Helpful Holiday Hints
Greetings! Hope your Christmas is shaping up to be something fun & very special. I've almost
finished my shopping. Still need to get to Publix for the groceries for Christmas morning and
the tribe of 8. The Jags were kinda sad this week against the Colts. I hope they can hang on for
the next two weeks for a wild card birth. GO JAGUARS!
Here are a few (hopefully) useful tips for your holiday group pictures. If you need more
information on a particular flash, try Adorama.com or visit one of the billions of other photo sites
on the web. If you've become the designated festive photog, this should help . . . .
LARGE GROUPS: Scout your location ahead of time. Outside usually provides the best light.
Look for wide steps. The trick is to have people on different levels, so you can see everyone.
Next - watch your f/stop and try for f/8 to get good depth of field. Focus on the nose of someone
in the second row or the hair of someone in the first row. You camera will be able to have a
focus range closer & farther away from the exact focus point. You may want to use your
flash, even outside. Set the flash to fire instead of just auto flash on a P&S.
Want to include yourself? Read up on your self timer. I usually set mine to take two or
three shots a few seconds apart. Be sure to warn everyone so they don't leave. Bring a tripod
or use a wall or table nearby. Take a practice shot while you're standing with the camera to
make sure the framing is good & you know how to trigger the self timer. I always seem to have
a strange look because I run over to get into the picture and I'm worried about the camera
working properly. You might practice running into the shot, posing & smiling while using
the self timer.
DSLR: Bring your adjustable shoe mount flash. The major manufacturers, such as Speedlite,
make specialized flashes which are awesome little computers that give great results. If you're
new to using one, practice at home by tilting it various ways to see the result. Test it by keeping
the settings & subject constant but changing the flash angle or output. You might even make note
of the settings & stick it into your camera bag. (Then you just have to remember to use it.)
Inside, you can bounce light off the ceiling or wall. But, watch out for things like ceiling
fans that will interfere with the light and may actually cause a weird shadow. I once had strange
rectangles in a picture---turned out that there were mirrored tiles on the ceiling.
Aiming the light up will should help you avoid the harsh light & shadows caused by a flash
pointing directly at someone. For a large group you will want it to spread the light as widely
as possible. High end flashes will do this automatically. Some have a clear piece to broaden
and lessen the impact of the light. Some have a tiny white card you can pull out---it helps direct
the light down & forward.
PHOTO TIP: Have a merry Christmas!
BLESSINGS: Luke 2:10
See more images & contact me
Facebook page
artisticimagesbypc@me.com
finished my shopping. Still need to get to Publix for the groceries for Christmas morning and
the tribe of 8. The Jags were kinda sad this week against the Colts. I hope they can hang on for
the next two weeks for a wild card birth. GO JAGUARS!
Here are a few (hopefully) useful tips for your holiday group pictures. If you need more
information on a particular flash, try Adorama.com or visit one of the billions of other photo sites
on the web. If you've become the designated festive photog, this should help . . . .
LARGE GROUPS: Scout your location ahead of time. Outside usually provides the best light.
Look for wide steps. The trick is to have people on different levels, so you can see everyone.
Next - watch your f/stop and try for f/8 to get good depth of field. Focus on the nose of someone
in the second row or the hair of someone in the first row. You camera will be able to have a
focus range closer & farther away from the exact focus point. You may want to use your
flash, even outside. Set the flash to fire instead of just auto flash on a P&S.
Want to include yourself? Read up on your self timer. I usually set mine to take two or
three shots a few seconds apart. Be sure to warn everyone so they don't leave. Bring a tripod
or use a wall or table nearby. Take a practice shot while you're standing with the camera to
make sure the framing is good & you know how to trigger the self timer. I always seem to have
a strange look because I run over to get into the picture and I'm worried about the camera
working properly. You might practice running into the shot, posing & smiling while using
the self timer.
DSLR: Bring your adjustable shoe mount flash. The major manufacturers, such as Speedlite,
make specialized flashes which are awesome little computers that give great results. If you're
new to using one, practice at home by tilting it various ways to see the result. Test it by keeping
the settings & subject constant but changing the flash angle or output. You might even make note
of the settings & stick it into your camera bag. (Then you just have to remember to use it.)
Inside, you can bounce light off the ceiling or wall. But, watch out for things like ceiling
fans that will interfere with the light and may actually cause a weird shadow. I once had strange
rectangles in a picture---turned out that there were mirrored tiles on the ceiling.
Aiming the light up will should help you avoid the harsh light & shadows caused by a flash
pointing directly at someone. For a large group you will want it to spread the light as widely
as possible. High end flashes will do this automatically. Some have a clear piece to broaden
and lessen the impact of the light. Some have a tiny white card you can pull out---it helps direct
the light down & forward.
PHOTO TIP: Have a merry Christmas!
BLESSINGS: Luke 2:10
See more images & contact me
Facebook page
artisticimagesbypc@me.com
Posted by Pamela at 12/22/2010 3:38 PM 
Categories: Photography tips, How to take better pictures, Instructional, Personal
Tags: flash shoe mount auto zoom bounce light ceiling wall spread the light large groups speedlite photo t
Categories: Photography tips, How to take better pictures, Instructional, Personal
Tags: flash shoe mount auto zoom bounce light ceiling wall spread the light large groups speedlite photo t
Comments