Natural Light Vs. Flash

When I'm shooting an event the challenge is trying to use a multitude of different techniques to create a body of work that is cohesive yet varied in style. The images need to represent my point of view while telling a personal story and highlighting the specified needs of the client.

For example: These two images are shot in the same location and just seconds after each other but both images convey a different mood. The first is a image shot using only the available light from the window so the bride is silhouetted. Some detail can be seen in her dress and around her but that's all. The act of the bride looking out this window insinuates a feeling of anticipation. By shooting the image using only the window light the geometry of the glass panes become more obvious and the black and white also helps to make the lines of the image and the light cascading in the focal point. By shooting at 1/160 @F6.3 the room goes dark. This is because the fast shutter speed is exposing for the natural light and not the incandescent lights in the room. A slower shutter speed would have picked up the overhead lights and the contrast wouldn't have been so lovely.  The next image is shot a few seconds after the first but the style has changed completely. Fill flash has been added to bring up the light in the room and the image is shown in color instead of black and white. Additionally, the exposure has changed dramatically. The color photo was shot at 1/60 @f9. Notice how the flash becomes the main light and it's directional from camera left. While detail is still visible outside, the light from the window is now acting as a secondary light source. Also, the shutter speed was reduced so the window looks brighter even though the light levels haven't changed, more light has simply entered the camera's lens the second shot so it is more exposed then the first.  There are a few things that you can see in the color version that were obscured in the black in white. The reflection of the second flash can be seen in the widow, the radiator behind the bride,the extension cord and outlet at her feet and the color of the (ugly) rug in the room. All of these problems can be removed by re-framing the image and coming in for a tighter crop, but if your client has asked for a full body shot (and who wouldn't if she looked this good?) The best choice is the black and white image.
And this goes back to my original point, knowing a variety of techniques and being able to handle light in all sorts of ways makes you a better photographer. I've head it said many times by other professionals "I'm a natural light photographer." Which for me translates into, "I'm afraid to try new things." My advice, never let yourself get stuck in a rut. When faced with a photo opportunity, don't be scared to ask yourself, "how can I do this differently?" and try a fresh approach. The worst that can happen is you'll fail! Failure is simply an opportunity to learn. So if you're going to mess up, do it with gusto and a lot of carefully taken notes so next time you'll be one step closer to creating an image that is unlike anything you've shot before.

Photographing Infants: The Trick is.....

For the past few days I've focused this blog on photographing infants and today's final installment will provide you with some tips for a smooth photo session. Recently a friend of mine tired to photograph a newborn for another friend. Later when we were talking about her experience she said with some surprise, "Infants are hard to shoot!" She's right! Photo shoots have to be tailored to the exact needs of the infant and every concession must be made to make them comfortable if you wish to get the images you want. Here are a few helpful tips:

• Make the baby happy. Where ever you're shooting should be some place warm, especially if your model has no clothes on. This will help keep your baby asleep as you move them around over and over. And when I say warm I really mean hot. If you're not sweating it's probably too cold.
  
• Think about context and choose props accordingly. Babies in baskets is very classic look that is reminiscent of nursery rhymes and biblical references alike, but feel free to try other props, pillows, football helmets, gift boxes, etc.  Also think about texture and color. Choose blankets that enhance the mood of your shoot or other props that even juxtapose the soft look of an infant. This could be anything that isn't harmful to the little one. Also stability is a major factor, don't try to balance a newborn on a beach ball or anything weird. Use your head. Parents can make great props too. Close ups of parents arms, face, feet, anything really can show scale as well as convey belonging.
• Shoot newborns ASAP! Within the first 1-2 weeks babies still have some very obvious signs of their age. These include, curled limbs, loose skin, fuzz (everywhere!), and a since they lack a lot of muscle control, you can easily pose them as you wish. After about two weeks they become more and more alert, their limbs began to become stronger and straighten, they are now gaining weight to fill out their baggie skin, and the newborn fuzz is being shed. Plus they also may experience baby acne in a greater degree and dry skin as they grow and change. When exactly your child is photographed is up to you. I prefer within the first week if at all possible.
• Be prepared for anything. It might be assumed that if you are photographing someone sound asleep that it shouldn't be all that time consuming. This is a big mistake. Often infant portrait sessions are my longest and at least one hour should be set aside but whenever possible up to three hours may be necessary if a variety of shots are to be captured. This allows for the baby to eat on demand, have the accompanying diaper changes and be soothed back to sleep when fussing.
• Finally, leave expectations at the door. New parents are often not aware that smiling for the camera is not a skill possessed by newborns. I have on occasion caught a muscle reflex on an infant's face that can be called a smile but the chance of this happening is so slim that to hope for it would be setting yourself up for failure. Save the smiling photos for another shoot, don't worry there is plenty of opportunity in the future.Additionally don't expect wide open eyes. Having a newborn I know how exciting it is when they come out of their coma-like state and actually look at you, but for photos I feel it's best to show them acting natural. 

For anyone that wants to know the above photo was taken with my Lensbaby lens. The lighting was window light from the right and a large reflector for fill on the left. ISO 500 was used to get the exposure I wanted which turned out to be 1/40 at F8. I've found with the Lensbaby I tend to get better images when I use smaller apertures. I wanted to blow out most of the highlights especially in the blurry edges. There was also another white fill card placed behind Alex to give the illusion of a plain white background.

I would love to hear your stories or experiences photographing infants. Please post your comments here!

Tomorrow is our final installment with baby photos of Alex in the studio.

How to Photograph Infants

On November 7th we welcomed our newest edition to our family. What a better time then the present to discuss how to photograph babies. For the next few days I'll be discussing this topic and sharing lots of photos of my newborn with you. Now originally when I started this blog I committed myself to only one image a day. The idea was that it would make me focus on a particular topic and keep each post from wandering aimlessly. I've decided after a little over a week of blogging that the more images I use the better, so from now on you can expect more images when the need arises. I'll do my best to keep on topic and avoid long boring blog posts that do nothing more then stroke my ego. Now onto baby!

Alex weighed eight pounds and measured 20 inches long when he was born. The day of the birth no photos were take because as a rule my husband and I have decided that when it comes to personal family moments no cameras are allowed. We have done this because we hate experiencing birthday parties, Christmas and other important times with a camera in hand. We want to be a part of the action and not always the one documenting it. So with video camera put away and my Nikon D-300 at home, we spent Saturday evening with our new little boy and the quiet joy that new life brings.

Come Sunday morning, all bets were off. Caleb arrived with my camera and Alex had his first photo shoot. Here are a few of my favorites.

All of the images in this post were done at the hospital. I brought with me some new blue blankets from home and we wrapped him in them and covered the cushion in his bed with one also. My photo equipment had to be simple since it was a hospital and not a photo studio after all. So natural light and a pop up reflector to the rescue! My hospital room had a very large window on the north face (score!) so where to shoot was a no brainer. The best spot for the reflectorw as directly opposite the window so as much light as possible would be bounced back on the shadow side thus bring up the exposure and minimizing the contrast. The lighting you see in the photo has a 2:1 ratio. What is a lighting ratio you ask? Simply put it's the difference in the exposure across the scene (or most commonly the person's face). On the left of Alex's face you see the highlight from the window This exposure is about 1 stop brighter then the right side of his face. The ratio is just a technical short hand for explaining the difference.  There are also some advantages of photographing newborns under these conditions in addition to easy set up and beautifully diffused light..

1. Newborns are mainly photographed asleep simply because that's what they do best. Natural light is even and steady so it won't disrupt the slumber of a tired baby. Flash on the other hand will make your baby tense up, all of their reflexes fire simultaneously and they might even start to cry: ending your photo session. There are ways to use flash (I'll talk about this tomorrow) but pointing directly at your subject or even close to them is out of the question.
2. Controlling contrast is also an issue. Mentally our perception of babies conjures up images of  fluffy blankets, pastel colors, and all things adorable. In photography this translates to a need for soft shadows, slightly directional lighting (since texture is important to show detail) and a low level of contrast. Highlight and shadow detail are important so watch your exposures carefully!
3. Finally depth of field is a major factor in infant portraiture. The dreamy quality that shallow depth of field evokes helps to sustain our notions about all things cuddly in relationship to babies as well as draw the viewer eye to the face of our new sleeping baby. The blankets become blurs of color (used only to suggest gender and warmth) and enhance instead of distract from the focal point: his sleepy eyes.
   

Now working with natural light can be completely opposite of working with flash. Instead of setting the light from the flash to match the exposure and ISO you want, you set the ISO and adjust the exposure to match the light you have. In the case of this image I used 400 ISO and chose to shoot at f3.2. I wanted limited depth of field but it was important that most of his face was in focus. The shutter speed was 1/50 of a second. I was hand holding for all of these images and the vibration reduction in my lens came in handy since I tend to shake at mid and low range shutter speeds. I also used the exposure compensation at +1/3 stop since the internal meter on most Nikon's tend to underexpose or go to the dark side as I like to say.

For this next photo instead of focusing on his face I chose the hospital bracelet. For me the slight change in focal point also changes the image from a standard portrait into an editorial piece and often it is that simple difference that can make or break an image. I would love your opinion, so please comment and come back tomorrow for a gallery of naked baby photos!

Irene Jones Photography offers studio and location portrait sessions for infants, children and families. Please visit Irene Jones Photography Online to view our portfolio and session pricing.

Part 2 of Photographing Infants tomorrow.

Working with natural light: benifits and limitations

In Seattle we have an average of 266 overcast days of the year. Californians hear this and cringe. I'm a native though, and I have come to love the soft dispersed light of the Great Northwest as do many portrait photographers, high overcast clouds make for great natural light portraiture.  This doesn't mean you should leave all of your equipment at home just because there are a few clouds in the sky, like any good boy scout, you should always be prepared. Here is what I bring with me on every outdoor shoot.

1. Camera (duh)
2. Tripod or monopod depending on the time of day and the position of the sun
   
3. 2-3 Nikon speed-lights
   
4. Light stands and adapters to use with my speed-lights
   
5. Gary Fong Lightsphere
6. Umbrellas (in case it's not windy)
7. Collapsable 4 in 1 diffuser/fill card
8. 16-85mm, 50mm, 70-200mm, lenses

Now I don't carry all of this with me as I shoot, I keep whatever portion I don't need in the car and only bring with me what I feel is necessary once I am on site. In Washington the weather at my house near Everett can be great while just 12 miles south in Lynnwood it's hailing; so again, be prepared.

Once I've arrived, talked to the people I'm going to photograph, and reviewed the situation I gather the gear I feel best suited for the situation and begin the shoot. Right now it's very trendy to shoot people at wide open apertures with shallow depth of field then later manipulate the images to have greater (sometimes way to much) contrast and saturation. I'm an old fashioned photographer in the sense that I think I should be the one dictating my exposure not the Aperture Priority Mode on my camera. This is the main reason I often shoot with fill flash on location, I like to be able to control the light, exposure, and every other factor perfectly so my time spent editing in minimized. When you do the volume I do, it's necessary to get the leg work done up front instead of "fix it in Photoshop." This is part of the ethic I learned in college, and sadly I feel it's severely lacking in the work of many of my colleges. Nothing is scarier to me then to go on location and run into another "professional" photographer who says something like "So, what's this?" when they see me put my light stand up.  But I digress...

When appropriate, natural light is the best thing available, but as with anything else, it's a skill to know how to use it correctly. Here are some situations in which photographing people (and most other things too) in natural light will give you bad results.

1. On a bright sunny day when the sun is directly overhead. (In the summer it's between 10am-2pm here  in Washington. The best light no matter the season is within 2 hours of sunrise and 2 hours of sunset.
2. When the subject you are photographing is in shade or bright sun and you want detail in the background/foreground to establish place. For example, thousands of tourists come every year to the Pike Place Fish Market and stand on the corner of 2nd and Pike for a photo opportunity with the famous red sign behind them. After 3pm on any given day I can promise you that most of those photos have one or two problems. Either the sign is exposed correctly and the people are too dark to recognize, or the people look great and the sign is barely readable due to over exposure.
3. Too little light. When you are in a low light situation of any kind remember your eye can see far more then any camera can comprehend. We can't expect (well at least not yet) the camera to have the wide spectrum of abilities when it comes to gathering light that our eyes have.

On the other hand natural light can be a gift from God in the following situations.

1. On a overcast day where the clouds are high. The clouds act as a giant diffuser to a giant light source to illuminate harsh shadows, enhance vibrant colors, and provide almost limitless possibilities.
2. When it comes in any north facing window, or most windows for that matter. Harsh sunlight redirected a few times becomes (say it with me now) diffused. Window light provides a lovely wrap around look on the face that highlights dimensionality and depth.
3. In the evening or early morning. "Magic hour" where the light is low in the sky, colors seem to glow and shadows fall long and lean. Some of the best environmental portrait photographers in the world shoot strictly with natural light and only during these times. Oh how I wish I had that luxury! Working with the general public means working around their schedules and most of the time that is NEVER when the best light is available.

So as I mentioned before, it's best to know how to work in all circumstances, and then adjust accordingly. I live by the rule that if the light looks good as is, don't mess with it! But when it isn't just right, know what trick to pull out of my bag to make anything possible!

The image for today was shot with a combination of indoor lighting and window light. Let me set the scene for you. The bride and her bridesmaid were touching up her make up in a dimly lit conference room at the back of church. ( I won't mention which one because if the wedding coordinator for this location found out that I stood on their table to get this shot she'd never let me back in.) The room was filled with a ton of scattered clothes, other bridesmaids and a giant conference table. I do my best when shooting to minimize distractions. This often means cleaning up for people as they work to get ready for the ceremony. Nothing is more unphotogenic then a room filled with clutter when you're trying to shoot. Sadly, in this instance there wasn't room to put anything away, there was barely room to walk. So I stood on the table. This may be a minor offense anywhere else, but I've been yelled at by this coordinator before for less. Once I was up there, I could look down at the bride without distraction and capture the action. At first I did a few shots with flash to fill and get stop action but it didn't have the look I wanted. So I turned the flash off and told the bride to make sure she was holding really still. My exposure was down to 1/4 of a second at F 4.5 so I knew blur was inevitable. With my camera on a tripod I set the timer for 2 seconds to avoid camera shake and did my best not to rock the table. Handing Terice a speed-light, I told her to pretend she was the sun. She proceeded to also stand on a chair and hold the flash pointing the speed-light directly at the bride so as to follow the path of the light already streaming in the window. Set to remote, the speed-light was in TTL mode to give a similar exposure as what my camera was metering at, but due to the distance away from the camera, I knew there would be at least a whole stop difference between the power of the flash and my set exposure. This actually was a good thing since I only wanted to use the flash to provide some sharpness and stop action on the bride without overpowering the natural light.  This image is what happened. The motion blur on the bridesmaid's hand couldn't have been more perfect. It gives a sense of action while the natural light from the window (with a little flash for sharpness to contrast the blur) gently illuminates her face. Best of all, it's a great exposure with both shadow and highlight detail, great color, and perspective. Once I saw the image in the viewfinder I couldn't help but say out-loud "Yes!". I love when properly applied technique and serendipity collide. If anyone is interested in seeing this same shot with just flash so you can see the difference the natural light and long exposure made let me know and I'll dig it out of my archives.

Tomorrow: Fill flash on location part 1.