Photography at sea

The other day I said that I would be posting some of the pictures from my time aboard my boat.
Well, this one captures one of those very special moments when the light is just mind-blowing. I was sailing up Loch Striven in Scotland when the skies went almost jet black as a squall came in. Then, suddenly, the cloud parted just wide enough to allow a beam of sun to spotlight the side of the hil and that lonely cottage down on the shore.

Oh, just in case my friend Alwyn, who suggested last time I posted a picture of this sort that I'd got at it a bit with Photoshop, no Alwyn, this is as nature produced it. In fact, Alwyn had a point last time, I had just tweaked the image a little, but not his time.

It is vital not to underexpose in these conditions. Expose for those highlights and let the rest go almost black if it wants too that brings out the drama. That's what the picture is all about.

The pilot book decsribes this Scottish loch as 'bleak and featureless', but I have to disagree when the light plays tricks like this. Daunting, awesome and threatening, maybe, but featureless, no.

One of the downsides of taking photographs of seascapes and landscapes from a boat is that the images can often take on a two-dimensional, flat aspect because of the lack of foreground interest. In some respects, this picture has to be described as lacking depth, but the drama of that light makes up for that in my opinion.

This picture will be one of a series that will illustrate a feature I have written for a yachting Magazine called Sailing Today I actually began the magazine myself some years ago and became its founding editor. I still write and photograph regular features for it when I have time.

Front or backlight?

I'm always reminding my students about the different properties of the direction of light and how important it is to understand what's going on. Frontlight (light behind the camera and front-on to the subject), I tell them, takes always the shadows and can make the subject look flat and two-dimensional. However, I am quick to point out, frontlight does have a trick up its sleeve: there may be colour hiding in the shadows, and by removing them by using front light you will of course see more colour. So a colourful subject often looks even more colourful when lit by frontlight.

 

Well, as always, there are exceptions to the rule, and photographing flowers and leaves is one of them. Depending on the thickness and translucence of the flower or leaf the thinner and more translucent the better - you can often increase the intensity of its colour by placing the light behind the subject and letting it shine through the leaf.

 

The photograph above is a good example. This is a very simple picture which relies on its colour for its visual appeal. The sunlight is almost directly behind the leaf and is shining through it; and so illuminating the green like a projector lamp.

 

In this case, the backlight has shown up the veins of inside the leaf and brought more detail and interest. Frontlight would have shown the colour of the surface of the leaf, but none of the depth of colour and shapes inside it.

 

Give this technique a try next time you are photographing flowers. Sometimes you can get the best of both worlds by having the light source behind the subject and using a reflector under or beside the lens to bounce some light back onto the surface of the flower.

Colour and light

This well-hidden corner in the old town of Cuitedella in Menorca must have been photographed countless times by different groups of my students during the photography holidays I run on the island. I just can't see how a photographer could possibly walk past this place without raising a camera. It positively demands your attention because of those wonderful colours.

 

However, it is never easy to photograph. The first problem is lack of space; you just cannot get back far enough. This tiny little square is very small indeed, and even with a wide angle lens equivalent to 24mm, it is difficult to include as much in the composition as you would like. Use a lens any wider and the distortions completely ruin the atmosphere of the scene. The answer to this, of course, is to decide which particular elements of the scene you find most interesting, and concentrate on those. In other words, careful cropping in the viewfinder.

 

Then there is the difficulty of parked motor scooters and bicycles. On occasions these can add to the interest, but this very much depends on the type and visual appeal of the bikes that are parked there some are more interesting to look at than others.

 

The last problem is the light this photograph was taken around midday with the sun very high so that it shines down into the narrow square, which is surrounded by houses in a narrow back street. The downside of this type of light is the strong shadows and high contrast. But it does have the advantage of bringing texture to the wall, and addng shadow patterns across the cobles.

 

I like this subject best of all on a sunny day when the sun does not shine directly down on it in the morning or afternoon. Then it is very bright, but soft, emphasising the reds in the wall, and the green of the leaves and the wooden bench. You need to adjust you White Balance (WB) in these conditions using Cloudy, Shade or Custom settings.

 

Blue, red and green is a powerful colour combination at the best of times, and when those colours are combined with simple outline shapes the tree, archway and the bench. An interesting image should result.

A career in photography - 1

After some considerable prodding, I promised that from time to time I would write about how I got started in photography, and some of the stories behind my career. So here goes, this is the first one...

I was fourteen years old when I decided I wanted to be a press photographer. I’d seen a photograph on the back page of Dad’s newspaper. They’d call it a ‘light bulb moment’ these days, but then, way back in the early 60s, something much more powerful than your average 40 watt bulb was ignited inside me. I knew at that moment what I wanted to do with my life.

The picture showed the photographer in the cockpit of one of the RAF Red Arrows jets. The camera, with a wide-angle lens, was in the front of the cockpit looking back and it showed not only the man who took the shot, but the tight formation of aircraft behind. It dawned on me that that man was not in the Air Force, yet there he was flying with the Red Arrows. That was the life of a press photographer, and that was what I wanted to do. Years later when I was a staff photographer on The Daily Express in Fleet Street, I met that photographer. His name was Ron Burton, and he became a friend. He was enormously pleased to hear that his picture had inspired a 14 year old kid to set off on a career in photography.

That very evening I announced my intentions to Mum and Dad.

“I want to be a press photographer. I don’t want an office job, and I really don’t want to work in a dirty old factory like Dad. I’d like to get out and about, and some of those London photographers get sent all over the world taking photos. Just you look at the pictures in Mirror. That’s what I want to do.”

Mum looked doubtful and I half expected a dressing down for saying what I had about Dad’s job at the diesel engine factory – it put the food on the family table after all. But Dad himself chipped in here. He paused from filling his pipe with the richly-scented mixture of St. Bruno and thick twist that bulged in his well-worn leather tobacco pouch and looked up.

“Now that’s what I call a proper ambition – see the world at someone else’s expense, and I don’t mean in the bloody army, either, square bashin’ and peelin’ spuds. Well paid, too, I’ll bet. You might even be famous and get your name in the paper one day. You give it a try son, I’ll write the letter for you if you like.”

That was it. Done and dusted - to Dad it was now all perfectly clear cut. With his total confidence in the talents of his only son it would be inconceivable that I would be turned down for a job as chief photographer on a top London daily newspaper. Not, that is, once he had written a letter asking the editor to give me a job. But then, Dad was also very sure of his own letter writing talents.

According to Dad’s bullet-pointed letter, those newspaper editors would be missing a golden opportunity, in fact they may even be negligent in their duty to their readers, if they did not immediately offer me a job.

When the letter was finished it was decided something was needed to illustrate my ability as a photographer. We hit upon the idea of enclosing with each letter a contact print of some of the snaps I’d taken with my new camera, an Ilford Sporty. The photos showed next door’s ginger cat, sat on the coping stones of the wall that separated the back yards of our houses. The cat had feathers stuck to his whiskers and a very satisfied expression on his face. At its feet, balanced across the apex of the soot-blackened wall, was the bedraggled corpse of a freshly-killed house sparrow. The Daily Mirror in particular was always keen on animal stories, so surely the editor would see from the evidence of this picture that I was an animal photographer of some distinction. These two-and-a-quarter inch square, black and white snaps of next door’s cat made up my entire ‘portfolio’.

I copied out the letters in my own hand, popped a contact print into each envelope and rushed down to the post office in the centre of town. Strangely, every editor wrote back within a week explaining that there were no photographer’s jobs available just then, but one of them did suggest helpfully that if the sparrow had been a little more chirpy he might even have considered using the picture in his paper. He also said it would be a good plan to get some more ‘hands-on’ experience with a camera before applying for a job in Fleet Street; perhaps on a local newspaper as an apprentice.

So Dad got busy again with his pen, paper and dictionary. He composed another letter to be sent to every weekly newspaper in a twenty mile radius of home. The replies came in dribs and drabs over the next few weeks, but each brought the same depressing news – there was still no prospect of a job when I left school in a few months time.

Right,” said Dad, who was beginning to take this as a personal slight on his letter-writing abilities, “Perhaps it’s more of a case of ‘not what you know, but WHO you know’. There are plenty of jobs like that, so maybe we should try and think of someone who might be able to help. We need what’s called a ‘contact’”.

He was absolutely right of course. I needed an introduction, a personal contact who could smooth the way a little; open a door just enough to get my foot in. With a solitary ‘O’ Level in art and a profound loathing of school, it was obvious that I had no future as an academic. Photography seemed to be the only job that would offer me the life I dreamed about. It was a job that had everything; travel, excitement, fame, the lot, and, as far as I could understand, you didn’t need to pass any exams to get to the top. My mind was made up, my heart was set on it; I simply had to become a press photographer when I left school after my fifteenth birthday. But after so many disappointing replies to all those letters, hopes were definitely beginning to flag. No one in the family knew anyone even remotely connected with journalism, photography or newspapers, perhaps it was hopeless after all.

Next - sometime soon - how I made my first 'contact'

Portraiture weekend

Well, we've just had a fantastic weekend with a great bunch of people at the grand old Cally Palace Hotel here in Galloway. The theme was portraiture using flash and available light. I think everyone had a great time. Some travelled very long distances. Cliff flew up from the south coast of England, Russell came down from the wilds of Inverness, while Bob came all the way from The Isle of Man. Alwyn was the lucky one - he travelled just a few miles. One of the truly rewarding aspects of doing this tuition is that so many people come back again and again, and this weekend was no exception. Only Bob and Cliff had not been to me before either to Scotland or Menorca. Hopefully we will see them all again soon. It was also great to see Maria, a regular student of mine, she couldn't make the whole weekend, but travelled from Edinburgh just to say hello and meet everyone.

Anyway, thanks to Ken, Cathy, Bob, Russell, Alwyn, Peter, Cliff for making the weekend so enjoyable. Oh, and thanks to Tom, our model, for the day.

I have embedded a short video below to show the gang at work.

This morning I got a lovely email from Cathy, one of the participants.

Well, Philip, you did it again! Worked your magic on a group of (almost)
total strangers, so that we all had a wonderful weekend of learning and fun.
Thank you!!
And thanks also to Norene for the organisation and patient posing, and to
Tom for his patience and good humour.

Thanks Cathy - and the whole gang.

How to photograph abstracts - part 1

Let your imagination off the leash and photography becomes far more than a means of capturing the literal world however beautifully or skilfully that may be done. Once you start to look beyond obvious reality, a whole new world of shape, colour and form begins to reveal itself. Capturing and portraying abstract design is not just the preserve of painters who have it easy because they can paint what is inside their heads and claim the result to be art. The photographer needs an actual subject, and must think objectively before he, or she, can convey a subjective view of it. Practical skills and visual perception are needed in equal doses to release a subject's full potential.

Of course, you must look further than a simple representation of the obvious world, but unless you just get lucky, those basic practical photographic skills are essential before worthwhile abstract pictures can be produced with certainty almost every time.

And that is where many newcomers to photography come unstuck and need help. The 'abstract' genre is so often an excuse for poor, lack-lustre 'arty' images. It is also where I part company with the teaching methods in many colleges and universities these days. I have lost count of the number of youngsters who have come to me straight from college and told me they only like taking 'abstract shots'. Why? Because they don't know how to photograph anything else. They have not been taught the essential practical skills of photography that will enable them to be fully creative. They have been sent out unprepared and told to 'be creative' as if this by itself will produce 'art'. What utter nonsense. The methods encouraged vary from waving the camera about with a slow shutter speed to angling every composition at 45 degrees. These half-baked teaching methods are cheating our youngsters; filling them with false hopes and denying them access to professional standards though which they might find employment and personal fulfillment.

To me, an abstract picture is one that draws on the less obvious elements of a scene or object such as line, shape, texture, tone and colour purely for their own sake. Often it is the type of image that stretches the imagination of the viewer that is most successful. A picture that puzzles or intrigues; the one that makes someone look twice and then hold their attention.

Start by looking at an everyday subject it might be an interesting modern building or perhaps a river view with reflections. Look for lines, shapes, colour, anything that you can identify as having some visual appeal. Then frame these elements of the subject carefully, placing your rectangle around them tightly so that you isolate them into one strong composition.

The joy of seeking abstract images is that everyone sees things quite differently, in fact some photographers just cannot see them at all and prefer to concentrate on more obvious subjects. It's all subjective and in each individual's eye. Once you start to see abstract pictures, though, you will soon realise that they can be found everywhere in the natural world and in the everyday manmade world as well. So far as my pictures here are concerned, they were all taken purely for the fun of capturing them, and they make no claim to be art… and if I can spot the visual potential of simple subjects like these then so can you.

One of the best ways to start recognising the abstract potential of a subject is to take a closer look at an everyday subject. Try to home in on one particular area of the whole. Find something that has strong colour, good lines or outstanding shapes. Don't fall into the trap of tilting the camera to one side every time in an attempt to inject an unusual angle or viewpoint. This is a hackneyed idea. Try, instead, to compose tightly and if possible crop out any obviously recognisable elements.

Photograph above:

I found this fairground a fertile ground for all sorts of abstract pictures. It was closed during the daytime and the canvas covers of some of the rides have helped provide an intriguing point of view. I like the bright colours and the fact that the clown's picture can only be half seen

Photography in bars and cafes

Not counting India, which is in a league of its own, there are three places in the world that really press my button - places where you can almost feel the buzz and vitality coming up through the pavements beneath your feet. The first is New York, then Hong Kong. The third, and possibly my favourite, is Istanbul.

How could any photographer go to Istanbul and not find visual stimulation? The buildings,the skyline, the boats on the Bosphorus, the markets. But, for me, best of all the people. I have always found the people of Turkey to be kind and helpful.

The picture above shows a man smoking his hookah, better known in the West as a hubble-bubble - in a cafe on the old Galatta Bridge. It was taken before this fascinating bridge with its double-deck of shops and cafes was burned down. Probably by someone sat in a cafe smoking a hookah.

I just walked into this cafe because it looked interesting, and ordered a glass of that wonderful Turkish coffee that is so strong and thick you can stand a spoon up in it. Within a short time, people were asking where I was from, introducing themselves and trying to speak English.

Now you must judge these situations very carefully when you are in a strange new place, but all my senses told me there was nothing to fear in this cafe. I started to take photographs and some of the customers insisted that I took pictures of them. One man borrowed my camera to photograph me with the owners of the cafe. I was even prevailed upon to take a pull on a hookah which damned near killed me. I still have that out-of-focus shot as a happy memento.

The photograph from the cafe that pleased me most was of the man sat quiety puffing away on his hookah beneath the faded pictures on the wall.

The picture was taken with a Nikon F3 with a 24mm Nikkor lens. It was hand held ISO 400 Neopan film at 1/20sec at f3.5

How to use a telephoto lens

Here is another simple example of using a small telephoto lens - in the case a 135mm equivalent - to capture candid pictures of people. I've had some photographers take me to task for daring to use a telephoto for 'street' photography. These purists believe it is only possible to take real 'street' pictures if a lens of 35-50mm is used. They are talking twaddle.

Perhaps they are secretly obsessed by the notion that they are following the example of Henri Cartier-Bresson who, they believe, was able to make himself invisible, get in close to all his subjects without being seen, and capture them all on a Leica with just a 35mm lens.

The story goes that the 'great' Cartier-Bresson tried this method while covering Winston Churchill's funeral for The Sunday Times. Apparently he did not produce a single photograph worth printing.

A small telephoto can actually add a lot to the 'feel' of a candid photograph by throwing the background slightly out of focus and isolating the most important elements of the picture. This frees the viewer's eye to concentrate on what really matters in the picture.

Of course it also gives the photographer the added advantage of remaining just that little bit less obvious.

Photography weekend now fully booked

The Photography Weekend at the Cally Palace Hotel, March 7-9th is now fully booked. I will not be able to change the Photoactive website for a little while so thought it best to let everyone know through the blog.

Meanwhile, never missing a chance to publish a a photograph or two, I've posted a couple more pictures taken on that little outing with the Canon G9 yesterday. I was in the old city of Chester a wonderful place to be taking photographs.

I loved the old chair, and confess that when I spotted it I did move it to a positition in front of that lovely distressed wood. What a great background. Remember, the world is your studio - so never be afraid to move things around a little if you think it's going to make a better picture - as a travel photographer I often did exactly that. No one will mind if you put things back where you found them.

The other photograph was taken in Chester Cathedral. Dead simple, nothing clever, I was just attracted to the colours hitting the wall from the light coming through one of the stained glass windows.

How to use the direction of Light - part 2

You must be able to recognise the particular attributes, advantages and disadvantages of any light source instantly. This will let you to get exactly what you want from every subject.

We’ve already looked at sidelight, but just to re-enforce how useful it is take a look at the superb sidelight used in the photograph of the young student. The picture was taken in an open doorway – a very useful location for finding sidelight – especially when the sun is high in the sky - see today’s TIP.

Roughly, the direction of light can be divided into side, front, back and toplight.

Bear in mind that in the real world the direction of light might be a combination of some of these headings…. ‘toppy-back’ light, for instance - there’s a new word for you. Sometimes the light may be totally non-directional. You won’t always be able to change the direction of the light – but often you will be able to adjust your shooting angle or the position of your subject in order to make the most of what you have. For instance, you may be able to time your visit to a certain location to coincide with the direction of light that will show it off best. Sadly, this is not always possible especially for professional photographers under pressure of time and deadlines. They will have to resort to all sorts of tricks – but I’ll tell you more about those in future articles.

TOPLIGHT
This is the one to avoid whenever possible. Professional travel and landscape photographers work both ends of the day – morning and evening. That’s because the light source, the sun, is low in the sky and can be used as front, side or backlight. With the light directly above, portraits look horrible. Landscapes and buildings look boring and no matter in which direction you look at it, the light remains the same.

Photo 1 Ugh! Toplight. This is the one to avoid whenever you can. It’s midday and the sun is high overhead – definitely not a time to take portraits like this – especially if your subject is wearing a big hat. Avoid it. Come back later or ask your subject to step into a doorway where you can use sidelight – anything to avoid toplight

BACKLIGHT
Shoot into the light and put the light source behind your subject and, in the most extreme case, you will create a silhouette - emphasizing outline shape. Backlight does not have to be quite so obvious, though, and with a little diffusion from such things as clouds or reflectors, it can create a soft, subtle ‘atmosphere’. I’ve already touched on this when I wrote about the ‘quality’ of light. Backlight often creates a rim, or halo effect around the subject – this is much-used in studio portraiture to separate the outline of the model from the background. If you intend to emphasize the outline shape of your subject, use backlight.

Photo 2
Using backlight to photograph this street, most of the colour has gone, and the picture looks monochrome. The powerful backlight has shown the outline shape of the street lamps – and notice the effect of using backlight on the shiny, uneven surface of that dark wall. It really has created a dramatic effect. Remember, backlight over a dimpled, shiny surface – like wet mud, ripples on water, wet cobbles or even wet grass, can create spectacular result


FRONT LIGHT
Put the light source directly behind the camera - front-on to your subject - and you take away the shadows. This tends to ‘flatten’ the image; it loses any 3D effect. However, front light has a great trick up its sleeve… shadows often obscure colours. So if you want to see more colour – use front light. The downside is that you lose texture and form in your subject.

Photo 3
With the light almost directly behind the camera and front-on to the subject, I have tried to accentuate the bright colours of these houses by taking most of the shadows away. But at a cost – look how flat and two-dimensional the chimney pots look. The shadows you can see in the bottom of the picture are cast by a row of houses behind me

TIP
Positioning your subject just inside a doorway, out of the direct sun, is almost guaranteed to offer you good sidelight. This is one of the simplest ways to avoid toplight and create beautifully lit natural portraits when the sun is high in the sky at midday. That’s the time to start looking indoors in search of better, more useable light.

Next, in part 3 - more tips on using the direction of light

Wedding photography

I have said before that I am not designed for wedding photography - and I do say that to my students that when they ask me give them some instruction on the subject. However, the basics of good photography are the same no matter what you are photographing.

Craig Dempster came to me before taking on a wedding - quite a responsibility. He had done a couple of weddings before for friends, but this was a big assignment and he was very aware of his responsibilites.

He had a new DLSR and was getting just a bit lost. I'm delighted to say that I was able to put him of the right track and he has sent me a link to a short slide show which I'd like to share with you. I am really very impressed. I don't much care for the strong, hard toplighting of a few of the shots of the bride and groom, but otherwise I think he has done a really good job, imaginative and lively - and the bride and groom were over the moon with the results.

This is what Craig wrote to me...

Hi Philip
I was generally quite pleased with the [wedding] day. Still some issues with sharpness but the training you gave me on the group shots really paid off. I put the camera on a tripod and managed to get well balanced, sharp shots with very slow shutter speeds with the flash and soak up some of the background. I was so glad I came down to you for a day! I spent the most part of the wedding day walking around with the monopod!

I was also quite pleased with some of the first dance shot were I put the speedlight on a speaker and fired it remotely which created a nice silhouette effect in Kerry's vail.

Anyway thanks again. Your help and advice was invaluable.

You can see the show http://www.imagehindsight.co.uk/kerry&howard (excuse the music but they asked for it - Their first dance!)

Best regards
Craig

Photography weekend

Just to let everyone know, the Photography Weekend ' Making Pictures Happen on 25th-28th January here in SW Scotland is now FULLY BOOKED. I'm sorry if you have been disappointed and unable to get a place.

At the moment there are still places available for 7th -9th March at The Cally Palace Hotel - the theme will be portraiture, both with and without flash.

Full details at www.photoactive.co.uk/kbt_groups/kbt_groups_cally.htm

There are also still places available on the Photography Holiday in Menorca 2nd-9th May 2008. The theme will be travel photography.
Full details www.photoactive.co.uk/menorca/menorca01.htm

These weekends and holidays are designed to be instructive and great fun. Come and join us.

How to use Manual Mode - part 2

There is nothing mysterious about the Manual (M) mode on your camera. I said last time that ‘M’ also stands for ‘magic’, well it’s true – the magic comes from you being in control and not the camera.

For those who have not used their camera on ‘M’ before, let’s take away some of the confusion and myth by saying that you do not need to juggle BOTH the shutter speed settings AND the aperture settings straight away and at the same time. You simply start with one or the other, set it – then look at the exposure scale (see pictures in last post) and move the other setting until the pointer is in the centre of the scale.

So how do you know whether to set the aperture or the shutter speed first?

Well, there are many subtleties, but basically it is very simple - let’s say you know that your subject is moving quickly so you need to set a fast shutter speed. Do it – set maybe 1/250sec. You can do that even before the camera comes up to your eye. Now, look through the viewfinder at your subject and change the aperture setting until the pointer on the exposure scale is in the centre.

If you know you need a small aperture in order to get the maximum depth of field for a landscape shot, for instance, set the aperture first – say f16. Then look at the exposure scale through the viewfinder and change the shutter speed (slow it down or speed it up) until the pointer is in the centre of the exposure scale.

Of course, as a rough guide, the smaller the aperture (higher the f number) the slower the shutter speed will have to be. The faster the shutter speed, the wider (lower f number) the aperture must be.

All this needs practice – but so does anything worth doing. Eventually you will get to the stage where you can take pride in the fact that your camera craft has become intuitive. You will make mistakes – don’t worry. We all do.

Never let setting the exposure get in the way of capturing the moment. You will be surprised how quickly you will be able to set your exposures manually. Do bear in mind that once your exposure has been set roughly for the light in a particular situation, chances are that only minor adjustment, if any, will be necessary for each different picture. If you think you are going to miss a picture – revert to Auto Exposure mode. It’s the picture that matters, not the way it’s exposed.

For photograph of the cows on the beach, I set a small aperture first – f16. That was because I needed all the depth of field I could get. The shutter speed was then set to match that aperture. The photograph is not just about cows, it is about cows out of context in an unusual setting. That setting had to be sharp and clear – hence lots of depth of field.

How to use Manual Mode - part 1

'M' MEANS MAGIC

Most digital Single Lens Reflex (SLR) cameras give you a choice of automatic or manual shooting modes…
P - Programme
TV - Time Value, sometimes known as Shutter Priority (S)
AV - Aperture Value, sometimes know as Aperture Priority (AP) or even just ‘A’
M - Manual

I rarely use anything but the ‘M’ mode, so here are the basics – or at least, the way I use it. If I had a dollar for every photographer who has asked me to explain in simple terms how to use ‘M’, I’d be a rich man.

In all modes except 'M' , the camera goes all, or some way, to deciding what it thinks is the ‘best’ exposure. I refrain from saying the ‘correct’ exposure, because like all automatic processes, it doesn’t always do what you want it to in the real world.

That’s why I almost always use the ‘M’ setting. I like to decide on the exposure I want.

The first thing to remember is that when your camera is on the ‘M’ setting it does not mean that you are left entirely to your own devices to arrive at a correct exposure either by guess work or by using a separate, hand-held exposure meter – you certainly do not need one of those. Your camera has a very efficient and perfectly useable exposure meter already built into it.

If you have always used your camera on automatic settings, you might not have noticed that when you switch to the ‘M’ exposure mode, a scale appears somewhere at the side or bottom of the viewfinder. On some cameras this scale appears on the LCD as well. All cameras vary, but most scales will have a plus sign ‘+’ at one end and minus ‘-‘ at the other. Beneath or beside this scale might be a moving pointer, or the graduations themselves may light up. Whichever it is, when the pointer is in the centre of the scale, you have a correct exposure. The graduations are often in 1/2 or 1/3 values, or f stops, so if you have the pointer on either the plus or minus sides of the centre, you will be over or under exposing by the indicated amount. Easy.

In ‘M’ mode, the exposure is adjusted by altering either the aperture and/or the shutter speed settings. As you do this, the pointer on the scale moves. To keep things easy, set your metering to ‘Centre Weighted’ mode. ‘Averaging’ mode is too… well, average, and ‘Spot’ mode is too precise and sensitive until you get used to things. I use ‘Centre Weighted’ almost all the time. In ‘Centre Weighted’ mode, most cameras will take an average light reading of the whole scene, but will take much more notice of the central area, and this can be very useful.

Once you master the basic of the Manual mode, you will quickly realise that you can have total contril ver your exposure. Yes, you will make some mistakes, but that is all part of the learning process. You will find that the rewards from ‘doing it yourself’ and being in control will really enhance your enjoyment from your photography. ‘M’ doesn’t just stand for Manual – it stands for MAGIC!

1
You will see something similar to this in your viewfinder when you are in ‘M’ (Manual) exposure mode. The exposure scale has ‘+’ at one end and ‘-‘ at the other. Here, 1/30sec at f5.6 has given a reading on the ‘minus’ side of the scale – the picture will be under exposed.

2
By slowing down the shutter speed to 1/8sec, the reading is now in the centre of the scale at ‘0’. This is the correct exposure for this subject.

Next, in Part 2, I’ll explain more about the Manual mode and how to use it.

How to take flash photographs – part 4

Over the last three post, I’ve demonstrated just a few of the ways you can create beautiful, soft, directional light with your flash gun attached to your camera. I hope by now you are realising that a flash really is a superbly versatile and portable source of light. When you have the facility to separate that flash gun from your camera, things get even better. Then you can really put light exactly where you want it.

For the photojournalist, a small portable flash is absolutely essential. Without it, he, or she, could not hope to get professional standard photographs in difficult, remote and often poorly lit locations. I have often chosen deliberately to photograph my subjects in what might be described as ‘difficult’ light conditions, and the reason for this is simple – those difficult light conditions can produce highly atmospheric photographs.

Take a glance at the photograph of the man sitting astride the old butcher’s bicycle. This was a wonderful story about a man called Cor Ellen – he is a professional beachcomber on the Dutch Friesian island of Texel in the North Sea. I was commissioned to photograph him for an article for ‘You’, the Mail on Sunday Magazine in UK. I took a great many photographs of Cor – in his home, working on the beach, with his collection of extraordinary things found washed up on the shore. But I wanted an atmospheric shot of Cor on the old bicycle he used to get around the island. I also wanted to show the atmosphere of this remote, wild and windswept place – where better than on the shore beneath the lighthouse.

To add atmosphere, I chose to wait until late afternoon when the light was fading. The camera was put on a tripod. I took a light reading of the cloudy part of the sky. At ISO100, that gave me 1/15sec at f11. The flash was held in my hand as far away from the camera as possible to my right hand side. It was connected to the camera by a long cable (synch lead). I timed the flashes of the lighthouse and pressed the shutter just before it shone.

The flash has fired and lit Cor and the bicycle, but the shutter has remained open – gathering the light from the sky and the lighthouse. A very similar technique to that I described in my article about photographing sparks.

TIP FOR TODAY
Try to avoid those ‘curly’ flash cables – the springy ones like those on a telephone handset. They are a menace because the temptation is to stretch them just a little more, and a little more, to get the flash just that little bit further away from the camera. Then BANG! the tripod is pulled over. It happens so suddenly you will be unable to stop it. Better – if you can - to use a long, simple synch lead with no spring or curls in it. Then you will always know how far it can be pulled.

Cordless infra-red devices are often unreliable in adverse outdoor conditions.

How to take flash photographs - part 2

Let’s go though just a few of the techniques you can use to capture simple indoor flash portraits when your flash unit is attached to your camera’s hot shoe.

The essential thing to remember is that a portable flash is a very small-sized light source and when pointed directly at your subject will cause hard-edged, dark shadows.

Flash is an instant burst of light lasting sometimes as little as 1/20,000sec, so its effects are difficult to predict. Lots of practice helps, but remember, you have the luxury of instant digital playback – so use it; and don’t be afraid to experiment if you don’t get it right first time.

What about ‘bounced’ flash? Bouncing (reflecting) light off a white wall or reflector is a bit like playing snooker – its all about judging angles and distances. It really does need practice. Do not get fixated by bouncing (reflecting) the flash off the ceiling. That will give you toplight. Ugh! We spend a lot of time avoiding top light when we are shooting outside by trying to time our photography for early morning and late afternoon when the sun is low in the sky. So why do we want to use top light indoors? It’s horrible.

Just take a look at the set-up in picture 1. The flash has been directed up at a white ceiling. Its effect is seen in picture 2 – eyes light black holes in the snow, deep shadow under the chin. Don’t do it. You can improve things by placing a reflector under the model’s face (picture 4) so that some of the light coming down from the ceiling is reflected back up again under the eyes and chin. This has produced picture 3 – much improved.

Another possibility is to direct the flash back over your head to a large reflector positioned behind you. See picture 5. A wall, white door, or large white card will do. This should produce an effect similar to picture 6. Now, in effect, you are using frontlight from a large light source (that big reflector behind you). It will have the effect of flattening the image by taking away the shadows. This can be very flattering for an attractive young model, but a bit boring when you are wanting to convey the character of an older or male subject. For that you need the ‘star of the show’ -sidelight - and I’ll show you more about that in the next post, but first, read about that picture I showed you yesterday...

So what was the set-up for the picture of the man with the mask?
A sheet of newspaper has been taped to the wall off the picture to the right and the flash head has been pointed at it so that the flash light bounces back to the model’s face. The wall was about 5 feet away from us. The fastest shutter speed compatible with the camera’s flash synchronisation (1/160sec) has been used to eliminate any other light in the room and the model has been positioned as far as possible from the wall behind him. The light of the flash has not carried as far as this background so it has not been lit – it appears as a black. I wanted the deep shadows to add drama, so no reflector was used on the left hand side of the picture



NEXT - in part 3

What was the set-up for the picture of the chap kippering his lungs with the roll-up fag, above?



And more on sidelight

The quality of light - Part 3

Top Photograph: Shooting straight into a light source like this window can create very hard, empty shadows. But here a large white reflector has been place below the camera to the right of the picture. You can see its effect on the brickwork underneath the dusty shelf – there is lovely soft light there bringing out the detail in the wall and brick

You can often create good quality light, even in hard sunlight, by using reflectors to re-direct light into deep shadows. Reflectors are all around you in many everyday situations: white walls, snow, sand, water – your own white shirt. Even the wretched white van, the ruination of so many good photographs, can be used as a reflector if it is behind, or at the side, of the photographer and not in the picture. Expensive, purpose-made reflectors are wonderful, but not essential. I always have at least an A4 sheet of paper in my back pocket for those impromptu portrait shots. Just an ordinary sheet of paper, it weighs nothing, costs nothing and can reflect light back into the shadows under eyes and chin – creating beautiful, high quality light. This piece of paper was used fo the photograph of the sea shells below.

In the demonstration portrait session, Picture 1 shows the set-up using the hard frontlight with the wall behind the subject and the sun behind the camera. The result (2) is unpleasant with hard, empty black shadows in the lady’s eyes and under her nose.

By turning my subject right around, putting the wall behind me and shooting into the light (3) the effects on the model’s portrait is fantastic. Now her face is lit by soft, high quality, reflected light from the wall. Just look how it has lit up her eyes and softened her features (4)

Yes, there are downsides – be wary of flare in the lens when photographing into the light, and don’t use light green or brightly-coloured walls as reflectors – they will give a nasty colour cast. This wall was slightly off-white and has added a natural ‘warm’ effect.

The quality of light - Part 2

I must stress that when talking about the quality of light I’m using my own definitions – this is not text book stuff. It’s just the way I look at things, and that seems to have served me quite well enough over many years.

I said last time that I think of poor quality light as having two extremes:

1 Very hard, contrasty light that produces hard, empty black shadows. The sort of light you get from a bright sun in an empty blue sky. This can be horrible for portraits and some landscapes.

2 Flat, non-directional light that creates dull, drab images. The sort of light you might get on a day with thick, total cloud cover. Sometimes you can get away with this for portraits, but most landscape photographs just look dreary.

Between these two extremes lies a whole range of beautiful high quality, directional light that will enhance almost any subject. So what makes the difference?

TIP Remember - the smaller the light source, the harder and poorer the quality of the light it gives. In general, the larger the light source in relation to the subject, the better the quality of light.

If the sun is veiled with just a thin haze of wispy cloud, it will diffuse the light and soften the shadows by creating, in effect, a very large light source. The light can still be directional, but the outline of the shadows will be less defined – softer, more diffused. There will be some detail in those shadows and I’d call that high quality light… directional yet slightly diffused.

The sort of conditions that produce high quality light are frequently created in the late afternoon when the sun is low in the sky and shining though a hazy atmosphere that has built up during the day. It is a good idea to have a particular subject in mind for the times when these conditions occur because they are very special and will not last very long. If you do have a subject in mind, you will be able to go straight to it, be in position and use every minute of the high quality directional light.

TIP When the sun is glaring down from an empty ble sky, try looking for pictures in the shade where the light can be soft, yet still directional.

Top photograph: Can you make an appealing photograph out of an ugly concrete sea wall structure? Yes, if the quality of the light is good enough. Here the sun is over to the right and I am shooting slightly into it, but look how much detail is in the shadows. That’s because that hazy sky has diffused the sunlight and created high quality, directional light

Look for shade
When the sun is glaring down from a clear sky the light will be very poor, hard quality top light. Time to hunt pictures in the shade. Here I have found a great subject and the quality of the indirect, reflected light is excellent. Look on the floor at either side of the man and you can see just how hard and poor that direct sunlight is outside – that hard light is also cutting across his right shoulder and the right side of the box he is sitting on. But he is in shade and there was a white wall behind me reflecting light back onto him. This has created excellent soft light that shows all the folds in the blanket covering his knees – and the creases in his face

Next, in part 3, I’ll show you how you can change and improve the quality of light.

The quality of light - Part 1

When we talk about the ‘quality of light’, what exactly do we mean? Can you recognise good and bad quality light? Can you do anything to improve it? Well, it’s yes, to both questions. You can recognise it and you can often improve it.

When asked to define the quality of light, there are some photographers who go all precious and twitter that it’s the sort of thing that only ‘artistic’ people (like themselves presumably) can recognise. Well, as I’m only a simple soul I’ll try to be a bit more objective.

I think of the quality of light in terms of its softness or harshness. Its diffuseness or clarity. High quality light brings a luminescence to the shadows and reduces – but does not lose - contrasts between shadows and highlights. Once you know what to look for, you will be able to recognise high quality light when it’s there. The real bonus is that when you realise what’s going on, you may well be able to alter and enhance the quality of your light by using some very simple tricks.

If you photograph someone out in the open on a sunny, cloudless day you’re going to get hard, sharply-outlined, empty black shadows. I’d call that poor quality light. The sun may be almost a million miles wide up there, but to a photographer it’s just a dot in the sky – a very small light source - and the smaller the light source, the harder and poorer the quality of the light it gives. Poor quality light has another extreme; if you take that same picture outdoors on a gloomy day with thick cloud cover, you are going to a get flat, uninteresting image with no contrast and no indication of the direction of the light source – poor quality light.

Different parts of the world can to produce their own particular light qualities. Mostly this is due to local atmospheric conditions. It is one reason why travel pictures from different regions can vary so much. Quite apart from the subject matter, there is no mistaking the dusty, smoky light of an Egyptian slum (top photograph) with the sparkling clarity of the light in the Galloway countryside with its pastel blue skies (lower photograph).

This is an important factor to bear in mind when trying to capture the ‘feel’ of a particular place or subject. The sharp angles of a modern building might suit the striking qualities of bright, hard sunlight, but a portrait of a child or an attractive woman will almost certainly be better photographed in much softer, higher quality, light.

Next, in part 2, we’ll look at the light between these two extremes – high quality light.

In part 3, I’ll show you how you can sometimes change the quality of light.

TEN TIPS on how to photograph children - part 1

Children may be spontaneous subjects, but photographing them needs a little planning on the part of the photographer – plus good camera craft and lots of patience.

How times have changed. I am fortunate to be of a generation that that could photograph children without being demonised as an evil pervert. Point a camera at a child these days and you will immediately be branded a dangerous monster. This paranoia, fostered and encouraged by official agencies, has even got through to the children themselves and we are all poorer for the loss of beautiful images of childhood.

But let’s not be too negative, there are still many enlightened parents who are overjoyed to have natural, unposed photographs of their children, and you may have children or grandchildren of your own… perfect subjects.

Sensible parents can be a tremendous help by keeping an eye on things (wiping runny noses etc.) but only assisting when asked. It can be very frustrating when mum moves in to straighten clothing just at the moment when the child’s expression is perfect and you press the shutter button. So talk things through in a really informal, friendly way before the photo session starts. Stress that you will all be working together to produce lovely pictures of the children. You need their help.

I went along to photograph Rory and Niamh, whose parents are good friends of ours. I had the advantage that the children knew me and were relaxed in my company. I did go armed with a few carefully chosen presents – the sort of things that would make good props for the pictures. I knew, for instance, that Niamh loved making pictures, so I took along a colouring book for her – and a book for Rory, of course. The plan was that these books could be used not only to occupy and interest the children, but the white pages of the books would act as reflectors, putting light back into their faces. This did work remarkably well. I also took along a golden tiara for Niamh (Rory certainly wouldn’t want one of those), and bubble-making pots for each. These proved unsuccessful – I spent so much time helping the kids make bubbles that a didn’t get a single picture of them blowing bubbles themselves.

Top right photograph: After trying unsuccessfully to get a picture that caught both children at their best, and with Rory’s attention flagging, I decided to photograph the children individually. I gave Niamh her tiara, which she immediately put on her favourite teddy and gave him a cuddle. This made a lovely picture. You simply MUST be ready and waiting to capture these wonderful moments when they happen


Lower left photograph: From behind the camera I asked Rory what he had in his bulging pockets. He continued to look out of the window while distractedly fumbling around in his pockets to find out. This made another natural pose

TEN THINGS TO DO BEFORE PHOTOGRAPHING CHILDREN INDOORS

Talk through your plan with parents
Find a position in good natural light
Try to ‘confine’ your subjects in some way
Check the background for unsightly elements
Take your light reading and set the exposure
Try to set a shutter speed of at least 1/125sec
Set white balance
Have toys or props ready
Drawing books make good reflectors

When all is set, bring in your subjects

Photograph of the two children: The pictures were taken beside a patio window. A large white reflector was placed off picture to the right. Getting the two children in the same frame and with good expressions proved almost impossible. Niamh would always go one way, Rory the other. When they came together it was for a fraction of a second; they were always on the move, and so was the camera. Shooting at 1/45sec at f3.3 without a tripod has taken its toll – and this picture is not quite sharp as a result

Bottom photograph: WRONG! The problem with this sort of set-up is that there is a high possibility that when your subject leans over the book, you will only see the top of his head – like this

Next, in part 2 - TEN TIPS while taking photographs of children