Saturday, January 30, 2010

Photography Lesson #1 - A lesson on light.

Occasionally, there are down times during the year and I thought….what can I do to keep shooting and learning. So I decided to try something different on my photo site this year besides just posting my works. Mini lessons just for you. Some will be basic and others will be more advanced. Any feedback from you will be greatly appreciated (ie. feedback, suggestions, corrections, things you would like to learn etc.). Although, I do not consider myself a master photographer by any means there are some things I have learned over the years. My photographic journey has taught me many things - one that you can never stop learning. Photography is always evolving, techniques changing, rules being bent evoking new and meaningful feelings, and expressions. Photography is constantly evolving and there is always room for improvement. Some of these lessons you can attempt with a regular point and shoot but most of them will be for those who are using a DSLR (digital single lens reflex) camera.

What does photography mean? Someone said to me once that photo means light and graphy means to draw/paint so it means to paint with light. So when I am shooting I like to think that what I am doing is painting with light.

Lesson #1:

No flash. I want you to get an idea of how different times of day affect your photo. We are going to experiment with 3 times: Morning (8:00am or sunrise), High noon (12:00-1pm), and Dawn/Golden Hour (last hour of sunset). Google: SUNSET for your state and it will tell you about the time you should be shooting. For instance, UT right now the sun is setting about 5:30pm so you want to be shooting between 4:30-5:30pm.

Find a subject (grab a family member or a large object). Shoot in Program mode for now. Place your subject so the sun is either to their left or right side. What does that mean…place them so that they are not facing the sun and so that the sun is not behind them. You’ll figure it out. Now remember your placement, because all three shots should be done in the same place and in the same position!!!!! This is important so that you can see how the light affects the object at different times of the day. High noon…. the sun will be directly over head. Last, DO NOT shoot on an overcast day (cloud cover). This effects the light in a completely different way wait for a clear day if you have to…another important aspect with photography PATIENCE….if you are not, get some. If you want the shot you have to wait for it!

Last, e-mail me your finished project by Feb 13th and tell me how you feel about your photos and what you have decided about these times of day (ie which time do you prefer, which do you think lights your subject the best). I will choose someone to feature on my site next month. Get creative, and get shooting!



You can see the light in all three photos are different. If you were not able to do the lesson on your own make your conclusions on what time of the day you think is best based on the photos above. For me I prefer the evening light. Now everyone will understand why I choose to shoot in the evening or early morning.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Hush, Little Baby





Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Sleep, Baby, Sleep