Tips for Momtographers - capturing a great sunrise/sunset

It's been a while since I've brought you a segment from "Tips for Momtographers". I was talking to the very lovely, Heather, the other day and she mentioned (oh lord, I hope it was Heather lol) about taking sunset/sunrise photos and having them look right.

In my head, I said "I can do that!" and realized later, that there are a couple simple things that can make a sunrise look even better.

Below are 3 samples.

{#1, ISO200, F4, 1/4000th}

{#2, ISO200, F4, 1/500th}

{#3, ISO200, F4, 1/125th}

Now, something you should know, is that these three photos were taken within 1 minute of each other. No, there was not a quick shift in the light. I only did one little thing different.

I'm sure you can see, that the first photo, the shutter was open the least amount of time at 1/4000th of a second, the second at 1/500th of a second and the third the longest at 1/125th of a second.

Now, you could just manually set your camera to each increment until you get the look that you want. I'm entirely more lazy than that. LOL.

I do the easy way. First, I ALWAYS set my focus point to the center. I will point at the point I want to focus and recompose my shot. This is also the point where your camera will meter for the light.

So essentially, if you want a dark moody photo, pick a light spot and meter for that spot. {I metered for the sun in the photo#1} That will force the shutter to open and close fastest letting in the least amount of light to expose the rest of the photo, this will make your darker parts of the photo, darker than in real life. This might be the dramatic look that you're looking for.

If you want your photo to be bright, or you want to see the details in a darker area of photo, point, focus/meter off of the darkest areas {photo #3, I metered the trees}

I prefered something in between, that felt like what the real sunset was like, so I might pick something of a medium light or tone to meter off of, like a cloud or the edge of the tree line.

This method works best for a landscape photo where you are focusing on infinity. If you are wanting to focus on one thing, but meter for another, then you should expose for part that you'd like to meter for, pay attention to what your readings are in your camera and go into manual mode, THEN focus on the closer item.

This makes no sense if you're not using a DSLR. This CAN work if you're using a point and shoot to a certain extent. If you want more dramatic skies, point more towards the sky, if you want lighter sky, try to point more towards the skyline. If this doesn't work for the composition of the photo, you can crop the photo in your photo editing programs at home, or if your just uploading to a photo processor, they always allow you to crop with their software.

Hopefully this will help your photos when you take us to the bahamas this January!

Anyone?

Hello?

Let's test your patience

I'm going to test your patience and longevity today. I'm also going to give you an assignment. Now, for the record I'll never know if you complete it, but gosh darn it, I will give you a disappointing stare if I find out you didn't at least try.
:p

Years ago, when I lived on Buchanan street, we had the BEST tree ever in front of our house. Technically it was the neighbors tree, but it was positioned so that we got some of the wonderful benefits. Those included shade in the summer (it was as big as our house - which was pretty good sized), it also included the wonderful bright orange light it would cast on early fall mornings. I would wake up and the entire inside of my home would be bright orange as the sun came up and filtered through my windows.

Sadly, a couple years ago, it became diseased and had to be cut down. Honestly, I was a bit outraged, but since it wasn't my house any more, I had no say.

Anyway, I gave myself a project one year. I was going to document this tree as it changed from summer to bright orange in the fall. Every couple days for about 3 weeks, I went across the street and took a photo from the same spot. It was almost like a time lapse as you could see it turn from green, then the tips of the branches turning, until weeks later, it was nothing but a brilliant orange.

Last fall, I found a photo online of a tree that I was very inspired by, and I set out to recreate it.

It started as one photo, in the fall which quickly became one of my favorite photos of all time. In fact, the fall photo hangs on my wall now. Then I got to thinking, how cool would it be, to take a photo of the same tree, in the same spot, from the same angle, for every single season of the year?

Now, if you live in northwest Missouri like I do, a seasonal photo does not take 12 months. You can pull it off in around 8. The first photo was taken in late October, and the last one (summer) was taken yesterday, so it's not as long of a commitment as you might think. It's not like braces... or marriage.

So your assignment is to pick something, and take a time lapse of it. It could be a a flower as it blossoms over 3 days, a tree as it grows over a summer, or even a child's annual photo each year until they are 30-something.

I once saw a photographer (sorry I can not find the link!) that took an annual photo of each member of his family on the same day every year.... for 30 years! It was cool to see them as the family grew... and aged from infants to full grown adults.

Another great one I heard about, was taking a photo every year of a daughter, as she grew into mom's wedding dress. This would be so fun for a boy, growing into dad's boots too!

It doesn't have to be hard, or fancy... heck you can even use a camera phone (grimace), but giving yourself an assignment is a cool way to remind you to document your life.

Do that.


My 4 photos? I think they'll end up being 4 canvases somewhere in the house (I'm addicted to large art now), and I'm not sure what "assignment" I'll give myself next, I still haven't started that 100 strangers project.

Do I know you?
No?
Can I take your photo then?

Tips for Momtographers - try a new perspective

As a reward, for not driving me crazy for at least an hour, we all went out and had a little fun at the park. OK, so I also went to let them burn off energy, which never seems to work, but when they argue outside, it's so much easier to handle than when they are arguing inside.

I went with a second mission in mind. To document the "event" but at the same time, see it with a different set of eyes, a new angle on a classic situation. Coming home, I thought this would be a good lesson for moms out there. A little less classic "swings or slide" shots and a little more "capture this moment" shots.

After reviewing my photos, I realized that the main theme of my photos ended up being "a new perspective". Seeing the same old things, but seeing them in a new way that can add a little excitement to your memories.

Find a frame. Look for nooks and crannies, places that you can see your subject at a different angle, or in a "frame". Don't be ashamed to make a funny face or vulgar noises to get a genuine smile.

Sometimes your subject isn't your subject. You don't always have to shoot your subject directly. Capturing this shadow tells the entire story itself, without ever seeing the child herself.

Take second stage. Let your subject, be the secondary part of the story. Showing a little detail with someone in the background, still reminds you that they were there at the moment, but shows a little detail that you might forget otherwise.

Look at your scene from an entirely new angle. With this shot, I just sat the camera in the grass, pointed it in the general direction and started shooting. I'm not scared to lay in the grass (despite the fact that I'm allergic to it - itching's worth a great shot) just to get a cool pic. Lay on your back, shoot straight up, shoot straight down, get in close or give your camera a little tilt.

Freeze time. Look at the settings on the top or the back of your camera. See that little running man? He's the one that will help you freeze a scene and capture a minute instant in time. This one is especially good for wiggly children and pets (unless you have a lazy cat like mine, then you can do time lapse and nothing will happen)

Find supporting details. Watch close, are there things around you that help tell the story? They don't have to have a person in them ALL the time to tell the complete story.

Capture the true moments. I won't say that I never set up a posed shot, or that I ask someone to turn and smile at the camera, because I DO ALL THE TIME, but a cheesy grin will NEVER tell the true emotion felt at any moment in time. Stand back, and just wait, be focused and ready, and when the moment comes, snap fast.






My three favorite tips:
1. Fill the frame with your subject. That means you'll probably need to get up, and walk 5 or 20 steps closer. Nothing says boring photo more than just a snapshot in the general direction where you can't see what's going on more than just who was there.

2. Remember, your camera can take vertical shots too. It's true. Try it. :p I grit my teeth to let a stranger take a photo of me. Everyone holds up the camera, and snap. Analyze your scene and make sure that what you want to capture wouldn't look better in a vertical. Hey, it's digital (well most of us anyway), what's it going to hurt if you try both ways?

3. Stop making your kids say cheese. It's a crying shame. And while you're at it, don't even make them look at the camera all the time. By doing so, you only capture who was there, you never will capture the emotion of the moment.

I read this once:

"I heard a really sad story. The kids were in the backyard playing football together, playing nicely and not fighting. Mom wanted to capture the moment. Dad yelled 'Come over here, your mom wants to take your picture.'"

The end.