Creative Lighting

Mysterious Lights at Night

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Year: 2008
Camera: Canon 40D, 70-200mm L f/4 lens
Settings: ISO 100, f/8 (or around there), 2-3 seconds, 85 mm (or around there)
Support: tripod
Other: extension tube for macro photography, wireless remote trigger

Details: for my first photography course there were a few assignments that were aimed at helping creativity, developing style, and having a consistent theme. This photograph was taken for that course. I had several in the series that were similar (and oddly different), which I employed different skills.

This is an excellent example of creative lighting that I think everyone should try. I created this using a small LED light on a key chain and a long exposure. The process involved taking several shots with different exposures, light movement, and angles to get an effect I liked. The subject can be anything. Really, anything! Cans, glass vase, toys, engine parts, office supplies, crystal balls, etc.

To take a photograph like this, here are the basic tips and equipment for you:

• Tripod: to steady the camera as the exposures will be a few seconds long.
• Keep it Dark: to ensure that no light reflects off anything you don't want it to. The room needs to be pretty dark, but as long as the exposure is just a few seconds then it does not have to be pitch black (so you can see what you are doing). I also put my objects on a black table and posted black cardboard on the wall behind it.
  
• Remote Trigger: so you can work the light and the camera at the same time
• Small Light: I used a small light and illuminated my subject from behind so that only some light came through. Take multiple shots moving the light around differently from various angles and intensities if you can.
  
• Extension Tubes: these tubes allow you to get a closer macro shots than a normal lens will allow you to. They are cheap (like $30 on eBay), which is better than buying a specialize macro lens for $900.

Try experimenting with lots of objects, different types of lights, changing angles, and have fun. You will be amazed what you can make!

Photography Tip: Fast Shutter Speeds

Come Sail Away

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Year: 2008
Camera: Canon 40D, 17-85mm f/4-5.6 lens
Settings: ISO 100, f/9, 1/80 second, 73 mm
Support: hand held
Other: polarizing filter

Details: This photograph was taken while sailing with some coworkers in the summer (2008) in Lake Ontario. The crisp, clear(ish) air and the cooling breeze made for a wondering afternoon. The photograph helps me remember those moments (and hopefully prepare for the next time). The shot was taken on a moving boat (about 4-5 nautical miles per hour, if I recall correctly), so you will need a fast enough shutter speed to still the motion. In this case, I chose an f/9 aperture and ISO 100, letting the camera decide on the shutter speed (1/80 second). While it came out will, my photography tip here is that I could have been better served by selecting a faster speed (say 1/250 second) and having the camera select the aperture.

Processing: to help this photograph stand out more, I did some single file HDR processing with Photomatix (possible since I was using camera RAW).

HDR Photograph

















Original Photograph

Photo: Red Rover Come on Over

Contrast for Eye Catching

Location: Rice Lake, Ontario, Canada
Year: 2008
Camera: Canon 40D, 17-85mm f/4-5.6 lens
Settings: ISO 100, f/16, 1/25 second, 85 mm
Support: balanced on a post of the docks

Details: Take on my annual boys trip to Rice Lake for some fishing. I was on the docks enjoying a beer when a two buddies were heading in from the lake. The sunset as a striking backdrop and the boat and it's passengers silhouetted makes for an interesting image. An unseen subject can add a feeling of mystery to a photograph, something many people overlook in their attempts for a clearly lit subject.

In this case, a slow shutter speed is needed so you will need a steady camera. Either use a tripod or improvise. In this case I used the post of the docks I was on and put the camera on self timer mode.

Next time you are out, try taking some silhouette shots to get some practice. Take at least 15-20 of them. This exercise will develop your skill and lead you to better pictures.

Photo: Making some Lemonade

Turn A Bad Day into a Great Shot!

Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Year: 2008
Camera: Canon 40D, 17-85mm f/4-5.6 lens
Settings: ISO 320, f/6.3, 1/100 second, 85 mm
Support: hand held
Other: 1 exposure

Details: Sometimes we have a desire to go out and take some photographs, but the weather isn't bright and sunny and the birds are not chipping. They may, in fact, be frozen! My advice to you is to still get out there and take those photographs. A bleak, dreary day doesn't mean a you will end up with drab pictures. Especially if you have a little help with some digital processing. :)

The first photograph below is an unprocessed shot I took of the Peggy's Cove lighthouse (Nova Scotia) when I was there in December. Not the optimal day for a shot. While the composition is decent, the photograph doesn't pop.

In this case, I got some added "pop" (second photograph) with my favourite program Photomatix. The HDR processing was based on a single shot frame (possible because I used the camera RAW format). At least to me, I find this photograph much more compelling now. The lighthouse is more intense, the red light is accentuated, and the boulders feel more powerful. This could have also been done in Photoshop by removing some saturation (colour), dodging the red lighthouse top and edges of the photograph, and enhancing the red in the light.

Original Photograph















Enhanced Photograph

Photograph: Setting Your White Balance

Manual or Not Manual, That is the Question to Be (Lit)
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Year: 2008
Camera: Canon 40D, 17-85mm L f/4-5.6 lens
Settings: ISO 100, f/8.0, 1/320 second, 61 mm
Support: hand held

Details: This post is much less about the photographs (which I still think are nice) or techniques, but more about technology. Specifically, the White Balance setting. Most people are probably don't understand what White Balance is, so they just keep it on auto. Or, even worse, may use one specific setting for all occasions (very bad). Let me give you a bit of information on White Balance, some internet resources, and have encouragement to take it off the auto setting.

White Balance is the adjustment process your DSLR uses to process the colour of the scene the way it really looks. The reason it needs to do this is that different light sources (flash, sunny day, cloudy day, night, etc.) have different effects on objects that refract/absorb light. Unlike the human eye which is a master at intepreting the results, digital sensors and film do not adjust well under different conditions. Film would normally need special filters to compensate, while digital cameras have programs that adjust for you.

Auto White Balance is the setting which lets the camera program decide how to adjust the image based on it's light readings. While the programs are getting better, they still don't do a perfect job. Leaving your camera on AWB will usually result in less than optimal pictures.

Multiple White Balance settings are available on DSLRs and most point-and-shoot cameras. You should read your manaul to get an idea of what they do and become brave and try them.

Inital Adjustment of the White Balance is your best bet when getting ready for a photo shoot. Take a few shots with various WB settings and review them on your LCD. When you find one that looks best to you, start using that for that lighting condition. When the lighting conditions, location, etc changes, then start again. It only takes a few minutes and is worth it.

A word on Camera RAW. I have mentioned that I use this format (vs. JPG) in previous posts, and now you will know when. When you take photo with JPG, you are stuck with your white balance setting (unless you want to do a lot of Photoshop work). But with RAW format, it's the click on one button and voila!, it's changed. The reason is JPG is a photograph that was processed by your camera. RAW is an unprocessed image, and the RAW program let's you adjust the settings your camera would have used.

Internet Resources:

• http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/white-balance.htm
• http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/whitebalance.htm

The following photography was take with the camera's Auto White Balance setting.
























This is the same photo, but with the Cloud White Balance setting. In my opinion, this looks much warmer than the auto setting. An excellent of how a minor setting can make such a large difference.