Lightning Photography Tips

Take Your Night Photography to the Next Level!

Lightning is dramatic, extremely fast, a challenge to photograph and potentially dangerous. There are various techniques involved with capturing great photos of lightning. Since lightning is extremely fast, (30 microseconds or 30/1000000s) you must be quick. Above all, be safe, as lightning kills.

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Find a Good Location

When photographing lightning, it’s important to realize that the conditions you are shooting in are unpredictable and dangerous, and there will always be an element of chance and luck involved. Since we cannot see the lightning coming, we need to predict where it will strike. How do we do this? By observing the lightning pattern and using a wide-angle lens we are covering enough area to hopefully catch an image of the lightning bolt. By keeping the shutter open for several seconds we might get lucky.

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Set the Lens to Infinity

You’ll want to disengage the autofocus on your lens, and set it to Infinity (the sideways 8 on the lens barrel); this isn’t always apparent on some digital lens, so you have to figure this out for your given lens. Manual focus is better than autofocus when you’re photographing lighting, because the lightning will definitely fool the autofocus sensor. Setting the lens to infinity gives your maximum depth of field, such that when the lightning does strike in the distance you’ll have the lightning and the deep background in sharp focus. Objects closer to the camera will definitely be out of focus, but they’re not your main subject any way – so don’t worry about them or frame them out ahead of time.

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Timing is Everything

If you are attempting to photograph lightning with a specific object in focus, in this case a pylon, then you will want to get the item in focus first. Place your camera on a sturdy tripod to avoid camera shake and use a remote release device (cable or RC unit) to ensure that your camera is rock-solid when releasing the shutter. Set the f-stop between f/5.6 - f/8 and set the shutter speed to B “bulb” mode. Bulb mode allows the camera operator to hold open the shutter for as long as the shutter release button is held down. If you are inexperienced, this scenario could be a good time to try the mirror lock up mode so you don’t have to predict exactly when a lightning bolt will strike. Mirror lock up, a feature available on most DSLRs lets you engage the mirror well before the shutter releases, so there is no mirror slap vibration. Set up your remote or cable release before hand, frame the image, and hold down the shutter release button to open the shutter. Wait for the lightning to flash and disappear then immediately end the shot.

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Composing the Photo

Shooting a streak of lightning in the sky and nothing else may look pretty but it gives no sense of perspective. Use a wide-angle lens and think about how the image has been composed. Include features of the landscape; a tree, buildings, moving cars etc. to give context to the photograph. Ultimately your composition will depend on where the lightning is appearing, but always consider what other elements you can bring into the shot. .

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How to Protect your Gear

With lightning comes rain. Although it is better to be under some kind of shelter when photographing lightning, this isn’t always possible. You need to protect your camera and lens from the rain; liquid can affect the mechanics of your camera and if it gets onto the lens, it distorts the finished image. Always use a lens filter to protect it (regardless of what you are photographing) and you may have to use a soft lint free cloth to wipe away any droplets regularly. Use a protective plastic case, or buy one of the plastic sheet covers made for cameras; these will protect the body, lens and the top half of your tripod. Keep all other lenses and accessories in a closed bag and avoid changing the lens outside when it’s raining.

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Recommended Settings

As lightning normally occurs in low light situations, generally you will want to choose a shallow depth of field, from f/2.8 to f/5.6, so enough light reaches the camera. Set the camera at ISO 200, set the shutter speed to “B” for bulb, and you’ll want to use a cable release to hold the shutter open to wait for the lightning to strike. If your camera doesn’t have a bulb shutter speed, then set the exposure for 10 to 30 seconds; that should be sufficient to capture the super fast lightning strike. However, you have to observe the lightning strike patterns to determine the best long exposure setting to use. The various types of lightning strikes (cloud to ground, pulse bolts or anvil) are of different speeds and require different exposures. The pulse bolts probably last about 2 seconds, so you want the exposure to be maybe 10 seconds to capture the sharp detail of the strike. If the storm is near you, you don’t want an exposure longer than 15 seconds. If the storm is far away, then 20 seconds to 2 minutes will be more effective. At the longer exposures, you need to stop down the aperture (f/8 or f/11). The mirror lock up mode is very useful, since we can wait for the lightning to strike before closing the shutter. Always use a cable release with mirror lock up mode and remember that this function is only effective if used in fairly dark conditions.

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Recommended Equipment

When taking photographs of lightning, it is important to have a sturdy tripod that is also light enough to pick up and move around with, should the weather take a turn for the worse. Protective gear for the equipment; covers and cloths are important to have as well. You will need a shutter release cable or a remote so that you avoid touching the camera when taking long exposures. If you can’t find either, use your camera’s self timer (although this can be difficult to use if it’s dark and rainy).

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Conclusion

On average, lightning strikes the earth 100 times every second, but to have lightning near you requires the right weather conditions. When the opportunity arrives you have to be ready to move! Obviously keep yourself safe and don’t expose yourself to violent weather conditions. That aside, the photograph of a lightning trail is unique, and a once in a lifetime shot – no two lightning strikes will hit in exactly the same place in exactly the same way. With that in mind, be prepared for the next time it pays you a visit.

resource: http://www.exposureguide.com/

Fireworks Photography Tips

Take Your Event Photography to the Next Level!

If you are celebrating New Year’s Eve, Memorial Day or July Fourth with a bang, it's time to catch some fireworks displays on your camera. Here are some simple techniques for taking great shots of fireworks.

1

Getting Ready

When you are going to photograph fireworks, be prepared. Make sure you have enough memory cards and extra batteries. You will need to take a tripod, a wide-angle or a telephoto zoom lens, and remember to arrive early. Place the camera on a tripod, and turn the mode dial to M (manual) mode; we want f/8 - f/16 for a greater DOF (depth of field) and a long exposure anywhere between 1-10 seconds. Use your camera’s self-timer or a cable release to take the photo with absolutely no blurring. For dramatic effect, try to capture multiple fireworks trails across the sky.

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Include People

Position yourself in a good spot at the center of the action. It’s a great idea to include the heads of other visitors, as it gives a sense of perspective and dimension. Place you camera on a tripod and choose a large aperture to keep things fairly sharp. Set your ISO at 100 to keep the digital noise at a minimum. Wait for multiple fireworks to go off, and use a cable release to take the photo. Don’t use flash because it could ruin the effect in the image, and take a longer exposure to catch various stages of breathtaking fireworks.

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Use a Slow Shutter Speed

When it comes to shutter speed, you should pick a slow exposure, anywhere between 1 - 15 seconds in order to capture the light trails. The longer the exposure, the more lines will appear and the longer they will look. Any faster would not catch the extended moment of the fireworks exploding. You should take the image using the camera’s self timer or a cable release so that you avoid touching and jiggling the camera. If you don't have anything to hold your camera steady, increase your camera's sensitivity to light by increasing the ISO. This will give you shorter exposures without blurs, but be prepared for more grain or ‘noise’ in your fireworks pictures.

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Click Away

Snap up the action, but avoid shutter lag (the time it takes between pressing the trigger and the camera taking the picture) by keeping the shutter button pressed halfway. When the right moment comes, press all the way down to instantly capture the desired image. Let the smoke clear away before taking your next shot, so as to reduce the need to edit the fireworks photos with software later.

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Shoot from a Distance

Mount the camera on a sturdy tripod and position it so that the bridge, the water and buildings can be seen; we want interest in the foreground and background. Set the mode dial to AV (Aperture Priority) mode, set the ISO at the range of 100 to 400 and choose an aperture of f/16 or more. Ideally we want a long exposure anywhere between 1-30 seconds for a silky water effect. Use a wide-angle lens (10mm - 42mm) for a broad perspective. You’ll want to disengage the autofocus on your lens, and set it to Infinity (the sideways 8 on the lens barrel); this isn’t always apparent on some digital lens, so you have to figure this out for your given lens. Use your camera’s self-timer or a cable release to take the photo with absolutely no blurring.

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Recommended Settings

Use the lowest ISO possible to keep the image high quality, and a slow shutter speed to capture the light trails. You don’t want to be any faster than 1/15s, though some shots may require even longer shutter speeds if you use a small aperture. If you are finding that the camera is not recording enough light for the fireworks, reduce the ISO down to 50 and choose the smallest aperture, at around f/32. This will force the camera to give you a slower shutter speed, while giving you a very high quality image.

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Recommended Equipment

Always take a tripod – there’s no other way to use a long shutter speed without getting camera shake. Use a telephoto zoom lens if the fireworks display is far away from you or a wide-angle lens if you want to capture the surroundings or the people at the event too. Remember to use a low ISO for a high quality image and you can also choose a small aperture for a sharp picture, although your camera must be on a tripod for this. Use a shutter release cable or a remote to take the picture – you can’t use self timer as you can’t predict exactly when the firework will go off.

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Conclusion

One of the most important things when it comes to shooting fireworks is timing. Always keep an eye out and get used to predicting when a firework will burst - you don’t want to capture it taking off or when it has finished. You want to photograph a firework as it makes its colorful burst. With some practice you will be able to record some stunning and attractive images worthy of your portfolio.

Resource: http://www.exposureguide.com/

Family Photography Tips

Take Your Portrait Photography to the Next Level!

The family portrait is one image that will be displayed and cherished for many years to come. There is no reason to take an awkward, stilted photograph. Instead, there are plenty of ways to be creative and compose a fun and beautiful shot.

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Position Pleasingly

Be creative with how you place people in a family portrait. This will depend on how many people you are dealing with and how much space you have but with your average family with 2 kids, you can create a pleasing head to head circle. Get everyone on the ground holding hands and use a standard or wide-angle lens; from 17mm to 50mm. Stand above them or use a ladder. Focus on the center of the image using a medium DOF (depth of field); f/9 to f/16 is ideal.

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Group them Together

If dealing with a large family, get people to stand together but in groups. Tall, younger people at the back, older people at the center and children at the front. Also remember to keep the taller people at the ends of the photograph. For a casual effect don’t have any strict, ‘short to tall’ order as this seems contrived. Use an external flash to light any shadows and freeze faces, and a wider depth of field to keep everyone sharp.

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Express Relationships

A great idea is to show emotion and closeness in your family portraits. Let your subjects hold and hug each other. You can also make generational differences obvious; a grandmother followed by daughter followed by granddaughter; usually the age differences are clear. Take these kinds of shots with natural light and fast shutter speeds to capture any big smiles the moment they happen; asking people to hold a smile gives an unnatural effect.

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Dress Right

Family portraits are an occasion to look your best. Try getting every one to wear shades of the same color or the same type of clothes for an interesting effect. Ask everyone in the family portrait to dress in clothes that work well together or try mixing and matching for a more varied effect. You can get everyone in the family portrait to dress in formal wear for instance. However, try to avoid the overly harsh look of reds. Also experiment with the mixing and matching of colors for a casual look.

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Use the Entire Frame

Close-ups are a great way to convey emotion. Take two people who are close, it can be a wife and husband, siblings or a parent and child and get them to talk to each other as closely as possible. Use a macro or standard lens and crop closely. Wait for the moment; it can be a smile or a look then take the photograph. Use flash to freeze the moment, and a shallow depth of field to keep the background blurred.

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Use Acute Angles

Experiment with angles. These kinds of photos are interesting and conversation pieces. A great technique to try is to get on the ground and look up with your subjects standing over you. You will need to use flash to light up the subjects faces against a bright sky. Get the subjects to tip their heads down so you aren’t shooting up their noses!

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Recommended Settings

Exposure settings for family portraits are varied although you will always want to get a balanced and sharp image. Therefore use flash if necessary and reasonable shutter speeds of at least 1/125s. Use a deeper depth of field (f/11-f/22) if you are dealing with a group, so that everyone is in focus. However, if dealing with three people or less, use a shallow depth of field (f/2-f/5.6) to keep the background blurred.

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Recommended Equipment

Family shots take more time to perfect and people are generally willing to take the time to get them right. Use lenses such as a wide angle for fitting people in and use a tripod and separate flash device if necessary. Various reflectors are always useful to bounce light into big groups, although you may need a stand or a helper to use them outdoors.

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Conclusion

Be creative when it comes to family portraits. Today’s modern image is taken outdoors with natural light and natural stances and poses. Don’t overdress your family and keep things happy and tender. Remember a key consideration is how many people you will be photographing. If you need to, take people out of a larger group to photograph in pairs. This method can give a nice mixture of family images that can be presented together in a montage.

Resource: http://www.exposureguide.com/

Birthday Photography Tips

Take Your Event Photography to the Next Level!

When you are young, one of the most special days of the year is your birthday. Whether it’s a home party or a special day out, being creative and flexible is the best way to catch memorable birthday images. Children can be temperamental at the best of times, so always be ready to capture the smiles when they occur.

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My, How You Have Grown!

Children grow fast; one day they cannot walk or talk, then it seems like the next day they can run and have conversations with you. Track each birthday and remember to catch details such as the candles on the cake, balloons and presents. Photograph your child sitting next to the cake. Use natural light by a window for the best effect, and a large aperture (f/2.8-f/4) to blur out the background. Choose a shutter speed of 1/100th of a second and upwards to avoid blur and for multiple shots use continuous shooting mode. This is important as children move around quickly. Use an external flash (with a diffuser) to fill in any dark spots.

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Capture Expressions

Children are full of energy and joy, especially on their birthday. Keep an eye on them and take photos while they are playing with their friends. A zoom lens of 24-70mm is ideal for this kind of indoor image. Turn the mode dial to AV (Aperture Priority) mode, select an ISO of 100-800 and a wide aperture of f/2.8-f/10 for a blurred background. Use flash to freeze the action. Consider using a separate flash, which is more powerful than the built in flash. This is important especially if you are photographing the children from a few yards away.

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Get in Close

The best time for a close-up photograph is when the children are sitting down opening presents or blowing out the candles on their cake. Take a few photos from the side and focus on the child’s face. Use a shallow depth of field to keep the background out of focus. You want to keep the shutter speed at 1/160th of a second to keep everything sharp, but also capture some of the smoke trails coming from the candles. Use a higher ISO setting if you are indoors as there is less light.

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Cherish Memories

Don’t just focus on the birthday boy or girl; makes sure you take pictures of the other children too. Watch how children interact with each other, and include siblings as well. Capture moments of them having fun with each other. If you are in your home the light may be fairly low; you’ll you need to push the ISO up to 400 and open the aperture to f/2.8-f/4 to let light in. Find interesting ways to frame the images; height differences between children are interesting for composition. Remember to include elements of the party in the photo like balloons, decorations, and gifts.

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Surprise! Surprise!

Candid shots are some of the best images you can take at a birthday party. Certainly, people expect the obvious shots of the birthday child with the cake. You should try to capture a shot of each child at the party as well. Use a telephoto zoom lens to focus in on the children inconspicuously – set the aperture to f/4 to blur out distractions, and use a reasonable shutter speed of 1/125th of a second to keep things sharp. Remember if you are indoors use an ISO of 400 or higher so you have sufficiently fast shutter speeds. Use the spot metering mode and meter on the child's face.

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Recommended Settings

When photographing birthday parties, most of the time you will be indoors, so make sure your ISO setting is at least 400-800. Try not to go higher as the images may get too grainy. Be sure to use shutter speeds of at least 1/125th of a second to keep the images sharp, as children move around quickly and unexpectedly. Flash can be used to illuminate the child’s face, but be wary of over-use. Some flash images can look harsh and unnatural, or overexposed.

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Recommended Equipment

A variety of lenses are useful for birthday photographs. Telephoto lenses of 300mm help to keep you in the background so you can get candid shots. A standard 50mm lens is very versatile and can give clear shots with a similar perspective to the human eye. In addition, you can usually get good close-ups with a 50mm lens.

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Conclusion

Photographing a child’s birthday is a great way to remember the child at that point in time. It is amazing how much people change as they grow, and you want to be able to look back years later. When working with young people it helps to be quick on your feet, quick at focusing and able to shoot the images without over thinking them. The approach is to let the child be free, and work with what they do. Letting the child feel comfortable is the first step in getting great birthday photographs.

resource: http://www.exposureguide.com/

Wedding Photography Tips

Take Your Event Photography to the Next Level!

Most professional photographers will tell you that the most stressful event you can ever photograph is a wedding. Once in a lifetime for most people, this event cannot be repeated or restaged, so it’s important to get it right. Plan ahead, get your equipment and back up batteries ready and be prepared to be flexible.

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Once Upon a Time...

Capture emotions and tell the story to make magical moments last a lifetime. Ultimately as a photographer you need to be observant and present but also inconspicuous. Couples shouldn’t be asked to repeat poses, so be ready to capture small moments showing affection. This wedding photography image shows a groom kissing his brides hand; the large aperture (shallow Depth of Field) of f/5.6 keeps the emphasis on the groom and the hand, but still shows off the bride’s bright smile. For multiple wedding shots use continuous shooting mode and hold down the shutter button as long as you’d like.

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Grab the Opportunity

There will be hundreds of special moments on the wedding day that you as the photographer must notice and capture. Certain events, such as the vows and walking down the aisle cannot be repeated, so give yourself a good position in the venue to begin with, but also keep out of the way. A nice effect is to use the slow sync flash mode, so you capture the blur of the couple walking, but the center of the frame stays sharp because the flash freezes it. Turn the mode dial to TV or S (Shutter Priority) mode and use a slow shutter speed of 1/4th of a second. Use either the on-camera flash or a separate one for more power. When you use slow sync, the shutter remains open much longer to allow in more light for your exposure.

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Take Unusual Wedding Photos

There will always be time for the formal posed wedding photos with all the friends and family members. The fun, casual moments are sporadic and less predictable. Look out for tender moments where the couple shares a story or a joke. You might capture outright affection or a glancing look they share. Use flash to freeze the moment and a small aperture of f/14 upwards to keep things sharp. Remember to keep the shutter speed at 1/250th of a second and higher as you don’t want to risk any blur. You can also consider using a warming filter, known as the 81A. This has a slight peach tone, but makes the skin glow and look alive.

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Capture them Leaving

The classic wedding photograph is the couple leaving the marriage venue, when the guests throw rice or confetti at the couple. Generally this will be in the day time with plenty of light, so choose a large aperture (f/2.8-f/5.6) to keep the couple in focus and the background slightly blurred. Use a shutter speed of 1/125th of a second so you can see some of the confetti in the air. Use flash if you want to guarantee that the image will be sharp. Consider using the continuous shooting mode, so you have a series of shots of the couple leaving while confetti is thrown at them.

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Tell the Fairy Tail

When it comes to the formal wedding shots, although most people will want the standard family line up images, remember to be creative. Take your bride and groom away from the commotion and place them indoors by a big window or where there is a sliver of light. The idea is to catch their silhouette, so you need the light source to be behind them. Get the couple to kiss, making sure you include the back of the brides dress and veil for the outline. Remember to turn off the flash and use either spot or multi-zone metering mode. Take a reading of just the bright area and then point your camera at them and shoot! Ideally you should use a tripod for this shot, although handholding at 1/160s should keep things reasonably sharp.

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Capture the Fun

Photograph some of the older folks out on the dance floor, or the bridesmaid catching the bouquet thrown by the bride. A wedding is a once in a lifetime event for the couple, and your chance to show off your prowess at photography, so make the best use of this opportunity. The happy couple will thank you for it in the years to come.

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Recommended Settings

It should go without saying, but it’s important to make sure your images are sharp and focused when taking wedding photographs. These images cannot be repeated. Although you can use a tripod for the formal shots, you will need to handhold a lot of indoor, candid photographs so use a flash, wide aperture and high shutter speed if necessary. Use flash if the conditions indoors seem a bit dark, and use it outside on sunny days to light the subject’s faces. Keep the ISO as low as you can, around 100, because wedding photographs are usually later enlarged and a lower ISO gives a finer grain.

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Recommended Equipment

When photographing a wedding, always take a spare camera body. Murphy’s Law states that if it can go wrong, it will, so bring a spare camera body in case of any problems. Better yet is having two camera bodies with a different lens on each. For example, a telephoto zoom on one, and a wide-angle lens on the other allow you to quickly switch between the two. Always take extra batteries and use a tripod for formal shots. Separate flash units are more powerful than built-in flashes, so have some of these. You might take some large gold and silver reflectors to add warmth and light to the subject’s faces.

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Conclusion

A wedding is supposed to be a once in a lifetime event for the couple, and as a photographer, there is a lot of pressure on your shoulders. You need to be present at all times yet keep out of the way. You need to be creative but formal at the same time. Many photographers will photograph a wedding as an assistant at first before taking on the task on their own since it is a big responsibility. If you are a lead photographer, take some assistants with you so that everything is covered. Remember that these photographs will be cherished for life, so you absolutely must do the best job that you can.

Resource: http://www.exposureguide.com/