How to take better photos in your home (no flash needed)
Learn how to take good Instagram photos using only your phone, and some Instagram picture ideas to inspire your feed and gain new followers.
Remember the first mobile phone cameras? And the grainy, blurry, low-quality photos they produced?
Well, these days phone photography is capable of some pretty impressive feats. Plus, unlike that bulky DSLR that you haul out for vacations, it’s always at hand.
Learning how to take incredible shots using only your phone is the best way to stand out and build a strong presence on Instagram.
In this post, you’ll learn how to take good Instagram photos using only your phone, and some Instagram picture ideas to inspire your feed.
How to take good Instagram photos on your phone
Learning how to take good photos on your phone requires understanding some basic principles of composition and lighting, and honing your own instincts as a photographer. You just need to follow a few simple rules.
Step 1: Use natural light
Lighting is the foundation of a good photo. Understanding how to use light is the first and most important rule of getting great photos using only your phone.
Avoid using your flash in favor of natural light, which creates photos that are richer and brighter.
A flash can flatten out your photo and wash out your subject. If you can’t shoot outdoors, take photos near windows or in well-lit rooms. Even at night, it’s preferable to find sources of ambient light, like street lamps and store windows.
Step 2: Don’t overexpose your images
You can brighten up a photo that’s too dark with editing tools, but there’s nothing that can fix a photo that’s overexposed.
Prevent overexposure by adjusting the lighting on your screen: tap and slide your finger up or down to adjust exposure.
Another way to prevent overexposure is by tapping your finger on the brightest part of the frame (in the case above, it would be the windows) to adjust the lighting before snapping your photo.
Step 3: Shoot at the right time
There’s a reason photographers love golden hour. This time of day, when the sun is low on the horizon, makes every photo more beautiful. It’s nature’s Instagram filter.
By now just about everyone knows how to take a selfie!
But do you know how to take BETTER selfies?
That’s what really counts these days!
My selfies were falling flat recently, so I sought help from an expert. Pei Ying makes some of the best selfies on the planet.
From lighting to composition to the crop — she knows selfies like nobody’s business. I took her advice & my selfies have never been better!
And since selfies are more popular than ever, I’ve listed Pei’s 10 best tips in this article to teach you how to take better selfies!
Selfies 101: How to Take Better Selfies (Awesome Beginner Guide!!)
1. Use Good Lighting
Most high-quality selfies need good lighting.
Poor lighting can make selfies unflattering & hard to see.
I think natural lighting works best. So stand near a window while facing the light.
Don’t stand with your back to the sun or you’ll end up a silhouette.
I shot this selfie near a window & it came out great:
2. Get the Best Angle
Many people take selfies without considering the best angle.
If you don’t want to appear artificially pasty or overweight — choose an angle that makes you look your best.
This video will help:
3. NEVER Use Flash!
I NEVER use a flash when taking selfies.
4. Crop the Shot
Crop your shots for the best composition!
It’s easiest to crop a selfie when you know what the photo will look like before you take the shot.
Crop your selfie after the fact to dial in the composition even more!
5. Take Time to Edit
It makes a huge difference when you edit a photo to adjust the brightness & contrast — and make it appear sharper.
I wrote this post about my favorite Instagram apps for photo editing:
6. Use a Filter
Photo filters on Instagram will give your selfies a completely different feel.
I love viewing pics that have a more retro, nostalgic mood — and the right filter will add these effects.
7. Use Props
Pei often uses props in her selfies.
And they’re awesome!
If you post lots of selfies — props will keep the photos from getting stale.
And if you don’t go stale, you’ll continue to get more Instagram followers.
8. Take with Front Lens
When taking selfies, there’s lots of disagreement about whether you should use the lens on the front or back of your smartphone.
It’s controversial. I know! 😉
But I think the front lens works better — because you can see the image before you capture the photo.
9. Break the Rules.
Despite all I’ve written here, there are no rules when it comes to selfies.
So just do your thing!
The best selfies are often silly & random. And y ou never know if people will like your photo until you post. So go for it!
@mayhemstudios created this crazy good example:
Conclusion
Ok, so now you know how to take better selfies. time to start shooting!
Practice makes perfect, right? So don’t be shy.
And if you have any Instagram tricks for those who are still uncomfortable taking selfies, please share.
Editor’s Note: We welcome Jason Lawrence as our newest contributor. He is a computer scientist, researcher, educator, and entrepreneur, having co-founded Arqspin, a mobile phone-based platform for creating 360 spins. He is also an associate professor in the Computer Science Department at the University of Virginia.
The way you present your products online has a significant impact on sales. Amateur-looking product shots erode consumers’ trust and could send them fleeing. Fortunately, you don’t need to spend $10,000 on equipment or hire a professional to create beautiful product photography that will instill faith in your online store and get results.
In this article, I’ll show you, in eight simple steps, how to save money on product photography and improve your store’s look and performance.
1. Camera
It’s important to use a nice camera. Fortunately, they have become very affordable. You can’t go wrong with a modern digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) model. I prefer the Nikon D7000 in terms of its price vs. performance tradeoff. Be sure to choose a camera that can capture video, and invest in decent lenses. I normally use a 50mm lens — here’s an example — which can accommodate mid-range and portrait work. A 105mm lens — here’s one from Adorama — while a bit expensive, is great for close-up work and jewelry product photography.
Although it used to be that having a DSLR was necessary for taking quality product photographs, smartphones have dramatically changed the game. The iPhone 5 has an 8-megapixel sensor and can produce professional grade shots. It’s received glowing reviews, like this one from The Sydney Morning Herald. I strongly encourage you to explore using your smartphone after you have the proper setup before committing to purchasing a higher-end camera. You may be surprised.
You may be surprised at the quality similarities between an iPhone and DSLR photo.
2. Lights
You will need some good lights. Of course, Mother Nature has a built-in option, which can produce great results. But the Sun is fickle. I like the Elinchrom D-Lite 4 Kit, which includes two lights, tripods, and attachable diffuser squares. While there are many photography lighting kits available, what’s most important for your setup is to get lights that operate in “continuous” mode — versus flash only — as this allows using them for video as well. In fact, I prefer to shoot even still photographs with my lights in continuous mode as I find this makes previewing the shot easier and adds depth to the result.
3. Tripod
You need to take longer exposures; holding your camera by hand will produce blurry images that shoppers will not like. I prefer Manfrotto tripod products. There are also some very functional tripods for smartphones such as the Woxom Slingshot.
4. Photo Setup
I like to shoot products in front of a continuous background — often white or neutral grey. It’s a simple and professional look that is often used by major online retailers. Fortunately, it’s simple to achieve.
Just purchase a few rolls of craft paper and some metal clamps. Roll the craft paper down a long and wide table and use the clamps to attach one end of the paper to something a few feet above the table. This will produce a smooth ramp. Place your product on the craft paper just after it comes into contact with the table.
Craft paper and clips can make a nice do-it-yourself product shoot setup.
Place your setup near a big, sunny window if you want natural light, or in a dark room if you want to use your photo lights. For about $50 you have a professional studio like my setup below. If you’re looking for a ready-made setup, Modahaus carries a good line of all-in-one tabletop photography studios.
The author’s custom photography setup.
5. Use a Wide Aperture
The aperture is the opening that lets light into your camera and is specified by an “f-number” like “f/16” or “f/4”. A wide aperture (small f-number) produces a narrow depth of field that makes your photos look richer and more professional. I’ve found that shooting with a narrow depth of field works particularly well for product photos of electronics. Set the aperture on your DSLR to something like “f/1.8” or “f/2”. You will need to have your camera in “aperture priority” mode to do this. Check your manual.
These images below are from my iPad app, “Bokeh: A Book About Cameras.” The images illustrate the effect of a camera’s aperture on the final shot. The image on the left was captured with a wide aperture and has a narrow depth of field. The image on the right was from a narrow aperture and has a wide depth of field. In short, use a wide aperture to produce product photos with a more professional look.
Enlarge This Image
Wide aperture settings produce a narrow depth of field, such as the image on the left. Narrow apertures produce a wider depth, as in the image on the right.
6. Pay Attention to Shadows
Avoid harsh backlighting and other setups that cast shadows on the surface of the object. Keep the lights on the same side of the object as your camera, or slightly off to one side.
7. Clean Up
A big fingerprint on your product or dust on your lens produce poor, amateur results. Buy some microfiber rags and wipe everything down carefully before shooting.
8. Don’t be Afraid
The biggest obstacle to doing something new is often ourselves. Don’t be afraid to experiment. Be creative. You will make a few mistakes on your way to gaining a deeper understanding of the process. Not only will your sales increase, you will likely develop a new hobby along the way. When you’re ready to delve deeper there are many wonderful books. I like The Art of Photography, by Bruce Barnbaum.
Summary
You are well on your way to having an outstanding photography studio. Your product photos will appear as if you spent thousands on them. But really you did it all yourself.
Have you ever wondered how other people get such perfect shots of their products?
The ones where the product appears to be floating off the page?
With a seamless white background? Yeah, that one.
You see these photos on top brands like Paper Source, Burt’s Bees, ModCloth, Nordstrom and more.
I’m going to show you how you can take your own product photos on a white background in this super easy and affordable set up!
Why white product photos?
But first, why is it the industry standard to have product photos on white?
- Firstly, they present your products with the least distractions.
Online shopping is completely normal these days, but for a lot of us, we want to know what we’re getting in the mail.
It’s your responsibility as the seller to represent your products with accurate photos of them.
- Secondly, they’re media friendly, which means you’re more likely to be featured in a popular blog or magazine.
As an editor of a blog or magazine, part of their job is seeking for cool products to feature.
Editors always want white background product photos so they can easily include your item on their magazine or website, without doing tons of editing.
- Thirdly, they give your shop a more consistent look.
This makes customers feel that you’re professional and increases trust in shopping with you.
I have critiqued dozens of Etsy shops and the number 1 reason for lack of sales is the poor quality of photos.
Don’t make that mistake. Re-photograph your products if you need to. It’ll be worth it!
What you need and where to get them
- Lightbox
- A lightbox is made with white see-through material to allow for light to shine through, but softens direct light for minimal shadows (yay!)
- get them for cheap on Ebay
- A tripod is optional
Misconceptions about photographing your products on white
I also want to mention a few misconceptions on this process of taking product shots on white background.
- You don’t need a fancy, expensive DSLR camera to take great photos. I can take perfect product photos using just my iPhone 5!
- You don’t need sunlight at all. You can literally snap your photos in a dark room.
- You will need to edit your photos using photo editing software – so don’t expect them to look perfect from the get go.
- You won’t need to buy Photoshop for your photo editing software, there are great free ones you can use!
How to set up your equipment
Here are some photos of how I set up my cheapo (and totally not classy) lightbox.
It will be tricky to find a spot to clamp on the lights, but consider dragging over chairs, furniture or storage bins (with stuff inside for the weight).
From the photo above, the left and right lamps are clamped on to the pink chair. The top light is clamped on to the closet shelf fixture.
A few rules to ensure your photos turn out perfect:
- Use three lamps, one on top, left and right for the best light
- Insert a piece of white paper or cardstock behind your product
- Turn off all other light sources in the room (including sun light) so that the lighting in your picture is consistent
- When you are starting out, snap more photos than you think you’ll need.
- Don’t use flash!
Jewelry hack: To hang necklaces in the lightbox, I poke through two headpins and curve them into hooks for hanging the necklace! (See photo above.)
Camera settings- ISO, white balance, F-stop,
Now that you have everything set up, you’re ready to start snapping some photos like the paparazzi!
We need to configure your camera so that it takes the best shots of your product.
Don’t be scared of this step, I’ll help boil down the technical stuff down to easy-to-understand concepts!
ISO, aperture and shutter speed are three settings that are just different ways that control the brightness of your photos.
- ISO: the higher the number, the brighter the photo but the lower the photo quality (you’ll get lots of grains called “noise”)
- ISO examples: 200, 400, 600, 800
- Aperture examples: f/2, f/2.8, f/5.6, f/8
- Shutter speed examples: 1/250, 1/60, 1/30, 1/5
White balance is the fourth setting you need to know.
It sets the white hue of your photos. Setting the wrong white balance can make your photo look too blue or orange. We want it just right!
White balance settings are not always the same from camera to camera.
I recommend you take one photo using each of the different white balance options.
This way you can look at which photo turned out the best – and memorize that!
Consult your camera’s manual to check how you can configure these four settings.
Practice, practice, practice.
The first few times, you’ll feel confused and slow at taking photos.
Once you find that perfect configuration, write it down or memorize it (just make sure your set up is always the same, or your settings may change).
Voila, the unedited photo straight out of the camera
Something I didn’t understand when I was first starting out, was I kept getting grey photos like this.
I could never achieve the flawless white background straight out of the camera.
As I mentioned earlier, you will need to edit your photos later. There’s no way around it!
This apple necklace photo is how your photo should look as well.
Questions, comments, concerns?
Leave me a comment if you have any resources or tips to share!
And if you have questions or comments, be sure to let me know too so I can help.
Note: For information about this topic in Windows 10, see Recovery options in Windows 10.
If you’re having problems with your PC, you can:
Refresh your PC to reinstall Windows and keep your personal files and settings. Refresh also keeps the apps that came with your PC and the apps you installed from the Microsoft Store.
Reset your PC to reinstall Windows but delete your files, settings, and apps—except for the apps that came with your PC.
Restore your PC to undo recent system changes you’ve made.
If you’re having trouble starting (booting) your PC, see Windows Startup Settings (including safe mode), and go to the “Get to Windows Startup Settings in the Windows Recovery Environment” section. You can refresh, reset, or restore your PC from the Windows Recovery Environment.
If you want to back up and restore your personal files using File History, see Set up a drive for File History.
Before you start to refresh or reset your PC
In most cases, once you start to refresh or reset your PC, it’ll finish on its own. However, if Windows needs missing files, you’ll be asked to insert recovery media, which is typically on a DVD disc or thumb drive. If that happens, what you’ll need depends on your PC.
If your PC came with Windows 8.1 or Windows RT 8.1, you’ll need the discs or thumb drive that came with your PC. Check the info that came with your PC to see if your PC manufacturer provided these discs or media. In some cases, you might have created them when you first set up your PC.
If you don’t have either of those, you can make them if you have a USB thumb drive of 16 GB or larger. Having a recovery drive can help you troubleshoot and fix problems with your PC, even if it won’t start. For more info, see Create a USB recovery drive.
If you upgraded your PC to Windows 8.1 or Windows RT 8.1 with a DVD, use that disc. If you don’t have Windows 8.1 or Windows RT 8.1 media, contact Microsoft Support.
Refresh, reset, or restore
Select any of the following for more detailed info.
If your PC isn’t performing as well as it once did, and you don’t know why, you can refresh your PC without deleting any of your personal files or changing your settings.
Note: If you upgraded your PC from Windows 8 to Windows 8.1 and your PC has a Windows 8 recovery partition, refreshing your PC will restore Windows 8. You’ll need to upgrade to Windows 8.1 after the refresh has finished.
Warning: Apps you installed from websites and DVDs will be removed. Apps that came with your PC and apps you installed from Microsoft Store will be reinstalled. Windows puts a list of removed apps on your desktop after refreshing your PC.
To refresh your PC
Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, tap Settings, and then tap Change PC settings.
(If you’re using a mouse, point to the upper-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer down, click Settings, and then click Change PC settings.)Tap or click Update and recovery, and then tap or click Recovery.
Under Refresh your PC without affecting your files, tap or click Get started.
Follow the instructions on the screen.
If you want to recycle your PC, give it away, or start over with it, you can reset it completely. This removes everything and reinstalls Windows.
Note: If you upgraded your PC from Windows 8 to Windows 8.1 and your PC has a Windows 8 recovery partition, resetting your PC will restore Windows 8. You’ll need to upgrade to Windows 8.1 after the reset has finished.
Warning: All of your personal files will be deleted and your settings will be reset. All apps that you installed will be removed. Only apps that came with your PC will be reinstalled.
To reset your PC
Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, tap Settings, and then tap Change PC settings.
(If you’re using a mouse, point to the upper-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer down, click Settings, and then click Change PC settings.)Tap or click Update and recovery, and then tap or click Recovery.
Under Remove everything and reinstall Windows, tap or click Get started.
Follow the instructions on the screen.
Note: You’ll be asked to choose whether you want to erase data quickly or thoroughly. If you choose to erase data quickly, some data might be recoverable using special software. If you choose to erase data thoroughly, this will take longer but it makes recovering data less likely.
If you think an app or driver that you recently installed caused problems with your PC, you can restore Windows back to an earlier point in time, called a restore point. System Restore doesn’t change your personal files, but it might remove recently installed apps and drivers.
System Restore isn’t available for Windows RT 8.1.
Windows automatically creates a restore point when you install desktop apps and new Windows updates, if the last restore point is older than 7 days. You can also create a restore point manually at any time.
To restore your PC to an earlier point in time
Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, and then tap Search.
(If you’re using a mouse, point to the upper-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer down, and then click Search.)Enter Control Panel in the search box, and tap or click Control Panel.
Enter Recovery in the Control Panel search box, and then tap or click Recovery.
Tap or click Open System Restore, and then follow the instructions.
If you need additional help refreshing, resetting, or restoring your PC, check out the Repair and Recovery community pages in the Windows forum for solutions that other people have found for problems they’ve experienced.
Whether you’ve just got a new camera and are looking to learn some new photography techniques or have been shooting for a while and want to master some old ones, this essential photographer’s resource is here to help.
This list of 77 photography techniques to try covers some of the most popular types of photography, so whether you want to improve your portrait photography or learn how to take better landscapes, discover the secret to sharp close-up photos or start out in street photography, you’ll find some essential tips and tricks here.
Portrait photography techniques, tips and tricks
Tip 1. Focus on the eyes
While eye contact is not always desirable in a portrait, sharp eyes certainly are. Manually select an AF point that’s positioned over one of your model’s eyes, or use the central focus point to lock focus on their eye.
Then, with the shutter release half-pressed to keep the setting locked, recompose your picture before taking the shot.
- Learn more:10 surefire ways to get your sharpest-ever photos
Tip 2. Using a standard or telephoto lens
Wide-angle lenses are a great choice for photographing environmental portraits, where you want to show a person within a specific context. However, wide-angle lenses used close-up will distort facial features and creative unflattering pictures.
A better choice for portraits is either a standard lens or a short telephoto lens. The classic portrait focal lengths for a full-frame camera are 50mm, 85mm prime lenses and a 70-200mm zoom.
These will help to compress features and provide a more natural-looking result.
Tip 3. Use Aperture Priority mode
Aperture Priority gives you direct control over the aperture, and as a result the depth of field (DOF).
Fast prime lenses, such as 50mm f/1.4 and 85mm f/1.2 enable you to choose very large apertures for a shallow depth of field. This can help you create those creamy-smooth, out of focus backgrounds that give portraits a professional quality.
Working with such a narrow band of sharpness means that you need to be accurate with focusing – the entire portrait will look soft if you don’t focus accurately on the eyes.
Tip 4. Using window light
You don’t need an expensive home studio lighting kit to take amazing portraits – a window and a reflector can help you achieve stunning natural light portraits without spending too much.
Position your model at an angle to the window and use a white or silver reflector to open up any shadows across their face. A silver reflector will give a crisper quality of light than a white one, although the effect won’t be as subtle.
Be aware of any color casts that may be introduced by features on the other side of the glass as well – a lush green lawn can give skin tones a sickly quality, while late evening sunlight on a patio will reflect lots of warm light.
Tip 5. High-key portraits
Deliberately choosing to over-expose a photo to create a ‘high-key’ effect results in a light and delicate look that can enhance feminine portraits and pictures of children.
The trick is not to blow the highlights in-camera, but rather brighten up the shot later in software such as Photoshop.
Shooting RAW files will give you the most editing head-room, as you’ll be able to extract more detail across the tonal range in raw compared to JPEGs.
Tip 6. Baby portraits
When it comes to lighting baby portraits, natural light is the best choice. Flash will just end up spooking them. Try and position them near to a window and use a reflector to bounce light into any shadows.
The more light you can get onto your subject, the lower ISO sensitivity you can use for the best quality photos.
To catch a baby at their best, photograph them just after a feed or when they’ve woken up first thing in the morning.
They’ll be more active and alert than at other times of the day, and you’re more likely to get the kind of cooing baby portraits that parents will love.
- Learn more:The A to Z of Photography: ISO
Tip 7. Photographing children
Taking photos of children is fun but challenging. Keep a kids’ portrait session short and entertaining. Play games with them: ask them of they can see their reflection in the front element of the lens is a good way to get some eye contact.
Fit a wide-angle lens and shoot without looking, poking the camera into their face. Get them used to the shutter sound and not having to look down the lens and smile.
Make the most of opportunities when they’re still for a moment, such as when they’re concentrating on a toy. Chat to them as you would with adults and once you’ve taken a few photos show them the results on the LCD screen, so that they feel involved.
Tip 8. Shooting in burst mode
Whether you’re taking a child’s portrait or a group portrait, set your camera in its fastest drive setting. You don’t need to machine gun the shutter release, but shooting in short bursts will ensure you capture a fleeting range of expressions.
It also improves your chances of getting a shot where everyone’s eyes are open in a group portrait.
Even if you don’t capture everyone’s eyes open or their beaming smiles, having a range of shots taken fractions of a second apart means you can easily swap faces in Photoshop.
Tip 9. Posing group portraits
When you’re arranging a group portrait, the first thing you’ll probably consider is height, putting taller people at the back and shorter people at the front.
However, keep a close eye on clothing too. It’s easy to miss clashing colors while you’re focusing on everyone’s height, and that will be more noticeable in the final picture.
To ensure everyone appears sharp, you need to use an aperture of at least f/8 with a wide-angle lens. But if you’re taking an indoor group portrait, you’ll need to use a high ISO in order to shoot at that aperture and get sharp handheld photos.
Photos may end up full of noise, and even then the shutter speed may not be fast enough for sharp images. A trick here is to arrange everyone in a line along the same focal plane, then the aperture doesn’t have to be so narrow.
Tip 10. Family photo posing ideas
Think about how your arrangement of people in a group family portrait can tell a story about the relationship between the different members.
A simple idea is to place the emphasis on the patriarch or matriarch of the family, or the newest arrival. By grouping the rest of the family around them, you’ll be able to create a clear focal point.
For larger family group photos, use furniture – whether that’s a sofa for indoor shots or a gate for outdoor portraits – to break the group up. Sit the children in front of it and have the adults standing behind it.
Tip 11. Candlelight portraits
When you’re taking photos by candlelight, you’ll need to push the ISO to 1600 and beyond and work with large apertures if you’re to get a fast enough shutter speed to freeze any motion in your model, the camera or the candle flames.
Turn your camera’s flash off and use Manual exposure mode. Switch off any lights, take a meter reading from your portrait-sitter’s face and let the rest of the room slip into darkness.
If you’re planning a candlelit portrait shoot, use more than one candle. Not only will it increase the amount of light available to make the exposure, but it will allow you to spread the illumination for softer shadows.
Studio lighting can seem daunting if you’ve never tried it before. However, it’s not nearly as scary as most people think. By using a simple home studio kit with just a couple of flash heads and a few basic accessories, you can get great results in no time at all.
There are plenty of home studio lighting kits to choose from – with some even costing less than a single manufacturer flashgun. We’ll take you through some of the standard kit you need, and show you four great lighting setups for shooting studio portraits. While these are a great starting point, it’s best to experiment, so if you’re working in your own home studio, don’t be afraid to tweak these setups. Now let’s get started and see how it’s done!
Creating the perfect home photo studio
This basic home photo studio kit includes everything you need to get started. Here are some of the key tools you’ll be using to create the classic studio lighting techniques in this tutorial.
1. Flash heads
Most kits have two flash heads. Along with a flash tube, there’s a modelling light. Most have a switchable ‘slave’, enabling one flash to be triggered by another, so you only need to have your camera connected to one of the heads.
2. Light stands
Studio flash is all about positioning the light source away from the camera, so stands are crucial. They support the flash heads, which means they can be positioned at the right distance and angle to the subject.
3. Umbrella
A brolly is the most standard form of lighting accessory. The flash is directed into the brolly so the light is reflected back onto the subject. They are available in different reflective surfaces – typically white, silver or gold.
4. Softbox
Softboxes are slightly more sophisticated than brollies and once you’ve worked out how to assemble these tent-like devices, they create a softer and generally more flattering light, with a more even illumination.
5. Snoot and honeycomb
Both of these tools help to concentrate or ‘focus’ the light. They’re ideally suited for use as backlights or for isolating a particular part of an image.
6. Reflector
A simple reflector can be really useful in a studio lighting setup, especially if you’re only using one light. You use it the same way you would with natural light – to bounce light back onto your subject and fill in any hard shadow areas.
Studio Lighting Setup 1 | Rembrandt
This studio lighting technique is ideal for artistic shots with depth
Position one flash head with a silver brolly at a 45° angle to the model at about six feet high. This creates a strong, hard, direct light from the side and above. This is called a key light. To even the lighting, position a reflector on the other side of the model to bounce the light back into the shadow side. There should be a small triangle of light on the subject’s face – this is referred to as Rembrandt lighting.
Gear needed:
- One flash head
- One reflector
- Two light stands
Studio Lighting Setup 2 | Clamshell
This studio lighting technique is used to capture every detail with even light
This setup is great for beauty images as the lighting is flat and even. It’s pretty easy to achieve this effect too – all you need to do is place two softboxes on either side of your subject at the same angle and at an equal distance. Set the power so it’s the same from each light. Try using a reflector under the face – your model should easily be able to hold this. This will bounce light up and onto the face.
Gear needed:
- Two flash heads
- Two 66cm softboxes
- One reflector
- Two light stands
Studio Lighting Setup 3 | Backlight
This studio lighting technique is used to add depth and drama with rear lights
To add drama, use a honeycomb or snoot accessory on one of the lights. This will narrow the beam of light. We’re going to position this behind the model, pointing back towards the camera so that it lights the back of her head. This is a great way to add drama and depth to a photo, and it also creates a sense of separation from the background. Of course, you need to make sure the backlight isn’t visible in the shot.
Gear needed:
- Two flash heads
- One 66cm softbox
- One reflector
- One honeycomb
Studio Lighting Setup 4 | Rim lighting
This studio lighting technique is used to create an exciting style with good definition
Place both lights slightly behind the subject, pointing back towards the camera. This setup requires some tweaking and can work really well with nudes as it helps define body shape. You’ll need to watch out for lens flare, though, as the lights are pointing back towards the camera. A set of ‘barn doors’, a lens hood or a shield can help prevent this. An assistant who can hold a carefully positioned reflector is useful – this will help fill in those areas of deep shadow.
Gear needed:
- Two flash heads
- One reflector
Final Tips on Studio Lighting
Tip 1.
The shutter speed you choose is less significant in a studio setup but obviously needs to be fast enough to avoid any camera shake. However, you also need to be careful not to set a shutter speed faster than the camera’s specified sync speed – on most cameras this is usually either 1/200sec or 1/250sec. Go any faster and you’ll have horrible black stripes across your images.Tip 2.
The power of flash is measured in Watt-seconds. Each of the heads we’re using is 400Ws, which approximates a guide number of 64. This is fine for regular portrait work.Tip 3.
Switch your camera to manual and use the histogram and LCD to assess the exposure and effect of the lights. Use the dials to change the power of the lights and the aperture to alter the exposure.Tip 4.
A sync cable or a wireless trigger is needed to connect your camera with the lights so that when you press the shutter, the lights fire at the same time. Some wireless triggers (which can be bought on eBay for £15, $25) are so cheap now that they’re the best option, especially as many popular DSLRs don’t have the PC socket you need in order to use a more traditional sync cable.We can’t find Flash on your system, probably because it was disabled.
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by Michael Gabriel
Dancing is one of the finest arts ever known to man. The graceful movements, the poetry in motion and the music. Everything about dancing is a feast for the senses – especially for the eyes. The lure of dancing is simply irresistible, which is why a lot of photographers love making it their central subject.
But, like anything that’s in motion, taking photos of the dance or dancers is not easy. Owning and using a DSLR camera does not guarantee you great dance photos. You have to consider a lot of factors before shooting even one scene.
image by Felipe Cardoso Moreira de OliveiraThings to Consider Before Shooting
Here are some important things you need to think about before you go taking dance photos.
- Dancing is moving. Therefore, your subjects move around most of the time. You need to know how to focus well. And for this, you need to have a fast shutter speed – at least 1/1000 second.
- Since your subjects are always on the move, it will be difficult to get a photo showing their faces. But, you need to show the dancers’ faces because your story will be incomplete without them. Plus, who would want to look at a photo of someone’s back? You need to know how to get the right angles and catch the interesting poses.
- Next, you need to have a good grasp of proper photography lighting. Even if you’re photographing a dance concert, the lights won’t be good. There’ll be a lot of reds, greens and blues. Your aperture should be at least f2.8 – in most cases. If you’re shooting a dance class inside a small dance studio with a proper lighting, though; that’s an altogether different story! With this environment, you can get away with f3.5 to f4.
There are several tips and techniques that you can use to address the above-mentioned issues.
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Tips and Techniques for Taking Dance Photos
- Let’s focus first on focusing. You will need to have the proper settings for your camera to get the focus you want to achieve. Here are some simple suggestions:
- Use Autofocus. Don’t try to be Superman or Wonder Woman. You should not do all the focusing yourself. Don’t fall too deeply in love with manual focusing (or do – some people much prefer manual focusing).
- Use Continuous Shooting Mode or Burst Mode. Be sure, however, to hold or press down the shutter while doing so. This is useful when the performance is at its peak and the excitement is building.
- Since you’re in the Autofocus Mode, you should also set your camera to Continuous Autofocus (AI Servo AF for Canon and AF-C for Nikon cameras) so you’ll be able to easily adjust as the dancer moves. This should be done while the shutter is half-pressed.
- Use a monopod (or tripod if it’s allowed). This is the best way to keep your shots still. It is also a good technique for keeping your photos in good focus. You won’t have to worry about shaky photos because you’ve been holding your camera far too long. This is true especially if you have a heavy lens. A monopod or tripod will also allow you to pan across the room or location.
- If possible and if it’s allowed, use a flash so that your subject/s will freeze and look good at the same time. Combine your flash with slow shutter speed and your dance photo is good to go! With a slow shutter speed, you’ll get some blurriness into the background of your photo, but your subject is clear. This is known as the “blurry but sharp effect”.
- Use the widest aperture available, as this will allow more light to come in to your sensor. In sports and other action photography, an f2.8 aperture is the norm.
- If you want to show the faces of the dancers, you have to be willing to move around and experiment on different angles. Aside from giving you dynamic shots, moving around will also help you explore different backgrounds you might want to include in your photos . For example, your primary focus is a couple on the dance floor; you shouldn’t isolate them from the rest of the crowd by taking their photo from just one side of the room. Move around so that you can show their background – the other dancers and judges, probably. This will make the photo more dynamic and interesting. Taking photos from different angles will also help you yield good results. You’ll be surprised with how dynamic your photos will look. If your camera has a rotating screen, try to place it over your head, look down on the dance floor or dancers, and take the photo. You can also try shooting from a low angle. To get the best results when you’re shooting a crowded dance floor or studio, stand in the middle of the crowd and shoot from different angles. Be like a dancer or choreographer so that you’ll be able to visualize the sequence of shots you’re going to take.
- If you want to make your photos look really alive, set your camera to the longest focal length. Doing this will light your subject while blurring ambient light. To add more life and color to the photo, tilt your camera up and down and make it go from left to right. This will give you light trails that will make the image “move”. It’s the best way to capture dancers in action.
- For photos that come out with a dark background and those with very little (unnoticeable) blur, you’ll need to get more ambient lighting into the picture. To do this, you should use longer shutter speeds, a higher ISO and/or a wider aperture.
- Know how to use your flash properly. If you use too little of it, your images will not come out sharp. If you use too much of it, you’ll get overexposed and non-blurry photos of faces. To correct this problem, reduce the ISO, narrow the aperture and/or slow down the shutter speed.
These are just some tips and techniques that you can use in taking photos of dances and dancers. Remember, though, that all these won’t work if you don’t practice. Practice, practice and practice. Try and try again. It’s the best way to learn and become good at what you love to do.
About the Author: Michael Gabriel
Michael Gabriel L. Sumastre is an experienced writer who loves to take pictures of the countryside as well as aerial photographs. He maintains his professional writing portfolio at TheFinestWriter, and you can visit his photography portfolio at Sumastre Photography. Michael was hired by Booking.com to photograph 10 of the most beautiful beaches in Palawan, Philippines.
