Review Digital Camera World 04-15-2013

Digital Camera World

Photography Lighting: easy ways to take control from natural light to using flash Apr 14th 2013, 23:01 In our new Shoot Like A Pro series we take an in-depth look at photography lighting and how you can take control of the elements to get more balanced, beautiful pictures. We start this week by taking a closer look at the character of light and how the quality of light will affect your images. Light is more than just how bright or dark it is; it's also the key to the look, mood and atmosphere of your images. The direction of the light will affect how the shape and texture of your subject appears, while the colour and how soft or harsh the light is can totally change a shot's appearance. Light's very important, so in this series we'll show how a few simple camera tricks and techniques can guarantee better images – from choosing the right time to visit a photo location to taking complete control of the light by using flash. You'll also discover how to alter the character and contrast of photography lighting by using diffusers and reflectors. As you'll learn, there's nothing esoteric about mastering light, as much of it comes down to careful planning… Understanding the character of light There are three basic characteristics of light that determine how your shot will look: how harsh or soft it is, the direction and the colour. It's easiest to tell the quality of the light by looking at the shadows, rather than the areas in the light. Harsh, direct light creates strong, well-defined shadows, while the shadows created by more diffuse lighting are much softer. The location of the shadows tells you where the light is coming from, as they appear on the opposite side to the light. Lighting positions How hard or soft the light appears is due to the apparent size of the light source from the subject's position. A small light source produces hard, directional light, while a very large light source produces much softer light. Remember it isn't the actual size of the light that matters; it's how it appears to the subject that you are shooting. For example, the sun is huge, but because it is so far from the subject it acts like a tiny light source. The direction of a light source, and the shadows it creates, will affect how the texture and form of the subject will appear. Light from the camera position (or behind it) will produce flat light on the subject, and also create shadows directly behind the subject. This is good for capturing fine detail, but won't reveal much of the texture or shape in the subject. You'll get much more interesting results when the light is coming from one side of the subject. This effect, known as side lighting, produces shadows on the opposite side to the position of the light, revealing texture and contours in the subject. A common photography lighting situation you'll encounter shooting outside during the middle of the day is when the light is falling from above the subject. This can create unflattering results, especially when shooting portraits, as the eyes will be dark, and there will be shadows under the nose and chin. PAGE 1: Understanding the character of light PAGE 2: How white balance affects the quality of photography lighting PAGE 3: How to control your photography lighting READ MORE See the light like a pro: everything you were afraid to ask about using natural light 10 common exposure problems every photographer faces (and how to fix them) 10 rules of photo composition (and why they work) Snoot Lighting: how to take moody strobist portraits using your hotshoe flash Apr 14th 2013, 13:00 You might be surprised at how easy it is to create theatrical lighting for impressive portraits. By using your hotshoe flash and controlling the spread of light with a simple add-on tube, we show you how to create this dramatic snoot lighting effect. A flashgun is always a handy tool to have in your camera bag, but it can often be like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. For this reason, you almost always need extra add-on accessories to turn the flash into a useful creative effect. The flash accessory with the most unusual name has to be the snoot. This is just a long tube or funnel that attaches to your flashgun, converting it from a floodlight into a spotlight, picking out a small area of the scene. Snoot lighting is very handy when you are photographing a portraits against a wall. Even though most add-on strobes have a zoom head that allows you to narrow the spread of light, the flashgun will still light up the majority of the frame. Snoot lighting restricts the spread to a narrow beam, so that some areas of the frame are not lit at all by the flash. It is an effect that is not just useful for portraits, it can also be used for still-life arrangements, where you only want one thing on your table top to be highlighted. Snoot lighting is of most use in circumstances where the background is very close behind the subject. If the background is much further away the wide coverage of the flash tube is not an issue, as the light power falls off so sharply with distance. With a portrait, if the wall or backdrop is just behind the subject, the background becomes as well lit as the person. The result is a cold, analytical shot that lacks any atmosphere. Use a snoot and just the person's face is lit, creating a much more theatrical effect. Commercially made snoots are available to fit most add-on flashguns, but there is no need to spend money on one to get this cool effect, as you can make your own light funnel very easily. Whether you buy one or make one, there are some things to watch out for to get successful results with a minimum of fuss… How to use snoot lighting for moody portraits 01 BACKS AGAINST THE WALL A snoot is particularly useful when there is little option but for the subject to stand or sit near the backdrop you are using. It is the best option if you don't want the whole background to be as well lit as the person. The theatrical lighting effect is very well suited to male portraiture.   02 BASE EXPOSURE With off-camera flash it is wise to use Manual exposure mode, particularly when lighting just a small part of the frame. Settings of 1/125 sec at f/6.3 at ISO200 are a good starting point. Take a test shot of the backdrop without flash (as above) to see that the shot looks dark enough.   03 THAT’S A WRAP We used a Large Rogue FlashBender (£32, $40), which wraps around a flashground with an elastic strap and velcro, as our snoot. You also need a trigger for the off-camera flash (see far right), and something or someone to hold the flash in the right position (we used a tripod).   04 POWER CONTROL The exposure for the subject is simply controlled by altering the power output of the flashgun. Use the flash in Manual mode, and start off with a setting of 1/8 or 1/16 power. Take a test shot, and if the subject is too bright reduce the power, or if too dark increase it! READ MORE: Studio Lighting: 4 seriously simple lighting techniques to try at home Free portrait lighting cheat sheet 14 portrait photography tips you'll never want to forget 6 simple lighting setups for shooting portraits at home (plus free cheat sheet) RAW vs JPEG: demystifying image size and quality on your Nikon DSLR

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