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by Joel Weisbrod
If you have a point and shoot digital camera you can simply point it, shoot, and enjoy a picture. While this will undoubtedly work, there are better ways to capture and enhance the look of these photographs. Here are some simple tips to help you jump from “just okay” to “great” holiday lighting pictures.
The flash on your camera works to “even out” the lighting of the entire scene and often hides the true color and beauty of using available light. If you cannot turn off the flash, use a black sock and cover it up so you can take advantage of the holiday lights and the glow they create.
Trees with Lights
If you have an indoor tree with lights, follow these simple steps to improve the final photos.
1. Since trees are vertical objects (taller than they are wide) it is best to turn your camera sideways so the shape of the camera
and photo are the same as the tree.
2. Turn off all other sources of light in the room and during the day, close all window shades/blinds. This will let the tree lights cast a glow around the tree and surrounding objects.
3. If you have a tripod, use it. If not, steady your camera by leaning on a door frame or other strong and steady object.
4. Point & Shoot Cameras: Turn off the flash and try the “Night” scene mode if your camera has it.
5. SLR Cameras: Set your camera to shutter priority mode (S or Tv). Adjust the shutter speed so that the meter shows slightly under-exposed (1 Stop) and shoot without flash.
If you have an outdoor tree or other decorations with lights, the same settings and rules above apply as long as you are shooting at night. Wait until it is really dark and use a tripod!
This will help you capture the “aura” of the tree and the holiday. Play around with the camera settings and find the best settings for your particular lighting and creativity.
Candles
For the same reasons as mentioned previously, turning off or covering your flash is important here as well. Here are some suggestions to improve your candle photos:
1. Turn your camera so the long side of the camera is facing the same way as the long side of your candle display (vertical for a single candle, horizontal for a Chanukah Menorah or group of candles).
2. Do not turn off the room lights
but rather lower the lighting so that the flame of the candles is brighter than any other light or background reflection.
3. If you have a tripod, use it. If not, steady your camera by leaning on a door frame or other strong and steady object.
4. Set your camera for “Center-Weighted” metering. For point & shoot cameras, this is usually on the function menu and on SLR cameras it is either a button on the camera or on the menu.
5. Point & Shoot Cameras: Turn off the flash and try the “Fireworks” scene mode if your camera has it.
6. SLR Cameras: Set your camera to shutter priority mode (S or Tv). Adjust the shutter speed so that the meter shows correct exposure and shoot without flash.
This will help you capture the “aura” and “glow” created by the candles. Play around with the camera settings and find the best settings for your particular lighting and creativity.
Most of all, remember to have fun and getting great holiday pictures will be easy!
Joel Weisbrod is a published author of a book on digital photography and the owner of jwArtWorks Photography in Rhinebeck. In addition to portrait, commercial, event, and other photography, Joel teaches Photography for Red Hook Central Schools Adult-Education as well as private one-on-one photography classes. He can be reached by email at mercantile@jwArtWorks.com.
Tags: holiday lights, Joel Weisbrod, jwArtWorks Photography, Rhinebeck
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by story and photo by Joel Weisbrod
Almost everyone has a digital camera and is able to turn it on, point at a subject, click the shutter button, and capture a picture. I will admit that modern technology inside even the least expensive cameras make many of these “quick-click” pictures acceptable to most of us. What is the difference between these pictures and photographs taken by professional photographers using big expensive digital SLR cameras? Sometimes, the camera makes a difference, but most often it is the many years of experience taking and critiquing images that help professionals achieve better results. Here are some simple tricks to help you make the transition from good to great pictures.
Adjust Your Height
When you shoot a picture from above
or below the main subject, the perspective changes and subjects might appear elongated or compressed. This is easy to correct by lowering or raising the camera to the same height above the ground as the main part of the subject. At the Dutchess County Fair, dozens of cameras were capturing the six week-old piglets lying next to the mother sow. Almost every camera was shooting from above the cage. As the cage had large square openings from the top to the bottom, it would have been easy to hold the camera way down low so you could capture the piglets at their level rather than as an “aerial shot”.
Avoid the Middle
Most of the photos I am asked to critique suffer from the “Center Subject” problem. Although it seems like the most important part of the subject matter should be in the center, it turns out that human beings appreciate looking at off-center subjects and diagonal symmetry. If you are shooting a picture of two children of different heights, don’t ask the shorter one to stand on something so both children appear in a horizontal line. First of all, it is misleading to anyone that knows the subjects and more importantly, the diagonal symmetry created by the shorter subject next to the taller subject actually adds to the appeal of the photo. Look for diagonal lines in all your photos and let your appreciation of the entire scene override your inclination to put the subject in the center.
Look Before You Leap
How many photos have you seen where the subject has a tree or flower that seems to be growing out of their head? What about that picnic photo that is great except for the trash can on the side? These pitfalls are easy to avoid once you start thinking about the entire scene and not just the main subject. Frame the image and look all around to see what looks great and what does not. Reframe the image until everything is perfect and then shoot the photo.
Most of all, remember to have fun and making this “transition” will be easy!
About the Author: Joel Weisbrod is a published author of a book on digital photography and the
owner of jwArtWorks Photography in Rhinebeck. In addition to portrait, commercial, event, and other photography, Joel teaches Photography for Red Hook Central Schools Adult-Education as well as private one-on-one photography classes. He can be reached by email at mercantile@jwArtWorks.com.
Tags: digital camera, Joel Weisbrod, jwArtWorks Photography, Rhinebeck
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by Joel Weisbrod
The annual Dutchess County Fair in Rhinebeck draws hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the state and even further away. Crowds of people, innumerable animals, scores of rides and attractions, and countless bright colors make this a great place to capture some stunning photographs. Here are some ideas to make your “fair minded” photography fun!
“Fair Minded” Morning
The morning is a great time to shoot photographs as the early morning sun enhances the reds and yellow in your images. At this time of day, you can capture the bright colors of the carnival midway. Morning (or Evening) sun brings lots of shadows that can enhance the 3-D look of your photos. Morning also is a great time to pass through the 4-H animal buildings as this is a busy time for all the competitors getting animals ready for the day’s events. This is a good time for photographs of people, since the enhanced warm tones make better looking flesh tones. Make sure the sun is not directly behind your subject unless you are trying to create a silhouette.
“Fair Minded” Midday
By noon, the sun is about as high in the sky as it will go. This direct light eliminates most of the shadows and highlights the blues in your images while suppressing the warmer tones (reds, yellows, etc.). No (or few) shadows make this a good time to photograph crowds of people walking through the fair. Don’t forget to visit the food stands. Here you can find hundreds of people choosing, carrying, and balancing every kind of food known to mankind. Food is a great subject and if you are looking for something different to photograph, the variety of food at the fair will keep you busy all day.
“Fair Minded” Evening
As the sun dips into the western sky, the light takes on a subtle reddish hue making everything you photograph have enhanced warmer tones (with proper exposure, of course). Find someplace high (e.g. near the 4-H buildings) where the sun casts long shadows, and wait for the reddish tones to appear. If you are lucky, you can even catch a glimpse of the sunset. For a few moments every day of the fair, just as the sun dips below the horizon, the lights of the rides and carnival midway are visible, but since the sky is still light these lights do not create any direct illumination around them. Photographs of these areas look great at this time since there is enough light for a normal exposure making these lights appear as bright orbs in your photos.
“Fair Minded” Night
Once it is dark, you must rely on either “fair” lighting or flash. Try turning off your flash, use a tripod if you have one (if not, try to
lean the camera on something solid), and set your camera for night photos (use Night Setting or set ISO 800 or higher). The brightest (and most colorful) night spot at the fair is the carnival midway and rides
area. Holding the camera as still as you can, take photographs of rides in motion, arcade games, food vendors, and anything else that catches your eye.
Most of all, remember to have fun and be “Fair Minded”!
Joel Weisbrod is a published author of a book on digital photography and the owner of jwArtWorks Photography in Rhinebeck. In addition to portrait, commercial, event, and other photography, Joel teaches private one-on-one photography classes and can be reached by email at mercantile@jwArtWorks.com.
Tags: Dutchess County Fair, Joel Weisbrod, jwArtWorks Photography, photography, Rhinebeck
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by Joel Weisbrod
It seems like summer happened in just one day. As we all complained about the never ending rain, summer just snuck up on us without warning. Now that summer is here, opportunities abound for using your camera to capture some memories of barbecues, beach outings, and other back yard fun. Here are some suggestions to help make your summer photo experiences more rewarding.
“Capture the Action” with Faster Shutter Speeds
If your camera has “Shutter Priority Mode”, select it and try adjusting for shutter speeds that will “stop the action”. The shutter speed needs to be fast enough that the movement of your subject is slower than the time the shutter is open. Try these examples:
• 1/1000+: Freezing Motion – Racing cars, sports action, shooting while moving in a vehicle, wildlife moving across your field, etc. In most or all cases, you will need to pan the camera to follow the subject as you shoot.
• 1/500: Freezing “slow” action – Slow moving vehicles, runners, wildlife, etc. This is suggested for hand held telephoto lenses with focal lengths greater than 300mm.
• 1/250: Great for outdoor “static” nature shots especially telephoto shots using 200-300mm lenses.
If your camera does not have “Shutter Priority Mode”, try selecting one of the scene modes for sports or action. This scene mode usually is identified by the “man running stick figure” and tells your camera to use a faster shutter speed.
Find some “Summer Only” Events or Venues
One of the great things about living in upstate New York is the abundance of county fairs. These summer-only events are a great place to take your camera and have
some fun. For color, visit the carnival midway, cotton candy vendors, and carnival rides. For action, visit the pig races, high dive tower, and the horse arena. For cute animal photos, visit the livestock barns, heifer judging, and the petting zoo. At the end of the fair day, the carnival midway and rides areas glow with brilliant colors. Try using slower shutter speeds (or Portrait Mode) to capture carnival rides in motion with swirls of color in the finished image. Some other great “summer only” photo ops include outdoor concerts, beach and lake visits, Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome (a great place to see and photograph some WWI aircraft), and of course, professional baseball games.
Photograph a Fireworks Display
Before you know it, July 4th will be here along with some stunning fireworks displays. Wouldn’t it be nice to capture some of these beautiful pyrotechnics with your camera? Actually, it is not that difficult, especially if you follow the
steps below:
Use a Tripod. Okay, I know you hate to have to do this, but for fireworks it is essential. For any of the three methods below, a tripod is necessary for clear images.
1. Set your camera for “Shutter Priority Mode”. Set the camera ISO to 400. Keep adjusting the shutter speed to slower values until the camera says it can get a good exposure (probably about 1 second). Carefully and slowly depress the shutter release button as soon as you see the fireworks explode.
2. If your camera has a “Fireworks Scene Mode”, use it and you will likely get some decent results.
3. If you can’t use either method above, set your camera for the “Night Photo” scene mode.
Joel Weisbrod is a published author of a book on digital photography and the owner of jwArtWorks Photography in Rhinebeck. In addition to portrait, commercial, event, and other photography, Joel teaches private one-on-one photography classes and can be reached by email at mercantile@jwArtWorks.com.
Tags: county fairs, fairs, fireworks, Joel Weisbrod, jwArtWorks Photography, Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, photography, Rhinebeck, summer
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by Joel Weisbrod (text and photo)
Spring is finally here and our yards and surrounding open spaces are full of gorgeous colors. Nothing signals the
end of winter better than the
spring green of new leaves on our trees and the rich vibrant purples, yellows, and reds of early flowering plants. This is a great time to get out your camera and capture some of these brilliant and exotic hues before they are gone. Follow the steps below to enhance your photographic experience.
Shoot Early or Late in the Day and Turn off the Flash
Just as the sun comes up in the morning, everything takes on a slightly warm yellowish look. While the sun is low in the morning sky, the light is more yellow than at other times of the day, and enhances the “warmth” of any photographs you take in this light. Wait until an hour before the sun sets (as long as it still shines on your subject) and the light has a slightly reddish hue offering a similar increase in the “warmth” of your images. Using your flash will overpower the natural light and change this color so make sure to set your camera for no flash.
Set Your Camera for “Close-Up” Mode
If possible, choose this option to enable your camera to focus on the subject when it is very close to the camera lens. Once you set your camera, try getting very close to the subject before clicking the shutter release. Do not force yourself to capture every part of the flower – part of a flower as the complete image makes a very dramatic statement.
Put Your Camera into Aperture Priority Mode
If your camera supports this feature (look in the camera manual – sometimes A or Av on the command dial), select it and then set the aperture to the smallest number the camera (or lens) allows. Once the camera is set this way, only a small area will be in focus allowing you to zoom in on a flower or parts of a flower and making the surrounding area a nice soft blur (sometimes called soft Bokeh).
Use a Tripod
When taking close-up photographs, any camera shake will really spoil your image. The best way to keep absolutely steady is to use a tripod to support the camera. If you do not have a tripod, improvise by using something to lean on to help steady yourself and the camera.
Advanced Technique for Full-Feature or DSLR Camera Owners
Follow the first step above – choose the time of day and turn off the flash. Now, set the camera for Manual Mode and adjust the aperture to the smallest number allowed (Largest Opening – Shortest Depth of Field). Finally, adjust the shutter speed until the exposure meter in the camera tells you the exposure is perfect and then 1/3 or 1 stop further under-exposed. This slight underexposure will deepen the colors, making them appear more dramatic.
Joel Weisbrod is a published author of a book on digital photography and the owner of jwArtWorks Photography in Rhinebeck. In addition to portrait, commercial, event, and other photography, Joel teaches private one-on-one photography classes and can be reached by email at mercantile@jwArtWorks.com.
Tags: camera, Joel Weisbrod, jwArtWorks Photography, photography, Rhinebeck, Spring
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by Joel Weisbrod
The holidays are coming and whether you expect a few guests or a houseful, it would be great to have one or more cameras on-hand to record the joy of the holidays. Use the tips in this article to help make those memories more meaningful by capturing more than just some forced smiles.
Avoiding the “Military Lineup”
This
is a trap that is easy to fall into. You are holding the camera in a room full of family and friends and you would love to have a photo of everyone. Most of the time, someone will help you get everyone into a line facing the camera. Move the folks in the center back and curve the sides towards the camera and you have it – a nice looking military lineup. This is clearly not what you want your holiday pictures to look like. Instead, follow these simple steps to a great looking group shot:
Make use of all the furniture, especially chairs and couches. Have some guests sit facing the camera, some guests sitting sideways, some standing, and even some children on the floor in the front.
Standees should face their bodies towards the center of the group and turn their heads. Avoid the “tallest in the center” rooftop look and the “tallest starting on the left” sloped look. Have people arrange themselves by family or friend relationships instead.
Now, everyone face the camera and you can take the picture.
Capture the “Spirit” of the Group [Don’t] Orchestrate Every Shot
Unless these photos will be used for some type of forensic evidence, there is no need to try to group people together logically. The best photos are always candid shots of the folks that are together by choice rather than command. Capture some of the kids playing (even when some are not in the group), adults laughing, people sneaking some food in the kitchen, and anything else that is just happening. These will make great shots and actually be a remembrance of what everyone was doing to have fun.
[Don’t] Try to Capture Everything
Running around with the camera
trying to capture a shot of everything is hard on everyone – you and your guests. Instead, capture what you can capture. This might mean you are missing some things but that cannot be helped. Instead, focus on the emotions of your guests and try to take photos of them before they realize you are shooting – nothing tells the story better than vivid unrehearsed demonstrations of emotional moments.
[Do] Bounce Your Flash if Possible
If you are indoors and your camera allows it, point the flash at the ceiling rather than at your guests. First, this is a lot easier on everyone’s eyes and will actually make your images look much better. Light the rooms as best you can with normal room lights and then let the flash fill in the rest. By bouncing the flash, your photos will not be as harsh and there will be far fewer shadows. If you can’t point the flash at the ceiling, try diffusing the light from the flash by putting a thin white cotton sock over the flash. While not as good as “the bounce” this will help.
[Do] Prepare Ahead of Time
Nothing is worse than missing a great shot. When it could have been avoided, the hurt is even worse. Follow these simple steps before your guests arrive to make sure this does not happen to you.
• Charge your camera batteries fully the day before.
• Make sure you have plenty of room on your memory card.
• Light the rooms you will be using for the party and take a few flash photographs ahead of time to make sure there is enough light and not too many shadows.
• If you are planning any large group shots, get the chairs and other furniture ready and see where it is best to stand so your camera will capture the entire group.
In conclusion, try capturing your guests as they are and while they are enjoying the holiday. Get the group shots over with as soon as you can so your guests can just have fun. Don’t forget that you need to have fun as well so shoot some pictures and then go join the party. Have any questions? Send your questions to me at the email address below.
Joel Weisbrod is a published author of a book on digital photography and the owner of jwArtWorks Photography in Rhinebeck. In addition to portrait, commercial, event, and other photography, Joel teaches private one-on-one photography classes and can be reached by email at mercantile@jwArtWorks.com.
Tags: camera, holidays, Joel Weisbrod, jwArtWorks Photography, Rhinebeck, tips
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