Even if you don’t use a handheld light meter, it’s still important to know if your camera’s built-in meter is measuring light correctly and delivering the best exposures possible. Remember, the goal of a calibrated meter is to produce images that are so well exposed that no tweaking or processing is necessary before going straight to proofs.

Fortunately, knowing how your meter is performing (and fixing it if it’s not quite right), is really easy.

You’ll need a manufactured neutral gray target. The best I’ve found are collapsible and sold (in various sizes) by Lastolite (the EZBalance, www.lastolite.com) and BalanceSmarter (www.balancesmarter.com). The only difference between the two is that the BalanceSmarter product has a target printed on both the white and gray sides so your auto focus can easily lock on either. At last look, Lastolite’s product target was only printed on the gray side. That’s fine for this test because gray will produce an easier to read result.

Begin by setting the target against a wall or attaching it to a light stand, making certain the light falling on it looks as even as possible. Mounting your camera to a tripod might make this easier but is not necessary. It won’t matter if the final image shows motion blur, we’re only interested in the overall exposure.

With the camera set to either Aperture Priority (Av) or Shutter Priority (Tv), and without any supplementary Exposure Compensation, fill the frame with the target and make an exposure.

Select the image and find the version of the Info image that shows the Histogram. The histogram is merely a representation of the spread of pixels over the various tones that make up an image but it can also indicate over or under exposure. Ideally, when you look at the histogram of a photo of a gray target, you’ll see the primary spike of tones dead center in the graph.

Often, the histogram will be skewed to left or right of center. Left of center means the images will be underexposed, right of center indicates overexposure. This is just a guess because no manufacturer would ever admit it, but from what I’ve seen in the numerous cameras I’ve purchased, cameras exhibiting slight underexposure are more apt to pass Quality Control because slight underexposure is easier to correct. Should your spike not be centered, here’s what to do:

If the spike is left of center, use Exposure Compensation and move the compensation indicator one mark to the right. Take another picture and evaluate the histogram. If it’s still left of center, try moving the indicator one more mark to the right, until the spike is as close to center as possible. Do this in reverse if the spike is right of center. The closer you can get to center, the better your automatic exposures will be. When you find the magic spot, leave it there (this camera required a plus exposure of two clicks right, or +2/3 stop to center the spike), and shoot automatic mode images with confidence. For many cameras, Exposure Compensation also works in Program mode, although that mode is very imprecise compared to Av or Tv.

It may be somewhat hard to believe that your precision camera would be off, but they do tend to drift, and for many reasons. It’s a good idea to repeat this test often.

If you’re like many women who specialize in family portraiture, and who draw from your neighborhood for clientele, here’s a terrific idea for a Halloween promotion.

Since families should be thinking about portraits for Christmas holiday cards or gifts but typically don’t until the last possible moment, create a small, one-sided promo flyer to advertise your services. Be sure to tell them to book early to avoid the rush (you might even offer a small discount if they book within the next week). Rather than printing a batch on your home printer, take a finished piece to a Kinko’s or Office Max and have them run as many color copies as you think you might need. Copies made this way are much cheaper than if you do them yourself.

At your favorite discount store, buy full size candy bars, as many as you think you’ll need for the traffic at your house. Tape or rubber band the flyer around the bars, with the blank side out, and give them away to the little urchins when they come a’beggin’.

The payoff will happen when the kids get home and their candy is checked by the parents, who will see the blank paper wrap and naturally want to see what it is. Voila! Targeted advertising for about a dollar per family.

“U” is for understand.  Did you ever take a photo 101 class?  Did you ever assemble a portfolio based on the assignments you were given in a photo class?  Did your portfolio look like everyone else’s in class?  Of course it did….at first.  You were all given the same assignments: depth of field, panning, flash on bulb, self portrait, etc.  These are all useful, and informative.  However, they don’t develop your style, your voice, only you can do that.  So take the assignments you are given in class or that you give yourself.  Understand what they are trying to teach you.  Do you need a wrench or screwdriver for the job?  Do you want to use a long lens to make the background soft and compress the space, make your foreground subject pop?  Do you want to use a super wide lens? Have everything sharp?  Obscure the perspective?  These exercises should be like practicing an instrument or your jump shot.  You need to know your gear inside out.  You need to know what tool to choose to get the job done.  But all of this is just the beginning.  You are laying the foundation for your work.  It doesn’t matter if you shoot Nikon or Canon, if you are PC or MAC.  What matters is what you do with them. The hardest part is seeing.

“S” is for See.  What do you want to say?  What is important to you and why?  How do you see the world?  You can start by asking yourself, what do you like to look at?  What moves you?  What photos do you like and why?  What is great about them?  Do they capture a moment?  Are they quiet and beautiful?  Are they graphic and architectural?   Is it the human elements or the natural ones that inspire you?  I heard a wonderful talk given by Joe Buissink, http://www.joebuissink.com/.  He said the first picture that started it all for him was one of his son breastfeeding.  He said it was the first picture that looked back at him.  I had never heard it said that way before.  I realized that is all I care about in a photo.  What I care about is the person looking back at me…and in the meantime, maybe I was able to say something about how I saw them and felt about what they were projecting to the world.  When people ask me what I photograph I say, “I will shoot anything that breathes.”  That really sums it up for me.  It is all about the human condition.  That is how I see it.

Far and away, the most important accessory in the studio (even in available light situations) is your handheld light meter. Even more important is the ability to read it properly and know how the numbers affect your images.

F-stops are symmetrical and mathematical measurements of light. If we begin with an aperture of f8, for example, “opening up” the lens by one stop, to f5.6, will double the amount of light reaching the sensor. Conversely, “stopping down” the lens one stop, to f 11, will cut the amount of light reaching the sensor by half.

When we power the light to a “whole” stop – f2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16 or 22 – we’ll only see a zero next to the f-stop number and we’ll know that if we set the camera’s aperture to that number, f5.6 in this case, the exposure will be right on the money.

Digital camera apertures can be set in thirds of stops, which gives you the opportunity to be extremely accurate when powering your lights for a particular effect. They are shown on your light meter as an extra number just to the right of the primary f-stop number, such as this reading, f5.6.6. This reading means that the light falling on the subject is 6/10s of a stop stronger (brighter) than f5.6 itself. If you ignore that extra .6 you will overexpose your images, something you definitely don’t want to do.

So, to be more accurate, you should set your camera to f7.1 (which is actually f5.6 +7/10s of a stop more). To be completely accurate, and get the most correct exposure, either move the key light slightly closer to the subject, move the subject slightly closer to the key, or power the key light up, slightly, to a light meter reading of f5.6.7 (f7.1 on the camera). If your meter is calibrated your exposures will be right on the money.

While you are probably aware of the whole stop numbers, you may not understand the new, 1/3 stop numbers and how to translate those easily from your light meter to your camera. Here’s a chart that shows the correlation:

If the meter says: f2.8 f2.8.3 f2.8.7 f4 f4.3 f4.7 f5.6 f5.6.3 f5.6.7 f8

Set the camera to: f2.8 f3.2 f3.5 f4 f4.5 f5 f5.6 f6.3 f7.1 f8

f8.3 f8.7 f11 f11.3 f11.7 f16 f16.3 f16.7 f22

f9 f10 f11 f13 f14 f16 f18 f20 f22

When working outdoors, you won’t have the control over tenths of f-stops as you would in the studio. When that happens, if the reading is +1/10th over a target f-stop, set the aperture to the lower value. In other words, if the meter reads f8.1 set the camera’s aperture to f8. If the reading is, say, f8.2, set the aperture to the next highest value, f9. In either case, the files as they are will be close enough to go straight to proofs and easy to tweak to a more perfect exposure with Photoshop.

My years shooting commercial work taught me about styling.  At first advertisers wanted it to be all classic.  You know, Gap khaki’s and white t-shirts or plain sweaters, jeans, loafers, and polos.   I always told my models that were bringing their own clothes to think of J Crew, Banana Republic as style guides.  You should also avoid logos, and loud prints. Here is a shot created for commercial use using generic clothing.

The reason this becomes important for your own photography is because you don’t want to look at an image years from now and say…”oh yeah, that was 1983”.  If you are shooting private portraits or your own family I think dressing yourself or your subjects in classic clothing allows you to concentrate on what is important, the people and the emotion portrayed.  So choosing the fluffy pirate shirt that was all the rage in high school may come back to haunt you.  Same goes for the Farrah Fawcett hairstyle.  When I look at an image I don’t want to be distracted by clothing, trendy hair and jewelry.  By the way, I still stand by my 1991 wedding dress.  The head piece was a little much but luckily I took it off for most of the day.  Other than that, I really don’t think the images look that dated.  Okay maybe my husband’s hairline and my waistline are a little different:-).  When I look at a photo all I want to see is the subjects, how they feel and how I feel about them.  Check out this image below.  It is shot of my neighbor’s kids at the local Y.  I think it really captures the joy of childhood.   What could be more fun than hanging out at the pool with your siblings?  I took this photo last year, or was it …..16 years ago.  See my point.

Fast forward to today.  In commercial photography now, agencies want to see trendy clothes.  The abundance of images in the system makes their shelf life and usability limited.  Once the trend is over there will be the next million images for sale with the latest whatever. Those decade specific looks have gone from kitsch to cool.  If you want to play up a look or exaggerate it that has a place too.  I always remember the shot in the movie “Garden State” of Zach Braff the lead actor wearing a printed shirt standing in front of a wallpapered wall of the same print.  It was so visually striking.  I think if you are going for a specific look you should carry it across the whole image, from clothes to lighting, think of the impact.  Maybe you love old Hollywood?  Start with a glamorous dress, add the period makeup and hair, and then of course the dramatic studio lighting.

For your traditional portrait sitting I still think your best bet is classic clothing in neutral colors.  I tell people black is okay, with the exception of black turtlenecks which make you look like you have a floating head in photos.  Texture is extremely important.  I think this mom did an excellent job dressing herself and baby.  See how nicely the texture of her sweater goes with the wheat grass.  The baby’s nubby white sweater adds depth to the photo without being distracting.

Instead of matching colors to show family unity try complimentary patterns.  See in the photo below how the girl’s tank top has small bands of color that match (there I said it, but it is in a very small amount) her sister’s and mom’s dresses.   The older girls both have on solid brown and the Dad and son have on khaki.  This color combination and composition leads your eye around the photo in a circular manner.  If you must do the same color at least do different cuts and styles in the clothing.  That way everything looks pulled together but not like identical twins.  All that said, if you are shooting a portrait for a client, not just yourself, make sure your subjects are comfortable.  If they feel good in what they are wearing, even if you think it is hideous, their self confidence will shine through.

Next time you take out your camera don’t forget about the styling, it can make or break your picture.

]]> http://www.themommarazzi.com/2009/09/you%e2%80%99ve-got-the-look%e2%80%a6%e2%80%a6/feed/ http://www.themommarazzi.com/2009/09/raw-vs-jpeg/ http://www.themommarazzi.com/2009/09/raw-vs-jpeg/#comments Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:12:24 +0000 cgrey http://www.themommarazzi.com/?p=256 Entire books have been written about this topic, and it’s akin to opening a can of worms. I have only a few words to say about it, but I hope you’ll read them with an open mind. Your workflow, and the amount of time you spend on your workflow, may depend on how these few words impact you.

When you shoot RAW, you create the digital counterpart to a film negative. All the information available to the camera is stored in those files but they cannot be used “as is” and must be “processed” before they can be printed, with generic software such as Photoshop or with software created by the camera’s manufacturer. For most applications, the maker’s software is better because it has been engineered for files created by a specific brand of camera. Software like Photoshop, even though it does a good job, must be generic enough to process files from every manufacturer and so can only work with those factors shared by all cameras.

On the other hand, jpegs have been programmed, by you and how you set the camera, to process themselves as they are shot and loaded onto the card. Once that’s done your options are limited.

Does that mean jpegs are bad? Absolutely not. Control your exposure and lighting parameters and jpegs will do a wonderful job for you without any extra work. I don’t allow photographers to shoot RAW in any of my workshops. Once they see that they can control the shoot and the light to very close tolerances they become True Believers (well, some of them, anyway).

Regardless, while RAW files contain more information and exposure latitude than Jpegs, they also require additional work from you, and that’s the bottom line. Here’s an easy workaround option. If you think a shoot will give you trouble or you don’t think you can control the situation, shoot both RAW and large jpegs at the same time. When you load the files onto your computer take a look at the jpegs first. If you’re shots are on the money burn everything to a disc for backup and work with just the jpegs. You have the RAW files if you need them. Note that shooting both formats will fill a card much more rapidly.

The beauty of shooting controlled jpegs is that you can take the files straight to proofs, without any additional processing time, and make minor tweaks later, after prints are ordered and money is on the table.

Can you tell the difference? This image was shot as both RAW and .jpg. The RAW file was processed “as is,” without any additional tweaking; the jpeg is straight out of the camera. Tight control over the exposure is the key to successful jpegs.

Christopher Grey

A question that’s come up frequently in my workshops and classes is, “What Color Space should I be shooting in?” The answer is, “It depends on what you’re shooting for.” That’s not an artful dodge, it’s the truth in digital terms.

Your camera will offer at least two choices, Adobe RGB (1998) and sRGB. Both are viable but there are differences you should be aware of. Adobe RGB (1998), which we’ll simply call “RGB” from now on, is a large color space (also called a “gamut”) able to record more colors than sRGB, a smaller space able to record fewer colors. At first blush you’d think that RGB would be the way to go, right? Isn’t it better to have more colors than less? It is, if you’re work is being produced for mechanical reproduction, like a book. When a book is produced, images appearing in it are converted to yet another color space, CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Key {Black}), that’s even smaller than sRGB. It’s necessary for a CMYK reproduction to have as much color as possible at its disposal before conversion, so that the smaller space will “see” as much color as it can.

A graph of the three color spaces and the range of colors they can reproduce. Adobe RGB(1998) is the largest, sRGB fits inside it. The smallest is the CMYK color space.

The sRGB color space is used for images that will be sent to a lab for printing as 8×10s, 5×7s, whatever. The printers used by the labs are sRGB devices themselves, incapable of seeing the entire RGB gamut, much less reproducing it. The machine may not even recognize an RGB file, and an operator will have to manually convert the images to sRGB before sending the order back through the printer. Some labs charge extra for this service.

The Internet is also an sRGB device. Images posted on the web should be sRGB images or they will look flat and slightly off-color.

Unless you have one of a very select (and expensive) group of monitors built for the RGB color space, you won’t be able to see the extra colors anyway. Your monitor is an sRGB device and can’t see beyond those colors, even if you shoot files in RGB.

The bottom line is there’s nothing wrong with the sRGB space and, if you shoot to have your pictures hung on walls or framed on mantles, sRGB is the space to use.

Hopefully the net will appear… but just in case.  I think it is extremely important that you be ready to deliver a professional product when you make the switch from weekend shooter to pro.  You really are only as good as your last job.  You have time to bone up on the business end of things, but your images are your reputation.  Go out on as many jobs as possible as a second photographer.  There you have time to learn, but not the pressure of being a lead.  Assist for free if necessary… anything that gets you on a real photo shoot.  You need to see how others work to develop an approach to shooting that you are comfortable with.

Your knowledge of your equipment should be second hand.  Read your manual if you can stand it.  That would be torture for me.  However, I am happy to have a sales rep or photo geek (I use this term in the highest regard) explain to me all the inner workings of my gear.  Practice at home in every conceivable lighting condition until you feel comfortable with any challenges that may arise.  Make sure you have the right gear for the assignment.  If you are shooting a wedding or an event that cannot be redone you must have two camera bodies with you.  Rent one if necessary, this is also a good way to try out new products before you buy.  Canon and Nikon both have pro services that give you access to loaner equipment.  A wide selection of lenses is also a must.  The right tool for the right job makes all the difference.

Talk to other photographers in your area.  Figure out what your cost will be for operating your business.  Do you need liability and business insurance?  Will you be a sole proprietor or an LLC.  How will you promote yourself?  Do you need a logo, identity and promotional pieces?  How about an office or shooting space?  Do you need help writing a business plan? Who is going to watch the kids while you are working?  The big thing these days is a website.  I think as a photographer it is essential that you have a nice looking site that is user friendly.  Everyone I have talked to under the age of 35 says a blog is also a must.  This is my attempt at blogging:-).  Another good place to gain insight is a website called http://prophotoresource.com/. Workshops and conferences are a great way to brush up your skills and learn from other photographers’ experiences.  Some provide practical information while others are pointless.  I think their real value comes in networking.  All in all it is helpful to speak to as many pros as possible to see what worked and didn’t work for them and then adapt their advice to your situation.

If there’s one thing you can count on for the Holidays it’s that there will be an abundance of student-driven ballets, plays and shows. Even if you don’t have a child enrolled in extracurricular dance, music or drama classes you may be pressed into service to photograph an event.

I was recently asked to photograph The Nutcracker, a holiday ballet favorite that sees at least one annual production in many, many cities. I love photographing dancers, even amateurs, so it was an opportunity that I couldn’t pass up. As with any location shoot, there are problems and situations that must be considered if you’re to get the best possible images. Perhaps my experience will save you some grief and make your job easier.

The first thing you need to critically evaluate is the lighting. When the curtain goes up, take a long look at the stage to check for any “dead” spots, areas that are not evenly lit. Most student-driven productions are presented in borrowed auditoriums, often in local schools. Contemporary school auditoriums are usually well equipped, lighting-wise, and that’s a plus, but productions are lit for effect, not for photographers. You’ll need to determine if there are areas to avoid.

If you have the opportunity to Custom White Balance under the production lighting, do so. If not, the Incandescent setting should be fine. Believe it or not, Auto White Balance is not a viable setting in this case, as Auto will attempt to neutralize colored lights when they dominate the scene, such as an overly blue “night” scene. The Lighting Director will not be happy with you.

Use the highest ISO setting your camera will give you without excessive noise. This is especially true for dance, obviously, as you’ll need to stop action. If you have an older camera, you might want to rent or borrow a newer model. Today’s cameras handle high ISO speeds better than ever before.

Be sure to set the motor drive function for the fastest possible burst rate and for automatic focus tracking. On my Canons, that would be AI Servo. Other manufacturers have different names but the function does basically the same thing by locking on to a moving object and tracking it as long as the shutter or thumb-focus buttons are depressed.

You will be shooting on the fly, especially if you are not familiar with the show. Shoot bursts of frames, rather than single shots, and capture the action as a sequence you can edit for maximum effect. You’ll also get more sales opportunities. This sequence of three was edited from a burst of seven frames.

When shooting dance, there is a peak in almost every motion. It’s the point where positive motion stops for a split second before becoming negative motion and where the dancer’s posture is perfect. Be aware of it, but shoot a burst that begins before the peak and ends after it. This allows you to follow the motion, panning the camera if necessary, so that you can track the dancer rather than trying to coordinate your finger with the peak.

Since you’ll be shooting with a large aperture (to get the fastest possible shutter speed), make the most of it by including scenery or another dancer in front of or behind the target dancer. The focus falloff adds depth to the image and accentuates your primary dancer.

Unless you’ve been hired to simply document the production, you’ll want more than just photographs of the principal actors. You’re on the job, after all, and you’ll want to increase the sales opportunities as much as possible. Spend time in each scene photographing the extras. Single out as many participants as possible and shoot individual images of them. When you make the images available for purchase (these were marketed through a web portal), you may be surprised how many of these you’ll sell. While it’s good to have at least one overall shot of the stage and production, as well as the principals, these are money shots, too.

When you’re initially contacted to do the job, be sure to ask if there’s a dress rehearsal. The rehearsal is a great opportunity to scout the theater for shooting locations and sight lines, to make note of what seat(s) you’d like reserved or just to familiarize yourself with the production. During rehearsal you will probably be able to move anywhere in the theater, even during the performance, (something that’s definitely frowned upon during an actual show). Keep your eye open for special moments that occur between cast members – each is another sales opportunity.

If there’s any subject that deserves to be overshot, it’s theater. Plan on filling several cards and spending extra time editing. It’s worth it.

Although Auto White Balance will do an acceptable job in many circumstances, it is possible that dominant colors in the frame can skew it to produce an off-color image. It’s the most important argument for using Custom White Balance whenever possible. In the first image Auto White Balance saw the red background and thought it needed to neutralize it by adding cyan to the mix. The model’s skin tones were not enough to average the tones.

After CWB, the camera no longer cares what the colors are because it’s read and recorded the actual color of the light and will not make any shot-to-shot adjustments.

One of the most valuable of all the Menu items, using Custom White Balance (aka Custom WB or CWB) will permit you to neutralize whatever light you’re working under, changing the colors that make up that light, whatever they may have been, to clean, non-biased colors.

Light is not a constant color, except to our eyes and brain. Humans have the cerebral ability to white balance on the fly, interpreting whatever color we see to be neutral, based on our ability to see something we know to be a certain color (white, for instance) and balancing all other colors against that reference. The Custom White Balance function of the camera does exactly the same thing, except that the camera can leave us with a physical record, a print, of a situation that has been neutrally balanced.

To do this effectively you will need to meter and photograph a neutral gray or white card under the light conditions you’re working with. If you’re working under studio strobes, you will also need to use a calibrated flash meter to accurately measure the strength of the light. Either way, it’s important to purchase a neutral target (see How to Calibrate Your Meter for information). Typewriter paper, tablecloths, bridal gowns, or other objects contain chemicals or bluing agents that make them look neutral, but they will not white balance properly because of that chemistry. A commercially available 18% gray target will produce the most accurate white balance.

Every manufacturer has a slightly different way to CWB, and you’ll need to review your camera’s instruction manual to learn the correct way to do it. Any of my Canon books or field guides will show Canon shooters how, step-by-step, with pictures and clear instructional text.

Also check your instruction manual to know how much of the frame you will have to fill to get a correct measurement. I think you should always err on the side of caution and fill the entire frame.

It won’t matter if the picture you make of the gray or white card has an off-color cast. Telling the camera that you want it to neutralize that tone will effectively change the color balance of any additional images. You can prove it by shooting another image of the target, but with the data from the first image used for Custom White Balance. The new shot will show a color neutral target.

Telling the camera that you want to use this balance is effectively telling the camera to neutralize the color it saw in the first image.