On to portrait one as an example. Here you can see the eyes are on the top 1/3 horizontal, whilst the nose is on the right 1/3 vertical. This provides a very “pleasing” composition, whilst the tight crop provides some impact

Here we find a portrait where the face is more central, but you find the eyes both hit the intersections of the top horizontal 1/3 & both verticals. The mouth is on the lower horizontal 1/3

Now don’t feel you have to be spot on the 1/3. Instead try to use it as a general framework. In this portrait you can see the hand is pretty close to the bottom right intersection of 1/3′s, whilst the eyes are somewhere near the top 1/3 horizontal. In the end it produces a nicely balanced portrait

Hope this has been of some use & don’t forget, rules are there to be broken, so don’t get too hung up on it

Notice anything different about this Portrait ? What if I was to say I took it upside down !

No, I’m not going mad. Remember those big square cameras, called medium format ? Well one of the traits of shooting with some medium format cameras used to be the fact you would see the image upside down in the view finder. Now you might see that as a disadvantage. But there is a flip side to it (sorry for pun). Landscape photographers found that by viewing the image upside down, they no longer concentrated on the small detail, but found their eye drawn to the overall composition of the shot. They used to this their advantage & produced beautifully composed photographs.

Try it for yourself. Take any photograph & turn it upside down. Look how your eye is now drawn to the composition of the photo, rather than the detail.

Well back to the subject in hand, this is how I actually took the photo :-

By taking the photo from this angle it provided 3 bonuses :-

1. The eye was drawn to the composition of the arms, hands & hair
2. The models eyes were forced to look upwards at the camera, producing a more flattering look
3. I didn’t invade the models space. Shooting the other way would mean standing over the model. A bit intimidating for some.

Anyway, hope you found that of some use. As for me, I still can’t decide which way up I like the photo !!

Studio Lighting setup 1

Lighting setup for first set of shots is largest soft box camera left , coming in to model at approx 45 degrees. 2nd softbox is back right , pointing down on to model to provide that rim / hair light.   Back light was + 1-2 stops higher than front. Collapsible black velvet backdrop in place.

Lighting Setup

Lighting Setup - Resulting Portrait

Lighting Setup - Resulting Portrait

Notice how 1 light at the front & the model facing the camera, allows you produce some clear shadow definition on the face, whilst the rim light helps seperate the model from thebackground.

3 more Example Studio setups after the link

Studio Lighting setup 2

In this lighting example , the front light has been pulled back to allow lighting of some full body shots.  Note how by asking the model to face the main light & then only use the eyes to look back at you, how you can minimise shadow on the face this time.

Studio Lighting Diagram

Here is a photo showing the height of the rim light in this setup.

Rim Lighting

The resulting end portraits are :-

Studio Lighting Examples

Studio Lighting Examples

TIP :  Stand on a chair & ask the model to look up at you by only moving their eyees.  Their head should stay level.  The results can be seen in 1st shot above.  By forcing the eyes to look up, you reveal more white of the eyes, making the eyes look bigger, which as all ladies know makes for a more flattering look

Studio Lighting setup 3

We are now moving to a 3 light setup.  2 at the front at roughly 45 degrees to model, with larger soft box acting as main light, at 1 stop higher than 2nd light.   Now for some serious rim lighting, by placing a bare studio light directly behind the models head , about 1-2 feet back.

Example Studio Lighting Diagram

Example Studio Lighting Results

Example Studio Lighting Results

TIP: Try taking some portraits at an angle.   Different is good you know

Studio Lighting setup 4

OK, last setup for you.  This one is know in the trade as the clam shell & is great for beauty shots.  Basically you place your largest softbox directly in front of the model, just above head height pointing down at model .  The 2nd softbox you place directly beneath the 1st , allowing just enough space for your camera lens to poke though.  This light will be pointed upwards slightly.

The top softbox will be 1 stop higher then the bottom one.

Studio Lighting Diagram

Clam Shell Lighting Example

Clam Shell Lighting Example

Let me know how you get on with any of these setups.  If you area Facebook user then consider “fanning” my page here, to keep up to date my latests posts   FACEBOOK

Here’s saying ciao until the next Friday Freebie

As part of my Fine Art processing in mono, I usually try to beef up the drama of the sky.  We all like to see the brilliant whites of clouds , against the near balck skies.  So how is it best done ?

Well here is a quick & easy 2 step process in Photoshop to help you get that dramatic sky.  The results can be seen below

Before & After

Read on by clicking below

2 Step Process

1. Add a gradient layer.  Ensuring you are using the default black foreground & white background in your pallet, click on the “create gradient layer” at the bottom of your layer pallete, as below

You should see a black gradient added to your shot.  Click “reverse” to ensure the gradient starts black from top of shot.

2: Now highlight your gradient layer, in the layers pallet & then change the “blend mode” (at top left) to “Overlay”.

You will now find all the white areas of the sky remain unchanged from original shot, yet the greys of skies become much darker.  Remember you can change the opacity of the gradient layer to get the effect you want & if need be use a layer mask to bring back some detail from original shot.

Anyway, have a play & let me know how you get on    Here’s saying ciao until the next Friday Freebie

(Read more Photography Tutorials here )

It’s often said the most important area of a portrait is the eyes.  You can see why from the photo above !  Having the eyes pin sharp & beautifully lit, grabs the attention of the viewer & drags them in to the shot.

Step 1 :   Lighting.  Try to get some catchlights in the eyes.  What are catchlights you ask ??  Look at the shot above & see the reflection of the windows in the eyes…… these are the catch lights.  They add a real wow factor to portraits.  Just look in any magazine & look for those catchlights.

Step 2 : (Optional) Shoot from a higher angle.  By forcing the subject to look up at you with their eyes, you get to see the whites under the iris.  This  makes the eyes look bigger, which quite often is more flattering.

Step 3: Use a shallow depth of field.   If you want to add impact to the shot, you don’t want anything in the background distracting you from the model.  By using a shallow depth of field you can achieve this goal (Shot abaove was F/4)

Step 4:  Focus on the eyes.  Ideally change your focus point so it’s placed on the nearest eye to you, when you have the shot composed.  This way you get the perfect focus for the shot.   An alternative that some people use, is to position their centre focus position over the eye, half press the shutter release to lock the focus , then recompose the shot & take the photo.

There you have it.  Hope these tips have been of some use & once again let me know how you get on.

Until the next Friday Freebie.

(Read more Photography Tutorials here )

Tip 1: Use a Flash

Now you don’t have to use the flash for the final shot, but kids are fascinated by bright lights.  In the example below I told the young girl that only if she concentrated really hard looking directly down the lens, would the the flash  go off.  Take a few with no flash & tell them to concentrate harder.   Let them have a flash shot every now again & they are hooked

Tip 2: Dealing with shy children

If you have limited time & a shy child, you are in for a hard time.  But remember, all children are inquisitive, so play on that fact.  This young girl refused to look at the camera, so as a last resort I said “Oh no, I have a mouse on the camera” .  Immediately the inquisitive young girl turned around to look, directly at the camera.  I had to grab the shot there & then.  Use your imagination , as to what could grab their attention, if only for a split second …. that is all you need.

Tip 3 : Do nothing & be patient

Sometimes it’s best to be patient &  just to wait for the eye contact :-

Click on any shot to see the full res version

Anyway, have a go & let me know how you get on

(Read more Portrait Tutorials here )

Capturing a strong diagonal in a shot, can add strong structure to the end image. Add in to the equation shallow Depth of Field & you can further control where the viewers eye will fall in the shot.

In the example above the guitar strings & neck provide the strong diagonal. Your eye is automatically drawn to it & follows the line. Now to ensure the viewers eye stops where you want it, then use a shallow DOF to ensure that specific point is in focus & nothing else. So here I wanted the viewer to focus on the left hand of the guitar player. By using f/1.8 , prefocusing on the hand & then recomposing the shot, I was able to capture the strong diagonal & focus the viewers eye to where I want on the shot

Anyway, have a go & let me know how you get on

(Read more Photography Tutorials here )

In the example below I have used a 50mm f/1.4 lens at f/1.8.  Pre focus on the eyes to ensure they are pin sharp.  Then recompose shot for final portrait.  The shallow depth of field will now soften all the other features not in the focus range , giving even more impact to the eyes.

To get a better view of how effective this is, here is a 100% crop of same shot

Hope this has been of some use. Have a go & let me know how you get on

(Read more Photography Tutorials here )

Ask the man to stand behind the lady, just to the side slightly. Now ask the lady to rest her head backwards, close her eyes & think romantic thoughts . Now the gentleman is asked to place a soft kiss on the open neck, again with his eyes closed. As long as the couple are truly in love, you should find you capture a very special moment

& then with a bit of work you can create a more dramatic shot like this

(Read more PhotographyTutorials here )

Place one model back approx 4-6 feet from the the front model. Pose them accordingly.  Now ensure camera is on F4 (or wider) & focus on front model.  Take your shot.  Some examples below :-

Notice in the 1st shot how I had to shoot from a higher position to ensure back model was high enough in shot.   In addition with Studio lighting you can control how well lit each subject is, to add further variations.

(Read more Portrait Tutorials here )