your holidays: captured through the lens capture … · your holiday photos, try placing a tissue...
TRANSCRIPT
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All
imag
es a
nd le
sson
con
tent
© 2
012
Katr
ina
Kenn
edy.
All
right
s re
serv
ed.
I love this time of year! It’s
filled with so many photo
opportunities. And yes, there
is ONE simple thing you
can do to get photos you’ll
cherish!
Looking At Light
So what is that one thing that
will change your photos, no
matter what camera you have?
Light. Yes. Light.
Morning light and later
afternoon light give the most
even, beautiful light to shoot
in. When the sun is at an angle,
rather than overhead, you get
a more indirect, diffused light.
You can’t always shoot at those
perfect times though.
YOUR HOLIDAYS: CAPTURED THROUGH THE LENS
looking for light
Capture Your Holidays with Katrina Kennedy
BONUS
LESSON
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BONUS LESSON : Looking For Light 2
Where Can You Find Light In December?
Near a window
North facing windows are preferred for the indirect light they
provide, but any window can work if the light is indirect.
Place your back to the window and put your subject in front of
you, be careful not to shadow your subject. Turn your subject to
see the different ways the light falls. If you can’t find a window,
try opening your door and grabbing that light.
Open shade
Find a tree outside with even shade. Make sure you move out
of dappled spots which will create uneven patches on your
subject and cause you frustration in post processing. During
December, this may not be an issue!
Open your garage door
Shoot just inside the door. The light will bounce off the
driveway onto your subject.
You don’t need an
ABUNDANT amount of
light to create photos.
A small amount of light
directed on your subject
can create compelling
images. Use your tripod
and work the exposure
triangle to make the most
of low light situations. .
USE WHAT YOU FIND
OH LIGHT!
Your eye always sees
more light in a room
than your camera! Your
camera sees more color!
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BONUS LESSON : Looking For Light 3
Overcast days
White overcast days act as a huge
diffuser for the sun. The light is
even and not too bright. Add a nice
blanket of snow to the overcast day
and you have an instant reflector
to bounce light back onto your
subject.
Alleys/sides of buildings
Alleys are great spots for light as
they tend to block direct sunlight
and then bounce it off of the walls.
Look for sides of buildings where
light is bouncing off of the ground
or adjoining walls.
Work The Light
Sometimes finding the light means
moving yourself just a few inches
to change the angle. Watch for
shadows that distract from your
subject, creating dead space. Move
around your subject before you
shoot. See where the light looks
best.
When you can see the catch lights
in your subjects eyes - those little
white reflective spots - you know
you’ve found the light. Catch lights
make your subject come alive.
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BONUS LESSON : Looking For Light 4
Look At The Color Of Light
Take a walk around your house.
Look at the light. What color
is it? If you do this at different
times during the day you will
notice different colors and
light intensities as the lights’
temperature changes.
While natural light is always
considered ambient light, not all
ambient light is natural. Ambient
light from a lamp, overhead
light or other man-made light
source can play tricks with your
exposure.
With most ambient lighting, a
color cast is produced on our
subject. Even completely natural light from the sun can produce a color cast as it reflects off
of our wall and clothes. Tungsten lighting, typical in many homes, lacks color in the blue and
green spectrum, causing it to look yellow when photographed.
Getting Rid of That Ugly Yellow Color Cast
If you are shooting in your auto modes, the modes will adjust for some, but not all color cast.
For these photos, editing software can correct the color cast. If you are shooting in Program or
semi- manual modes, you can adjust your white balance setting.
You will find white balance settings in your camera’s menu or activated with a button on the
outside of your camera, typically labeled WB. There are many different settings to choose
from including: AWB (auto white balance), a house with sun rays beside it (for photos in the
shade), and a light bulb (for artificial indoor light). As a rule of thumb, you want to select the
symbol that matches your light source.
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BONUS LESSON : Looking For Light 5
One (or Two) Last Thoughts
Avoid using your flash if you can! It
creates a frighteningly bright, deer in the
headlights look. If you must add flash to
your holiday photos, try placing a tissue
paper over the flash to diffuse it some.
You’ll be pleasantly surprised!
Enjoy!
Whatever camera you have and however
you celebrate, remember to set your
camera down from time to time and just
soak in all of the goodness!
For daily photo inspiration in 2015, stop
by CaptureYour365 where you can join
our FREE daily inspiration mailing to get
an idea straight to your mailbox.
http://www.captureyour365.com