Posts from the ‘Blog’ Category
7 Ways to Take Better Candid Pictures
![[Japan Fragments] _DSC5820](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3463/3196591684_0848bf65d7.jpg)
When the photography world first came across the idea of candid portaiture – making informal shots of people who were not aware of being photographed or at least not posing for the camera – it was a Big Thing. This was because up to then, portraiture called for large studio cameras wound up with cranks, fancystudios with painted backgrounds and – you can guess – big bucks for the privilege.
With small cameras like the Kodak Box Brownie loaded with (for then) fast film plus a generous helping of sunlight, anyone could point their camera at a person and, ker-click!, another candid portrait was snapped.
We’ve come a long way since then, but the same concerns as those which arose at the time are still with us. We worry about invading privacy or fear of upsetting someone while at the same time wishing to catch them in a natural pose or natural expression. What are some of the tactics and techniques we could use?
A portrait is a record of a relationship
I always try to remember my own adage, and never tire of repeating it in every workshop I run, that a portrait is a record of my relationship with the person in the subject.
If the relationship is warm and trusting, it shows in the picture. If it’s been grabbed on the run, like this shot of a pillion passenger on the chaotic bridge in central Agra, India, it looks grabbed on the run. And if you sneak up on someone, the picture will carry a slight voyeuristic quality. The best candids are those which combine the seeming contradictory qualities of the person being aware of you but at the same time ignoring you.
1. Wait and blend
One way to be seen yet ignored is to take the time to blend into the background. Imagine walking into a market in Kashgar in far western China: as a tourist, everyone notices you, especially if you arrive with a group. You represent new custom, a chance to sell their goods. But if you only want to grab some shots then run to the next sight, the anticipation turns to disappointment. Little wonder if some stall-holders are not too friendly.
What I do is find somewhere out of everyone’s way and stand or sit for a few minutes. It doesn’t take long before I become part of the scene. People say ‘Hello’, I say ‘Hello’ back. In ten minutes they start to ignore you, and you can start to photograph. People are less bothered by you because you have taken the trouble to spend some time with them, proven that you’re harmless. That’s how I obtained this portrait of an old patriach who at first wary but after 5 minutes was all smiles. And yes, he was in Kashgar Market.
2. Smaller the Camera, Smaller the Presence
For candids, compact and cell-phone cameras score over the big shooters by being unaggressive, non-threatening and almost friendly. If you haven’t experienced it, have a friend point a big SLR camera with a big lens (complete with cavernous lenshood) at you: it’s not a hugely cuddly experience. No doubt about it, small cameras are best for candid photography: that’s why the Leica still does so well at photojournalism over all the bigger, better, faster cameras available. This, one of my favourite shots, was made with a Leica M6 in Western China.
3. Shoot from The Hip
The tell-tale sign that you’re lining someone up to photograph them is putting the camera up to your eye. So if you don’t want them to think that, leave the camera low. With their LCD screens, compact cameras are great for this. And some of the new SLRs now have live-view, which means you can view the image on the LCD screen on the back of the camera and not have to look through the viewfinder. It means you can carry on a conversation and even maintain eye-contact with your subject only minimally aware you’re photographing them.
Hold the camera level (front/back and side-to-side). Use a wide-angle setting so you do not need to aim very precisely. Careful, though: this tends to produce a low point of view, so try pointing the camera upwards or else you will be looking up people’s noses.
4. Looking away Distracts Attention
If you have ever felt that someone is watching you – and it’s an uncomfortable feeling – you will understand that someone may pick up the sense that you’re watching them intently, waiting for a photographic moment. If you’re interested in this phenomenon, read this fascinating book by Rupert Sheldrake. Sheldrake’s theory is that when we watch something we send out an attention wave of energy.
Anyway, where were we? Staring at someone with camera in hand is a dead give-away of what you’re up to (attention waves or not). So you can practice a little deception: face away from your subject, but watch them from the corner of your eye. Mostly, however, I prefer to be open and honest when photographing. (Remember, the other meaning of ‘candid’ is about honesty and truthfulness.)
5. Wait Until They are Busy
Less of a deception but relying on a shift of attention away from you is simply to wait till your subject’s attention is distracted by something else. Here it’s handy to have a friend engage your subject in conversation. Keep sensitive, however, to your subject’s feelings: if your presence with camera is making them nervous, then move away or wait until you can establish a trusting rapport. I have seen photographers exploit the fact that a stall-holder is busy having to serve customers and take snaps before they can be shooed away: but that really is to exploit the situation unfairly.
6. Share The Photos
Surely one of the biggest beauties of digital cameras is that you can share the picture with someone immediately you’ve shot it. So why not share it with your candid subject: if you’ve grabbed a shot and been noticed, immediately offer to show the person the shot. When they see you’re not trying to hide anything, they are more than likely to cooperate for more shots. Of course, you lose that candid element. But that’s only for a few minutes: if you encourage them to ignore you, they usually do so pretty quickly.
There’s always a risk they will ask you to erase the image if they don’t like it. If that happens, I never question or argue about it but erase it immediately. For me, it’s important that my subjects are happy with how they feel: I owe it to them as a photographer.
7. The Picture is in their Hands
Sometimes people who are shy of having their face photographed may not mind if you photograph their hands. I love photographing hands myself, and often they tell you more about the person and what they do than the face does. You may have to work fast, though as people move their hands quickly, especially if they are at all nervous. Use the long end or middle of your zoom and shoot from 3ft (1 metre) or so to avoid projecting misshapen hands from a wide-angle view.
Enjoy! And let’s hear your about your tactics and suggestions.
Review – Canon EOS 60D
Pros:
- Vari Angle LCD
- Wireless flash control built in
- Superb video, external mic jack, and audio control
- In-camera raw processing and image resizing
- Extensive software bundle included
- Good battery performance
- Excellent image quality, even at high ISO settings
Cons:
- Poor Auto White balance under tungsten lighting
- Slow focusing in Live View
- Clumsy access to Movie mode
Review – Canon EOS 60D DSLR Camera
Canon tends to be conservative with its DSLR upgrades, but it has made a big departure from the norm with the release of the EOS 60D. The 60D ($1100, body only) is a new class of Canon DSLR that’s quite different from Canon’s EOS 50D and other existing models. As with any big change, the changes in the 60D thrill some photographers and frustrate others.
The 60D doesn’t have the 50D’s magnesium construction, which has been replaced with an aluminum and polycarbonate resin body. Also missing is the flash sync socket, AF micro-adjust, and joystick. But gained is a better sensor and new set of features that should appeal to many of today’s enthusiast photographers. In fact, many will like the 60D because it is different.
By Matteo Dunchi
Basic Specifications
First, let’s look at the basics: The 18-megapixel 60D is built around an APS-C sensor powered by a DIGIC 4 processor. This sensor is an upgrade from the one found in the 50D, and is the same sensor found in the T2i and the 7D. At maximum resolution, the camera produces photos that are 5184 by 3456 pixels.
The 60D has 9 cross-type autofocus points and can fire 5.3 frames per second (FPS) in burst mode. The ISO range goes from 100 all the way up 12800. And the new vari-angle 3-inch LCD supports over a million pixels. For memory, the 60D accepts SD, SDHC, and SDXC cards. The camera works with both EF and EF-S lenses with a 1.6x field of crop.
The 60D also records full HD video using auto or full manual controls at 1920 by 1080 (24 or 30 fps) and 1280 by 720 (50 or 60 fps) sizes. It can record standard definition movies at 640 by 480 (50 or 60 fps). You can select your desired shooting mode and frame rates for video by switching to the video mode and navigating to the shooting menu.
Size wise, the 60D fits perfectly between the Rebel T2i ($900) and EOS 7D ($1700). The textured grip should fit comfortably in most hands, and on the top of the camera is the information LCD that includes a backlight for easy viewing in dim light. Controls are even easier to see if you use the Q Screen (for Quick Control) on the back 3-inch LCD that displays all of the primary settings on the bright, colorful 3-inch screen. A multi-controller/rear dial combination on the back is used for navigating the well-designed menu system. The mode dial on the left side of the top panel now has an unlock button that you must push to change shooting modes. Overall, the 60D is about 8 percent lighter that its predecessor.
The EOS 60D is quite battery friendly, allowing for an entire day’s shoot without a change. It also uses the same Lithium-Ion LP-E6 cell that is found in the Canon 7D and 5D Mark II.
Notable Features
For a $1,000 DSLR, the Canon 60D has the specifications most would expect. But if you dig a little deeper, you begin to see some of the unique features that give this camera its character. In addition to the usual specifications you should look at when buying a DSLR, consider these features on the 60D:
Vari-angle LCD: After just a few minutes of playing with the swing-out LCD (sometimes referred to as an articulated LCD), it’s pretty clear the direction that Canon is taking this camera: video recording and creative photography. You flip open the LCD with your thumbnail and then swing it out. You can angle up or down, or turn it completely around and fold it against the back of the camera. The resolution is terrific both for Live View capture and playback. When you’re done, turn the screen around and secure it face-first against the back of the camera to protect it during transport.
Built-In wireless flash control: If you have an external Canon flash with wireless slave capability, such as the Speedlite 430EX II, you can fire it off-camera with the 60D—you don’t need a separate wireless controller. Options include firing a single off-camera flash, balancing the off-camera flash with the built-in flash unit on the 60D, or operating multiple external flashes. The upshot is that with just one external flash and the 60D, you have a number of flexible lighting options.
Setting maximum speed for Auto ISO: Existing light photographers will appreciate the ability to set the maximum speed for Auto ISO. The available range is from 400 to 6400. If you’re conservative about how high you want the ISO to go, then you can choose a setting such as 800 for the top end limit. But because this camera performs so well at higher ISOs, you can easily set the limit to ISO 1600 or 3200 and still get very good image quality. The choice is yours.
In-camera raw processing and filters: You no longer need a computer to process raw files if you’re shooting with the 60D. By using in-camera raw processing, you can view a raw file in playback mode, choose from 10 settings such as exposure and white balance, then create a JPEG that is written to the memory card. Other in-camera editing options include a host of creative filters such as Toy Camera and Soft Focus.
Audio control for video recording: In addition to the built-in mono mic, the EOS 60D includes a 3.5mm stereo mini jack with manual audio control. When you switch to Movie on the Mode Dial, then press the Menu button on the back of the camera, you have access to the Sound Recording tab that lets you choose between Manual or Auto sound recording. If you choose Manual, you can then set the gain level to what you want. There’s even a built-in wind filter setting available.
Copyright Information setting: When you access the Copyright Information tab in the Menu screen, you can set the author’s name and copyright details for every shot that is recorded with the camera.
Eye-Fi card menu: Eye-Fi card users will be happy to discover the menu screen on the 60D that displays the Access point SSID, connection status, MAC address, and even the Eye-Fi firmware version. Plus, the connectivity of the card can be turned on and off via this menu, putting you in complete control.
Included software: Lots of good software is bundled with the camera including Digital Photo Professional for processing raw files, EOS Utility, PhotoStitch for panoramas, and more. Raw files can also be processed in the latest versions of Apple Aperture and iPhoto with Mac OS X 10.6.5, Adobe Camera Raw 6.2, and Lightroom 3.2.
By -Unlimited-
Image Quality
The EOS 60D produces excellent image quality up to ISO 1600, and very good at ISO 3200. Even though noise is present at the higher ISOs, if you look closely in shadow areas you’ll see that it’s well controlled without smearing fine detail. Color is generally good with the exception of tungsten lighting in Auto White Balance mode, a traditional Canon weakness.
The video quality on the 60D is also top-notch. It received a word score of Superior for video quality and Very Good for audio quality, which was tested using the built-in mono microphone.
Visual Skateboarding from The Audiovisual Solution on Vimeo.
Downsides
For such a well thought out camera, it’s surprising that the Movie setting is at the far end of the Mode dial. If you’re shooting in Program mode, you have to move 9 clicks clock-wise to change to Movie mode. That might not sound like a big deal until you try to do it in a hurry. And since there’s no “quick movie” button, you have no other option. This aggravation is further fueled by the fact that you have to hold down the Mode dial lock but-ton while doing so. This is surprising for a camera that is clearly designed to record top notch video. Live View shooters will also notice no improvement in focusing speed when composing on the 3-inch LCD. This feels like a missed opportunity for an otherwise excellent LCD.
Ten Rainy Day Photos
Its been raining for the past three days here in North Carolina. So I thought I would post some inspiring rainy day photos to get us up and out of the house.
by +lyn
by Quizz...
by Little Miss. Sunshine
by Lady Vervaine
by jaxting
by H a r e e s h
by gabianegitz
by emiguez
by Annadriel
by ~james
Exposure
What is Exposure?
The Exposure Triangle - Changing the value of one element will require compensation from another.
Exposure is the total amount of light that is allowed to fall onto the cameras digital sensor or film.
There are three elements that make up an exposure:
Aperture: The size of the hole that lets light into you camera.
Shutter Speed: The amount of time that the shutter is open to allow light in.
ISO sensitivity: How sensitive the digital sensor or film in a camera is to light.
Past posts have been written about each of these elements and I strongly suggest you read about each one to get a good understanding of how they work.
Putting it all Together.
In order to achieve the right exposure each element needs to be balanced out, raise the shutter speed and you might need to use a wider aperture or a higher ISO to compensate. This is called the exposure triangle.
One way you can think of it is that a camera is like a bucket being filled with a garden hose.
There are three variables to consider,
The size of the hose and how much water it lets out (aperture)
The time that the hose is left running (shutter speed)
and the size of the bucket (ISO)
In order to achieve the right exposure the bucket needs to be filled to the very top, if its undefiled you will under expose and if you over fill you will over expose.
Taking a photo is like filling a bucket with water, you need to account for different variables to fill it up.
Say we want to use a fast shutter speed to take a photo of a moving object, well if we run the hose for a short period of time the bucket will not be filled to the top, so we need to compensate, we can use a hose that has a larger opening and lets more water out (open the aperture) or we can make the bucket smaller so that it gets filled quicker (raise the ISO)
It takes time to master exposure, but its necessary to have an understanding of how it works to achieve turning an idea into a great photo.
You need to understand how each of the elements work and how they effect each other.
For further reading to better understand the three elements of exposure check out some of our past posts:
ISO – a Beginners Guide
ISO – How it Works
This photo was taken at a high ISO, notice the grain in the detail.
Some times when we are taking photos we find ourselves in a low light situation where we cant get a fast enough shutter speed to get a sharp photo. You could try opening your aperture to alow more light in, or you could use a flash, but some times thats just not prefered.
One option we have to achieve a faster shutter speed is to increase the cameras ISO sensitivity.
What is ISO
The ISO sensitivity determins how sensetive the cameras sensor is to light. At a high ISO setting like 1600 the cameras sensor becomes more sensitive to light and thus does not need to be exposed to light as long.
You may remember when we used to shoot with film, there was certain film made for sports. What made that film ideal for sports was that it had a higher ISO sensitivity such as 400, so it could achive a faster shutter speed then normal film that might have a lower ISO such as 100.
The Negatives of High ISO
There are some negatives to using a higher ISO though. The higher you boost your ISO the more distortion or grain you can see in your images, sometimes this can be a good look but usualy you want to avoid this distortion. The distortion you get from high ISO is kind of similar to a radio, at a low volume the radios music sounds fine, but as you begin to turn it up louder you begin to hear distortion and imperfections in the audio. As you boost the ISO sensetivity you begin to notice distortion.
Now days alot of the newer, higher end digital SLRs have amazing ISO sensitivities that barely show any distortion or grain.
ISO 200
ISO 1600
ISO 200 Close Up
ISO 1600 Close Up
Suggestions
You should always strive to use the lowest possible ISO sensitivity to achive the best quality photos, here are some guide lines of what ISO to use in certain situations.
Bright Sunny Day, you will want to use your lowest ISO either 100 or 200
Overcast cloudy day, ISO 400 would be a good bet for an overcast day
Indoors low light, you would want to use an ISO between 400 and 800
Night Time, You can boost your ISO up to 1600 or 3200 but at this point you might want to look into using a tripod and a longer shutter speed to avoid harsh grain.
