A note about White Balance

Every different light source emits a different "color" of light. Sunlight, Fluorescent, Sodium vapor, LED, shade, sunset.. each has its own color temperature. Our eyes are good at interpreting the light and deciding what things really look like, but cameras are not as adept.

If you have noticed that some of your photos have occasional color issues, this is probably your culprit. Your brain can still make sense of the picture, but it does not look like reality.

When you start looking at the difference side-by-side , it really starts to make sense. This is where people start saying "wow, your camera takes good pictures," and one of the things you can do to help your photos stand out.

Like everything else about making good pictures, it takes knowledge, preparation, and a bit of work make it happen.... but it is well worth the effort.

Two quick notes...

First, to do this in the camera (quicker than going through and doing it in the computer after the fact) you have to leave the "Auto" modes behind. Shooting in Program, Av, Tv, or Manual will give you access to your camera's different white balance presets.

Second, you have to think about this every time you change locations and lighting conditions.

To demonstrate...

This event was lit with standard stage lights. These (and standard house bulbs) are "Tungsten" lights, named for the metal that makes up the little glowing filament inside.

As you can see from the first picture, the camera got pretty close, but his shirt is not white. The second is changed to the "Tungsten" white balance. In the camera, this would be the proper setting for this scene. I think it looks much better.

The third is using Lightroom to set the white balance using his shirt as a white point. This would be a similar result to adjusting a .jpg photo after taking the picture in Auto mode.

And the last is what the result would be if I had mistakenly left the camera on "Daylight" mode.

Auto is fine if you want snapshots... of course, if you want to make your photos better, start thinking about the white balance of your scene and adjust accordingly.

Check out your manual for how to adjust to the white balance presets, and then go a little crazy and try some Custom white balances... I will get into that later as well.

One more thing.. Adjusting this photo after the fact was possible because I shot it in Raw format. In jpeg format, there is much less room for adjustment later, so it is even more crucial to get the white balance right in the camera.

Happy Shooting,

Don J.

Looking for Light

One of my new favorite reads is Stu Maschwitz's Prolost blog. Here he breaks photos into three parts: Fact, Moment and Light. It is an easy to grasp description of what makes good photography good. Better yet, it is really neat to apply this three-layered thought process to shooting, and making better photos.

Go read that post. Then read it again. There is a lot to it, so I will probably refer back to it in several upcoming posts. Today, it is all about light.

Now turn off the flash on your camera. This post is going to be about finding light, not making it.

At the end of the last post, I suggested looking at people with the intent of seeing the light on their faces. From harsh midday sun to candlelight, every situation creates a different feel. Seeing it, and being able to intentionally capture it is a powerful photographic tool.

Most of the time, we are looking for nice, soft, pleasing light that gives enough shadow for depth, but not enough to make harsh lines or deep black shadows on faces. Obviously this means get out of the direct sun... So, I am discovering some of my favorite places to make nice on-the go portraits are..

Beside Windows
Wedding and portrait photographers have always done this, and master painters before them. Indirect light through big windows is often beautiful light. Add to this that the rest of the room (with artificial lights turned off) is usually darker than your subject area, making a nice background.



With different posing, you can do all kinds of things with the shadows as well. Find a willing model and have fun playing with different angles and poses. You will see that it is hard to get a bad photo by a big window.



In the Shade

On bright sunny days, take your subject into the shade. The sky will act like a big, soft light. Once you find some nice shade, you can play with angles to see what works for background or shadows. When there is no good background, just move in close.



In case you are wondering if it was a bright sunny day here... you can see the blue sky with light clouds in her eye reflections. The bright catchlight in her eye is the sun shining on the chimney of my house.



Big Lights Indoors

When there are no big windows around, or when it is dark outside, find a light fixture that has multiple bulbs, like a chandelier. Get your model close to the light, and it will act similar to one big light source.



When there is only bad light?

There is no such thing as bad light. You just have to realize what the light is doing, then get creative. If all you have is harsh light, play with your subjects until you have something you like, and make the most of the conditions.




Harsh shadows can be fun too... if that is what you want. The key is being aware of how the light is shaping your photo, especially your subjects' faces, so that you can make the photo you want.

Ok, now go find light and have fun with it.

Happy Shooting,

don j

Spot Metering and Manual Mode

OK, I'm back from a mini vacation of sorts, and it is way past time for a new post about exposure.

My wife and I visited the in-laws close to Branson, Missouri. If you don't know anything about Branson, it would be hard to describe adequately in a short post here. On one hand, it is a hub of Country/Christian/Family type entertainment with a lot of shows, attractions and a beautiful place in the Ozark Mountains. On the other, it can be very crowded and overbearingly caucasian, and like most tourism towns, expensive.

We saw a few shows at the Silver Dollar City theme park, the Showboat Branson Belle, and a comedian named Paul Harris.


Sooo... what does this have to do with photography?

As with most stage performances, the performers are in bright lights, and everything else is dark. This is a perfect example of where to use Spot Metering mode on your camera.

This is what you get with the camera on Automatic...


The camera does not know that you want to be able to see his face.... it only wants to make a nice overall average scene.

Using the Spot Meter mode on your camera (most SLRs and some Point and Shoot's have this), center the camera on the performer's face, and it will give you a correct exposure.... something like this..


The trick is that you have to keep the proper exposure setting for the face when you re-compose the shot so that the face isn't in the middle. Yes, this is where you grab your camera manual.

On many SLRs, there is a button for "exposure lock." Once you have the proper exposure for the face, you push a button and it keeps the right settings while you perfect the composition. On Canon xxD and xD cameras, it is a thumb button for your right hand....

If you are in a situation like this where the lighting is changing a lot, it is good to switch to Manual mode. Once you dial in a basic setting, you can aim the camera, watch the exposure meter and adjust your shutter speed on the fly to keep the exposure where it needs to be as the lighting changes.

This is really a powerful tool to learn in order to get the most from your camera. With practice, it becomes a simple procedure that you can do whenever you have challenging lighting conditions.

With that, you can get shots that everyone else is missing because they stuck with "auto" mode....

Practice shooting sports helps as whell when the Chinese Acrobats are doing this...


The heads in the shot ruin it, but I did not want to block everyone's view.... oh well.

I will leave you with another bit of Paul Harris...


Happy Shooting,

don j

Photos for Ebay part 1: Small Items with a Point and Shoot

A few weeks ago, I had a conversation with Malissa over at Sleepyhollow Folk Art Originals about the importance of good photos for selling items on-line. Whether you are going to ebay, etsy, or any other online marketplace, the pictures are as close as a potential buyer can get to experiencing the item you want to sell. A bad photo can limit salability, cause a perception of poor quality, and reduce the number of people who are interested.

Luckily, getting better results is easy. You do NOT need a fancy new ultra-gigapixel camera to do it either. These photos are not for printing, so high resolution is not required. Everything in this post is shot with a 3 year old 5mp camera (Kodak v530)

You already know to get rid of distracting backgrounds and prioritize the subject, so priority one is to make a nice white (or black, or anything solid) background. A bed sheet, posterboard, etc. can all work, depending on the size of the object. Drape it over a chair and voila..




Well... better than sitting on the kitchen table, but the on-camera flash is glaring and maybe I should iron the sheet....

So, what if we want to do something a little better? Instead $170 or better for a light-tent setup, run down to your favorite craft store and pick up some white foamcore, then a couple of work lights (or any light holders will do) with some flood light bulbs. High wattage is best, just watch out because they will get hot.

Now make a shooting spot (here on the floor to use chairs for propping up the foamcore.


Quick note about light... Pointing the lights directly at the object will get the most light, but also some harsh shadows, which are not helpful.



How to cut the shadows?
Point the lights into the foam core on the sides instead to make a larger light source. You lose brightness, but you will want to compensate anyway. Remember, your camera wants to turn all of that white into gray! That is why the photo above is so dark.

Here is the setup...


and the result, less shadow...


I have also corrected the exposure there by +1 in the camera.

When shooting shiny things especially, remember that the shiny bits reflect whatever color is hitting them. Surrounding the object with white (or black for darkened areas) will help.

Black backgrounds can be very effective, but as you see, you have to make sure it is clean!... Felt fabric works well for this. Foamcore shows dirt very well...



You will also want some detail shots. Here again, the on-camera flash does not help.. turn it off and let the side lighting do the work...

With the flash on...


and off...


All together, this setup is about $25 and you can stuff it all in a closet or under a bed etc. etc. If you can shoot by a nice big window on a sunny day, you can even do without a light...

don j

If you want more interesting photos....

In The Moment it Clicks, Joe McNally quotes another National Geographic photographer Jim Richardson...
"If you want to be a better photographer, stand in front of more interesting stuff." That seems simple enough, but finding the "more interesting stuff" can be downright difficult when you are taking family photos.

The fix? If you can't change to a more interesting subject, do something to make the subject more interesting. Taking photos from normal eye-level vantage points, in normal places to stand can result in very average shots. Moving the camera to a viewpoint that isn't normally seen creates a visual that holds interest.

This is a normal snapshot of my niece on the floor counting Easter eggs... not a bad snapshot, but still, nothing to it.

Canon 40D, 17-85mm, f4.5, 1/60, iso200, flash on


Drop down to kid level though, and and there is more visual interest...

Canon 40D, 17-85mm, f4, 1/60, iso200, flash on

Looking at anything from an unusual angle makes it more interesting.

Ballet from above...

Canon 1D mkII, 50mm, f3.2, 1/200, iso 800,


The business end of a knife

Canon 40D, 17-85mm, f7.1, 1/80

How about looking up at a fire hydrant?

Canon 40D, 17-85mm, f4, 1/5,

Taking pictures from eye-level is automatic. Thinking of a more interesting angle makes it better.

If you don't get to choose "more interesting stuff," choose to shoot your mundane stuff in a more interesting way.

Final note.. if you want to see what goes through the head of a top shooter, check out the book I quoted at the top of the post. From National Geographic to Sports Illustrated, Joe McNally is one of the best. Add a big dose of humor and inspiration and that is this book.

don j.

Exposure Basics - Just a drop in the bucket

Ever wonder why the subjects of your photos are too dark or too light? It all comes down to exposure. There are entire books dedicated to getting proper exposure in your photos... I will try to keep this short, but it really is a complex subject.

To sum it up quickly, your camera cannot take in and process nearly as much range of brightness to darkness as your eyeball can. If your picture has both really bright and really dark areas, one part or the other will be lost. Until camera technology gets better, you have to work within the limits of the camera to get the subject properly exposed.

Proper exposure is getting the camera to allow in just enough light to see the bright and dark areas correctly. Too much light, and you lose detail in the white or bright areas. Not enough light and you lose detail in the dark or shadow areas. When it is right, your picture will look like the scene you remember.

The exposure controls....

Aperture - How large of an opening in the lens for light to go through. If filling a bucket of water represented getting to a proper exposure, aperture would be the diameter of the water hose. Inside the lens is a mechanism to let in more or less light, sort of like a door. The various opening sizes are measured in "F-Stops" i.e. 2.8, 4, 8, 11, 16... with smaller numbers being a larger opening. (Smaller Number = Brighter)

Shutter Speed - Is how long the shutter stays open. For the bucket of water it would be how long you let the water flow. Or, if a door, it would be how long the door is open. Shutter speed is measured in fractions of a second, 1/60, 1/100, etc. (Smaller Fraction = Darker)

ISO - This is the sensitivity setting of the camera. Lower ISO numbers mean less sensitivity. ISO also affects image quality, but we will get into that another time. In the water bucket example, changing the ISO essentially changes the size of the bucket. With a higher ISO (more sensitive) you would have a smaller bucket, because less is needed to get to a proper exposure.

It takes a bit to wrap your head around those three things, and how changing any of them also affects other aspects of your image, like stopping action (shutter speed), how much of the photo is in focus (Aperture), and overall image quality (noise). For now though, just know that they all work together, and changing one can be offset by changing another. For our bucket of water... you would get the same "exposure" with either: A. Large hole, short pour time or B. Small hole, long pour time.

What Your Camera Thinks...

The camera's auto exposure modes are programmed to find an exposure that averages the light and dark areas of the photo find a happy medium. Essentially, it wants the exposure to be this.

This is great most of the time, because in most pictures, there is a nice variety of light and dark areas.

Unfortunately, the camera does not know if a scene is SUPPOSED to have more lights or darks in it, and it can overcompensate. This is why shooting into a bright sky results in silhouetted subjects, or taking a picture of the moon results in a simple white dot with no detail. If you were shooting a white wall, it would try to cut the light down (faster shutter, higher f-stop) to make it gray. A black wall? It would adjust to let enough light in (slower shutter, lower f-stop) to make it gray.

The camera doesn't care what the subject should look like. Instead, it wants a nice average. In this case, it goes with the sky, which looks nice... if I wanted a silhouette. But I don't.

Now.... what does this really do for you?

As you consider the whole picture, think about the relative brightness of the subject and everything else. If there is a good mix, then the camera should figure it out pretty well. If not, it is tell the camera who is boss.

All SLRs and many point-and-shoots have some form of exposure correction. You may have to dig up your manual to find it, but it is worth it! To make your subject look correct in the photo, you have to force the camera to let in more or less light. There is usually a scale of -3_-2_-1_0_+1_+2_+3 with negatives being less light, positive numbers, more light.

Here is a P&S camera showing +2 on the exposure compensation circled in red.

Remember, identify the subject and then you can adjust the exposure for that.... everything else is less important.

Fill Flash...

If your subject is coming up too dark because of a really bright background, simply adding exposure compensation will help, but it will also over-expose the background. (remember, the camera cannot fill even close to the same range as your eyes).

To compensate, sometimes you can add light to the subject by forcing the flash to fire. This is usually the lightening bolt button on P&S cameras. Sometimes you get too much light, so it is a bit of trial and error, but you can adjust brightness by moving closer or further from the subject. On DSLRs you can adjust how much light you get from the flash manually (called flash exposure compensation, check the manual).

This one turned out about right. (with a P&S)

On-Camera flash never looks as good as nice natural light, but it can certainly help you even out the scene to something that the camera can handle.

The reverse is also true... the camera may try to use the flash because a lot of the scene is dark, killing the subject with glaring bright light.

Turning off the flash (same lightning button on P&S cameras) and using some positive exposure compensation will help correct this. Of course, you also lose some detail in the bright areas, but that is the tradeoff you make to prioritize the subject.

OK, that is a lot of technical mumbo-jumbo, and we did not even start playing with ISO.

The good news? Knowing what the camera is trying to do will allow you to take control of the process. Now go get the camera and play with exposure compensation! This is the beginning of making the pictures that are better than the "average" that your camera wants to give you.

If you would like this broken down further, just let me know. I will be addressing the other effects of shutter speed, aperture and ISO in future posts as well. This post has gone on too long already!

don j.

Lady Lions vs. Lady Dawgs

Occasionally I will use the blog to post the results of a shoot of some sort. This is certainly a learning process, so I will share what I am discovering as we go along...

After a long and fairly productive HS football season, I was pretty eager to get indoors out of the cold and try my hand at basketball. The last basketball games I shot were in 1995, when I was still a student, so my timing is still pretty bad. The Kaufman holiday tournament was a good warm-up and I was back to see the Lady Lions face the Lady Dawgs of Venus last Friday.

Canon 40D, ef85mm, f2.0, 1/800, iso1600, no flash

When I arrived, the JV game was in full swing, with the Lions enjoying a comfortable lead. Kaufman dominated throughout with a final score of 50-22.

Canon 5D, 24-70mm, f2.8, 1/400, iso 1600, no flash

It was the more of the same for the varsity squad with a final of 41-18. I did not take notes, so you will have to pick up a paper for the details...

With any sport photography, one of the main concerns is having enough light to get a fast enough shutter speed to stop action. The KHS gym is pretty good in this regard, but you do have to have a camera that can take advantage of it by pushing the ISO up to at least 1600.

My Challenge then? Bring a 3 year old Point and Shoot camera to see what I could get. The answer... not much, but I do want to play with settings and try again.

Kodak v530, f4.5, 1/8, iso 160, no flash

As you can see, the shutter (which cannot be manually set) was too slow to stop any action. Panning to get a cool effect is difficult as well because of the lag time of the lcd screen on the camera.

My best results came from forcing the camera to underexpose, then bumping it up a lot in Adobe Lightroom after the fact. Color looked horrible, so I move it to black and white. It looks a lot like shooting B&W Film back in high school!

Kodak v530, f4.8, 1/100, iso160, no flash

Fun as that experiment was, it got old really quickly. Back to the DSLRs.

Shooting basketball can be fun because of the constant action. Unfortunately, it requires players to spend a great deal of time with their arms in the air, defending, shooting or passing.
Canon 5D, 85mm, f2.0, 1/640, iso1600, no flash

Players are crossing between the camera and the ball often, which can really mess with the autofocus. If I manage to keep the right player in focus, it can make unique looking shots.

Canon 40D, 85mm, f2.0, 1/800, iso1600, no flash

In the end, it all comes down to timing, and staying ready to shoot. Taking a second to see how the last shot looked on the LCD is almost a guarantee that something dramatic is going to happen and I get no picture of it. This seems to happen most on defense, so I decided to stay on it and caught this nice steal by #10 Sammatha Offord.

Canon 40D, 70-200mm, f2.8, 1/400, iso1600, no flash

She is very quick, and the Lady Dawgs did not handle that very well. Which resulted in a lot of variations of this picture.


Canon 40D, 70-200mm, f2.8, 1/400, iso1600, no flash

Shooting from the top of the home bleachers gives an interesting perspective and often the court floor makes a clean background for the action. Bleachers are ugly.

I like to try to time the free throw and catch the ball in the basket... nothing spectacular yet, but a fun exercise nonetheless.

Canon 5D, 70-200mm, f2.8, 1/320, iso1600, no flash

Since I am trying to sell prints of these photos to parents (available here), I try to get some fairly close shots. Sometimes it works, sometimes not, but you are guaranteed to capture some fun expressions and hair flying around...

Canon 40D, 85mm, f2.0, 1/800, iso1600, no flash

A thought on showing context in a photo....

The cheerleaders were doing their thing, and during a timeout did some sort of pyramid. Zooming in on the top cheerleader was a nice shot with a clean background... but no context of the fact that she was standing 7' in the air on the hands of her squadmates...


Canon 5D, 70-200mm, f2.8, 1/320, iso1600, no flash

Giving the whole picture meant cluttering the background, but without seeing the whole picture, the drama of the moment is lost.

Canon 5D, 70-200mm, f2.8, 1/320, iso1600, no flash

Here are a few more shots from Friday. The full set of keepers is here.

Canon 5D, 85mm, f2.0, 1/640, iso1600, no flash

Canon 40D, 85mm, f2.0, 1/800, iso1600, no flash

Canon 40D, 85mm, f2.0, 1/800, iso1600, no flash

Canon 5D, 85mm, f2.0, 1/640, iso1600, no flash

Have a great Monday,

don j.