Playing with External Light Sources

Wow. Has it been a while! Obviously, I have been kept busy with other things, therefore my photography has had to be placed on hold. Over these past few months, I have photographed an entire Wedding and Reception. I also have been testing my camera's abilities and learning more about what I can do with it. Today's post is a celebration of discovery--of coming to explore the unknown. Today, I look at working with long exposure times and light to create a unique effect.

Controlling the direction of the light -- When you are using a light source that is already in the background or frame of your photo, simply click the shutter button and move your camera the opposite direction that you want the light to travel.

Love the Light -- Open the shutter to allow a few seconds of light scribing. You can adjust the time depending on how long it will take you to "draw" what you want in light. For this photo, I chose to open the shutter for about 5 seconds. Draw the image backwards in the air, while shining the light towards the camera.

Chaos --
To create this swirling effect, simply shake the camera around while the subject remains still. If the shutter is open for longer, the result will be a brighter, whiter light. If the shutter is open for a short period of time, it will have an opposite result; the light will be duller and it's pathway not as "crazy".

Words at the Speed of Light --
The most important thing to remember about writing text with light is to write backwards. Yes, it seems a bit counterintuitive, but otherwise, the result will be backwards text. Of course, if you can't figure out how to "write" the text backwards in the air with your LED light or flashlight, the best thing would be to write it correctly and then flip the photo (mirror image) in one of those photo editing programs. But, if you can master the art of backwards writing, how much more impressive is it!

Cusine Photography

Day Photographed: Monday, May 17, 2010
Location: My Studio
Subject: Food

"One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly
stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating." 
~Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright

Bon Appetit .Healthy Choices .Teriyaki .Untitled .Apple Juice .All Done .Room for Dessert? .Little Piece of Heaven 

What I like: Photographing food is always interesting. You have to make sure to maintain the quality textures and colors of each food while making the food appealing and appetizing. I think I did a very good job (with the help of my camera) in taking good quality pictures. I also really like photographing food, especially when I personally get to plate the food. Also...today was the first day that I only posted horizontal photos! This is major progress for me, considering I am one who LOVES to shoot vertically.

Room for improvement: Of course, using a white plate and napkin against a white backdrop is always difficult. I need to learn how to better use lighting to create contrast and interesting shadows. 

Tricks to Better Photography: One quick word on photographing cuisine--Make good food and you'll make good photos. If it doesn't make you want to eat it just by seeing it in real life, your photo won't flatter the food any more than it's non-appetizing appeal will get you to dive on in.

Floral Photography

Day Photographed: Thursday, May 13, 2010
Location: My Studio (a.k.a. the backyard)
Subject: Flower Arrangements

Beauty is all around us, especially in nature. Let us take a little time each day to stop and literally "smell the roses".We must appreciate not only the big miracles in our lives, but also the little droplets of goodness and joy that God has so freely given to us.

Mr. & Mrs. Teapot .Little Miss Sunshine .Flower Friends .Neatly Arranged .Simplicity .Pure Beauty

 

 

What I like: I love the colors of these flowers and my ability to play around with the saturation to evoke different tones and moods. I like the happy, spring-time feel this series has. Throughout the shoot, I tried to maintain a pretty laid-back and relaxed attitude and I think it really shows in the final product.


Room for improvement: Looking back at the shots, I realize that I could have paid greater attention to the composition of these photos. Specifically, there are some distracting leaves on the table and even some of the light lines (which I purposefully left in) take away from the main focus of the picture.

Tricks to Better Photography: Get in close on the flowers, but also learn to step away. Shoot in both portrait and landscape orientations to provide variety. Allow the natural lighting to create the mood you want for your shoot. I was going for a calm and serene mood, thus I shot in a shaded area. If I had wanted to really focus the attention on the bright colors of the flowers, shooting in direct sunlight may have added a more happy and cheery mood to my shoot. Choose what's best for you and don't be afraid to try several different lighting conditions until you get what works best for you.