Picture Practice - Back Lighting

Day 11 - Back Lighting

The last type of lighting we will focus on is back lighting.  In back lighting, the light source is located directly behind the subject and in front of the photographer, meaning it could also be shining right on your camera lens.
Today, you will want to experiment with moving your camera slightly to produce the best images with light behind your subject and not to overwhelm your subject with the intense light.
Below, the glow of the sun produces a nice glow to Toddler D's profile, but is a bit overpowering. (In addition, one of the balloons appears to be growing out of his head, which isn't great).

With a slight move of the camera, the glow is still in the same spot, but isn't directly in the shot. And I suggested he look at the other balloons, which resulted in a really sweet shot.

Back lighting is most commonly used around sunrise or sunset, since the low angle of the sun makes it easier to place behind your subject. Back lighting can add drama with a golden glow of light and with portraits, back lighting is often used to provide that glowing light behind loose hair.

During one of our recent Mardi Gras parades, I used back lighting from one of the floats to light up Toddler D and his daddy,

Finally, one of my favorite photos of Baby Brunken and his daddy used a lamp positioned directly behind them as a light source. Rob's body blocked the lamp itself, but the light produced such a sweet glow around the baby.

By the way, back lighting can also be used to produce silhouettes, but that is a prompt for another day.  ;-)

Key Holder for the Camper

Our camper is in the shop right now getting some minor adjustments, but that hasn't stopped me from preparing for our first camping trip. Ron has a couple of days off (we hope) next weekend, so we are planning on a short get-away--close enough that he can get in to work if necessary, but far enough that we'll be out of the city.

Since our purchase, I've been working on getting things together that we will need for camping. We like to keep it ready to go, so that when the opportunity arises, we can simply load our clothes and food and take off. I am trying to be sure that everything has a designated spot to make organization easier, and one of those things is a place to hang our keys.

I purchased a wooden board at Michael's for just $4.99 (plus a 40% off coupon) and everything else was found around my house.

After trying out a couple of different colors, I finally settled on red and used some chalk paint that I purchased at Joann's a while back.

I used Mod Podge to adhere some map wrapping paper to the board. I fell in love with Mod Podge back in the 70's when I used it to decoupage any available surface. Did anyone else out there have a decoupaged purse with Holly Hobby on it or was it just me?!?!  Once everything dried, I hand-lettered a phrase on it, leaving room at the bottom for hooks.

Now it was time to add the hooks. I had planned to use cup hooks of some sort, but the only ones I had in my tool box were too big.  Since I really didn't want to go buy anything else, I came up with the idea of using keys to make the hooks! When cleaning out one of my kitchen drawers recently, I found a ziplock bag with old keys in it. With Ron's help, we managed to break far more keys than we bent, but eventually, I ended up with 4 keys bent into the shape of hooks.

Using upholstery tacks, I fastened the keys to the board (which is very thin). The points stuck through the back a little bit, so I clipped them off with wire cutters and put a strip of duck tape across the back so that it wouldn't scratch the wall.

I plan to hang the key holder just over our main entry door in the camper. Can't wait for our next adventure!

Picture Practice - Front Lighting

Day 10 - Front Light

My "word" for 2017 is Light and one of the ways I want to incorporate that is in my photography. For the next couple of days we will focus on directional light and today, in particular, I'll discuss front lighting. Most of the photos in my folders incorporate other types of lighting, I discovered, but there are a few examples below.

Front lighting is probably the most common directions lighting used in photography. With front lighting, the light is coming from behind you-the photographer-and illuminating the subject in the front. Generally, front lighting provides even lighting and eliminates most shadows.

Front lighting is sometimes criticized for producing images that are too flat and without depth, but in landscapes and portraits, it is often desirable.  After all, not many people want to emphasize their wrinkles by more shadows!  :-)

Front lighting when photographing a person can best be achieved in the morning or late afternoon, when the sun is less intense and often produces a nice, golden hue that is quite flattering for people. When using front light with people, however, you must be aware that your subject might tend to squint with the sun in their eyes.

One way to avoid the squinting is to make use of diffused lighting. You can use your own body or the overhand of a building, etc. to diffuse some of the lighting glare if the light is coming from a higher angle. Below, we are both squinting, even though the front lighting was somewhat diffused by an overhang!

Noticing how few "Front Lighting" examples I could find from my iPhone makes me more aware of my need to practice! While I have quite a few photos in my DSLR files, very few are taken with my iPhone.  I did take one this weekend of the azaleas that were glistening in the sun.

One way to avoid the squinting of a subject while using front lighting is to have them face away from the light. While it does not feature the face of the person, it can still be effective if the setting enhances the photo.  Below, my grandson was fascinated by the flowers in front of our church and wanted to see them up close. Capturing him from behind (with front lighting), was candid, yet told a story since the setting is visible.

Have fun practicing with this light source today. 

Picture Practice - Black and White

Black and white photos, when done well, can be very powerful for the viewer. Stripping all of the color out of an image removes the distractions that can often occur in a busy scene filled and draws the image directly to the main subject. Taking a B/W photo with your iPhone can be done in one of two ways---you can either take the photo in black and white to begin with, or take it in color and then covert it to black and white when editing it.  From what I can tell, shooting in B/W is not an option on Android phones unless you use a download an app with that capability.

The photo below is a great example of a photo that has lots of distractions going on--colors and shapes and pictures.



Once edited to B/W, however, the viewer is better able to notice the main idea--a toddler learning to cut.

Obviously, taking a photo in color gives you more options, so this is the route I use, even when I am already planning to convert it later. I have found that photos look the best in B/W when they have lots of contrast between the lights and darks, so you can plan for that when taking your photos. Fortunately, you can also edit your photos later to achieve that as well.

There are several ways you can convert your photos to B/W.  Here is the original:

For iPhones
Option 1:
1. Open the photo and click the "edit" button (that's the one with Sliders and tiny circles at the bottom of the screen)
2. Click on the "Filter"icon (it has 3 overlapping circles) to open the various filters available, some of which are B/W.
3.  The first 3 filters, Mono, Tonal and Noir, are all B/W filters. Click on each to see which one you like best with your photo. If you don't like any of them, you can always go back to "none". When you are happy with the result, click "Done".
Option 2:
1. Open the photo and click the "edit" button.
2. Click on the Adjustments button (it looks like a square with a meter inside it).
3. Click on B&W.  Slide left or right to view the various options on your photos--most are varying degrees of contrast and saturation.
4. When you are happy with the result, click "Done".

For Android
Option 1:
1. Open the photo from your gallery and click the "Edit" button.
2. Allow Photo Editor to access your files (if it asks).
3. Click the "Tone" Button.
4. Click on "Saturation" and slide the slider all the way to the left to desaturate the picture.
5. Click on "Contrast" to adjust the contrast the way you like it.  When you are happy with the result, click the check mark.
Option 2:
1. Open the photo from your gallery and click the "Edit" button.
2. Allow Photo Editor to access your files (if it asks).
3. Click on the "Effects" button. This will open all of the filters available to you.
4. Swipe to the right to find the "Grayscale" filter. You can use the slider to adjust the contrast/saturation.
5. When you are happy with the result, click the check mark.
And here is the final result:

Option 3 (for either iPhone or Androids):
Use Instagram filters to convert the photo to B/W before posting your picture.

Just for fun, if you have an iPhone, you should play around with taking photos in the B/W setting on your phone (this is actually just a filter rather than true B/W mode).  For an iPhone, when you open your camera to take a picture, simply click on the "filter" button (the one with the 3 overlapping circles). Select which B/W filter you want to use and then take your photo.

As you might guess, a photo that has sharp focus is going to produce the best B/W photo. But, sometimes you might have a photo that is composed just right, captures a special moment, but is just a little bit fuzzy.  This is great time to try a B/W filter. Converting it to B/W might be just what is needed to remove the fuzzy distraction and produce a great picture.

Picture Practice - Closeups

Day 8 - Closeups

Close-up photography is getting as close as you can to your subject to get a clear pictures without any external lenses, attachments or apps. This is different than Macro mode, because for most phones, the magic distance is 3-4 inches from the subject. In many cases, this is close enough to get enough remarkable detail to be very interesting, but it is not close enough to be considered Macro Mode. Of course, the closer you get, the more important it is to nail your focus and once again having a clean lens is essential!

If you have been shooting with a DSLR, you have probably been used to zooming in to get close, but beware of using the zoom feature of your phone's camera. The zoom on a phone is a digital zoom, which means there are no moving parts and is nothing more than "cropping in" on your shot. When you "digitally zoom" onto a subject, your phone produces a low-resolution, compressed image, decreasing the quality of your photo significantly. 

If you are interested in an app that allows you to shoot in macro mode, try the Camera+ app.  I will talk more about this app in a later prompt, but it is available through both iTunes and Google Play. I can't speak for the other version since I have never used it, but the iPhone app is awesome!!! I use it frequently!!

Picture Practice - Burst Mode

Day 7 - Burst Mode

Have you ever tried to capture a photo of a moving subject, only to discover that by the time you press the shutter button, you've missed the moment? Or the picture ends up being a blurry mess? This is the perfect time to make use of the "burst" feature of your phone.

So what exactly is the burst mode? It is a feature that allows you to continuously capture ten photos every second by just holding the shutter button. Burst photos are perfect because they allow you to capture multiple shots as your subject moves, giving you the best chance of getting a great shot. You can choose the one you like the best and easily delete the others.

Of course, the best way to capture movement is to begin taking the burst just before the subject begins, so that you get the complete movement. Somewhere in that sequence of photos, you are sure to get a decent shot. It helps you to catch special moments that sometimes only last a second or two.

One of my favorite ways to use it is when photographing my grandchildren. Toddler D has gotten to the point that he has an unnatural "cheese" face when you ask him to look at you for a picture. If I take a burst photo, however, I am much more likely to catch a natural smile just before or after the "cheese". And when you combine toddlers and dogs, there is constant motion, making burst a good option.

Here's a simple how-to shoot use the burst mode:

iPhone:
1. Tap your screen to set the focus spot.
2. If possible, lock your focus by holding down the focus spot until the AE/AF Lock square appears.
3. To activate burst mode, hold down the shutter button. You'll hear the shutter sound for as long as you hold it down. A count-indicator will appear on the screen to keep track of how many images you've snapped in this burst.

To select a photo from a burst:
1. Open the photos app and find the burst photo you are searching for. Burst photos appear as a group of stacked photos on an iPhone. There is also a "burst" album in the photos app.
2. Tap on the stack of photos you want to view, and then hit "select". You can now choose which of the burst photos you want to keep. Swipe across to view them all.

3. You will notice a tiny gray dot the photo that your phone pre-selects as the one it thinks is the best (and it is usually correct).  However, you can check the box of whichever one(s) you wish to keep.
4. Click done. You can then choose whether to keep just the one that you have checked as your favorite(s), or to keep them all.

Here is an example of using the burst mode to capture Toddler D eating his first s'more.

The photo that the phone selected is indicated with a small gray circle below it.  Here is that photo--definitely clearer and his eyes are open.

Android:
1. Tap your screen to set the focus spot.
2. If possible, lock your focus by holding down the focus spot until the AE/AF Lock circle appears.
3. To activate the burst mode, hold down the shutter button. You will hear the shutter sound for as long as you hold it down.

To select a photo from the burst:
1. Open the gallery and find the burst photo you are searching for. Burst photos appear with a circle and a number (the count of shots taken) on it.  You can tell that Ron was thrilled to be the subject of my experiments here.

2. Tap on the photo you want to view and then tap the circle in the middle to view all photos in the burst. Your phone will indicate which one it thinks is the best with a "crown".

3. To delete the photos you don't wish to keep, select the picture and tap Delete. You can keep them all if you like or one or more. I haven't figured out how to delete more than one at a time, but it may be possible.  Let me know if you know how.

That's it! Even if you don't have something moving to capture today, try out the burst mode just for fun!

Picture Practice - Focus

Day 6 - Focus

For a successful picture, a lot depends on the right focus.  If the main subject of your image is not in focus, the viewer's eye is drawn to other parts of the picture. Fortunately, most camera phones have an auto-focus feature, but this is not fail-proof. Its operation differs between phone models, so I will hit a few key points with both types of phones.

iPhones:  iPhones have an auto-focus feature. Before you take the shot, allow just a second for the camera to focus (you can tell by the square on the screen what it is focusing on).  However, sometimes, the camera doesn't know what you want to focus on. A quick tap on the screen sets the focus spot, and if you hold your finger on the focus spot for 3 seconds, it locks the focus in that spot. You will see a square with AE/AF Lock indicated on the screen.

Generally, you will want the sharpest focus to be on the object closest to the camera, since that is generally where the viewer's eye will tend to go first. Having the background objects slightly blurred often reinforces the main subject.

The rule to follow to get the background blur:

Keep the camera close to the subject and the background as far as possible.

Both of these photos were taken with my iPhone. In the first, I flipped the camera upside down so that the camera eye was closest to the ground.  That created the sharp focus on the acorns and the blurred background, which was relatively far from the acorns. (If you look closely, you can see that the focus is actually on the center of the pile of acorns, rather than the one in the very front, which was fine in this photo).

In this photo, the baby is in sharp focus, while the dogs playing in the background are slightly blurry. The camera was farther away from the baby, which lessens the overall blur.

Android Phones:  Android phones also have an auto-focus feature. I may work differently on different phones however. My husbands' Galaxy 7Edge phone, it behaves the same way as an iPhone: you tap the part of the picture that you want to focus on. If this capability is not enabled, you can go to your camera settings and enable it, if you like.  To lock the focus, hold your finger on the focus spot for 3 seconds--a AE/AF Lock circle will appear.

Ron's phone also has the capability to go into Manual mode, which is really cool!! By switching to manual mode, you can adjust the the aperture and the ISO to some degree. It gives you more control over your shots, much like shooting with a DSLR. I don't think I could ever actually switch from my iPhone because of its ease of use and compatibility with my other Apple products, which I love, but the camera on his Edge certainly makes me think about it!