One of the ideas that I emphasize in these lessons and in my workshops is the idea of telling a story with your images. The first thing you should ask yourself when picking up the camera is, "what story am I trying to tell here?". In the case of most portraits (though not all) the story is in the face, the eyes and the expression. Today I am going to show you an example of this. My model today is Marley. She is my computer girl Friday at the studio and she's amazing. One of Marley's defining features is her eyes. I took a handful of images of Marley today to show you the effect that getting closer can have on a simple portrait.
Here's my first shot. Marley gets lost in the scene. There are distracting elements in the window behind her and on the ground all pulling your eyes away from her face.
While coming in a little closer helps reduce some of the distracting elements, we still have too many things competing for our attention and it's hard to really appreciate the expression on her face.
So much better! You can see her now and her eyes pop too. The next one is my favorite.
While coming in a little closer helps reduce some of the distracting elements, we still have too many things competing for our attention and it's hard to really appreciate the expression on her face.So much better! You can see her now and her eyes pop too. The next one is my favorite.Here's another series showing the same process of getting closer.
Now, it's your turn! Grab a friend and try this out for yourself. Start wide and come in closer. Portraits will look best at the higher end of your lens' focal length. If you have the kit lens that ships with most DSLR's (18-55 mm), that would mean shooting "zoomed in" at the 55 mm mark. I would also recommend shooting on manual if you can or in the A (Nikon), AV (Canon) or in the portrait mode. If you are controlling your f-stop, choose a low number. These were all shot around F2.8 - 3.5.
Please share your images with us! Leave links to them in the comments section or add them to my Monday Lesson Flickr Pool. I'm looking forward to seeing what you guys capture!
Please share your images with us! Leave links to them in the comments section or add them to my Monday Lesson Flickr Pool. I'm looking forward to seeing what you guys capture!
Practice may not make you perfect (is there such a thing anyway) but it will make you better! Photography is a practice and not a finish line. You continue to get better, more comfortable and more in touch with your own style. When you set out to practice (especially when you are new) find something simple and readily available to practice on. You don't need anything complicated or too frustrating (your 18 month old baby would qualify and complicated and frustrating by the way). What you need is something peaceful that gives you time to think.
My suggestion is this, grab your camera and explore your own backyard or house. All you need is about an hour, some daylight and a willing spirit. To illustrate this idea, I took my camera around my house and yard yesterday for an hour. I played with my settings, moved the ISO around, played with focus...
Your very own backyard is full of tiny moments just waiting to be seen...little treasures, interesting lines, colors...
Look for shadows, textures...
Can you see something in a new way? Something that you've seen a hundred times?
The littlest things?
Who knows, maybe the photo gods will smile on you and your child will stop digging up worms for a second, look up at you and smile? Perhaps the photo gods will also insure that you are in the shade, you can auto focus in a flash and your camera (despite being on manual) will be set correctly for the moment? It happens every once in a while! I wouldn't hold your breath. I'm still kind of shocked about that last shot.
All of these were shot with my Canon 5D Mark II and my 50mm F2.5 compact macro lens. They would have been shot with my 50 mm F 1.8 but, after many years of very loyal service, it has passed on. If you are serious about being a better photographer and all you have is the dreadful lens that shipped with your DSLR, you MUST go buy yourself a fixed 50 mm F1.8 lens. You will thank me for it and it's the perfect lens for assignments like this one, and it's cheap! Here are a few links to the nifty 50. Make sure that whatever 50 you purchase is compatible with your make and model of camera!
Nifty 50 for Nikon users
Nifty 50 for Canon users
Just one of many nifty 50 type groups on Flickr.
Local folks, consider heading dow to Camera Coop or Houston Camera Exchange and picking one up locally. Your local small business person will thank you.
I'd love to see what you find in your home and yard, please add your images to my Monday Lesson Flickr group!
My suggestion is this, grab your camera and explore your own backyard or house. All you need is about an hour, some daylight and a willing spirit. To illustrate this idea, I took my camera around my house and yard yesterday for an hour. I played with my settings, moved the ISO around, played with focus...
Your very own backyard is full of tiny moments just waiting to be seen...little treasures, interesting lines, colors... Look for shadows, textures...Can you see something in a new way? Something that you've seen a hundred times?The littlest things?Details
Can you see lines, contrasts and colors in a new way?
Can you see lines, contrasts and colors in a new way?Who knows, maybe the photo gods will smile on you and your child will stop digging up worms for a second, look up at you and smile? Perhaps the photo gods will also insure that you are in the shade, you can auto focus in a flash and your camera (despite being on manual) will be set correctly for the moment? It happens every once in a while! I wouldn't hold your breath. I'm still kind of shocked about that last shot.All of these were shot with my Canon 5D Mark II and my 50mm F2.5 compact macro lens. They would have been shot with my 50 mm F 1.8 but, after many years of very loyal service, it has passed on. If you are serious about being a better photographer and all you have is the dreadful lens that shipped with your DSLR, you MUST go buy yourself a fixed 50 mm F1.8 lens. You will thank me for it and it's the perfect lens for assignments like this one, and it's cheap! Here are a few links to the nifty 50. Make sure that whatever 50 you purchase is compatible with your make and model of camera!Nifty 50 for Nikon users
Nifty 50 for Canon users
Just one of many nifty 50 type groups on Flickr.
Local folks, consider heading dow to Camera Coop or Houston Camera Exchange and picking one up locally. Your local small business person will thank you.
I'd love to see what you find in your home and yard, please add your images to my Monday Lesson Flickr group!
Beth Crocker says:
I went to get my 5D Mark ll today, finally, & it's out of stock in the entire region, not even in warehouses! UHG! I have a great lens collection, I just want my new camera. The 50 D is great, the 5 D will be SO MUCH better.
(02.14.11 @ 05:37 PM)
cheryl says:
beautiful pics! i really enjoy your blog! funny that you brought up this assignment, it's something i've been planning to do this week - just waiting for a little warmer weather (live in ontario, canada). wondering if you have suggestions on what lens to buy for a nikon d3100?
(02.14.11 @ 08:27 PM)
Rebeca says:
Your son is totally in his element! I'm so happy that your photo God had it all perfectly aligned, and you were able to capture such a beautiful moment.
(02.16.11 @ 03:48 PM)
Rebeca says:
Your son is totally in his element! I'm so happy that your photo God had it all perfectly aligned, and you were able to capture such a beautiful moment.
(02.16.11 @ 03:49 PM)
Farrah Braniff says:
Cheryl- Can you get a 50 mm F1.8 for it? Really, you just want something that has the low number f-stop that's affordable. Look at the Tamrons and Sigmas for Nikon too.
Thanks for commenting!
(02.20.11 @ 03:58 PM)
Last week I posted a few tips and tricks for getting better indoor shots. Continuing on that theme, this week I am going to show you an example of a session that I did indoors in a client's home. This client had a nice bright home with some good windows, which makes a big difference!
The first few shots were taken in the baby's bedroom. The crib was right near a window so I opted to open up the blinds and shoot right near the window. I put myself in between the window light and the child without casting a shadow on her. Here's the scene:
and here's the shot:
The next set up was in the master bedroom. The trick in there was that we needed to open up the drapes and let as much light in as possible. When you shoot inside you have to find the light and maximize it as much as you can! This is what the scene looked like:
And the shots:
Next up we shot in the living room, which was the brightest room of all. They had these huge windows! The first two rooms were normal rooms with regular sized windows. In the first two rooms I just found the brightest place in the room, maximized the light by opening up all the window coverings and placed my sweet little subject there. In the living room, I did the same thing but, because there was so much light in there, I had a much larger area to work in. These kind of windows are a photographer's dream!
In this scenario, I put my back to the windows and my gorgeous little subject in front of me facing the windows. Here are the shots from this set up:
One of the ways that you can tell where the light was coming from is by looking at the eye. For the next two images, I had her laying on the rug and the window was at my left.
Now it's your turn! Look for the brightest spot in your house and find a way to make it even brighter. Try opening up the front or back door and using that area. What about right next to one of your windows? Use the tricks from last week's lesson too.
I would love to see what you come up with! Please post your images to my Monday Lesson Flickr Pool. Please don't be shy. Your images don't have to be perfect. We're all most interested in your willingness to experiment and try something new.
Jess Robertson says:
great post & photos! thanks so much for sharing :) and i love your client's home, too! it's so beautiful & photogenic :)
(01.18.11 @ 12:43 PM)
Melissa says:
Love that you shared photos of the scene. It gives me hope that I can get gorgeous images like this in an ordinary place. Thanks!
(01.18.11 @ 10:50 PM)
Roberta says:
Farrah - I do have two questions for you! What TIME OF DAY did you take these photos and WHAT LENS did you use / what is your FAVORITE for portraits - that gives such a CLEAR/CLEAN look? Thanks so much. Thanks for the post!
(01.21.11 @ 11:36 PM)
Sharon Chandler says:
Lovely, Farrah! Could I ask a question to try to educate myself... how high did you have to bump your ISO shooting indoors? Love the ones on the wood floor!
(02.03.11 @ 02:30 PM)
Magan says:
A friend recently mentioned that you offer photography classes and sent me the link to your blog. I received a new camera for Christmas and I cannot get enough of all things photography related!! I was sick today and stuck at home, but on the bright side I was able to lay in bed and read through all 18 pages of your Monday Lesson posts. I have been taking photography classes at Ritz, but your posts really allowed what I have been learning to sink in. I'm looking forward to signing up for your next class! :)
(02.07.11 @ 07:42 PM)
Farrah Braniff says:
Thanks for the comments guys! My ISO ranged between 640 and 1250 that day. I shot these with my 24-70 F2.8. My favorite lens is my 85 mm F 1.8. That is the one I use in the studio the most. Thanks for the questions!
(02.12.11 @ 04:29 PM)
When I teach my intro to digital photography workshops, one of the primary issues people have is not being able to take good indoor photographs. Truth be told, indoor photography can be very, very challenging. Generally speaking, the quality of most indoor light is bad. It's a funky color (images look yellow, green, or even blue) and there's usually not enough of it to begin with. It's also flat looking. Don't fret though! You can improve the quality of your indoor photography and be less frustrated by following a few key tips...
1. You absolutely HAVE to take the time to know how to adjust your ISO. This is critical. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, then you might consider taking my class and/or look up my previous blog post about ISO.
Your ISO controls how sensitive your camera is to light. Higher number ISO's (800, 1600, 3200 or 6400) make your sensor more sensitive to light allowing you to do more with what little light that you have available to you. Low numbers (100, 200) work in reverse. They desensitize the sensor allowing you to capture shots in very bright conditions. The image above was shot at ISO 1250, f-stop 3.5, 24-70mm lens at 42mm and a shutter speed of 1/125. I did not use a flash at all.
2. You need to turn off your flash. If your camera automatically pops up the flash when the light is low, you need to find the part in your manual about overriding the auto flash.
3. You need to shoot with a lens that has a wide aperture opening or f-stop. The wider you can get, the better. Wait, I do have one caveat, the difference between an F1.8 lens and an F1.4 lens is not such a big deal that a normal, non pro needs to spend the big bucks to get that one stop. However, the difference between most F3.5-5.6 kit lenses (the ones that ship with your camera) and an F1.8 lens is HUGE!
When you have a lens with a wider f-stop opening, you are able to let more light into your camera, which allows you to shoot with less light! You may also be interested in my post about f-stops here and here.
(Above shot: ISO 5000, 24-70 mm lens at 46 mm, F3.5, 1/125)
(Above shot: ISO 4000, 24-70 mm lens at 55mm, F3.5, 1/60)
While raising your ISO lets you shoot in lower light, it does have some drawbacks. The downside is that your images might be noisy or have grain. For those of you that don't know what I mean by noise, it looks like this. This is a photo from my iphone taken in super low light.
Each camera handles noise differently. Cameras have gotten much better at handling noise but you will have to find out how far you can push your camera and still get use-able images from it. Do some ISO experiments by taking images at very high ISO's and see how your camera handles it. Mentally note where things start to really fall apart so you know what your gear is capable of. I shoot with a Canon 5D Mark II and it does a pretty good job at high ISO's.
One last thing about noise...A little noise isn't such a terrible thing. If I was planning to blow something up to 30x40 then noise would be an issue. If I am printing off 4x6's and such for scrapbooks and relatives then a little noise is often not even visible.
4. You need to watch your camera's shutter speed! If you go below 1/60 of a second, you will likely get a blurry shot. This is one of the most common mistakes new shooters make. The bottom line is that your camera needs light to make an image. It is going to try and get it any way it can and, in the auto modes, it usually slows down the shutter speed and you end up with a blurry picture. You can try shooting at speeds like 1/30 or 1/40 but you will need to be very still. That means stand like a tripod, take a breath before you click, lean you or your camera against a wall or ledge, etc.
(Above shot: ISO 1250, 24-70 mm lens at 70 mm, F2.8, 1/160)
The other thing about learning how to turn off your flash and adjust your ISO is that it allows you to take pictures and see the natural light. Flash blows out the pretty light, darkens the background, kills skin tone and flattens everything. There are a lot of situations where you will want the natural, existing light even if it is minimal. If you used a flash in the shot below, you would see the flash's reflection the glass.
(Above shot: ISO 3200, 24-70mm lens, F5, 1/80)
When I travel and chase my kids around the park or wherever, I want to carry minimal gear. I've never liked a point and shoot camera so I do haul my big DSLR everywhere but I usually take one lens (as you can see in all of these images) and NO FLASH. Yep, I rarely ever use one. That does mean that sometimes I just can't get my shot but most of the time I can. If you practice these tips, you will be able to as well!
You may want to check out these blog posts too:
Modifying your flash
Lenses- here or here or here
1. You absolutely HAVE to take the time to know how to adjust your ISO. This is critical. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, then you might consider taking my class and/or look up my previous blog post about ISO.
Your ISO controls how sensitive your camera is to light. Higher number ISO's (800, 1600, 3200 or 6400) make your sensor more sensitive to light allowing you to do more with what little light that you have available to you. Low numbers (100, 200) work in reverse. They desensitize the sensor allowing you to capture shots in very bright conditions. The image above was shot at ISO 1250, f-stop 3.5, 24-70mm lens at 42mm and a shutter speed of 1/125. I did not use a flash at all.
2. You need to turn off your flash. If your camera automatically pops up the flash when the light is low, you need to find the part in your manual about overriding the auto flash.
3. You need to shoot with a lens that has a wide aperture opening or f-stop. The wider you can get, the better. Wait, I do have one caveat, the difference between an F1.8 lens and an F1.4 lens is not such a big deal that a normal, non pro needs to spend the big bucks to get that one stop. However, the difference between most F3.5-5.6 kit lenses (the ones that ship with your camera) and an F1.8 lens is HUGE!
When you have a lens with a wider f-stop opening, you are able to let more light into your camera, which allows you to shoot with less light! You may also be interested in my post about f-stops here and here.
(Above shot: ISO 5000, 24-70 mm lens at 46 mm, F3.5, 1/125)(Above shot: ISO 4000, 24-70 mm lens at 55mm, F3.5, 1/60)While raising your ISO lets you shoot in lower light, it does have some drawbacks. The downside is that your images might be noisy or have grain. For those of you that don't know what I mean by noise, it looks like this. This is a photo from my iphone taken in super low light.
Each camera handles noise differently. Cameras have gotten much better at handling noise but you will have to find out how far you can push your camera and still get use-able images from it. Do some ISO experiments by taking images at very high ISO's and see how your camera handles it. Mentally note where things start to really fall apart so you know what your gear is capable of. I shoot with a Canon 5D Mark II and it does a pretty good job at high ISO's.One last thing about noise...A little noise isn't such a terrible thing. If I was planning to blow something up to 30x40 then noise would be an issue. If I am printing off 4x6's and such for scrapbooks and relatives then a little noise is often not even visible.
4. You need to watch your camera's shutter speed! If you go below 1/60 of a second, you will likely get a blurry shot. This is one of the most common mistakes new shooters make. The bottom line is that your camera needs light to make an image. It is going to try and get it any way it can and, in the auto modes, it usually slows down the shutter speed and you end up with a blurry picture. You can try shooting at speeds like 1/30 or 1/40 but you will need to be very still. That means stand like a tripod, take a breath before you click, lean you or your camera against a wall or ledge, etc.
(Above shot: ISO 1250, 24-70 mm lens at 70 mm, F2.8, 1/160)The other thing about learning how to turn off your flash and adjust your ISO is that it allows you to take pictures and see the natural light. Flash blows out the pretty light, darkens the background, kills skin tone and flattens everything. There are a lot of situations where you will want the natural, existing light even if it is minimal. If you used a flash in the shot below, you would see the flash's reflection the glass.
(Above shot: ISO 3200, 24-70mm lens, F5, 1/80)When I travel and chase my kids around the park or wherever, I want to carry minimal gear. I've never liked a point and shoot camera so I do haul my big DSLR everywhere but I usually take one lens (as you can see in all of these images) and NO FLASH. Yep, I rarely ever use one. That does mean that sometimes I just can't get my shot but most of the time I can. If you practice these tips, you will be able to as well!
You may want to check out these blog posts too:
Modifying your flash
Lenses- here or here or here
Happy Monday friends!
Lea Ciceraro says:
Thanks for such a helpful and informative blog post. Do you find a difference in the ISO department between different cameras such as Nikon vs. Canon? I feel like I get a LOT of noise with my Nikon D70 just by bumping up my ISO even a little bit in low-light situations. Are you doing any post-processing to help with the noise?
(01.10.11 @ 05:16 PM)
Beth Crocker says:
ISO was one of the first things I understood. Back in Jr. High, when I would by film I always chose boxes for each situation: outside, inside, etc... I remember when Kodak put their GOLD film out & I thought wow! What nice stuff...we've come a long way baby! I still can't get used to using such high ISO's, even though I know in the new digi cam's it's totally ok. I am getting better at it though! I shot a concert in the arena last weekend with no flash (see my blog) & I played a little, but never took the ISO up very high (wish I had). Because it was dark, I couldn't see a thing, & I didn't want to totally screw things up (otherwise known as "afraid to take a leap"). Thanks for the reminder!
http://www.thewayiseeitthroughmylens.blogspot.com
(01.10.11 @ 09:00 PM)
Farrah says:
Thanks for the comments guys! Lea- I do think certain cameras handle noise better than others. If I do get a particularly noisy file, I might use Imagenomic's Noiseware plug in for photoshop.
(01.12.11 @ 08:49 PM)
One of the first things that I teach in my workshops is how to use your camera's shutter speed to freeze or blur motion. Everyone asks the same question..why and when would you intentionally blur your images? This week I have a fun assignment for you that is all about using your shutter speed to intentionally blur your image. It looks like this...
It's simple to do. You just grab your camera and go outside where there are some lights (porch lights, car lights, street lights and so on). I took these at about 6 pm (it was just barely dark). My shutter speed was between 2.5 seconds and 3.2 seconds and my f-stop was at 7.1 and my ISO was set to 100. You can just use your shutter speed priority mode and set the shutter speed really slow. You will have to experiment to find the speed that works with your scene. Point your camera towards the lights, click the shutter release and then move your camera around in different ways until the shutter closes.
Experiment with different shutter speeds until you find one that works. The slower it is, the more time you will have to make patterns. Make sure your ISO is set low to 100.
Try moving your camera in circular patterns, back and forth and all different ways.
Look for different color lights and different size lights.
It's simple to do. You just grab your camera and go outside where there are some lights (porch lights, car lights, street lights and so on). I took these at about 6 pm (it was just barely dark). My shutter speed was between 2.5 seconds and 3.2 seconds and my f-stop was at 7.1 and my ISO was set to 100. You can just use your shutter speed priority mode and set the shutter speed really slow. You will have to experiment to find the speed that works with your scene. Point your camera towards the lights, click the shutter release and then move your camera around in different ways until the shutter closes.Experiment with different shutter speeds until you find one that works. The slower it is, the more time you will have to make patterns. Make sure your ISO is set low to 100.Try moving your camera in circular patterns, back and forth and all different ways.Look for different color lights and different size lights.In the picture above, you can see the electric wires and the outline of the trees. The way the background comes out is almost as interesting as the lights. They look a little like abstract paintings. So, there you go! Have fun and please add your images to my Monday Lesson Flickr pool or leave links to your images in the comments section below. Have fun!