COJ photo class/Q&A thread (Page 4)

very nice.


something to think about down the road (and for others as well).

in darker conditions, the flash will act like a faster shutter speed even without a fast shutter, or in other words, the only time the subject is lit enough to see is when the flash hits it. so in lower light you can actually freeze a subject with a slow ish shutter and a flash (ie for indoor boxing i've frozen motion with a shuffer of 1/60th but a flash).


nice job though, you've got two good examples of fast and slow shutter right there.

You can also often right click on the image file after it's transferred to your computer and get the details on what your settings were.

That totally makes sense. Thanks!

Thanks for the tutorial folks.  Malgal great to see the ideas in action. 

My very cheap point and shoot doesn't let me adjust enough to do the assignment but I am learning a lot and really enjoy your photos.

nice work...

So to get the lighting like your shot Newbz how do it do it? These images I wanted dark with just some highlights of the backs exposed. Are your shots after processing or using lamps? I am just starting to learn Photo shop but the amount of information is a little much at first.

the one i posted in the contest thread (the model standing with her back to the camera) was i think two lights, both positioned around camera level and to my left.
nothing special, just two lights like you'd use in a basement/construction (the aluminum shield and a 100 watt bulb).

The main key to getting the background that much darker with something like that is (and can be a combination or all of these):

1- keep some seperation from the model and background, if they are too close the lights will light it up as well.

2- have a decent amount of contrast between the background and model, a few stops at least

3- have a background that is already much darker/lighter than the model so the contrast is already there to start.


from there you need to expose for the highlights or just a bit more. so that was the darker background goes totally dark (the lower ISO you use the easier this is as the contrast goes down as the ISO goes up).


you can do some/a lot in post, but it gets harder the more lit the background is.

i do touch up/adjustments in post but i'm not 100% comfortable doing full lighting work that way yet/have not spent enough time working on it.

this would put you well on your way to doing it in post

simple curve adjustment to pull the shadows down a bit. from there it would be simple to do any numbers of adjustment layers, dodge and burn, curves, etc.







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also, the photo i shot, along with this one i just re-posted of yours, would be very easy (and it looks like you did) to shoot with just window lights.


mine was shot to look that way, and its easy as the light coming through a window undiffused is normally a great deal stronger than the rest of a rooms light (might need to block out other windows or move the model closer to it though).

a black/dark blue/dark colored sheet will go a LONG way in blacking out a background, and can be easily made to look black in post if its not black to start with. anything fairly dark will require a few stops more light to show its real color so it should work.



In general, the fewer or smaller the light sources are, the easier it will be to make the lighter areas stand out from the background. if you can get your hands on either one stronger light (window, a hot light like what i used, an off camera flash, etc), you can learn a LOT about lighting by just playing with the one light.
If you need to open up a shadow a bit, try a white poster board or sheet to bounce just enough light back into the shadow to show a bit of detail.

Thanks for the info. I like the curve adjustment tool in PS. I believe and like yourself prefer to have the image shot the way  I want as opposed to manipulating in PS after the shot. Was your image shot in a darker room or just a dark background? I did pick up a speedlight the SB-600 and it works great! The photo I took of the salmon I used the flash. I took a couple without it and when I put that on it made a huge difference. I just need to figure it out remotely or with a cord so I can play with the lighting. Thanks for the help.

Edited by Tynan19 2010-11-09 3:29 PM

i really need a new speedlight, have been working without any form of flash for all of this year and its been a pain.


The photo i shot was done in a fairly dark room, (there was another small open light in the background, in the orig photo you can see it lighting up the background a bit), and most of the light was just hitting the model.


you can shoot in a lit room with a dark background and have the background go totally black, but if you want parts/most of the model to be dark too then you need to bring down overall light levels and not just the background.

bump for anyone interested

Dave- I am still interested in assignments.  I have played with the depth of field stuff but can't really manipulate the shutter speed to freeze stuff in the photo.  Will keep playing though.  Would love to see another assignment /lesson when you have time. 

 This was my shallow depth of field shot. 






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I'll put up a few smaller ones/collection of things to work on shortly.

I'll step back from the tech side for a bit (if people need help with that let me know and i'll write up some more but what i've posted so far covers the big ones), and we'll move into some more basic themed projects, color, contrast, pattern, etc. This way regardless of camera type it will get you looking at things in a certain way/starting to develop how you see and look at something.

Kathy, in regards to your ring picture I think you need to shoot something with more of a background to get the shallow depth of field. That way you will be able to see the focus points.  In this picture you see the frogs but the kids are out of focus.

Edited by Tynan19 2010-11-12 10:33 AM

alrighty folks,

here is some new info up about putting together lines, colors, and contrast and how they can be used in image making:

as always any thoughts/questions/ideas for improvement or things you'd like to see or hear talked about, i'm all ears


http://photographdavidsavoie.blogspot.com

This would be awesome!
Since I just have a point and shoot i cannot adjust anything ......but want to learn more about composition.


ETA I just read the blog......lots of great info.  

Edited by aquagirl 2010-11-12 3:52 PM

Beautiful as usual Casey! 

I may have missed this........but would also be interested in some basics in what to look for in a DSLR.........

cehck out the new post:http://photographdavidsavoie.blogspot.com/

Helen, take a look at Ken Rockwell's site for reviews and comparisons on Nikon Products. I think you need to fiqure out a price range then try out a few in that range. When you find a few look for all the reviews and consumer reports you can find. Pretty much any of the Cannon Rebels or the newer Nikons will suit you well. Most can be had for under 800. Things to look for would be shots per second, and resolution size/megapixels. The higher the better for large printable pictures.

Thanks David! 

Thanks Casey.......I will check it out!
Hmmm.....Xmas is coming right?
Pretty sure I have been a good girl....
Maybe Santa would bring me a Nikon??? 

If you drop enough hints !