Oh Snap! Family Pets

I'm working on my speedlight skills, and wanted a challenge: shooting black subjects.  Black can be very challenging to shoot properly. You have to over-expose areas so you can show form and texture while maintaining the sense that the subject is black and not gray.  But shooting black subjects in itself brings a challenge - how do you light them without blowing out the lighter surrounding?  And if that isn't enough, let's try shooting something that can't be counted on to sit still....

My friend Carol has 2 cats, Pancho and Elvis.  Pancho is pure black, and Elvis is black with white face, chest paws, etc. - an interesting challenge, and lighting is only one of them.  These are the first cats I've shot that were free to wander.  Well, until Carol caught them and brought them back. 

For the shoot I brought along some small softboxes and a couple 43" umbrellas.  Cats don't much like umbrellas, and they weren't too thrilled with the softboxes either.  These strange objects in the house that kept popping light in their face wasn't thrilling the cats too much, but they handled it better than I'd anticipated.  Mostly they ignored me by being cats.  Turning away and acting like we (me and my stuff) weren't there.  As such they didn't relax and play as much as we'd hope, but I still got a few good shots that I liked.


Here's a few for your viewing pleasure:

That's MY floor, buddy!

Just another day by the lake

The cats have their very own window, with a cushioned perch set up so they can relax and watch the world go by.

HEY!  Donchu see the "Do Not Disturb" sign?!

In this shot I deliberately underexposed the cats till they were almost a silhouette.  I set one speedlight with a Lumiquest SBIII softbox at camera left to bring out just a touch of their fur.  It was a happy accident that Pancho turned to look at Carol.  I was just after some profile shots, but when he turned, I had to take the shot.  The speedlight put just enough light on his face and whiskers to bring out the details without making it obvious that a light was there.  The only clue - the catchlight in his eyes.

You can see the full set on my flickr site...

Hope you enjoy....

Just How Many Rules ARE There?!

This time I'm only considering one rule - subject placement.  More specifically, where do you place your subject when they're not looking right at you?  The basic rule is to place them so there's more space where they're looking than there is behind them.  So, if they're looking off to the right, place them in the left portion of the image.  This also applies to shooting motion - if they're moving left-to-right, place them on the left portion, and vice-versa.

Ok, I lied - this is about the one situation where they're looking niether left or right and are in motion - right straight at you!

There's John!  He's got TREATS!!!

So, if they're coming straight at you, and looking right at you, place them in the center?  I find that placing them just off center makes the image more pleasing.

Use the force! Usetheforce Usetheforce TheforceUsing - wait....

To be even more specific, when the subject is leaning, the image felt better when I matched the offset to with their body lean.  In other words, if they were leaning right I placed them right of center...

Mumphmphmumph (translation: Mine MINE MINE!!!)

And if they were leaning to the left I placed them just left of center.  As a matter of fact, their side opposite the lean is pretty much lined up with the center.

You got another one for me??  Where's mine?! Where-where?!?!

Then there's the dilemma where one's coming right at you and the other is turning away.  I decided to give Journey someplace to go and add to Skittles' intensity by keeping the image off-balance.

I do feel the need to point out that Skittles loves to run.  She goes all out when she does, and can look quite intense as you can see in this series.  However, despite her rather fierce look, she's just a happy, excited dog.  Once she manages to apply the brakes and slow down that intense look is immediately gone.  She's quite fun to watch!

Don't know about you, but I like these images!

Hope you enjoy...

Obeying the Rules

My last post dealt with what we think about when we're shooting.  What do we internalize so it happens automatically, and what rules we consider when setting up a shot.  During my walk with the dogs I'd shot some birds and noticed, after the fact,  what rules I thought about and which I didn't.

A couple years ago I was pulled over and ticketed for not using my turn signals.  Now, I argued (with myself of course) that since no cars where around I didn't need to signal my intent.  Why do you have to signal when there's no traffic for heaven's sake?!

But in the days that followed I had to admit that I'd gotten lazy and out of the habit of using them except in certain tight situations.  And I found myself using them consistent from that point on.  2 years later I'm still a good boy, using my turn signals all the time.  Well, there is the rare time when no one's around... ... ... ;)

So, during today's walk I did some more bird shots - the day was warm and the sky mostly covered with high clouds.  I found myself thinking about all the rules I'd either ignored last time and it effected my shooting greatly.  I'm happier with this session, and I choose to believe it has something to do with being deliberate.  Internalizing some things (like checking your camera settings before each session) makes sense, but when it's time to shoot I realize that I want to do it consciously.  The experience was richer, more fulfilling.  My success rate was higher, my total image count was lower and I only had to throw a couple out for bad framing (hate when I cut off their tails).

Last time I took my 7D with a 24-105mm F/4-5.6 lens.  The combination wasn't the best choice for shooting birds cause you just can't get close enough without them flying away.  I had to do some serious cropping to get the images I shared.  This time I attached my 70-200 F/2.8 and the results were significantly better.  I still had to get closer than some birds liked, but those I shot required very little cropping, which gave me nicer closeups.

So, here's the results of raising my consciousness:

To self: Push the rule of thirds here to keep the main trunk from overpowering the birds

To Self: Step up the incline so the branch doesn't cut through his head

To Self: Next time you're shooting movable objects, set follow-focus and
burst mode and you won't have to rely so much on luck!!

To Self: Breaking the horizontal rule of thirds can work sometimes
and one "Atta Boy" for creative use of negative space

To Self:  Anticipate the grab so you catch him with his mouth open

To Self:  Ah... forget it - you already talk to yourself too much anyway!

The last 3 images were deliberately overexposed.  Sometimes a white  sky background can create an interesting effect, especially if you push it just a little.  I really like these last 3 - I can't tell you why, but I really do.  The negative space adds to the feel as well.  Moving the bird to the right of the frame just made it feel too busy.  Maybe that was because all the earlier shots were, and I'd grown tired of the look.  Not sure why, but it was a conscious decision to frame it as I did.

OH!  While I'm thinking about it - if you're going to shoot movable objects, try shooting them actually doing something.  You'll notice the conspicuous lack of berries in the 1st image, and a certain sedentary feel to the bird.  After shooting him I noticed the tree with the berries had more birds, then realized they were eating the old, dried berries.  In the remaining shots  the birds were either in the act of choosing a berry or grabbing one.  In the 2nd image, even though the bird was sitting, he still seems to be active, searching for a berry to grab.  And the remaining all have energy and intent as well.  It's much better to shoot that!


Hope you enjoyed...

A Bird in hand - or is that the bush?

Recently I had a brief chat with a friend of mine regarding what goes through your mind (or more importantly what doesn't) when you're trying to get a great shot and are feeling rushed.  How easy it can be to overlook depth of field or how the background interacts with the point of interest. Is the sky blown out or the shadows losing details, and on and on and on.

It got me to thinking about all the "rules" I've learned.  The one's I've internalized and the ones I'm still combating.  More importantly, it got me to thinking about how I shoot - do I consider the rules when I'm framing my shots, what factors do I consider?  And the answer came back - not many.

I looked back through my history of images, remembering the frustrating times when I'd beat myself up for not remembering the simple things:  ISO is a variable too, don't cut off their head or feet or crop at their joints, and on and on.  And I thought about what I do now...

So, today my dogs and I went for our walk and I took my camera to shoot some birds.  My friend told me there were these robins hanging out in some trees, and they'd let you get pretty close. Too close and they'd fly from tree to tree, but they'd never leave.

True enough, that's what they did.  Although the getting close part wasn't working so well for me.  At least, not with birds in the lower branches.  Might have something to do with the dogs not sitting still.

As I prepped for this post, I thought about what went through my mind as I made my images:  I considerwd exposure, letting the cloudy sky blow out a bit so the birds were properly exposed.  I considered where to position myself to eliminate branches between us as much as possible, and I considered the rule or thirds (sometimes).  Oh, and I'd decided before I even got there that I was going to minimize depth of field to keep the attention on the birds.

As I reviewed and processed the images,  I was reminded of those rules I hadn't thought of.  What I like to call the lucky accidents ( I seem to have a lot of them).

Rules like:

Don't position subjects so things are growing out of their head, neck, etc.

This little guy looks like he has a bit of a mohawk but it's a nub on the branch behind him.. And since he's so close to it his head is blending in with that branch.  This is an example of "go back and do it again!".

When your subject is looking to the side, compose more space in front of him than behind

The idea is to keep your eye from being drawn out of the picture.  Now, I didn't consider this rule till I was cropping it on my computer, and I can't tell you why I put the little fellow right in the middle (which also breaks the rule of thirds, by the way) when I did, except to say it felt right.

Rule of thirds, and avoiding things that dissect your subject

Seems I broke this one more than once.  But here again, this crop felt right to me during post processing.  And in my defense, I'd taken a step to get closer and the fellow turned slightly away. I quick-snapped this shot before he flew off.  And sure enough, just after I pressed the shutter he did.

As to the branch passing through his head, while not the optimum picture, it's better than the first one because his head is separated from the branch and easily identifiable.  Would I have taken the picture if I'd thought about this rule?  Most likely not.  The second image above it is indeed much better.  But if you do break it, at least make sure they don't merge as they did in the first one.

Keep your foreground and background simple.

Now, really - how can I declutter a tree???  Here, this was an artistic decision I made to have the bird play a little "Peek a boo". And with the narrow depth of field blurring the branches surrounding him your eye is naturally drawn right to him.  AND I obeyed the rule of thirds.

Avoid busy surroundings

Same rule as above, different way to think about it.  But here again, I think it works.  With the majority of the branches in soft focus your eye is drawn to the bird. The larger branches bring you in from the sides and lead you right to him (no, I'm not a male chauvinist - he might be a she but I ain't looking up his skirt to find out).

Lines and objects dissecting your subject.

This shot appeals to me in that the bird is popping out from his surroundings despite all the clutter.  This is one of those times I think breaking the rule works.  As does the one above it.  Somehow the clutter works in these shots.  At least, it does for me.

So, how big a deal is it to consider all the variables when you're shooting?  Depends on what your shooting and why, doesn't it?  If your doing a paid gig and the client is looking for something very specific then you'd best make absolutely sure you're taking everything into consideration.  Even if you're rushed.  And you will be, you can count on that.

If you're out on vacation, or just walking about or even setting up a shoot to capture something you've been thinking about, it's not the end of the world if you forget something.  Chances are you can try again at a later date.  But these are the perfect time to practice and hone your technique. Just don't beat yourself up - you're on vacation, remember?!

Digital cameras have been a god-send when playing and practicing.  The instant feedback lets you look at your crop, your depth of field, background clutter, etc.  It affords us the opportunity to fix the little things we tend to forget.

And as I considered what I was going to write on this blog it occurred to me that this instant feedback has been the method that has helped me internalize those key rules that are most important to me.  Things I used to agonize over while shooting I now do as naturally as breathing.

Some things that I've internalized, strangely enough, include conscious thought - what camera settings do I want to use, where should I set my white balance, is there anything in the frame that takes attention away from my subject? what's lying along the edges of my frame?  It's like an internal checklist that automatically runs when I pick up my camera.

Repetition builds habit, and done right, these kind of habits can make all the difference in the world.

Hope you enjoyed...

Oh Snap! Tabletop Car shot

It's pick your favorite night!

Each one evokes a different reaction for me.  I like them both for different reasons.  How about you?

The setup:

Another single light source setup (hey, we covered the whole two lights, one source thing last time so let it go, ok?!).  I flipped the table (from the last shoot) on it's side, shined the same two light cans into it and strategically placed black foam cards and paper to create the light patterns I wanted.

Simple setup, but precision is essential.  The small card directly behind the car, for example: too tall and it blocks light on the center of the car.  Too low and you get too much on the roof and start picking up lens flare.  Too wide and not enough light hits the "ground" - too narrow and you get rim lights on the edges.

The 2 tall cards have to block the light completely off the car and table surface.  Well, off the part of the table that will end up in the picture.  Lastly, the paper you see on top eliminates unwanted reflection from the windshield.

I wanted to reproduce this concept, but obviously on a much smaller scale.  I also wanted to try it with constant lights instead of flash.  This last proved to be a bit of a problem - those 2 20W light bulbs can't put enough light out to create the intensity I got from the Lego shoot.  I shot this at night, with all the lights in the house turned off and still couldn't create the intensity I was after.

Yes, yes - with constant light sources I can drag the shutter to bring up it's intensity. But the ambient hitting the black cards and the car come up too.  Despite the 8' tall black v-flats I placed around the back side of the table, the ceiling and walls in front of them bounce enough light back.  The only other choice is to bring in more light behind the white fabric.  Trouble is, there simply wasn't room for more lights back there - the set was just too small!

All that aside, even though I didn't achieve the effect I was after I still really like these shots. They are probably in that "love em or hate em" category.

Well, I love em, hope you do too!

Hope you enjoyed...