However challenging, these constantly changing days are some of my favourite to shoot on! I love being able to get backlit images, images in the shade and then evenly soft lit images from the cloud cover all in 1 session! (it makes for great variety in the client s gallery) shutter speed (and that s what I tweak quickly when the sun dips behind the clouds). For example a sunny day & backlighting my settings might be F 2.2 ISO 100 SS 1/2400 If the sun went behind a cloud it might change to F2.2 ISO 100 SS 1/1000, so mainly it is my shutter speed that I am really changing fast on the fly. I just make sure to never let it dip below 1/320 for those fast moving toddler sessions. Side Lighting With direct sunlight, I never use side lighting. I find the light will be too harsh on one side of the face and the second half will be shrouded in darkness and shadows. Certainly not flattering for a portrait. So what do I typically do to quickly change my exposure? I leave my Aperture because I like to shoot pretty wide open. I m usually shooting at ISO between , so that leaves 85

24 Thunder and Lightning Storms (& rain) If there is a thunder or lightning storm, I typically will reschedule my clients. In rain, I stop shooting. Even though my camera is weathersealed, shooting in the rain requires tons of editing to remove all the rain drops (high shutter speeds freeze motion) and wet spots on my clients. So unless the goal is for an artistic portrait where the rain is not removed in post processing, I don t shoot in it. I love the look of a dramatic sky though and love lucking out getting to use it. SS 1/2500 f 2 ISO

25 Cloudy days I love love love getting to shoot on overcast or cloudy days! Why? I can really shoot any direction I want, instead of just staying in the shade. You don t have to worry about dappled light in shaded areas. There are not harsh shadows and the light is beautifully diffused. Clouds are nature s softbox! However, because this giant softbox is positioned directly overhead, it can be hard to have anything other than flat lighting, catchlights can be a bit harder to really pop, and portraits can sometimes seem flat and boring. So how do you avoid flat lighting? Look for directional light. Directional light can be hard to find because it may be tricky to locate the sun, some photographers carry a compass to figure out exactly where the sun is based on the time - there are even iphone apps for the compass! To create dimension, you can use your surroundings too all sorts of things (buildings, trees, walls), etc. to block some of the light in one or more directions to create directional light (by helping create some shadow) SS 1/800, f2.2, ISO mm Lens 87

26 You can also use a reflector, a diffuser to create directional light on an overcast day. One thing to note is that colours can also be muted when shooting on a cloudy day, so if muted colours aren t your style, you may want to increase the saturation (or vibrance) in post processing. If you are going to include the sky as part of your image, be careful on cloudy days as they can be blown out, Sometimes they are stormy and interesting (like on the right), but often, it just boring gray that become boring blown out sky in your image. So, be selective if you are going to include them as part of your image. SS 1/2500, f1.6, ISO mm 1.4 Lens 88

27 Snow Days I love fresh fallen snow and I love to take my brave clients outside to play in it. But you have to be careful shooting in the snow, it is VERY reflective and unless you underexpose it can end up looking like just blown out white. If it is sunny it can be super squinty so it may be best to move your subject into the shade. I love being able to shoot in fresh fallen snow in overcast light, that is my favorite snow scenario. I don t advise actually shooting in the heavy falling snow though, It can be extremely tricky and frustrating to edit. So on days when it is actually snowing I usually stay in studio, and if I want to make it look like it is snowing I do so in post processing, and I have used snow actions to do so. F2 ISO 200 SS 1/2000 F 2.2 ISO 160 SS 1/

28 Colour Casts A colour cast is defined as a tint of a colour, usually unwanted, which affects a photographic image. ~Wikipedia Color casts are caused when the light hits the area with colour and bounces it back on to the subject. I notice this primarily in client s wardrobe choices, particularly bright and colorful items. The light will bounce off a bright shirt and cast colour on to the subject s face. Also when shooting in heavily forested areas or areas covered in green grass the green colour cast can be pretty heavy as well, turning your subject green too (notably on the parts of their body facing the grass - ie: underside of arms, jaw line, backs of legs, etc). SS 1/1600, f2.2 ISO 160 If YOU are wearing bright colors the light can also bounce off you and onto the subject. I try to always wear white or light colors when I shoot to avoid colour casts. Colour casts can be corrected in Photoshop. Top image - I went over with a saturation brush in CS5 and reduced the opacity by over 50%. My goal wasn t so much to desaturate it, but to tone it down (bottom image is unedited) 90 Here s a good colour cast tutorial -

29 Sunsets & Silhouettes When shooting sunsets and silhouettes, my metering rules totally change. When I shoot sunsets & silhouettes I meter for the sky and not my subject. My goal is to underexpose the subject so what pops is the amazing colors in the sky! Also try shooting at a variety of exposures, so your subject gets really dark (a silhouette) or brighter. The key here is to play with your settings (both the shutter speed and aperture) when you change them you get completely different results! Your white balance will totally change the look of these images too. A cooler white balance will give you a purple/blue looking image and if you raise it up it will be a golden/red image. And don t stop shooting until after the sun goes right down, the sky will continue to change and the colors will change too, so don t be afraid to play and see what you can create! The most vibrant colors will appear after the sun has gone down, so sticking around a little longer can be totally worth it. And as the light changes don t forget to adjust your settings! Images on left: F2 ISO 250 SS 1/5000 (same settings for both - all that changed was the white balance. In both, I added a bit more purple to the image by adjusting the tint.) 91

30 Startburst You can create startbursts in your image by raising your fstop when shooting with the sun (or any bright light source) in your image. If you are using a wide aperture, the sun light will end up a large orb of light - however, if you increase the fstop, to something like f11-f16, you can create the burst effect you see on the right. Why? When you close your aperture, the blades start to make angles (it will depend on the number of blades in your lens and build design). NOTE: the smaller your focal length (35mm Vs 85mm - the more visible the starburst will become). The compromise with starbursts is that you will not have that blurry bokeh when you are shooting at a higher aperture so it depends what your goal is when shooting. SS 1/400, f16 ISO mm SS 1/400, f16 ISO mm 92

31 Blown Out Skies Blown out sky recovering a blown out sky. What s a blown out sky? A blow out is when the sky is basically a big white blob behind your subject. That s not to say all blown white skies are mistakes - that could be precisely the look you are going for. Or, it might be unavoidable in order to exposure correctly on your subjects (like a bright day at the beach!) You can accept your blown-out sky. You can work with a sky overlay (personally, this isn t something I do). When they are done well, they are fantastic. When they aren t done well...let s just say a blown-out sky would be preferable! Now, if you find yourself dealing with a big blown out sky, there are few things you can do to solve the issue: a) try to pose your subjects so that there is a nice rich landscape behind them b) try a graduated or neutral density filter (not something I typically use, but I do love the results) c) try not to over expose your sky and under expose your subject and recover if you can in ACR or Lightroom *** What s a graduated filter or neutral density filter? Neutral density filter or ND filter is a filter that reduces or modifies intensity of light equally, giving no changes in hue of the color. It can be a colorless (clear) or grey filter. The purpose of the neutral density filter is to allow the photographer greater flexibility to change the Aperture, shutter speed and/or motion blur of the subject in different situations and conditions. ~Wikipedia I personally do not use them, so I can t say much more than that! SS 1/2000, f2.0 ISO

32 SS 1/1000, f1.8 ISO 160 In the examples above, you can see all I did was change my angle and get a little closer to fill the frame (and voila - way less blown-out sky!) 94

33 A note on reflectors Reflectors can be a great tool. I rarely use them though (as in, almost never!) Why? Well I don t have an assistant following me around toting my gear for me, and certainly not someone to hold the reflector while I shoot. More often than not, I use it to create shade (the white side will bounce some light back to my subject though!) Reflectors can be awesome though! I have the 5 in 1 reflector Black side: casts a shadow if you have too much light or want to create moody light White side: bounces fill light on to your subject very directional this is what I use outside & inside Silver side: I find it way to bright - but, depending on your style, it might be perfect! Gold side: Good for bouncing back golden light onto your subject, although sometimes it can be too warm and can give an unnatural gold glow Diffuser diffuses direct sunlight. Also you can use it to bounce just a bit of light, as much of the light will pass through. Benefits to using a reflector: You can create great catchlights in the eyes You can bounce light back onto the subject on backlit situations In full sun conditions, you can use the fill light to soften shadows. You don t have to go buy an expensive reflector though. I have a friend who only will shoot with her two pieces of foamboard taped together (she has an expensive options...she just prefers the control of the foamboard!) When trying to figure out angles of light, think of playing a game of pool! I was never good at angles, so I usually just move it around until I get the light I m looking for! 95

34 Diffusing the light A diffuser adds a layer of softening between your subject and the harsh sunlight. This will both reduce the chances of blowing out the highlights and soften the shadows (=will decrease contrast) Diffusers are perfect for bright light and squinty direct sun as it reduces the intensity of the light. 96

35 SS 1/1600, f2.5, ISO mm 2.0 Lens

36 And now...it s time for action. My dear friend, I now encourage you to put away the computer and go play outside. Please be kind with yourself. Remember how we talked about failing forward? Every time you push yourself out of your comfort zone, you are growing. Sometime growth can feel uncomfortable. Keep practicing. Surround yourself with people who will help keep you motivated, inspired, and positive. Thank-you for inviting me in on your journey. Wishing you much success and joy! Love Lisa