Thoughts on Editing

I've been working alot in Lightroom this week, trying to get more familiar with it, and developing a workflow. I have also selected a few photos and worked for a long time on them, trying to find good editing style for me.

I like photos that have bright, vibrant colors. Having a photo completely in focus is a must for me, and I really try not to crop off limbs. I want my photos to look real, not all hazy and dreamy, but also not over-edited.

I really admire photographers who do not edit. For one thing, they don't have to spend nearly as much time processing, and they also can spend more time learning how to use their camera to the best of their ability.

It is my goal to get everything right in camera....white balance, focus, cropping, and other things, like making sure there is nothing I don't want in the photo. 

Look at the photo below... 

In the before version, you can see the tip of a red scooter handle right next to his head. I really didn't notice that when I was shooting the photo, but when I went in to edit, it bothered me. I tried to edit it out, but it kind of failed (as you can see :P). I want to notice those kinds of things, and fix them before I take the photo.

Anyway, that was a little bit rambling and I don't know if you got anything out of it. 

Oh well. Enjoy the photos!

Boats at the Wharf

Sorry I haven't posted for a few days...I started off the new year with a pretty nasty fever/cold, but I'm doing much better now :) 

Here are a few photos I took last week. Enjoy!

On a happy note, my first photo shoot is tomorrow morning.
I am very excited, (and a bit nervous) about getting to photograph three adorable sisters. :)

Have a lovely day!

2 Tips for Shooting Faces

 Here are a couple simple rules for portrait photography:

1. Don't shoot up the nose!

Sure isn't flattering ;) You may think: "It's a cool angle...why not take it?"

Portrait photography isn't about cool angles. It is about making your subject look good! It is important to portray them in a flattering way.

So find a different angle :)

2. Women turn heads toward the higher shoulder. Men toward the lower.

I'll use myself as an example:

The above pose looks more masculine than the one below. In the photo above, see how my head is tilted toward the lower shoulder? In the below photo, I'm tilting my head toward the higher shoulder. The second pose is much more flattering to a girl than the first. 

I don't have an example of a male leaning both ways, but I think you get the idea! 

Cropping at the Joints

 Ballet is really hard to photograph.

REEALY hard to photograph. 

I tried it a few weeks ago, and didn't do very well.

It was dark.

People were moving fast.

And I kept zooming in too close and cropping off fingers, hands, or feet.

That is one essential thing when you are composing a photo.
DON'T crop your photo at a person's joint. Anything...elbows, wrists, fingers, knees, ankles! 

Why? Because it makes something look wrong. Doesn't the below photo look a bit weird?

Lovely, just lovely... I cut off 2 wrists and 3 ankles. :(

Really love this photo... but is pretty much ruined...look at her arms. I cropped the photo at her wrists. :( 

And their faces are blurry. *sigh* 

Well, I got a few decent photos which I'll be posting soon....

but the lesson to learn is:
DON'T CROP AT THE JOINTS! 

It looks weird.

Windows + Reflectors

I am posting an educational blog post, that (for once!) hopefully will not leave you feeling like your brain has been fried. :P It is just about using a reflector in indoor photography. 

Ever seen those lovely photos that are highly grainy and orange tinted? Taken in low unnatural light inside a house? I have...lots of them.

I've even taken them. Like most people. :) But there are some ways to fix indoor-photography-that-isn't-so-great. 

1. Use your flash. Try making yourself a diffuser. I posted a little about the one I made HERE. 
2. Check your white balance. If you set it correctly, it can effectively reduce yellow-orangish lighting.
3. Shoot at a higher ISO or lower shutter speed to prevent underexposed photos.
4. Get near those windows! Or a door! They usually provide the best indoor light.
5. Use a reflector. [This is what my post today is mainly about]

 What? Reflector?

A reflector helps bounce light so that your subject is evenly lit.

Like so:

See how the left side of her face and her hair are all in shadow?

But after strategically placing a reflector beside her, her face is more evenly lit. 

The below photo demonstrates the way I set the reflector up. 

A window on her left and a reflector on her right! Voila. 

Okay... what do you use for a reflector? 

I use that shiny grey thing. I think it is called foam core, but I'm not sure... It works very well though!

When using a reflector, you often need an assistant to hold the reflector while you take the photo. Kind of inconvenient sometimes, but worth it in the end.

Left: without reflector | Right: with reflector

Post #50! Wow! And it's only been 3 months!

Rainy Days

 Oh, how I love rainy days!

(check photo captions for what element of composition they are....)

element of composition: symmetry

 It is pretty much the only time the weather cools down. And I get to wear rain boots :)

And take photos of wet things.

element of composition: depth of field, possibly lines

Wheeee! I love the above photo!!!

elements of composition: n/a (tsk tsk.... it's not a great photo)

 *sigh*

element of composition: depth of field,

 Yes, dear readers, that IS a rain drop on my camera lens. Two drops to be exact. I didn't mean to get them on there. I cleaned the lens very carefully afterward. But I love the photo :D

element of composition: simple backgrounds (?)

And our cute kitty had her tail curled around her paw. Aw. Was she cold, or was she scared of my camera? 

Does anyone else love rainy days?

Elements of Composition #9

And the LAST element of composition I am posting about is:

Symmetry!

use mirrored or repetitive geometry to create balance

Today I have 4 photos to share with you...and I took them in the last 30 minutes! ;D  

 

Windows

Closet doors

A wet leaf

Our gate :)

Well, I hope you learned something and got a few ideas from this series. I've been blogging about nine elements of composition for the past two weeks, and I am happy to be able start posting other things this week! :) 

Elements of Composition #8

 The 8th element of composition is

Use of Negative Space (or "White Space")

open space brings the eye to where you want it

This is a group of balloons we spotted in the sky...they were tied to some kind of a sign. Mysterious!

I know that this isn't the nicest photo to look at, but I was proud of the fly for holding still for me.

This element is pretty easy to understand. You can use blank or empty space in your photo to bring attention to the subject. I think this element would work well with a shallow depth of field. Sorry I didn't have a photo to demonstrate that... :S

One more post left...on Symmetry!

Elements of Composition #7

Today's element of composition is  

Lines

using horizontals, verticals or diagonals to emphasize your subject

Well, I don't have a perfect example to share with you today, but this photo will work with a bit of explaining. 

I was photographing this bridge. (Yes, that is a bridge, and I walked over it!) See those lovely lines that the boards make? If I had moved my camera up a bit and focused on the PEOPLE instead of the BRIDGE, the lines would have emphasized the people beautifully. The photo is still nice, the composition isn't quite right to call it a lines example.

Only 2 days of this series left...hang in there! Tomorrow is Use of White Space :)

Elements of Composition #6

 The sixth element of composition is....

Frame Your Subject!

It was a bit hard for me to find a photo for this...I didn't have one that was obviously framed, but I came up with these two that will work.

Here I am framing the sky at sunset with the roofs near me...

....and here I am framing a clump of flowers through the a hole in the railing of our deck. 

 It's fun when you find a subject that would work well with a frame... the problem is finding a frame!
Tomorrow's element of composition is Lines.... mysterious....;)
Happy November, by the way!

Elements of Composition #5

Depth of Field

use focus to draw the eye to your subject

I wrote a bit more about the technicalities of aperture & depth of field here if you would like to learn more about how to use it ;)

Next up: Frame Your Subject!

Elements of Composition #4

 Element number 4 is:

Patterns, repetition of lines or elements

 Sorry, clothespins aren't the most picturesque thing to photograph....it was hard to find subjects for this element! ;)

Tomorrow will be: Depth of Field

Elements of Composition #3

 The third element of composition is:

Rule of Thirds 

place points of focus at thirds rather than center, center on the x- and y-axis

This photo demonstrates the Rule of Thirds element pretty well.

I placed the point of focus (the shoreline) two-thirds of the way down the photo, instead of smack in the center. It's not always the way to take a photo, but sometimes it gives a great effect!

P.S. I know the quality of the above photo is pretty bad...but I couldn't put a grid on it in my photo editing program so I had to do it in my graphic editing program. That made the photo awfully grainy. Apologies. *sniff*

Elements of Composition #2

 The second element of composition is:
Simple Backgrounds

The title basically explains this element...a simple background! 

I don't know if the duck (Platypus?) photo quite made the cut on this assignment...you can tell I took the photo on a white towel ;) 

Oh well. You get the idea. 

Tomorrow I will be posting on the Rule of Thirds!

P.S. I used flash in the second photo... could you tell? See the ducky's beady little eyes ;D

Elements of Composition #1

This week on 31 Days to a Better Photo I am learning about 9 different elements of composition.

My goal is to take (or hunt in my photo archive for) one or two photos that illustrate each of the nine elements :)

The first one is: 

Filling Your Frame

The first photo is probably a better illustration of this element, but both work. I think the key is getting your frame filled with something, and have the majority, if not all of it in focus.

Next up... Simple Backgrounds!