STUDIO PHOTOGRAPHY - Umbrella

Here I have used a Brolly, or Umbrella Modifier, or Diffuser. You can get these in shoot through versions, which means the light goes through the brolly, which acts like a soft box with round edges directing the light away because of its shape, or as this one, which bounces the light back to your subject giving quite a high key effect, as all the light gets directed to the bottle. This gives a soft light which can be very flattering for portraits and cuts down glare and reflections.

STUDIO PHOTOGRAPHY - Beauty Dish

This is an example of the use of a Beauty Dish on a reflective subject such as a bottle. The Beauty Dish casts light evenly from a dish when the light is bounced into it from a metal plate in front of the bulb. This can create great moody or atmospheric work even when using only one light source, giving low key effects.

STUDIO PHOTOGRAPHY - Soft Box

The Sift Box Diffuser or modifier casts an even light around and on your subject. To avoid light flare when using flash (as here), raise the soft box up higher than the bottle. This gives an even, natural light which is good for photographing objects without and mood, or atmosphere, so it is fairly neutral.

STUDIO PHOTOGRAPHY - Honeycomb modifier

This photograph of a coloured bottle was taken using a Honeycomb modifier, or sometimes known as a diffuser, since it diffuses the light falling from your light source onto your subject. Here I used a Bowens Studio light at 45 degrees to my subject on quarter power, no flash, and a Nikon Speed light 900, with a honeycomb attachment. The honeycomb casts a gentle, rippling light which is soft and flattering. To avoid flash or ricochet on a reflective surface, you can raise your light source above your subject, a reflector may be used to fill in shadows if required.

LOCATION PHOTOGRAPHY - Sodium Light

This is an example of the way that sodium light looks when falling on an object. It gives a very orange to yellow cast, which even affects the white areas of your subject. This is caused by the temperature of the light source, which is very warm. This was taken after dark using my Nikon D80 SLR, on f.11 at 1/25th of a second, using a tripod to avoid camera shake, and ISO 100.

LOCATION PHOTOGRAPHY - Halogen/Tungsten Light

Halogen/Tungsten light is typically seen as Site or Work Lamps. They measure around 3200 to 3400 degrees Kelvin on the scale of the same name, named after the scientist Lord Kelvin.

LOCATION PHOTOGRAPHY - Incandescent Light

Here, we see the use of Incandescent light, which is the same as a typical household bulb, and registers around 2600 to 2800 degrees Kelvin, so it has a warm, orange'ish glow.

LOCATION PHOTOGRAPHY - FLUORESCENT LIGHT

This object is lit by Fluorescent light which appears cool to the eye, as it has a blue cast. Fluorescent light is around 6500 degrees on the Kelvin Scale, which is heading towards "white hot" hence the cool caste.

DIGITAL DARKROOM - WRITE A CAPTION FOR AT LEAST 1 PHOTOGRAPH IN LIGHTROOM CATALOGUE

This screen grab from Lightroom demonstrates that you can write a caption for your images within your lightroom catalogue. Using the Library function on the right of the screen, you scroll down to the captions section, where you can label your image, and add a caption. You can also give it a star rating, which may be useful for referencing your work later on.

CAMERA/LENS TECHNIQUE - PANNING

This technique is known as PANNING. Taken at 1/200th of a second, you literally follow your subject and click the shutter at your decisive moment.
Henri Cartier - Bresson said of this term "the decisive moment" which he coined., "Photography is, for me, a spontaneous impulse coming from an ever attentive eye which captures the moment and its eternity". - Henri Cartier-Bresson.
You have to swing the camera with the subject, so I used a tripod with a video head which moves easily from left to right or vice versa.

CAMERA/LENS TECHNIQUE - SLOW SHUTTER SPEED FOR MOTION BLUR EFFECTS

By using a slow shutter speed, you capture movement and create a motion blur. Here I used 1/13th of a second, f.22. The camera records the ongoing movement as series of overlapping images. Brightly lit subjects, such as big wheels at fairgrounds make excellent final images as the lights appear over and over again creating dynamic images and forms.

CAMERA/LENS TECHNIQUE - HIGH SHUTTER SPEED TO FREEZE ACTION

Taken in daylight using a Nikon D80 SLR on a tripod, this was taken using a FAST SHUTTER SPEED of a 200th of a second, using f5, and ISO 400. A fast shutter speed freezes action, as we see here, the subject is caught in mid air. A fast shutter speed means that the exposure, or time that the lens is open is much shorter than the human eye, so the moment is frozen, like a snapshot of time.

CAMERA/LENS TECHNIQUE - WIDE ANGLE

Changing to a shorter focal length lens, or in this case zooming to a wider angle, 18mm in this case, "opens" up the picture, filling the frame with foreground and background objects. Completely the opposite effect to a telephoto, which brings the subject closer. This was taken using f.22 and 125th of a second, which keeps everything focused front to back of the image.

CAMERA / LENS TECHNIQUE - TELEPHOTO

This photograph was taken using a short telephoto lens at 55mm. I used f.22 at 125th of a a second. Using this angle of view allows all of the subject to fill the frame and appear "closer".

CAMERA/LENS TECHNIQUE / DROP FOCUS TECHNIQUE

In this photograph I have used focal stacking, or the DROP FOCUS technique. This is when you employ a shallow depth of field, (f.5.6 in this case), but change your focal point to an area of the image, which may be in the center or other, which you want in sharp focus. The focal length extends to both sides of the point of focus, so here we see blurring in the foreground and to the rear of the focal point.

http://books.google.com/books?id=wORdQVpE4wAC&pg=PA118&lpg=PA118&dq=drop+focus+technique+photography&source=bl&ot

s=vajG6VOttW&sig=2e15QX970vz9RLw1fUbf4G7IFnk&hl=en&ei=-lkWS-iOH4as4QaQ5uziBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CBMQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=&f=false

CAMERA / LENS TECHNIQUE / SHALLOW DEPTH OF FIELD

This photograph employs a SHALLOW DEPTH OF FIELD, which, in this case, emphasises the edge of the spoon, drawing the viewers' eye to the point of focus. The remaining blurred image adds to the composition by suggesting a story upon which the viewers' mind may decide.
This was taken in the studio, using a Nikon D80 SLR, an 18 - 55mm lens, set on Manual focus. Manual focus can work better for this type of shot, since you are able to put the focal point exactly where you want it, rather than let the camera decide on automatic. I used a shallow depth of field, f. 5.6, at 125th of a second, at ISO 100. The lighting was one Bowens studio flash light with a soft box diffuser. The lens was set to a focal length of 52mm. According to Langford, shallow depth of field; " using a wide aperture limits detail, concentrates interest on an element at one chosen distance" - Langford, Fox, Sawdon Smith. Langford's Basic Photography, Focal Press, 2007, 8th Edition.
Langford also refers to , "circles of confusion" to explain how aperture affects depth of field. Dependant on how far away the subject is from the lens, means that parts of the subject are closer or further away from the focal point, and form overlapping discs, or circles of light. Large overlapping circles give blurred images (large apertures, where the subject is away from the focal point), and small circles where the image is sharply focused.

TWO WEEKLY PICTURE PROJECT

I used a drop focus technique for this image entitled "Treasure", which gives a magical feel to the scene, since your eye is drawn to the sharp focal point on the spoon, but you are aware of the other gold in the background, but not sure if it's real or fake, or how great the treasure really is.

This image is also one of my final images for the Objects brief, since it connects with my Christmas theme as well.

PERSONAL & PROFESSIONAL MANAGEMENT

When you are making your C.V. it is a good idea to include some of your own creative style, or to show some of the types of work that you might be interested in. I like food photography, so I chose to make some food a part of my CV, and I carried the tomato theme through each page.

This tomato was photographed on a still life studio table using Bowens studio flash lighting, soft box diffusers and a spray can with water.

!!! Health & Safety advice - make sure that water and electrics NEVER come into contact!!!

DIGITAL DARKROOM - IMPORTING, ORGANISING ETC IN LIGHTROOM

This is an example of how you can use programmes such as Adobe Lightroom to manage your digital photo files. Here you can import your images to a folder and then you can view them all at the same time, which allows you to pick which ones you want to use or work on. You can make changes to your work such as altering the tone, exposure, clarity, colour etc, providing that you have taken the picture using RAW - which means that you have all the data present as when the photograph was taken. When you take pictures in Jpeg the camera compresses the image thus removing some of the data, so you can't make changes at a later date.
Once you have made the changes you then export your work back into a file on your computer, and then you can open your images in photoshop. When saving work for publishing in your web page, they need to be in 72 dpi, so that they are not too big for viewing on screen. But this also renders them fairly unusable should any one want to illegally copy them!

INDIVIDUAL TASK 11TH NOV 09 - MACRO LENS/WINDOW LIGHT

This was taken using my Nikon D80 SLR, using a Macro Lens 60mm f2.8, ISO 400, 1/40th second and f3.5. I had my camera on a tripod and used the available daylight as my light source. Combining a very shallow depth of field with a macro lens creates an interesting result.

PRACTICAL SESSIONS - TYPES OF LIGHT

Taken on the curve in the studio, this makes quite a flattering and natural way to take a portrait. Here a studio modelling light was used as a fill in light to the daylight streaming from the window. The effect is natural.

PRACTICAL SESSIONS - TYPES OF LIGHT

This is a mixture of the darkroom warning light above, the safe light from the darkroom behind, and fluorescent light from in front. The effect is quite a stark picture, with a reasonable outline, but not particularly flattering.

PRACTICAL SESSIONS - TYPES OF LIGHT

Dark Room safe lights give everything a red tone, and the warning light above appears orangey red.

Not to be confused with infra red light which cannot be seen with the human eye since it lies outside the human spectrum of vision. Langfords definition of a safe light is a;"working light of the correct colour and intensity not to affect the light sensitive material in use.

PRACTICAL SESSIONS - TYPES OF LIGHT

A green emergency light was used here from overhead, which casts downward shadows, and creates a weird spooky effect.

PRACTICAL SESSIONS - TYPES OF LIGHT

This light is working with the daylight and acting as a back hair light. This type of lighting was popular in the movies in the 1940's, when 3 lights would be used to highlight the hairline and shoulders of the subject. The back light being at least one stop brighter than the front main light, which here was daylight.

PRACTICAL SESSIONS - TYPES OF LIGHT

I used myself as the subject here, and used the lift closed so as to only get the lighting from within the lift and no other sources. This is fluorescent light which is approx. 6000 degrees Kelvin, which is the scale used to determine the temperature of different light sources. Although this has a"cool" blue colour cast, this is because it is at the "white hot" end of the colour spectrum. The Kelvin scale is named after the scientist Lord Kelvin.

PRACTICAL SESSIONS - TYPES OF LIGHT

Here the subject is looking full on into daylight through a window. This gives a very high key image, merging the profile of the face and softening some of the details of the skin. This could be quite flattering with some subjects.

PRACTICAL SESSIONS - TYPES OF LIGHT

This is daylight on a cloudy day. Because my subject is standing under a tree, and also with a large building to the rear, the light is coming mainly from the left, creating a sharp outline to the right but merging the hairline to the left.

PRACTICAL SESSIONS - TYPES OF LIGHT

Here the daylight is coming from behind the subject but the left of the window frame is acting like a reflector, bouncing some of the light back onto the left of the subject, so it is acting as a fill in light, subtly bringing back some of the facial features which would have become slightly lost by the back lighting effect. The very bright light source has also made a high key effect, slightly merging the hairline into the light, and losing harsh edges.

PRACTICAL SESSIONS - TYPES OF LIGHT

Here we see daylight through a window with reflections, plus a daylight strip light, plus a studio modelling light being used as a fill light. This makes a more even lighting for portraiture as the light is not coming from one single source.

PRACTICAL SESSIONS - TYPES OF LIGHT

This is bounced daylight, which is coming through the window and hitting the wall, which is acting like a reflector, bouncing the light onto my subject and giving the right side highlights, which in turn creates greater contrast from one side of his face to the other.

PRACTICAL SESSIONS - Glass Objects

By using reflectors and diffused lighting, and careful positioning of reflectors you can take images of glass objects without losing the detail, creating stunning effects.

STUDIO PHOTOGRAPHY - BACK LIGHTING

Here is an example of BACK lighting, using a naked studio light behind the still life table, which thus acts like a diffuser. Here we see a shadow forming in front of the pineapple, and the pineapple itself loses much of its detail, since it is starting to form a silhouette. The outline is sharp. This type of effect is good for showing form and shape, and works really well with sunsets scenes. What is basically happening is that the object occludes the light from the cameras lens. In instances where you actually want the detail of the subject, but the light is very strong backlighting your subject, you should use a fill in flash, or a reflector to pick up the detail.

STUDIO PHOTOGRAPHY - TOP/OVERHEAD LIGHTING

This is an example of OVERHEAD or TOP lighting, and I have kept the image low key for added impact. The pineapple's leaves burst into light, whereas the body of the fruit slowly melts into the shadows, which once again lack detail. The top light creates a sharp outline, yet completely removes any detail where the light touches. Because the light is overhead, there are no shadows whatsoever. Overhead lighting is quite harsh, and if, for example, you were using the sun as your light source outside, it would be preferable to use a diffuser above your subject if you want to achieve a flattering picture.

STUDIO PHOTOGRAPHY - LOW KEY LIGHTING

As you can see, in total contrast to the last picture, this is LOW KEY lighting, which is where the dark tones dominate the photograph. There are a number of ways to achieve this technique, but I used a reduction of exposure, i.e. closing down the aperture to f20, thus reducing the light which I let into the lens, coupled with a 45 degree angle with one studio light. Here we see that there is no detail in the shadows, and that the areas which have light form crisp sharp outlines. This technique also works well for "male" subjects, or when you want to add a certain moodiness to your work.

STUDIO PHOTOGRAPHY - HIGH KEY LIGHTING

This next technique is known as HIGH KEY lighting. According to John Ingledew, Photography, Portfolio Press, 2005, High Key photographs are, "pictures that use only the upper portions of the grey scale: just blacks and whites. This is achieved in lighting, processing, printing or manipulation". Here I have used the camera's aperture to allow more flash into the lens, i.e. opened up the aperture to f8. This begins to merge the peripheries of the subject into the background. In recent years we have seen a rise in studio portraiture using high keys techniques by the likes of Venture, and this is probably because it can be quite a flattering means of lighting, especially for women. High Key lighting increases the dominant highlights in the picture, and softens hard edges and details.

STUDIO PHOTOGRAPHY - 45 DEGREE LIGHTING

The next photograph also employs 45 DEGREE lighting, this time using 2 studio lights, both set at the same angle to the rear of the subject. By using both lights set to the same power you achieve an even lighting to both sides of your image, with shadows falling evenly to either side. This is a useful technique to employ for industrial or commercial work, such as photographing tools for a catalogue, where the image needs to be a good representation of the object.

STUDIO PHOTOGRAPHY - 45 DEGREE LIGHTING

In the studio, there are a number of lighting techniques which may be employed. In the following, I have used a pineapple, since it is quite an interesting fruit to observe. I have used various equipment which I will detail as I go along, to create a number of different lighting effects. Throughout, I have used my Nikon D80 SLR, and a tripod, in order that I could achieve the same angle of view in each picture, which in turn allows me to see the full effect of my lighting in comparison to each technique.

The first photograph employs 45 DEGREE lighting. Here I positioned my subject on a still life studio table, and positioned my studio light with a soft box diffuser at a 45 degree angle to the rear of my subject, with the light on the same level as my subject. It should be noted that greater contrast can be achieved by using a naked light rather than with a diffuser. The camera was set to ISO 200, and since the flash sync. speed of my D80 is 125th of a second, this was the shutter speed I used. Using a light meter, I established that the correct exposure was f11. The focal length of my lens was 45mm.

This type of light casts a shadow to the opposite side of the subject to the light source. This technique can be used to highlight a specific part of your subject, for example, if this were a person, to highlight and make interesting contrast to their face. You could then use a reflector to fill in the light to the darker side to your liking. You can read more about this type of technique in Langford's Basic Photography, Focal Press, 8th Edition, 2007, section 7.

TWO WEEKLY PICTURE PROJECT

These were my images for "Time", one being the idea of the sands of time, and the other a bit of a spoof, referring to the time lords.

TWO WEEKLY PICTURE PROJECT

This is my take on an English Breakfast for the two weekly picture project. I took it using available daylight in my kitchen and deliberately focused on the toast corners, with the hint of the egg in the background to draw the viewers eye into the scene.