Blog | 62 - Fun in the Sun
| Freelance Photographer in St Ives Cambridgeshire: Food & Drink Photography; Commercial Photography, Product Photography & Packshot Photography; Event Photography; Portrait Photography; Corporate Photography & PR Photography; Engagement Photography & Wedding Photography and Photography Training Courses in Cambridge, Huntingdon, Peterborough, Bedford, Ely, St Neots, St Ives and London. Professional Photography Services in St Ives, St Neots, Huntingdon, Bedford, Peterborough, Ely & Cambridge. | |||
 
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Alistair Grant Freelance Photographer Cambridge & London |
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bokeh photographic: Blog No: 62 → TIP: Click any image to view in LightBox |
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Fun in the Sun If you are of a certain age you will remember analogue i.e. film photography. Hopefully, your memories will be positive. I really miss working with 35mm negative film as well as colour-positive reversal (aka slide or transparency) media. You may also recall the various straplines of film manufacturers not least Kodak: ‘Take your pictures further with Kodak’; ‘You press the button it does the rest’; ‘Don’t let your greens get the blues’; ‘To load it is to love it’ and so on. When not marketing flash (e.g. ‘Your sun, the flashcube: it shines where and when the sun doesn’t!’ NB: regarding the rotating flashcube that provided four explosive flashes which Kodak developed for Instamatic cameras in the 1960s) Kodak’s advertising campaigns imparted helpful advice. For example: ‘Shoot with the sun’ meaning a front-lit scene with the sun either directly behind or over one shoulder of the photographer. As the current heatwave shows no sign of ending I thought it useful to provide a take on this from the perspective of shooting ‘clean’ Event Photography, Corporate & PR Photography, Editorial Photography and Documentary Photography as I have done most of this summer. Note that the situation is slightly different for creative Portrait Photography (which has also kept me busy) where features like lens flare due to direct sunlight are often desirable. As with most things in photography shooting in direct sunlight is somewhat of a trade-off. Although people enjoy sunny weather and appreciate the feel-good factor of a photograph taken under sunny conditions ‘Shoot with the sun’ is perhaps not the best option. In fact, consensus opinion is to avoid shooting in direct sun if at all possible. A front-lit scene in direct sun would not only mean that people in the scene would be facing right into the sun (cue squints and blinks), the sun’s directional plane would also fatten and flatten facial characteristics. Additionally, direct sunlight is associated with bleached colours and harsh shadows. Wherever possible I encourage people to move into a more shaded spot (dappled sunlight underneath a tree is always a winner) or at the very least, turn away from the sun. Of course, when shooting events etc. this is often not possible as doing so would interrupt proceedings. Thankfully, there are other steps that can be taken to minimise the problems of shooting in direct sunlight. Whilst a large diffuser - such as my 1.8x1.2m 2-Stop Lastolite - gives the best results this can be impractical. Sometimes it’s possible to discreetly slip a smaller scrim into position to soften light on the face. As those who have undertaken any of the bokeh photographic Photography Training Courses will be aware I am a great fan of horticultural fleece. I have been known to ask assistants to hold up a sheet of fleece (or a decorator’s sheet) in order to reduce contrast. On the opposite side of the equation adding light is often as important. The problem of diminishing effectiveness with smaller size also holds true for reflectors but something like a 60cm reflector positioned under the face can prove effective. Fill-flash is probably the most efficacious technique when shooting in direct sunlight. Contrary to what a lot of photographers seem to practice this doesn’t require high-intensity power (so long as a flash-friendly aperture is selected using careful spot metering) which has the advantage of reducing overheating and battery drain. Obviously the use of flash is not appropriate in all scenarios so my final tip (apart from maybe considering a Neutral Density filter and using a lens hood) is to up the ISO and then close-down the lens more than what you might be accustomed to shooting at. In less bright conditions I probably would have used an aperture around f/5.6 or below to photograph this stallion at The National Stud in order to blur the background. However, given the extremely strong sunlight I opted for f/14 and an ISO of 1000 (shutter 1/320s) on 200mm glass standing back to achieve an equivalent result. |
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Call Alistair Grant on 07775 365507, Email [email protected] or click Booking Enquiries if you have any questions or would like to make a booking. |
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bokeh: "the aesthetic quality of the blur produced in the out-of-focus parts of an image produced by a lens" Freelance Photographer offering Food & Drink Photography Cambridge; Commercial Photography Cambridge, Product Photography Cambridge & Packshot Photography Cambridge; Event Photography Cambridge; Portrait Photography Cambridge; Corporate Photography Cambridge & PR Photography Cambridge; Engagement Photography Cambridge & Wedding Photography Cambridge and Photography Training Courses in Cambridge. Also covering: Huntingdon, St. Ives, Ramsey, St. Neots, Peterborough, Bedford, Stamford, Newmarket, Sawtry, Alconbury Weston, Brampton, Hartford, Warboys, Houghton, Wyton, Godmanchester, Hilton, Hemingford Grey, Hemingford Abbots, Fenstanton, Whittesley, Yaxley, Needingworth, Somersham, Chatteris, Ely, Bar Hill, Grafham and Buckden. |
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bokeh photographic - Alistair Grant | Freelance Photographer | Cambridge, London, UK - Creative Natural Photography And Outstanding Customer Service At Competitive Prices - Food & Drink Photography | Commercial Photography & Product Photography | Corporate Photography & PR Photography | Portrait Photography (inc. 'Active Portraiture', 'Naturally You' & 'Poptraits') | Event Photography | Engagement & Wedding Photography | Photography Training Courses & Camera Tuition | Videography & Film Production Tel: 07775 365507 | Email: [email protected] |
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