Subject Placement Tips in Photography |  |
- Subject Placement Tips in Photography
- Photography Lighting Accessories
- Mixing Double Exposure Techniques with Light Painting (Video)
| Subject Placement Tips in Photography Posted: 10 Nov 2013 06:42 PM PST This should be one of the most obvious things in an image yet many people have absolutely no idea as to where it should go. Most people take their subject and place it slap bang in the middle thinking that is the right place to go. How wrong can you get? This article will help you place your subject properly.  “olivo solitario” captured by David Hobcote (Click Image to See More From David Hobcote) Early in my career as a photographer I only had one place for a subject, in the middle of the image. And, my images never seemed to contain that dynamic punch. The photo books and travel magazines all looked great but my photos were just average. Then I discovered that there were some rules and by implementing them and my images came alive. 1. Going for the centerDespite what I have said in my intro about centrally placed subjects, there is a place for it in photography, just that it works in limited ways. Subjects like people portraits can work well with a central subject. Other subjects or objects like buildings that are symmetrical work well as do cars taken from the front and subjects cropped tightly. Be careful though that you use central placement in a limited way in your photo taking. 2. Off-centeredIf your want to place a subject in the middle of an image try to off center it just a little so that it’s not right in the middle. This will help make a more pleasant image. 3. The rule of thirdsYou may or may not have heard about this rule discovered by the early Greeks and used for centuries in art and painting. Knowing the rules and where to place a subject allows you to break the rules if it works towards creating a better or more dynamic image. So back to the rule of thirds or two thirds rule as it is also known. Imagine an image with a tic-tac-toe or noughts and crosses grid superimposed on it. Two horizontal lines and two vertical lines dividing the scene into thirds. Where these lines intersect are your key points. It’s on these points that you can place your subject to the best effect.  “Woman on a Bike” captured by Richard Crowe (Click Image to See More From Richard Crowe) Take a look for yourself at a photo or travel magazine and see how many of the images use this rule. But, not only do these points help create a great image but the vertical or horizontal lines do the same. If you have a tall object or a person standing up then place it or them on one of the two vertical lines. The same goes for a landscape image with a horizon. The horizon should always lie on one of the horizontal lines and not in the middle, creating a striking landscape photo. By placing your subject according to the two thirds rule the image becomes more balanced and pleasing to the eye. You can add another focal point to the image but it should never compete with the main subject so it has to be smaller and not dominate the photo. Placement of a subject is key to every image so experiment and practice using these tips on placing your subject as you learn digital photography. Happy shooting! About the Author: Go to full article: Subject Placement Tips in Photography |
| Photography Lighting Accessories Posted: 10 Nov 2013 03:14 PM PST The use of proper lighting in taking photos is very important. It enables you to take clearer images that you can be proud of, particularly in an environment where light is low. But to be able to achieve your goal, you need the right accessories for your digital camera.  “Orinco Cat” captured by Luís Ferreira and lit using a softbox Hotshoe FlashesThe very basic accessory is the hotshoe flash. A flash can be the built-in type or a stand alone. Compact point and shoot cameras normally have a built-in flash, but for those who are serious about photography, using a stand alone flash is essential.  “Model Testing Reflectors” captured by Mike Opinia and lit using reflectors (Click image to see more from Opinia.) Flash units vary today. There are now the lightweight, portable types capable of providing speed light. There are also units that can be controlled remotely. Regardless, one thing that you need to make sure of is getting one that’s compatible with your digital camera. If you use a flash unit, you will also need a hotshoe adapter. This connects the sync cord of the flash to your digital camera. LED LightsAn innovative lighting accessory you can also use is the CameraBright continuous LED light. This product can be connected to the tripod mount of any brand of camera or even a camcorder. It gets rid of the red eye effect and achieves well-lit images even in the dimmest of lighting conditions. ReflectorsThere’s also the reflector/diffuser ideally used in the studio. This tool works by serving as a fill light substitute for portrait photography. Reflectors come in several different sizes and with many options for reflective surface: white, silver, gold, etc. SoftboxesAnother accessory you might want to consider is the softbox. This is normally lightweight with a wire frame and diffusion fabric. It can be set up in just a few minutes. It should come with a flash mounting bracket that can accommodate speed lights.  “A Joe McNally Photo Style” captured by Alex Fuentes and lit using a speedlight with softbox UmbrellasDid you know that you can use an umbrella in photography? Experienced photographers, particularly the old-timers, depend on the silver umbrella to achieve softer light while shooting. You can get the same effect by using white translucent umbrellas. Depending on the kind of photography you’re engaged in, there are different lighting accessories you can use to improve your images. About the Author: Go to full article: Photography Lighting Accessories |
| Mixing Double Exposure Techniques with Light Painting (Video) Posted: 10 Nov 2013 10:28 AM PST The advent of digital photography sped up the photography process seemingly overnight. What used to take hours or days to complete can now be done in the blink of an eye. But in the fast world of ever-evolving technology, some photographers are choosing personal projects that slow down time. Jason D. Page‘s film-based light painting project took two years to complete. Though he shot seven rolls of film, his final series consists of fewer than twenty images. Watch the following video to see the process behind his creation of Falling Away: Page’s vision was to create an image that made it look as if an angel was falling through a stormy sky. Over a year before recording this behind-the-scenes video, he went out at night during a lightning storm and shot dozens of pictures of the sky using Kodak Ektar 100 Color Negative film and a Canon AE1 35mm camera. The second part of the project, which is highlighted in the video, involved double exposing the film with light painted images of a model. To make the woman look as if she was falling downward through the sky, Page asked her to pose by lying with her back arched over a black stool in front of a black background, her head and limbs weighed down by gravity. He then mounted the camera upside down on his tripod with the help of a Gorillapod.  Page demonstrates his model’s pose.  A Gorillapod secured the camera to the tripod. With his model in place on his dark set, Page opened the shutter for a long exposure with a cable release. He then used various colored lights to paint in the model’s body from head to toe. When the film was developed, he finally saw his vision come to fruition.
Some photographers might balk at the lengthy, meticulous process of creating the Falling Away series. After all, a similar look could probably be crafted in Photoshop in less than an hour. But the challenge of using film and old-fashioned effects to complete a photography project is a slow, lost art that many photographers are rediscovering–and embracing. Go to full article: Mixing Double Exposure Techniques with Light Painting (Video) |
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