photography #3

Remember the post I did on backlit photography ? 

The best way to get the face visible was to change your metering settings to spot instead of matrix.

Now, suppose you don't have your digital camera on you and let's say, just a smartphone, you can easily follow this trick to achieve the exact same effect.

Search for a piece of white paper, anything white will do and use it as a reflector !

Hold the white object under your face - be attentive the paper does not pop up in your picture {frame} - and take that shot !

The paper or reflector captures the rays of light and projects them towards you and your face. 

Always remember that the best backlit pictures are the ones taken during the golden hours !

Now, go out and try it yourself ! 

photography #2

Aperture f5 - exposure 1/100 - ISO 200

Time for another great tip to share with you guys !

Many Pinterest addicts amongst us have at least 1 or 2 images somewhere on their boards containing the tag #backlight or backlit.

I'm pretty sure you have. Go on, admit it ! 

And deep down you're all a bit jealous about the beautiful effect backlight gives to any picture.

Gather around, for today is the day I will share how it's done !

Take your camera and browse your custom settings menu. Go to metering and you will notice 3 (quick) setting : matrix - center-weighted and spot.

Click spot. Spot ensures your model or subject will be correctly exposed even when your background is much brighter or darker, in this case, the sunlight right behind your model.

Another important thing you need to know is that backlight photography will give you the best results when the pics are taken during the golden hours. This is the period shortly after sunrise or before sunset during which daylight is softer compared to when the sun in higher in the sky.

Try to position the sun right behind the model, out of the frame or -this is the hardest to get it right- in the actual shot. Try using aperture settings between f2.8 and f5.6 max ; wide aperture settings will give a shallow dept of field. You will achieve the typical lens flare that makes the picture even more 

special. Shutter speed must be between 1/100 and 1/640 ; try some experimental shots at first with your AUTO settings to see where you're headed before switching to MANUAL.

The picture above shows my model of the day, Lobke. She did a pretty good job posing for me and we got some nice results. This one did not make it for my final portfolio but it's one of my favourites of her.

FYI : she's wearing a top from H&M