Extra research on photography lighting reflector etc and my own notes on the photography studio

My notes on photography

Ø  There are two types of cameras we could be working with one would be the Nikon D40 with 7 million mega pixels with a 150 millimeter lense. The other would be the Nikon D7000 18 million mega pixels with a 155 millimeter lense.

Ø  Mode A: Aperture priority

Mode S: Shutter priority

Rules: play icon to see the shots

Ø  On the lens there’s A: Automatic M: manual. If it’s automatic the lense will be on automatic focus whereas if it’s manual then it focus it’s by itself for example if you want high closer of photography then manual creates the vibrant effect you need for the exposure.

Ø  One tip we got is that stand 6 feet away from the backdrop.

Ø  Use Trinity flashlights.

Ø  Umbrellas diffuses / softens the light. It softens the light reflecting it on the model.

Ø  Use Test button: tests the flash light.

Ø  Beeps = that it has took the photo.

Ø  Plus button : max 6 min 1

Ø  6 being most powerful and 1 being 1 being low light.

Ø  Air bracket to adjust the height of the flash light.

Ø  There are 2 backdrops: white and black.

Ø  Don’t use the auto function.

Ø  Shutter: how fast or slow a picture is captured.

Ø  Depth of feel: the foreground and the background is similar and focused.

Ø  Shallow of depth is when the foreground and background is different with a different look.

Ø  Gordon is the remote controlling the light from the camera.

EXPOSURE TRIANGLE: APERTURE, ISO & SHUTTER SPEED

Each setting controls exposure differently:

Aperture: controls the area over which light can enter your camera
Shutter speed: controls the duration of the exposure
ISO speed: controls the sensitivity of your camera's sensor to a given amount of light.

Exposure Mode   How It Works

Auto (green rectangle)  Camera automatically selects all exposure settings.

Program (P0 :Camera automatically selects aperture & shutter speed; you can choose a corresponding ISO speed & exposure compensation. With some cameras, P can also act as a hybrid of the Av & Tv modes.

Aperture Priority (Av or A):You specify the aperture & ISO; the camera's metering determines the corresponding shutter speed.

Shutter Priority (Tv or S):You specify the shutter speed & ISO; the camera's metering determines the corresponding aperture.

Manual (M):You specify the aperture, ISO and shutter speed — regardless of whether these values lead to a correct exposure.

Bulb (B)  :Useful for exposures longer than 30 seconds. You specify the aperture and ISO; the shutter speed is determined by a remote release switch, or by the duration until you press the shutter button a second time.

The umbrella light

white gives out a lot of light instantaneously, that light is very harsh. To some degree, that may be why you previously have been unhappy with your flash photos.

An umbrella takes your harsh flashlight and essentially turns it into a window. There are two general kinds -- the reflected umbrella and the optical white shoot-through umbrella. I strongly prefer the white (shoot-through) version as it is more versatile. Umbrellas can add a lot of depth to your light sources, and they are the least expensive light modifier. A white umbrella is normally best to use for indoor photography. This needs to be open when using it to achieve a softer glow. To use it, you have to shoot light directly through the umbrella for a softer appearance.

There are also other techniques that you should keep in mind. To get rid of shadowing, for instance, you need to angle your light. What you have to do is to put the umbrella in a position that will put the shadow behind your subject. This tactic is usually best for shooting portraits.

The black/silver umbrella, on the other hand, is utilized to brighten your subject.  this type of umbrella is direct light on the silver or inner part of the tool so that it brightens your subject. For a brighter image, the best technique is to use a combination of the white and black/silver umbrella. This will enable you to eliminate the shadow and make your subject look glowing. A good tip is to use the black/silver umbrella as your main source of light and then use the white one to diffuse the light for a softer appearance.  If you try to move the light source away from your subject and use an umbrella or any other type of diffuser, you can create softer light and achieve a clearer photo.

Reflector (photography)

A reflector is an improvised or specialised reflective surface used to redirect light towards a given subject or scene. For example try holding a white reflector at an equal angle between the light source (the sun) and your model. If the sun is high in the sky, position the reflector at chest height to help lift shadows under your subject’s eyes.

Reflective Umbrellas

Reflective umbrellas are also useful modifiers, allowing you to bounce light directly onto your subject without the use of standard reflectors. This keeps your studio more organized and clean and still allows you to get the benefits of a reflective surface. Reflective come in many different colours; black, silver, gold, and white are a few of the options available.

Gold: Use gold reflectors to warm up your pictures.
Silver: Silver reflectors can be used to brighten your picture, without affecting the colour of the light.
White: Use white reflectors to bounce light into shadows, without affecting the quantity, quality, or colour of light being cast on your subject.
Black: Black reflectors act in a subtractive manner, removing excess light from your photos.

You will also notice that some umbrellas have black backing and some have white. An advantage of the black backing is that it will keep out more unwanted light and heighten the effect of your reflected light.

When you use a reflective umbrella, position the light source between the umbrella and the subject, with the opening of the umbrella pointed towards the subject.

Lighting

Sports League Photography
if you are using a tent, make sure to set it up in the north-south position to keep the morning sun out and shadows consistent throughout the day. You will get the best light if the opening faces north.

Red EyeUse enough light so your subject's pupils are fully open and keep you flash off-centre.
Indoor Ambient Light
Close blinds and turn off overhead lights. Overhead fluorescents can turn your photo green; incandescent floor lamps can turn your photos yellow.
If using a window for lighting, use a north facing window for the best light.

Night Time:Use a tripod and set your camera to the lowest noise rating possible.

Depth of Field
Remember this is an inverse relationship: the larger the opening, the shorter the depth of field. 16 is a small depth of field; 2.8 is a large depth of field.
And, as always, plan ahead with regards to equipment so you have time to become familiar with it before you are on a shoot.

When photographing lightning,  have three objectives: to capture the bolt as sharp as possible; while choosing a composition that helps to isolate the lightning; and also be creative. Shoot at different times of the day. Shoot during different temperatures. A lightning image captured with patience and skill, including proper exposure, is likely to have a stronger personality.

.                                                                                                                                                TYPE: Cloud-to-ground, cloud-to-cloud (sometimes called 'crawlers'), and intra-cloud are the three types of lightning I witness and shoot most frequently.

INTENSITY (OR TEMPERATURE): The intensity of a lightning bolt is especially important to photography. Just how bright I anticipate a bolt to be helps me to set a proper exposure, from ISO to shutter speed.

PATTERN (OR SHAPE): one lightning objectives is to capture a lone, very clean, cloud-to-ground bolt.. But multiple-bolts, zigzagging lightning, or lightning that branches out in many different directions is also quite popular . Sometimes lightning appears to rise up and out from communication towers. This is known as reverse lightning.

COLOR: Lightning can strike in a variety of colours. The most common colour of lightning is white, but lightning can actually appear red, yellow, green, even blue or purple. The hue usually depends on gases, chemicals, and impurities in the atmosphere, as well as the actual temperature of the lightning bolt. Vivid white lightning is most common. Orange or reddish-coloured lightning can occur if there's a large concentration of dust or pollution in the air. Hailstones in a storm can make lightning appear a purplish colour, sometimes even blue. Sodium vapour lamps in a city can also influence the colour of lightning, giving it a bluish-green appearance. The variety of colours certainly adds to the fun.

 Techniques                                                                

1.       Split lighting is a technique where the subject’s face is somewhat divided into equal halves (one appearing on the light and the other in the shadow). This simple lighting technique is normally used in art works and dramatic images that includes portraits. To achieve this effect simply illuminate one half of your subject’s portrait and take the picture straight on.

Butterfly lighting created a butterfly–like shadow just beneath the subject’s nose. The light source should be behind and above the camera when using this technique.

As a general rule, when your subject has a rather round face, it’s better to use the split or the loop lighting technique (which I’ll cover later) over the butterfly lighting since both of them helps create the illusion of a slimmer face.

Positioning:

Loop lighting is one of the most popular and is supposedly easy to achieve. This technique creates a loop-shaped shadow under the subject’s nose.Loop lighting.

When using this technique, the shadow of the subject’s nose is reflected on their cheek but the nose’s shadow should never touch the cheek’s shadow.

Positioning:

Rembrandt lighting

This technique was named after Rembrandt the painter who often used this lighting pattern. What makes Rembrandt lighting is a triangle of light on the object’s cheek.

Unlike the loop lighting where the nose’s shadow and the cheek’s shadow doesn’t meet, the Rembrandt lighting is the exact opposite. This technique makes the photo more dramatic. Technically, the triangle should be no longer than the nose and no wider than the eyes.

It’s ideal to use this technique on subjects with round or full faces simply because its slims their face and adds definition.

Positioning:

Short lighting is a perfect technique if you want to flatter and make your subject’s face look slimmer. In this technique, the side of the subject’s face is directed towards the camera.                                                                                  Short lighting: The side directed is then in shadows allowing for more sculpting and 3D qualities.

Positioning:

The subject’s face should be turned towards the light source to achieve the short lighting effect. It’s important that you take note of your subject’s face’s shadow. An important tip to remember when using this technique is that most of the subject’s face should be in shadows.

Broad lighting

This is the exact opposite of the short lighting technique. When using this, most of the subject’s face is lighted while a smaller part of it is in the shadows.

It’s a good idea to use this technique when taking pictures of someone with a slim or small face. Broad lighting creates the illusion of making your face seem broader (thus the name of the technique). That said, if your subject feels that they are too thin, then using this technique will help solve that problem.

Another great idea of using this tip is when your subject has scars on their face or any kind of defect. If they feel insecure about it and doesn’t want it to show on the photo, you can hide it in the shadows.

Positioning: To achieve this kind of technique, the subject’s face should be turned away from the light source. The majority of the subject’s face should have the most light and should be facing the camera.