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 

photography #1

#1

My life has changed so much in 2014 ; going back 'to school' again gives me so much energy - it's like all these good vibrations were hidden somewhere inside of me but dozed off somehow and needed to be kissed awake again by a knight in shining armor.

So the other day I was thinking, why not share some of the best things I already learned and discovered myself, who knows, it might come in handy to pimp your holiday snap shots.

Invest in a good body lenses

Many people think an expensive body makes better images. Partly true but not completely. 

If you own a reflex camera and it works just fine ; perfect !

If you're planning to buy one but your on a tight budget, why not consider a good second hand body ?

The body is mainly your work instrument ; look up your manual and make an effort reading it. Note down the main functions of your camera, get to know it and don't be afraid to touch buttons.

Most cameras come with a standard zoom lens, for ex. 18-55mm or 17-85mm.

These are okay and nice to work with but I personally experienced way more interesting pictures with my focal 35mm and 50mm length objectives. Invest in these kind of lenses. You won't regret it. 

What makes a wide angle lens unique ? A common misconception is that wide-angle lenses are mainly used when you can't step far enough away from your subject but still want to capture everything in a single camera frame. Unfortunately, if you were to only use it this way, you'd be really missing out out ! Wide angle lenses are often used the opposite way, when you want to get closer to your subject. So what I'm telling here is, it's you who needs to do all the movement, instead of your camera. 

On top, you need to think more carefully about your composition as these lenses create more space in your images. Try to search for some visual lines and a relevant forefront ; they will help you to accentuate and keep your composition together. 

To inspire you, type Lucien Hervé via Google and click images.
Because 1 image will explain more than a 1000 words.