Photography tips
Friends and family
One of the most photographed subjects in everyone’s
album is our friends and family, but how do we turn snapshots into memorable
images? Technique is everything, as Darren Harbar explains
PERFECT SMILES AND POSES
The most effective way to get a natural look to your pictures is to continually
talk to your subjects or place them in a familiar or fun situation.
Making sure your subjects are relaxed will show in the images. If you have
the option to spend some time with the subject before you even pick up the
camera, it will be time well spent. For posed portraits, make sure you plan;
you’ll need to keep your subject interested and avoid pauses between
shots. Be careful not to put your subject into awkward poses, as this will
show in their faces. Try putting the subject off-centre or crop in close
for an alternative image style.
Children can be an extra-special challenge because most of the time they
have their own agenda. The use of toys as props or the presence of family
or friends is certainly a good idea.
Playing down the park or in the garden is a great place for shots of children,
as you can capture the fun element in your images. Whatever the situation,
you should never photograph children without their parents’ permission.
CANDID PORTRAITS
The
term ‘candid’ is used when the subject isn’t conscious
of you taking the image. The key to great candid photography is a long lens,
as you can take photographs of the subject from further away and they are
less likely to be aware of your presence. Being intrusive isn’t the
way to capture great images of people and there is a fine line between the
paparazzi approach and a clever candid image.
FOCUS
Cameras generally focus on the centre of the frame, which is fine when
the subject’s in the middle. When the subject’s face is looking
at the camera, getting the eyes in focus is crucial. Your camera’s
shutter button has two stages when you take a photograph: a half press sets
the camera’s focus and exposure, and a full press takes the shot.
When composing your shot, firstly check the zoom is in the correct position
to get your subject in the frame. Move the camera to position the middle
of the frame on the principal subject’s eyes and half press the shutter
button. Now for the technical bit – keep the button half pressed and
move the camera back to compose the shot before pressing the button fully.
This will ensure the subject’s eyes are kept in perfect focus.
You should always take time to look at what’s in the background before
you take the picture. Avoiding signs appearing out of your subject’s
head may sound really obvious, but you’ll be surprised how often it
happens. If you’re using the out-of-focus background technique, then
a splash of colour can look really good – a colourful shipping container
or a set of warehouse doors can make an impressive backdrop when used in
this way.
CREATIVE EFFECTS
You
can experiment with all kinds of final effects, including close cropping
and computer manipulation. Converting the image to black and white or changing
colours is easy with the right computer software.
For less than £70 you can buy a package like Adobe Photoshop Elements,
which will open up a whole new world of creativity that you can apply to
your images.
Experiment!
USING DAYLIGHT
There are two ways to use daylight – it can be used in both outdoor
and indoor images.
You can’t go too wrong outdoors as it’s the easiest (and most
natural) form of light to use, but if you use it in the right way you can
achieve even better images. Sunlight can be really unflattering, so be careful
when positioning your subject and don’t be afraid to use a shaded
area. Shade lighting is much softer than sunlight and you have the added
advantage of your subject not straining their eyes by looking into the sun.
If you want to use the sunlight, then it often pays to photograph into the
sun. Position the sun off to one side to avoid flare in the lens and try
a bit of reflected fill-in light to add sparkle to the subject’s eyes.
Moving indoors and using light through a window is an excellent way of
lighting a face, as it gives a softer, natural feel to an image. If you
fancy trying something a bit more creative then a reflector, such as a sheet
of white card, can be used to fill in shadows and create a more flattering
image.
Thanks to Olympus User for these great tips – and we’ll
have some more for you next month. To subscribe to Olympus User, contact
01952 214040 or send an e-mail to membership@olympuscameraclub.co.uk
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photos in the snow