DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY NEWS FROM ePHOTOzine

For some people the only way they think they can have a professional portrait taken is to stand in a studio in front of a big set of lights but lifestyle shoots just might change their mind. Having the great outdoors as your studio will give you so many more creative opportunities with backgrounds, colours, shapes and textures, as well as being able to shoot a story. 

Photo by Joshua Waller Lens choices

A 70-200mm lens is a good choice for DSLR shooters. Shooting around the 135mm mark at f/4 can give great perspective and enough depth of field to throw the background out of focus without leaving it too shallow. A wider lens, such as a 14-24mm is great for environmental portraits, while a 55mm macro lens is great for detail. If you want a good all-rounder lens, a 24-70mm would be a good choice, too. It's also a good idea, if you have them, to pack the speedlights, continuous lights, ringflash and reflectors. 
 

Plan ahead

Organisation is key so make sure you have a plan in advance. Having a few locations that you are familiar with will give you plenty of scope, and it also means you'll know particular spots that'll work well for your shots. Local beauty spots, good urban routes with interesting architecture or a park with lots of interest such as water features are just some of the locations you could work with. The other place you need in reserve is somewhere dry in case of bad weather. 

Photo by Joshua Waller Make sure your model's comfortable

It's important to discuss clothing, makeup and meeting points then on the day of the shoot, meet for a coffee and spend 30 minutes or so having a pre-shoot chat as this will help break the ice. You could even take a book or folder of a few favourite photos along to show your model/client as they'll welcome the opportunity to see your ideas and help. Come up with a few ideas and even adjectives of the mood/feel you're trying to create. For example, Autumnal shoots could be about warm clothing and crisp golden colours. By doing so you will be able to portray a theme to your clients/model who should be able to quite naturally slip into an informal pose to convey this without really having to try or feel self-conscious. 

When it comes to the shoot, let people be natural and remember it's your job to make them feel comfortable even if you do know the person/people you are photographing. Shoot intuitively and creatively. Even if you've shot in a place many times, try setting yourself a target to come up with several new shots. This time of year's a good time to experiment with natural frames as the autumnal shades add warmth to the image. Just make sure you focus on your subject so the leaves blur just enough so you can still see what they are but don't distract.   

Just because you don't have an expensive lighting set-up or a studio doesn't mean you can't shoot interesting portraits of your children. To help you out, we've put together a list of quick tips made up of low-cost techniques to help the beginner out.
 

Which camera should I use?

Smaller, pocketable cameras right up to bigger DSLRs can be used to shoot portraits.

You can even use a less-expensive toy camera which may produce low-quality images but the levels of saturation and strong vignetting some produce can create interesting effects. As the shot below, taken with a VistaQuest VQ1015 camera, demonstrates:

 

I Don't Have A Lighting Kit

Commercial photographers, such as those who shoot in schools, tend to use lighting they can move and position around a room, making flash less harsh when fired. If you're working with a camera that has a built-in flash, however, you don't have this luxury and if you hit the shutter with the flash switched on, the light from it tends to be too harsh.

So, What Should I Do?

Your best and easiest option is to turn the flash off and use the light around you. This could mean using your household lights but keep an eye on your white balance if you do this as shots tend to look a little warmer and have an orange tone to them when shot under household lights. Easier still, set up near a window or patio door if you have one and use natural light. Sidelight works well but don't be afraid to experiment with different positions. Shooting with the window to their back so you can shoot straight on, for example, can create silhouettes. Don't overlook shooting on cloudy days either as clouds act as a giant softbox, diffusing light.

A support, ideally a tripod, should be kept in reach for times when your camera needs to use longer shutter speeds due to low light levels. If you try and shoot hand-held it can result in shake which will spoil your shot. You can try setting a slightly higher ISO to increase your camera's shutter speed but with some cameras, this can result in noise appearing in your shots. This isn't always a bad thing though as you could try enhancing the noise further so it appears like old film grain, similar to this shot below:

  What Time Is Best?

The time of day and where your window is positioned will effect light falling through it. At this time of year the sun is quite low in the sky for most of the day, however, midday is still when the sun is at its highest so avoid shooting then if possible. The golden hours, early morning and early evening, tend to give you softer light but you can further diffuse light with tissue paper, or a thin curtain/piece of material. If you do this, try to avoid using coloured material/paper as this can create a colour cast in your images.

Of course, if shooting indoors isn't producing the results you're looking for, there's always the option to get outside, shooting in your garden or at your local park.
 

Backgrounds Are Distracting

Professional photographers use purpose made background rolls or frames on stands but when you're on a budget and working at home, you don't have this luxury.

Shooting at home can mean you have backgrounds full of clutter or distracting wallpaper, even if you do use a larger aperture (or portrait mode on a compact that tells the camera you want to use a larger aperture) to throw it out of focus. To fix this, have a look around your home for items you can use as backgrounds. Black velvet works well, so do plain sheets of material or use a plain wall if you have one.
 

Have A Conversation

Most of the time the 'say cheese' approach won't work as you'll just get shots with big grins and squinting eyes. Instead, try talking to the children you're photographing, asking them questions and making them laugh. As a result, you'll soon see them creating expressions and poses that are much more interesting. Try setting your camera on continuous shooting mode to increase your chances of capturing a creative shot. This mode, which is available on many cameras will let you take a burst of images in quick succession which you can then pick out the best from.
 

Framing

Don't think your subject has to always be slap-bang in the middle of your frame. By positioning them slightly off centre you'll create a much more striking composition.

If you want to try photographing your subject so they are looking out of frame do leave some 'looking space' as it creates a more pleasing shot and your subject won't look like they're squashed into a small frame.
 

My Shot's Too Dark Or Light

If you're shooting on auto and find the balance of highlights and shadows isn't right there are a few things you can do to correct it. If the face is too washed out, set a faster shutter speed or smaller aperture. This could mean switching to sports mode if your compact has one so it knows you want to use a quicker shutter speed. If the detail is too dark set a slower shutter speed or wider aperture.

If your camera has exposure compensation, check your manual if you're unsure, set it to -1 or -2 for shots that are washed out and +1 or +2 for shots that are too dark.
 

Post-Production

There are a few free pieces of editing software available such as Gimp or you could purchase Photoshop Elements which isn't quite as expensive as the CS range. Cropping, playing with tools such as Dodge & Burn, adding vignettes and turning shots to black & white are all things you can do during post-production to enhance images. Take a look at ePHOTOzine's technique section for more tips and tutorials on this subject.

Photo by Peter Bargh. 

Shooting images of everyday objects at home is a great way to improve your creativity and to put your imagination to work. But first you need to establish exactly what your photograph's going to be used for. On some occasions just showing what the product looks like, the height, depth etc., will be enough, but most of the time you need to really sell the product. Take a pen for example, you can just put it on a plain background and take a perfectly good shot of it but if you introduce a writing pad and shoot it on an old wooden table you begin to create a story, adding interesting and as a result, the shot will be more attention-grabbing.

You can't take a brilliant photograph if the product looks sub-standard to start with so always ensure your product and any other props you're using are clean and looking their best.

Good lighting is the key to a good product shot so set up in a room that's well lit and avoid harsh, direct flash at all costs. If you have one, a light tent can help soften the light and reduce shadows and reflections but a simple bit of muslin or a net curtain put up against your window will soften the light if you don't. Using a white card or white balancing your shot in-camera will also help your shot but if you shoot in RAW, this can be altered later during post-production.

Here are a few examples to try:

• Book and reading glasses
• Coffee beans spilling out in front of cappuccino cup or from a jar
• A full cup on a table
• Pen and crossword
• Fruit in front of jar of jam

Don't forget to post your creations into the gallery so we can see your hard work!