Category Archives: Practice

10 backlighting tips

03 Friday Apr 2015

Posted by in Playing with Light, Practice, Tips and tricks

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

, , , , ,

I cannot claim to be an expert in any shape or form, but for my final post I thought I would add some tips I have found out along the way about backlighting.

1. Spot Meter. It is the way to go in order to light up your subject. If you meter in another mode your subject will be much too dark (unless of course you want a silhouette).

2. Think about the light. Shoot your subject against 
a dark background. This will make the most of the backlit parts of your subject, it helps them stand out and it also reduces the risk of over-exposing.

3. Reduce contrast. Soft backlighting when the sun is at its weakest or low in the sky will lower the contrast levels and reduce the chance of clipped shadows and blown highlights, just before sunset is a great time, such warm colour.

4. Overexpose. It is probably best not to trust your meter 100% when shooting into light. It is worth overexposing the meter to get the perfect exposure (unless you are going for a dark, dramatic, silhouette).

5. A lens hood is a must. It is best to shield the front element of your lens in order to prevent flare. unless of course this is the look you are after that is!

6. Study the light. Watch the light around you all day everyday. Think about how it falls when indoors; where and what times the light would be nice for portraits. If you want to achieve backlit images outdoors you will need to stick as close to sunrise/sunset as possible for those golden tones & wonderful soft light.

7. Move around your subject. If you don’t like the look you’re achieving simply move around your subject to change the way the light affects your image.

8. White balance. Try to get it right in camera! I use Kelvin . Generally I begin around 5590K while shooting an hour or two before sunset. This is just a starting point, then I will tweak if needed. 

9. Back button focusing. I think using BBF helps get sharper focus. I toggle then use BBF then press the shutter.

10. Wear white or use a reflector. Carrying a reflector can be awkward. You can always take the easy way & reflect some light back on to your subject by wearing white!

A is for…………….

01 Wednesday Apr 2015

Posted by in A to Z Challenge 2015, Practice

≈ 13 Comments

Tags

, , , , , , ,

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” – Hippocrate

Asparagus

After finishing Photo 101 and Blogging 101 I have decided to start another challenge as I loved the daily prompts. While looking through some of the wonderful blogs I have found since starting this blog in January I stumbled upon the A to Z April 2015 challenge and this really sparked my creative juices. I have done an A to Z challenge before, but this time I have decided to do it slightly differently, this time I am going to theme mine.

I am going to do an A to Z of food or to be more precise foods that are known as super foods 🙂 I don’t regard myself as a health freak, but I do think carefully about what I eat. There are many articles out there that rave about super foods and others such as this one in the Daily Telegraph that are rather sceptical.

Apple

Most websites give a general definition of super foods as food that provides you with the necessary nutrients that directly support your health and wellness. Compared with less nutritious foods – especially processed foods – super foods therefore pack more of a punch.

Typically, foods that are identified as ‘super’ meet most, if not all, of the following criteria:

  • Good or excellent source of fibre, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients
  • High in phytonutrients and antioxidant compounds, such as vitamins A and E and beta carotene
  • May help reduce risk of heart disease and other health conditions
  • Low in calorie density, meaning you get a larger portion size with a fewer number of calories
  • Easy to get hold of

If you want to know a bit about what these super foods can do for you, just hover over the pictures to find out 🙂