VANTAGE PHOTOGRAPHY » Tuesday Tidbits

Happy Anniversary, Tuesday Tidbits!

vantagep — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:18:47 +0000

A year ago this week, I wrote the very first Tuesday Tidbit. Holy batman, Robin, it’s been a whole YEAR. And everyone knows what happens when someone has a blog anniversary……BLOG MONTAGE! (Cue fun montage music)

We started with the Rule of Thirds…and the Tuesday Tidbit was born. We talked about looking your best in photos, when giant photos ATTACK!, point and shoots vs SLRs, and the color wheel. We waxed philosophical on the power of empty space, amputated our subjects appropriately, and discussed the finer points of posing large groups. Man, we’ve had some good times.

A lot of you have been following this blog for awhile and are probably pretty darn skilled with your point and shoot camera. But lots of you have those new dangfangled fancy schmancy SLR cameras now and could use some help making those cameras do what they’re meant to do (which is go beyond a glorified point and shoot camera).

So this year is about depth. We’ll delve more into ISO, aperture, shutter speed, and shooting in (drum roll please) manual mode. We’ll talk about light and using your flash. We’ll talk about choosing lenses and changing lenses. I’ll do my darn tootin’ best to help you understand your camera and photography better, and I bet I’ll learn some things along the way too.

If you want to get a head start on your classmates, here’s some homework for you: some links from last year on ISO, aperture and shutter speed, and depth of field.

I’m excited for the next year! And, as always, if there are particular things you want to read about, you can comment directly on the blog and let me know or shoot me an email at info@weddingsbyvantage.com.

Happy shooting from Vantage!

Tuesday Tidbit: Posing Large Groups (Part Six: You’re In Charge)

vantagep — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 18:35:18 +0000

Part Six in our “Posing Large Groups” series–the last post of the series! We’ve talked about triangles, building from the center, color balance, posture and blinkers. Whew! For the sixth in the series, it’s last but DEFINITELY not least. In fact, this is probably the most important thing to remember in posing groups: you’re in charge. That does NOT mean you get to carry around a whip and bark orders in German (although, to be honest, sometimes you’ll feel like doing that). It means that you have to remember that everyone….seriously, everyone…is looking to YOU for direction. Here are the things I do to make sure I not only remain in control but that people have a good time too (er, they don’t have a BAD time):

1. Speak loudly enough that everyone can hear you.

2. Smile. Genuinely.

3. Introduce yourself at the very beginning (if you don’t know everyone there) and tell everyone that you’ll be asking them to stand in certain positions. I always ask people to “help me out” by paying attention if/when they hear my voice so that everyone can get to the dance floor/bar/wherever sooner.

4. Have your cameras settings figured out BEFORE placing people so you don’t have a group of 20 people staring at you uncomfortably while you play with your gear.

5. As you ask people to stand in certain areas, either point very clearly or place yourself in the spot to show them where to go. Regardless, the directions you give should be clear and concise. Mimic the pose if you have to.

6. If you must futz with people once you’ve gotten everyone in place, tell them what you’re doing. Even something like “Everyone can relax while I check the settings on my camera” will help people feel more at ease. Then when you’re ready to shoot, tell them you’re ready, have everyone stand up straight….and shoot.

7. Tell folks you’ll be taking a few shots to make sure there aren’t any blinkers. This will prevent the “smile, see the flash go off, relax completely” syndrome that seems to happen when group photos are taken.

8. Smile. Genuinely. Again.

9. When you’re finished, thank people for their time and tell them they’re free to go. If you need to keep some people for additional pictures, make sure to tell those people to stay BEFORE you tell everyone they can go.

So that’s it! Hopefully you’re feeling a little more confident about doing your next group shot. Practice practice practice. And don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. Have fu!

Happy shooting from Vantage!

Tuesday Tidbit: Posing Large Groups (Part 5: The blinking trick)

vantagep — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 03:02:58 +0000

We’ve come to Part Five in our “Posing Large Groups” series….so far we’ve talked about triangles, building from the center, color balance and posture. This Tuesday’s tidbit is short and sweet: it’s a little trick I picked up through the years for the blinkers out there–you know ‘em…every time that flash goes off, they’re blinking. And when you’ve got a large group, well, the chances of having a blinker in the crowd goes up. So what’s a girl to do?? (Btw, this really only applies if you’re using flash)

The anti-blink trick

First thing you have to do is tell everyone you’re going to ask them to do something that feels sort of silly but is going to help make sure to minimize the “blinkers” in the group. Second, ask everyone to close their eyes (you should have everything set to go at this point, don’t make them stand there with their eyes closed while you fiddle with your gear). Then tell them that you’re going to count down from three and say “open”. When they hear open, they should open their eyes and smile. About a split second after you say open, press the shutter and you’ve got a 99% chance that you haven’t got a blinker in the bunch. Take a second shot just to be sure.

That’s it. And it works. So say goodbye to those blinkers!

Happy shooting from Vantage!

Tuesday Tidbit: Posing Large Groups (Part Four: Posture)

vantagep — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 03:24:12 +0000

It’s Tuesday Tidbit day! And yes, I know I’ve skipped a Tuesday or two lately….but I’m back. Yay! Ok, Part Four in our “Posing Large Groups” series. We’ve talked about triangles, building from the center, and color balance. This Tuesday we’re talking about posture. You’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a gazillion times: good posture makes all the difference and this is true for large and small groupings.

Start with a good base and then focus on the details

Both men and women should angle their bodies towards the center of the grouping (aka their shoulders should not square up with the camera frame) and place one foot slightly in front of the other foot with their weight on their back foot. Ask everyone to stand up straight….and then relax their shoulders. People tend to bring their shoulders up towards their ears when given this “stand up straight” command so reminding them to relax their shoulders will give them a more natural look while maintaining good posture.

Once you have this base, you can look for more detailed posture issues, such as having a dad place his hand on his young son’s shoulder to include the child in the grouping more clearly or having asking individuals to turn slightly more inward or outward. A “detail” tip is to have everyone ever-so-slightly tilt their head towards the center of the group; that slight tilt gives a greater sense of connection and love throughout the group to the viewer.

What should I do with my hands?

It’s a common question you’ll hear from your subject as you’re getting them into position. Generally, I tell people they can keep their hands at their sides or put their hands in their pockets (having a thumb sticking out is generally understood to be an important rule but I don’t necessarily buy it…and therefore don’t always ask for people to do it). If keeping their hands at their side, remind people to keep a small bit of space between their arms and their body otherwise their arms will flatten out against their body and look bigger than they really are. If they are standing next to each other, you can also have individuals with special relationships (a parent and grown child, for example) consciously connect by having the person to the rear place their outer hand on the other person’s forearm lightly, or on their bicep if it makes more sense. As a rule, I make sure men aren’t standing with their hands clasped in front of their groin; the guys might feel more comfortable that way (it’s a very natural stance for men) but it generally isn’t very attractive as a posed portrait: it closes the men off from the viewer, when the real goal is to create connection and warmth between subject and viewer.

What if people are sitting?

Again, start with a good base. Ask people to perch slightly on the edge of their chair (automatically gives them better posture) and sit up straight (again, asking them to relax their shoulders). For women, ask them to tuck one foot behind the ankle of the other foot (pretty much every woman I’ve ever told to do this knows what I’m talking about) and for men, ask them to put both feet flat on the floor, with the outer foot slightly further forward than the other. For both, they can place their hands in their laps (although men like to put their hands on their thighs, which is also fine).

And remind everyone….again…to stand up straight and relax their shoulders. Because I guarantee that most of them have started slouching already. :)

Happy shooting from Vantage!

Eric and Mariana: Engaged!

vantagep — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:00:19 +0000

When I was in Chicago for Kelly and Paul’s wedding, I was lucky enough to be able to set aside some quality time to spend with one of my best friends, Eric, and his soon-to-be wife (wife!) Mariana, before I boarded the plane for San Diego. And I was thrilled to have been able to celebrate their relationship by doing an engagement session with them in their new city and home, Chicago. It makes me so happy to see Eric so happy–clearly, Mariana, you’ve captured his heart.

Enjoy your sneak peek and slideshow you two. And CONGRATULATIONS! See you in August!

Tuesday Tidbit: Posing Large Groups (Part Three: Color Balance)

vantagep — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:47:17 +0000

It’s Tuesday again, meaning it’s time for another tidbit! This week’s tidbit is the third post in a series about posing large groups.

As in all things, balance is key

Color balance, that is. Unless I’m posing a giant group (15 plus) at a wedding where trying to balance color would be a nightmare (and it really isn’t worth it to create a nightmare for everyone), I always try to pose people based not only on their height and their relationship to each other, but by the color of their clothing. When posing groups at a wedding, for example, you can pretty sure (since gay marriage isn’t legal in most states….yet…) that you’ll have at the center of your group a man in a dark suit/tux and a woman in a light dress. Balancing for color, you’d want to place someone in darker clothing next to the white dress…and someone in a lighter outfit next to the dark tux…and so on. Since our eye is naturally drawn to the lightest part of a photo, weaving light and dark colors throughout your group helps to control where the eye lands first, goes to next, etc. It also just helps to lend a sense of overall balance to the image, without one side feeling “heavier” than the other.

Of course, you always need to balance the quest for color balance with the quest for triangles and keeping groups within the group together (immediate families within the extended family, for example). Balance, in everything, is key. And as is usually the case with weddings, you only have so much time to do all of this, so go easy on yourself with following every rule: 30 minutes to pose 20 different groups of five or more people…ready set go!

Happy shooting from Vantage!

Tuesday Tidbit: Posing Large Groups (Part 2: Build from the center and work your way out)

vantagep — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:01:28 +0000

It’s Tuesday again, meaning it’s time for another tidbit! This week’s tidbit is the second post in a series about posing large groups. You can read the first post here.

Build from the center

It really is a simple and perhaps obvious concept, to build your groups from the center, but if you don’t do it, you can have some nightmares on your hands. Sooo, pick the person who you want to be your center (or two people, as is the case in weddings…) and simply add individuals around the center. This is important for a few reasons:

1) It allows you to be particular about placing every individual so as to create those loverly triangles we discussed in Part One;

2) It’s easier for your subjects to know where to place themselves when you’re able to give them a starting point (“I need you to stand slightly behind and to the left of Sarah”);

3) It’s easier to ask one person to move over several steps than to instruct an entire group of people to take two steps to the right, believe me;

4) For weddings, it just makes sense. Almost every photo is going to have the newly married couple in it, front and center. Might as well keep them front and center and build around them.

In the Tuesday Tidbit fashion, a quick and simple bit of info. Happy shooting from Vantage!

Tuesday Tidbit: Posing Large Groups (Part 1: Triangles)

vantagep — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 17:27:49 +0000

It’s Tuesday again, meaning it’s time for another tidbit! This week’s tidbit is a part of a new series of tidbits: posing large groups. Posing large groups is an art in itself and in no way do I expect you to be an expert after reading these posts: I’ve been working at posing large groups for several years and I still feel like I have so much more to learn. Hopefully, though, after reading some basic techniques, you’ll feel a little more confident in your posing.

Triangles

When deciding where to place people in a group, a triangle is your best friend. As Bill Hurter remarks in The Portrait Photographer’s Guide To Posing, “The triangle is one of the most pleasing and dynamic forms in all of photography. Because the triangle is a series of three lines, two of which are diagonal, it has the result of providing direction and visual movement in a portrait. Creating triangles and exploiting natural triangles in posing is one of the most basic skills of a good composition.” Well said….which is why I quoted it. Hee hee. :)

Here’s a very straight-forward example of triangles used in a large group. Each person’s head marks the corner of the triangle and our brains naturally draw lines between each person’s head to form…say it with me now…triangles.

When you’re posing people, don’t be afraid to ask them to move over a little to either side to achieve your triangle. You can also feel free to experiment with your triangles–you don’t always have to have people simply line up on the steps for a group photo like the one above. But whatever you do, remember…triangles are your friend.

Happy shooting from Vantage!

Tuesday Tidbit: Bokeh wha???

vantagep — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 22:05:15 +0000

Every Tuesday I bring you a tidbit of information meant to enhance your photography skills or simply your appreciation of photography. This week’s tidbit: the definition of bokeh.

Bokeh what?

Bokeh. Pronounced Bow-Kah, emphasis on Bow, a Japenese word (allegedly) meaning “blur” or “haze”. Photographers use the word to describe the quality of the out-of-focus areas of an image created by a lens using a shallow depth of field, as in “that lens has some great bokeh”. For an example, check out the image below; the bokeh is found behind and to the right of Jamie, the circular spots of light reflecting off the trees.

All lenses have a different bokeh effect and some photographers can get really obsessive over it. Which is good, because then they usually upload their tests and findings on bokeh to the web for all of us to enjoy, like this guy. Yay for obsessive photographers combined with the power of internet!

Happy shooting from Vantage!

Tuesday Tidbit: Using flash outdoors

vantagep — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 19:30:18 +0000

Every Tuesday I bring you a tidbit of information meant to enhance your photography skills or simply your appreciation of photography. This week’s tidbit: using flash outdoors.

Fill ‘er up

You may occassionally come across the phrase “fill flash” when talking with other photographers. For the amateur photographer, fill flash is used most often when you have a lot of light in the background but not enough light on your subject in the foreground. There are other circumstances in which you’d use it, but I’ll save that for another post.

Think about all the times you’ve taken a photo outside in the middle of the day and the person you’re taking a picture of ends up looking really dark in the photo. On most point and shoot cameras, people will throw the camera into Auto mode and simply let the flash turn on when the camera decides it’s necessary. However, in Auto mode, the flash only pops up when the camera detects there’s not enough light to avoid camera blur (see this post about avoiding camera blur). This can result in your subject being in the shadows on a perfectly sunny day, like the photo below. This image is straight out of my point and shoot camera, no editing (besides cropping) has been done to it. And yes, that is a pound of chocolate that Leo is attacking.

Leo attacks his pound of chocolate...in the shadows

Lighten up, man

Deciding whether or not you need more light on your subject is a completely subjective decision, one that your camera can’t make on its own. Throw your camera into Manual Mode (most cameras allow you to do this nowadays…usually labeled as an “M” on the dial) and then *force* the flash to stay on by hitting the little lightening bolt until it says “Flash On” (or the equivalent) on the screen. Now YOU’RE calling the shots around here. Take THAT, camera!

Every time you take a picture, the flash will go off and light up your subject. Check out Leo, again attacking his pound of chocolate, but this time in a properly exposed fashion. Again, this image is straight out of the camera and has only been cropped a bit.

Leo attacks his pound of chocolate again....in the glory of the light

So got get a pound of chocolate, a bright sunny day, a hungry friend and show your camera who’s boss. Happy shooting from Vantage!