Posts from the ‘Tips and Tutorials’ Category
Five Tips For Taking Better Photos of Children
Photographing Children? Here’s What You Need to Know!
They’re a delight to watch because of their antics and unbounded energy; they’re bubbly and cheerful, and their joy and laughter are infectious. However, when it comes to getting kids to pose for photographs, this energy becomes more than you can deal with – they don’t know how to sit still for formal photos, and they’re too conscious of themselves in casual shots and so end up looking awkward and forced. Photographing kids takes a special kind of skill, one that involves patience and creativity; so if you think you have what it takes, read on for a few tips that could make your job much easier:
5 Top Photography Tips for Photographing Children
- Candid shots work best: When it comes to photographing kids, it’s best to catch them in action when they’re not aware that a camera is trained on them. This way, you don’t get any forced smiles or cheesy postures; they’re at their natural best. If you haven’t been hired by the parents and if you’re a professional photographer who wants to shoot children for an assignment, ask for parental permission first so as to avoid legal hassles.
- Change tactics according to the age of the children: Babies are best photographed when they’re sleeping or when they’re cheerful and well-fed. They make good subjects because their movements are restricted. Older kids understand what you need and are amenable to poses, so it’s easy to shoot them as well. However, toddlers and younger children make the most difficult subjects since they cannot hold a pose for long. So either shoot them during natural activity or get your posed photos over in a trice – the longer you delay, the lower the quality of your pictures.
- Get down to do the job well: It’s an oft-repeated tip, but one that is extremely important – get down to the eye level of the kids you’re photographing. This makes your pictures look more effective and sharp and also allows your subjects to look directly into the camera instead of up at it.
- Capture them in motion: Some photographers do a great job in putting together a series of shots to create a montage that when framed, looks lovely on a home wall. Use the burst mode to take a set of quick shots one after the other when the child is moving or doing something – you can select the photos you want to print later from the collection you shot.
- Know how children behave: Kids are generally restless and don’t have much of an attention span, so don’t take too long for or between shots; get them over as soon as possible. If it’s a formal shoot, don’t schedule it when they’re cranky because they haven’t slept or because they’re hungry; choose a time when they’re happy and relaxed. Show the kids some of your shots of them so they’re encouraged to do a few more poses, and use settings where they’re comfortable and can have fun.
Photographing kids is a satisfactory job if you go about it the right way, so plan accordingly, and win over both the kids and their parents (if your photographing someone else’s kids) with your shots.
Ten Tips For Better Food Photography
We’ve all done it before. Taken a photo of a delicious meal only to have it turn out looking ugly and not edible. Hopefully these 10 food photography tips will help you take a more tasty-looking food photo next time.
1.) Keep the background clean
Make sure there is a color contrast between the background and the food, don’t have the two be the same color or a similar shade. For example, strawberries served on a red plate isn’t going to stand out. Keep the background simple and uncluttered. If unsure, stick to a plain white background.
2.) Adjust the white balance
Adjust the white balance on your camera according to what you’re shooting. Meat should always be shot in warm tones as a blue-ish tinge under some fluorescent lights would make it look ghastly.
3.) Use natural lighting
Whenever you can, try to shoot using natural lighting. Shoot during the day near a window where you would get plenty of natural sunlight. When you must shoot at night, try avoid using flash directly on the food as it’s too harsh. Instead, use a flash diffuser or have the flash bounce off a ceiling or wall.
4.) Use a tripod
Most food photography will be done indoors, where there might not be enough lighting. Use a tripod whenever you can as it beats trying to hold very still for long a amount of time.
5.) Small details make a big difference
Don’t disregard the small stuff. Keep in mind that using nice cutlery and a clean serving plate/bowl could make all the difference transforming a nice photo to a fantastic one.
6.) Get up close
Instead of only taking photos of a full plate of food, take some macro shots too. Getting up close to your subject will bring out the textures and finer details, making it more interesting and intriguing.
7.) Cut it, slice it, dice it!
As with anything, you shouldn’t just take something for its face value. With food, sometimes it’s what’s inside that can create a great shot. I love cutting up crumbed foods for the contrasting textures. I also love cutting up cakes just so I can get the different layers.
8.) Take photos from all angles
Don’t just take a photo from a bird’s eye view, try different angles. Left, right, top, bottom. Feel free to even move the food around and come up with different compositions.
9.) Use props
Don’t be afraid to jazz up the set. Maybe a glass of orange juice to go with those pancakes? A bottle of wine in the background with your steak and mash meal? Or maybe some hundreds and thousands sprinkled around your cupcakes? Do remember to keep it simple as too many props can be distracting.
10.) Cheat if you have to
As long as you’re not planning to eat the food afterwards, there are ways to enhance your food by using some industry tricks. For example, make your food glisten by brushing on some vegetable oil. Create that ‘fresh out of the oven’ steam by placing some microwaved cotton balls that have been soaked in water. Or make perfect-looking ice cream that won’t ever melt with some mashed potatoes.
Do you have any more ideas, tips and tricks to share when it comes to food photography?
How to Make a Simple Light Box
Create your own light box
A light box is basically a miniature photography studio. Lit from the sides, front, top or any combination, a light box provides even illumination of any subject which can fit inside of it. Boxes like this are perfect for product photos (think eBay) and general macro and closeup photography. There are a lot of tutorials out there for making light boxes. There’s a good one for making one out of a cardboard box over on Strobist. I’ve had an idea for making one of my own kicking around for a few weeks and decided to build it this week. Here’s what I came up with. And it’ll only cost you about $5 (assuming you’ve got some scissors and glue) and 30 minutes of your time.
To build this you’ll need two pieces of poster board (mine were about 28″x22″), a pair of scissors, a sharp knife, a straight edge, glue, and tape. Start by cutting one of the pieces of poster board in half so that you end up with two 14″x22″ pieces. Then fold down two edges to create about 1″ tabs. Glue or tape them up.
Two pieces of poster board, scissors, straight edge, glue, tape, knife
Cut one board in half; you should now have three pieces of poster board
Fold 1″ of two edges down on each half
Two box sides; cut 10×15″ windows in each side
At this point you’ve got your sides, but now you need to cut some windows so we can get light into the box. Use a sharp knife and cut 10″x15″ windows in each side. Leave enough material around the window edges to retain some strength. Then glue the poster board you didn’t cut together with the two pieces you just made to create your finished box.
Glue the three pieces together for final assembly
You’re all set. What I’ve done now is loosely tape two pieces of 8.5×11 paper over the windows on each side to create diffusion panels. You can use a variety of different materials on the windows to adjust the quality of the light. Your lights will shine through these to illuminate the interior of the box. As for the lights themselves, I’m using wireless flashes. But you can easily use table lamps or any other light source you like.
Mmm, mmm good
Straight down angle into the box
Wide view; two flashes set at 1/16 power
Since this box doesn’t have a top, you won’t get perfect illumination on relatively tall objects without adding a light from above or a reflector (an umbrella works nicely here). But it is quite large (you can fit a laptop computer in there) and you get the freedom to shoot from a lot of different angles without having to fiddle with anything. For objects shorter than the box itself, it works fantastically.
There are a lot of different approaches to making one of these things. But hopefully I’ve shown you that it’s really pretty easy, it doesn’t have to cost a lot of money, and you can get some very good shots using it.
Taking Better Panographic Photos
8 Guidelines To Taking Panoramic Photos With Any Camera
Back in the days of film cameras, creating a panoramic photograph meant either buying a particular, expensive camera or hours in the darkroom stitching images together by overlapping exposures onto the finished photo paper.
Panoramic photos were the realm of the professional with the time and funds to create gorgeous super wide angle shots.
But now, in the digital age, it’s not only simple to create panoramic images on your home computer, it’s become increasingly easier thanks to advances in software. There are still some general guidelines to follow to help you increase your odds of producing great photos because remember, you can’t fix everything in a computer after the fact. I’ve made a number of mistakes over the years in learning about panoramas and it’s my hope that these guidelines will help shorten your learning curve and give you a head start in creating stunning panoramic images.
1. If Your Camera Has A Panorama Mode, Use It.
Most point and shoot cameras beyond the most basic model come with a little used mode for creating panoramic images. This mode serves a couple of functions. First, it will use the display on the camera to show your last picture taken and then a live view of the next picture. This is done to help you line up you images and overlap them(we’ll talk about the importance of overlap in a minute). It also adjusts the camera to NOT change exposure settings in between shots as it normally would. This helps create even lighting through all the pictures, making stitching in the computer a lot easier (although a number of modern programs will also level exposure fairly well). The image below was created while using the Panorama Mode (Stitch Mode on some cameras) and taking over 25 images with an older Canon SD630 point and shoot.
2. Overlap Amply
Overlapping is one of the important areas in creating a panoramic image. Just one slip with not enough overlap can ruin an attempt at the grandest of wide angle shots. No one wants to see pictures of the Grand Canyon with a bar of white down the middle because of the failure to overlap properly. I overlap by 30% each time. Sometimes more. Most people say 15% works just fine. Experiment with your particular camera to find the sweet spot of overlap. Increasing the amount of overlap helps reduce “flaring” that happens when the software is forced to use all of the image frame, including the corners which may show distortion depending on your lens selection.
3. Keep It On The Level
Keeping your camera level becomes more important as you combine more images. If you’re shooting four or five images there isn’t much your need to worry about. But if it’s a monster 40 image shot, it becomes more and more important to keep things on the level. Think of it this way; your lens is a curved peice of glass. When held level, all parts of the scene in front of it come in and hit the sensor and roughly the same angle. But if you point that camera down, say 45 degrees you now have distant objects, like mountains in the background, coming in at a much sharper angle than foreground objects. For a single picture, this isn’t a problem, but for a panorama it creates a fan effect which is not so easily fixed in the computer. What this means is as you pan the camera left to right, the distant objects will fan out and may not have ample overlap. Further, they will be more distorted and curved because of the angle their light enters the camera.
This is best shown in my own example below, taken at Bryce Canyon, Utah, back in 2005. I attempted to point my DSLR down too far in order to catch more of the canyon. But what happened instead is the distant horizon became naturally distorted as I used a 16mm lens. This distortion was too much to over come in the computer afterwards and the result was the choppy image you see here. The foreground detail lines up right, but not the distant horizon.
4. Choosing Your Metering Well
Here’s another lesson I learned the hard way. If you are using a DSLR or other camera that doesn’t have the nifty Panorama Mode, you’ll want to set your metering mode to manual. Otherwise you’ll end up with an image like this.
Can you see the difference in exposure in the skyline? The computer was able to adjust well enough to the foreground canyon, but failed to even out the sky all the way. Had I set the camera to manual, this would not happen. It’s also important to even out your metering, meaning scan the entire scene making note of the aperture and shutter speeds your camera is suggesting, then pick one pair of settings in the middle, or slightly darker to make sure any sky details is preserved. With those shutter and aperture settings dialed in, it’s time to shoot away.
5. Check The Scene For Movement
Movement in the scene can be a thief of what would otherwise be a grand shot. Sometimes the blur, or doubling up of people, cars, planes or other moving objects is acceptable. But too many blurry spots (caused when the computer finds parts of the overlapping sections where things don’t line up) can ruin the shot. It may mean you need to take the images very quickly. And sometimes, that movement is just unavoidable.
6. Be Careful with Super Wide Angle Lenses
Referencing the image in #3 above again, my second mistake in that image was using too wide of a lens. If I had gone with something closer to a 50mm lens and made multiple passes at the scene, the distortion in the distance would have been lessened and perhaps the shot could have been salvaged. A great wide angle lens does not always produce great panoramic shots. Sometimes it’s better to let the stitching software do what it does best and make multiple passes of the same scene, with ample overlap, to create your masterpiece.
7. Look Up, Look Down, Look All Around
With new software you are not limited to just a single pass from left to right to capture your desired image so don’t be afraid to make more than one pass. Start with the initial pass from left to right (or top to bottom) and then move up or down to grab more detail and make another pass. Remember the overlapping rule above and how it will now pertain to not only the sides of the shot, but also the top and bottom overlaps. Keep it tight and your image can have the added quality of extra skyline or foreground features previously missed.
8. Don’t Forget Vertical Panoramas!
Vertical shots are often overlooked. The same principles apply to verticals shots as do horizontal images. It may help to turn the camera on its side or you may find keeping the camera in a horizontal orientation works. Experiment a little with buildings and waterfalls and then start looking for other verticals you can shoot.
These are just a few of the basic guidelines to help you not make all the mistakes I have made in learning how to shoot panoramas over the years. You don’t need fancy, expensive cameras to create nice panoramic images, just a little known how and practice.
Do you have any particularly helpful panorama tricks you’ve learned? Share them in the comments section below and feel free to link to examples of great images as well.
To help further inspire experimentation of this technique, I scoured Flickr for some prime examples of what can be accomplished. Each image links back to the Flickr page and most contain large or even original size images if you want to take a closer look. If you have some examples of your own that you’d like to share, please feel free to post a link and description in the comments section below.
Mist covering village – Copyright René Ehrhardt
Underwater Panorama – Copyright Odyssey Expeditions
caverne aux livres – Copyright gadl
Panorama view from Mont Fort – Copyright Olivier Bruchez
panorama at Higashiyama Zoo – Copyright emrank
Hale Park Sunset Panorama – Copyright versageek
C-5 Galaxy Panorama – britiger
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.
