El Modo Manual -- No muerde ;)

I will try to translate this some other time, but since I wrote this in Spanish for a friend... well you understand.



Este era un comentario que hice en el blog de Areli y que me parecio se podia convertir en un post aqui ya que quedo bastante informativo, creo yo.

El problema de las camaras digitales es que cuando el flash esta activado tratan de irse a su zona de confort que se encuentra en 1/60 y f4.5 no es cierto? Ahi les dijo su mama que tenian que vivir. Lo malo es que esto hace que la gente se vea como venado lampareado y el fondo todo negro! (not nice). En la imagen abajo de estas lineas se puede ver un ejemplo. El fondo se supone que es un bar aqui en Manchester del que no podemos ver nada.



Si tu camara tiene funciones manuales hay que perderle el miedo y hacer lo sigueinte:

1) En alguno de los modos automaticos (ie Auto o P) desactiva el flash y toma una lectura del ambiente (el fondo). Si es tardecito pero aun hay luz te va a dar una lectura como de 1/30 o 1/15. La verdad es que no podemos sostener la camara a esa velocidad (1/15) sin que haya movimiento pero por el momento no importa.

2) Cambia al modo manual y pon la misma lectura que te dio la camara y activa tu flash. Digamos que te dio 1/30 a f4.5. Deja la velocidad pero aumenta (realmente estas disminuyendo pero ignoremos eso tambien) la apertura digamos a f6 o incluso f8. Dispara.

3) La velocidad (ie. 1/30) va a controlar el fondo de la imagen y la f (apertura) a la gente que quieres retratar. Si la gente esta muy brillosa incrementa el numero de la f, si esta muy obscura disminuye el numero. Tambien puedes aumentar y disminuir la potencia del flash. En tu manual (si, eso existe) debe venir como "flash compensation" o algo asi.

4) Decia que no importa que pongas la camara en 1/30 (con practica incluso a 1/15) porque el flash va a hacer que la gente salga en foco (sin moverse). El fondo se va a mover un poco pero a 1/30 no se nota tanto. Mas vale tener un fondo interesante que algo todo negro, no? Ademas recuerda que si tuvieras luz suficiente al enfocar a tus amigos el fondo sale un poco borroso de cualquier forma (esto se debe a la profundidad de campo y se le llama bokeh y puede ser muy interesante). Tambien puedes recargarte en alguna pared, usar un poste o una botella como tripie para evitar el movimiento.

Si ponen atencion a la primer foto (la del molino) pueden ver que tanto el cielo como la modelo --mi esposa ;¬)-- tienen suficiente detalle. Esto no seria posible sin usar el flash y balancearlo con el ambiente. Espero les guste.

Ahora a practicar y estoy a sus ordenes ante cualquier pregunta. Si algo no esta claro avisenme y lo puedo tratar de explicar mejor.




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Finally it's coming! The Anti-School of Photography

Yes that is right! I'm preparing a programme that includes a good range of photography "Anti-lessons". Hopefully I will learn lots by planning them and you will also get some valuable information the fun way. I started this project a while ago but never really saw it through. This might be the chance.



As you can see from this image, any age is perfect to start with photography :)

So write down in the comments if there is something that you would like to learn and I'll try to include it. Might be a good idea to register as a follower so that you can get a notice every time I update an anti-lesson.

More to come...
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Photography's Serendipity

Image by Art Wolfe

I just wanted to share with you the latest article from "The Luminous Landscape" a great photography site that I normally follow. Give it a good look!

In his article (click on the immage), Art Wolfe explains how did he get the picture above. I think it's a great image and loved the way he shares his outtakes with the readers. I picked the title for this post because I believe photography is a little bit of technique, lots of patience and a great deal of luck (not chance, because you make your own luck in photography by choosing the subject, the site, the equipment, the time of the day, etc) and the article shows precisely that.

Have a look at the different outtakes and pay attention to "Pic 3 Flash Failure", do you see any similarities to your party pics? I believe anyone could have taken that image and that is why I really enjoyed that article. It is not the equipment but how you use it, and sometimes you are bound to have some bad pictures. The key is to persevere! as he did and he went away with a great image to show for his trouble.

I'm working on a series of photography tips, stay tuned.
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Easter Weekend in Wales - A Photographic Paradise

Finally I managed to do some typing after dislocating my shoulder (see previous post), obviously I have some stories to tell. A couple of weeks ago we visited some friends in Llangollen (in Wales), we met them last year thanks to the Rotary Club and they invited us again to stay for a couple of days.

I've never fancied living in the countryside but after seeing how they live I surely have to consider it again (maybe for retirement? ok, not really). Last time I was absolutely in love with the look of their house but I couldn't summon the courage to ask them to pose for a couple of portraits. Well this time was different.

The portraits were done on the very last day of our visit and it took some convincing from my part. At the end I think they were very good subjects ;)

For the first shot I chose the living room, one of the easy chairs was just by a Coat of Arms that I considered interesting. They are not sure who commissioned it, it was already there when they bought the house many years ago. R was willing to pose for me and I thought that Holly (a springer spaniel? was a nice touch). As I said before, time was of the essence and I didn't want to make them loose their patience with some "silly" portraits.



This shot was lit using a 580ex shot through an umbrella hold by my wife. On camera I had a 580exII as a controller and pointing up just for some fill. My main goal was to avoid reflections on those glasses. At the end I was very happy with the shot. Especially because a year before I didn't venture asking and I was dying for it. If I ever have another chance I will try to move the easy chair a bit farther away from the coat of arms to be able to use a separate light on it. I hope you also like it.

After that shot we took some more just for fun with Valentina in them as well and playing with the dogs. Lotsa fun!!

The other portrait was trickier specially because J was not as convinced of having her portrait taken. After all she agreed. For her I had planned in advance a shot in the staircase, in this place they have lots of images from their kids (the youngest now my age) at different stages on their lives (weddings, graduations, etc) so I thought it was a special place to do this shot.

It was not difficult to light it up since all the walls and ceiling were white making the bouncing light from the flash very soft. I took several pictures but this one was my favourite. I'm using a 580exII on camera pointing up and ahead to use all the bounce from the ceiling. I also used a shoot through umbrella at my feet with a 580ex just to add some fill to her face. This was my favourite shot and prolly the only one in which she is not looking forced to pose :) sorry J.



This was Easter weekend so we had an egg hunt on Easter Sunday in which Valentina got plenty of chocolate eggs. Read and see more after the jump...

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Before getting into the egg hunt I want to show you a shot of my wife. I took this shot just to see if the shot in the staircase would work. So consider this my homework, it is very good if possible to try your shot with the assistant (if you have one) before the actual subject arrives. That way you can solve any lighting or location issues beforehand.



I had the joy of having some wide angle fun while Valentina was looking for her Easter eggs. Here some of the pictures, nothing fancy in terms of photography technicals:




Sorry for making this post so lengthy!! More to come.

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Hot Shoe Diaries!!! and some thoughts about gaining experience

If I haven't mentioned it before -and you could guess it from my pictures below- then I have to say that I love to bend the light to my will :)

Easier said than done though, it requires some patience (it can be very frustrating sometimes), experience and set of tools that only make you travel... well, less light! (no pun intended) Speedlites, triggers, diffusers, stands, gels and other modifiers can give you a headache both while packing and using them (I'll talk more about equipment some other time).

In terms of gaining experience, the best way is to practice, practice, practice. But it is also very useful to read what others with more experience have to say. I have already mentioned Joe McNally before and now I am very excited because finally I got a copy of his new book: The Hot Shoe Dairies. I will start reading it tonight with a nice cup of tea (or coffee most likely) and report back with my impressions. I've read that he recycled some posts from his own blog but I still have to see that for myself. I am sure that the information there will prove very useful anyway.



Hit the jump below to read and see more...



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Thanks to the information available in blogs like Strobist, Joe McNally, and Lighting Essentials. I have been able to experiment by myself and produce images like the one above (using two portable flashes in this case). Not brilliant but definitely part of a learning experience that I'm proud of.

Those same sites (and Flickr) have made possible for me to meet new people and to collaborate with other fellow photographers (like Alex) in the use of bigger lights as in the next photo (more technical info within each photo page).




Or to practice location portraiture with Tobiah Tayo (as in the first image in this post) or Jo Harter-Tong (in the next picture), both great as individuals and photographers from whom I have learnt a lot.



What I am trying to say is read: as much as possible so you learn from others but also stop being afraid of making mistakes and start experimenting by yourself. You will realize that -even if at a slower pace- you learn more when things don't go as planned.

I am sure in your locality you will find people willing to walk with you in such a photographic experience.

Until next time...

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