Had baby Navilyn (and parents) over for dinner last night. She seemed rather contemplative. For more photos of Navilyn, go here.
The Thinker
Had baby Navilyn (and parents) over for dinner last night. She seemed rather contemplative. For more photos of Navilyn, go here.
George the Flasher
Perhaps I should qualify the title. We're talking about flash photography here, not what you're probably thinking. Sicko.
I've been in a number of situations lately that required the use of flash (and specifically, off-camera flash) to get the desired photograph. I've long since learned that the pop-up flash on your camera does little more than blanket a subject in harsh light. Sure it lets you capture the subject in low-light levels, but usually at the expense of any vibrancy the scene once had. But flash itself is not evil as I once thought. Properly applied it can open up a whole realm of possibilities.
But simply knowing about photographic techniques and actually applying them are two totally different beasts. It takes a lot of repetition to understand the variables, and even more to be able to control them effectively. Unfortunately, for most people this repetition can turn a tolerable experience into a painful one. Obviously I could practice on inanimate objects (or less grumpy people), but I feel that portraiture is a whole other world than still-life photography. Sure they are very similar, but the human element adds a dimension of emotion and unpredictability. And it's the type of photography that I'm least comfortable with, so I want to improve.
So what else is a man to do when his wife has gone off for the evening? Why, take pictures of himself, of course! I think being in control of the flash makes it seem less harsh. More importantly, having the time to make mistakes is critical to the learning process. So I spent an hour or two fiddling with tripods, flash, and camera, making serious faces (or seriously goofy faces?), and hoping that this time I was actually in the picture. I have to admit that being on the other side of the lens is a very odd experience... but I wasn't about to let that stop me!
The results? Mostly crappy photos that I won't be sharing. But I did learn a bit more about diffusing light, and also a bit more about how to control my own flash (it's an old Vivitar flash that's actually made for a Canon *hiss*). I am fairly pleased with one of the photos though. I've given it a bit of a scrub in Lightroom and Photoshop Elements. Let me know what you think.
I've been in a number of situations lately that required the use of flash (and specifically, off-camera flash) to get the desired photograph. I've long since learned that the pop-up flash on your camera does little more than blanket a subject in harsh light. Sure it lets you capture the subject in low-light levels, but usually at the expense of any vibrancy the scene once had. But flash itself is not evil as I once thought. Properly applied it can open up a whole realm of possibilities.
But simply knowing about photographic techniques and actually applying them are two totally different beasts. It takes a lot of repetition to understand the variables, and even more to be able to control them effectively. Unfortunately, for most people this repetition can turn a tolerable experience into a painful one. Obviously I could practice on inanimate objects (or less grumpy people), but I feel that portraiture is a whole other world than still-life photography. Sure they are very similar, but the human element adds a dimension of emotion and unpredictability. And it's the type of photography that I'm least comfortable with, so I want to improve.
So what else is a man to do when his wife has gone off for the evening? Why, take pictures of himself, of course! I think being in control of the flash makes it seem less harsh. More importantly, having the time to make mistakes is critical to the learning process. So I spent an hour or two fiddling with tripods, flash, and camera, making serious faces (or seriously goofy faces?), and hoping that this time I was actually in the picture. I have to admit that being on the other side of the lens is a very odd experience... but I wasn't about to let that stop me!
The results? Mostly crappy photos that I won't be sharing. But I did learn a bit more about diffusing light, and also a bit more about how to control my own flash (it's an old Vivitar flash that's actually made for a Canon *hiss*). I am fairly pleased with one of the photos though. I've given it a bit of a scrub in Lightroom and Photoshop Elements. Let me know what you think.
