Tag: photography
US photographer Alexx Henry is embracing the future and shows us that in the not too distant future magazines will have ‘moving pictures’ instead of the static stills we are used to.
Ultra thin video displays, as thin as paper have already been developed and it is only a matter of time before out news stands will come alive.
I wonder how this will affect the role of the photographer in the industry with DSLR cameras already able to shoot HD video.
In terms of weddings, we wedding photographers might soon be able to offer our clients albums with video and moving stills inside them.
Exciting? I think so!
October 16, 2009
I received a message this morning on Twitter regarding television broadcaster Suzi Perry’s wedding photos.
Instead of selling her wedding photos (or the copyright to her wedding photos) to a magazine, she decided to post them all on Twitter and I personally think that is awesome. The fact that she didn’t follow the usual celebrity (money-hungry) route and she decided to share her wedding photos with the world is really a testament to her personality and good character.
But she made a big mistake in hiring (I honestly hope she didn’t pay the guy) the wedding photographer that took the wedding photos she posted on Twitter.
The photos were mostly taken with on camera flash resulting in the dreaded “deer in the headlights” look (example) and others were taken in bright daylight with no fill flash/reflector resulting in dark eye sockets, or eye caves (example).
Ok, so the reason for this blog entry is not to belittle Suzi’s photographer or insult her wedding photos, but to illustrate what happens when one forgets/ignores that dusty old reflector standing in the corner of the room. To illustrate the difference between a photo taken with and without a reflector, have a look at the image below (which I quickly snapped two hours ago during my lunch break):
The image on the left was taken with my camera set at 1/250 sec @ F2.0 on ISO320 with a 35mm lens.
The image on the right was shot using the same camera settings but with a Lastolite 33″ Tri-Grip (Sunlite/SoftSilver) Reflector held to the left of the flower. The left-hand side of the flower received a half stop more light just by reflecting the natural window light that was already falling on the right-hand side of the flower.
If you are thinking of starting wedding photography or outdoor portraiture, do yourself a favour and buy a reflector today. Superglue it to your left wrist and enjoy!
August 11, 2009
We have been buying alot of photographic equipment lately, most notably prime lenses.
Most weddings in England are shot on dark days, in dark (but beautiful) churches and chapels which means one thing for the wedding photographer… low light. If you’re lucky you are allowed to use flash, but most times it’s not an option.
So we went on a shopping spree and acquired some f1.4s, f1.8s and a lovely f2. They really do the job in low light situations and get that light onto the sensor. As long as you keep an eye on the very narrow depth of field and get your focus point spot on in every shot, you’re ready for those romantic locations where people say their I-do’s.
But there is a side effect to shooting with a 35mm, 50mm and 85mm prime lens that forces you to change the way you shoot a scene… they don’t zoom. If the lens doesn’t zoom, you have to. You have to physically move closer or back up in order to get the composition right.
Getting closer to your subject is, for some, more difficult than it sounds. Most photographers starting out (and some pros) have a natural shyness, an uneasy feeling, a reluctance to move closer to their subject because the subject is normally a stranger and we humans have a something called personal space. Moving closer to your subject means invading their personal space and puts lots of newbies off getting the shot, rather relying on the zoom/reach of the lens to get the shot while they hang back where it is safe.
Unfortunately not getting close means your photos never have a close, personal & subjective look to them. They always look removed, impersonal and just not ‘in the moment’. Take the risk, get in there and keep shooting until the client tells you to stop stepping on their toes. But always get in close, even if you are using a zoom lens and if you think you are close enough, go closer.
August 7, 2009