Sing Photography Untucked

Housekeeping and Sing Photography School......

Hi to all!!! Time for another class of Sing Photography School but first some housekeeping.......

1.) To all who put in their shout for one.... t-shirts should be in soon. I am getting some extras too. They'll be in the mail to ya as soon as they arrive.

2.) I am looking forward to taking an Artist's Way class soon with some friends. The Artist's Way is an incredible book/program written by Julia Cameron. The group will be a 12 week program and I was invited to join the class by a good friend. There is room for more, so email me amy@singphotography.com if you would like to come along. I started this book on my own last year and got to week 6. I understand you get so much more out of it when doing it a group setting with a facilitator. I still do the morning pages she has you start from the get go of the book and it's amazing. It's for anyone really. If you think you are creative or do not think you are creative. If you are a funky artist type or a factual accountant type. Our class will be held in Tucker on Sunday evenings from like 6-8pm. Begins March 8th. Sure it's far, sure it's a commitment, but just throwing it out in case a lovely blog reader would like to sign up as well. Email me for extra scoop.

Now.... on to skewl. This week's topic is from my bud Marcy. Here's her wonderful question....

since I'm just starting with Elements is what's a general rule of thumb for you on editing...what kind of time limit should I put on myself? and are there certain features that are like the 1-2-3 steps for you to do the basics?

Some of you may be yawning now, don't worry tomorrow's post will have photos. But I do get MANY editing questions and am happy to let you know a bit of what  I know. The editing for me is the developing of the negative. The finishing off of the photograph. Pretty much, while I am shooting I am seeing in my mind what I want for the final image. So I expose, etc for what I am thinking. And that is where editing comes in. Editing, proofing, time spent in Photoshop, Lightroom, Aperture, etc is now in the digital age, called the digital darkroom. There is no right or wrong as far as how much time to spend on it. What I am saying is that for some folks, Photoshop, etc becomes a love in and of itself. In fact, Photoshop specialists at many labs, design places, are called fine artists. It's an art. I am no expert. The first time I ever used it forever ago, I went running away from it screaming and crying in terror. But, the time you spend in it, is up to you and the enjoyment you get from it. I have some landscape photography friend hobbyists who love Photoshop as much as their photography and do some really incredible things. You can even make photographs look like paintings. 

My thoughts for my own photography about editing are this....... I have a look I want for my images. To me, it brings out the best in them, the mood I want for them.... and that mood would be real life, but kicked up a bit. Authentically awesome if you will. I like clean, crisp bright color sometimes a bit over the top. Except when I like a moody, thoughtful color. I love modern, high contrast black and white. Except when I like muddy grainy old timey looking black and white. ( ;-) not much help am I?) I love that my clients trust and like what I see for the final image. And also I love their input as well. For my family snapshots, I do not edit. Seriously, it would be insane. 

Here's what I do..... I happen to shoot in RAW. I used to shoot in jpeg. No right or wrong. Once I was turned onto RAW I found I love the ease of working in it. This is where I adjust contrast, temperature and saturation according to my vision like I discussed above. Then I take the image into Photoshop to do any healing (not a ton, I like my subjects to look like themselves.) and sometimes run an action if my image calls for it. I use Totally Rad Actions and love them. You can google actions to find out more about them. A bit about actions....use them in sparingly. And also, they can't save a poorly exposed photograph. That's about it here. I am sure my Photoshop ninja friends Kelly B and Sara A are laughing at this post. Hee! Send in another question anytime! 

Sing Photography School - Back in Session

Howdy ho everyone! How was your holiday? Me? I had such a nice break enjoying family time, having lots of jammy days, playing the Wii, being lazy and seeing friends. I indulged in so many desserts over the break, that the last couple of nights I have been on the floor crying in pain over the sugar withdrawal. So, it was fun, but it's back to reality and a much needed schedule. 

I received a question from Drew a couple of weeks ago about lighting. And lucky enough, today is a perfect day for this question. Seems we've been soggy and rainy here in Atlanta forever and this week's lesson has to do with dreary lighting. Drew asks......how do you find light when you are on location in someone's home and it is dark and rainy outside? Do you break down and use a flash if needed? 

Great question because Atlanta can become cloudy and rainy for days on end (or weeks in the case of this season) and the show must go on. BUT, even in cloudy weather, there is light. Indoors, just look for the brightest spot and place your subject there. It may not be the most practical place. I have shot in a bathtub before. Here is an important tip......even on the darkest of days, when you are shooting indoors and relying on natural light, turn off any artificial light. When artificial and natural light are mixed, it causes a harsh, unnaturally warm hue to your photograph. And I do mean lights coming from anywhere! Even a lamp in another room can interfere. The camera can pick it up even if your eyes do not.

Here is a recent shoot from about a month ago in exactly this situation.........

This day was freakishly dark. Really rainy. It was late afternoon also, around 4pmish. But, we had a newborn that is not going to stop growing just because we do not have optimal lighting conditions, so it was still a great day to shoot. I just pulled everyone over to the only spot in the house that was getting any light that day and that was their front door. I had mom go grab me some blankets, (I'm not shy about asking for things or moving furniture. I have the best clients who are pretty much up for anything) and we had ourselves a great time sitting in the open doorway. And that's that! So, go for it pretty much anywhere! Like I mentioned, sometimes the bathtub is the only way to go. 

As far as the flash, I have never had to use it during a family/kiddo/baby shoot. I do carry it with me though. There's nothing wrong with the flash and I use it at night, on editorial assignments, if I am trying to get a certain look, etc. But for documenting relationships, I just prefer to use natural lighting. Wide aperture lenses are a must for me and come in handy for low light situations. Thanks so much for the question Drew! Feel free to send in another one folks. Happy Tuesday! Amy

Sing Photography School - Week 6 - Q & A

It's time for another question here at Sing Photography School. Before we start, be sure to click on the photo album at the top left here to check out a couple of more shots added to the DRPAD project. Send in your snaps! 

This week's question is from Marcy, (Who by the way, I am expecting to be a participating in the photo a day), and is getting a Sing Photography gift certificate. Ok, Marcy wants to know about prime lenses because she is considering purchasing one. Also a good place to rent lenses. 

We discussed prime lenses a few posts down at our last lesson. I personally am a zoomer and feel "stuck" in one place when using a prime lens. I love them though for their sharpness and because you can purchase them with as low of an aperture number as you could ever want. A good one to start with is a 50mm 1.8 because they are pretty inexpensive. 

Recently, I rented 2 lenses from Lensrentals.com. 

They were top notch. They had the lenses that I requested early and sent them to me for the extra time with no added charge. I highly recommend! They make it easy for you by shipping the lenses in a box that also comes with the paperwork for you to just ship it back in. It was very inexpensive and would be a great way to test out a lens before purchasing or to use a lens you may not need to buy for a trip, etc. 

Keep the questions and photos coming! Happy Tuesday!

Sing Photography School - Week 5 - Q & A

I am back and ready for school! We'll just start in with the question this week. It's from Miss Mandy, she and I have totally hit it off while hanging out here at the blog. And again this week, in honor of my festive holiday mood, Mandy gets a 100.00 Sing Photography gift certificate! I've been busy making holiday cards for my awesome clients and it has put me in the holiday spirit!  

Here is this week's question.....

always look so forward to "school"! here's a question: how many lenses do you typically use during a family shoot? wait...this might be two questions...because what i want to know, really, is do you begin shooting individuals with a normal lens then move to the whole group with a wide? or is the other way around? or neither?

I basically keep one lens on my camera all the time. Like 90% of the time. It's this one here. The 24-70mm/2.8. This lens carries me through a session from beginning to end. I love that it goes to just at wide angle and shoot at that length quite a bit whether for a single subject or several people. I love and need the 2.8 aperture and shoot single subjects at that f-stop. I use the 2.8 aperture for depth of field and I often need it to avoid using a flash or increasing my iso in low light. Lets go to a photo now just to break up the words in this post. 

The above photo was of course, taken with my 24-70. I was hanging out with the whole family and was really getting a kick out of the way Miss Priss was positioning herself away from everyone. But, I really wanted to still show the whole happy family scene as well as the statement that Miss Ava was making. So, my lens allowed me to do that. I was comfortably camped out on my stomach AND I was able to stay there AND zoom out to a fun wide field of view AND I stayed pretty open with the aperture to focus on Ava and still show her family. By blurring out the family, I feel like Ava is the focus of the photo, yet I still notice her family and how awesome they are. If I would have wanted the whole family to be clear, I would have taken my aperture to like 4.5. So, you see, the zoom/wide angle/low aperture aspect is why I just can't part with this lens.

Sometimes I use this lens

The 16-35mm/2.8. This one comes in handy for shooting interiors, is great while traveling to show structures, is a fun perspective with families and people, or to shoot our basset hound Lulu with. Below, I used it at Emily and Shane's wedding to get shots of their large wedding party. But, thought the perspective added some fun even when they got close up to me.

So, there you have it, what I am currently shooting with! I would love to become a prime lens gal. The advantage of a prime (or fixed lens), is that they are tack sharp and do not lose their sharpness as a zoom lens does. But, I am used to zooming. I just feel like I am never at the right distance when I am shooting with a fixed lens. Like I am stuck. However I do have this one  on my radar. And recently enjoyed it's 1.2 aperture loveliness while I was renting it. I just felt "stuck" in one place with it. It's weird. I guess I feel like the lens isn't moving, so I can't either. Y'all can discuss this amongst yourselves. 

I'm open for more questions now! Peace!

Sing Photography School - Week 4 - Q & A

Hi all and happy Tuesday! Class is in session. Due to the hectic time of year over here I am getting this week's lesson in at the last minute. Tis the season for a crazy busy schedule! Fun and action packed though so I wouldn't change a thing. I love my clients and love getting to visit with them this time of year. Now, on to class..... this week's question is from star student Drew. And, because I am feeling super festive this week and in the mood for a give away, he will be getting a 100.00 Sing Photography gift certificate for rocking the questions. Thanks Drew! Email your address to me and I'll send the certificate your way.

Here's the question....Are you always rolling around on the ground with those kids to get that perspective? Or do you just really enjoy playing with them all? Thanks again, Drew ;-)

Yes, I am totally rolling around on the ground with the kids to get that perspective. And yes, I love playing with them all. When I meet up with kids or pretty much anyone I am photographing, I start taking into consideration their personality, so that I can approach them appropriately to wherever they are. (Examples- I wouldn't start chasing a kiddo that may take a bit to warm up. Or I may want to just sit and talk for a bit to a little guy who has "cheese!" on the brain.) Just like adults, kids have such different personalities with more facets to their personalities than I could list here. Besides the old photography trick of getting at kid level to get an interesting shot of the child, getting to their level works to best tap into the inherent personality traits they each have so that I can capture an authentic photograph. It also tells them so much, that I am interested because I can give them eye contact and that I am not intimidating. And that it is time to play, chat or hang out. I let them take the lead in a way. The session is about them anyway.

I usually come away from a session a complete mess! I clean up pretty well and my clients get to see me again when we view their session, so I'm cool with this. I have no shame and when the moment is right or I see a shot, I'll throw myself on the ground, etc and I don't even realize it. Clients are usually brushing dirt or pine-straw from my clothes. I've stopped off at the grocery store a time or two after a session and had fellow shoppers stop to pick grass out of my hair, sweater or jeans, even though I thought I had gotten it taken care of before heading in.  A couple of weeks ago after a shoot on a Sunday I stopped at the hospital on the way home. I had a sinus infection and seriously couldn't wait another day to get started on antibiotics. Anyway, while they were checking me in with blood pressure, temperature and questions, the nurse said "Do you need a wheelchair to get back to your room honey?" I said "No thanks." Then she mentioned the grass and dirt on the back of my sweater and wondered if I had fallen on the way in. She didn't think it was safe for me to walk back to the room on my own until I assured her that I was ok. 

So, yeah! Get out there, roll around and have be crazy with your kids! Hang out on their level (literally and personality wise) and get some real and authentic photos! Peace out! (Ready for another question over here. Anybody?)   :-)

Sing Photography School - Week 3 - Q & A

It's Tuesday again! That means it's time for class here at the Sing Photography blog. This week's subject is another q & a. I love the questions that are coming in! That way I can talk about whatever is on your mind rather than ramble about some topic you don't care to hear about! 

This week's topic comes from Brandi.......framing the subject before you shoot the picture. i always seem to have too much junk in the background. b 

 

I love this question! It could go many ways. And we could also divide it up into lots of little sub categories. First of all, my intention in posting Sing Photography School is to give you what are hopefully easy to follow and practical tips in some of my not so technical words. However, one aspect of framing a subject that comes to my mind immediately is the rule of thirds. You can read about the rule of thirds in every photography and design book out there. If you took a class, this would be in the beginner course. So, I don't need to write too much about it. I'll let you read about the rule of thirds here. 

Some other aspects that come into play when framing your subject (and these could each be a topic on their own) are perspective, balance, angle of view, visual cropping and leading lines. I am going to answer this question based on what came to my mind when I first read it. It may touch on a few of the topics mentioned above, but I think it is very basic. And a great place to start. We can always go more advanced.

As photographers, when we go into a situation with our camera, sometimes we can get overloaded. It's just the way we are. Maybe we are in a new place, an incredibly beautiful location, our kids are involved and they are beyond excited or looking especially adorable, or we are at an event that is important to us. Some locations or scenarios that come to my mind are pumpkin patches, an amusement park, the beach, a birthday party, just to name a few. It can be frustrating to take a photograph and not have the feel of the day or moment come through. Many of these situations are overloaded with other folks that you may not necessarily want in your image. Or, when you are taking an overall shot, the location is just not that attractive. 

Something I do when I walk into those situations is break it down. I think in detail and snap off small chunks here and there to tell my story. Or what it is that is meaningful to me. This also allows you to become very creative. Trying out different angles,etc. I am a visual person, so I think it's time to pull out a photo here to start 'splaining.......

ok, this above shot is from last year's p.p visit. When I was taking huge full field shots, it wasn't getting for me. They were just blech. By catching a piece of the radio flyer wagon that we cart our pumpkins through the field in, that summed it up better to me. Also, with your kids or a person as the subject, get close and crop out the busy background. You could just get a glimpse of a pumpkin and you would know that the shot was all about the pumpkin patch.                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Ok, the above shot was taken at the dreaded park. With all the poles, rails, tunnels, etc in the way, not the best location for capturing how excited our kids are to be there. But, when you break it down, the park actually is a great place. Cool lines, fun peepholes, bright color, happy kids. Getting a full slide view of Garrett and the slide wasn't getting across what I wanted. But, even though when I took the photo I cropped out the slide, we can still tell he is on one. And, the shot is a bit more interesting. (To me anyway. The interesting part is up to you.)

During a hike in the woods with my fam, I found that taking photos of all the trees and the woods were actually not looking very woodsy. I was getting a bunch of distracting pictures. A mess if you will. But, when I stopped for a bit to think of what I was really enjoying from our hike, I realized how much I was loving the moss. So, that is where this picture came from. By getting at moss level, I also got the leaves, trees and a this photograph of what I think looks like the woods. (A macro lens would have been a blast here. That is a total digression.)

Above snap....Disney World February 2007. We met Lighting McQueen and Mater while the boys were in the full throws of their obsession with the Cars movie. I had to get it right. The streets were packed with people that I did not want to be in these shots. Full on pics of the cars in the crowd did not tell any kind of story (well except to show the mob of fans). Anyway, there was no way to get a lovely photo of McQueen's face and the boys standing there sweetly. We had to rush. By visually cropping other folks, I was able to capture the 95 and Jack's hand on McQueen and Garrett standing there in awe. Had I tried to stand back and get a full shot, I would have gotten only a mess of people with my boys somewhere in the middle. I ended up just focusing on bits of McQueen and Mater to tell the story (their eyes, car parts, etc). And I did take some full on mob shots to show what rock-stars McQueen and Mater were.

And of course, while working on framing, don't become so detail oriented that you miss out on the big picture. It's always great to capture big views because they are part of the story as well. While on that same Disney trip, I was able to get an overall shot of our hotel from the monorail. 

Hope this is a start for framing a better picture. To sum it up...... get close, move around until you see the shot, try to think outside of the box. And get out there and practice! If you don't have a ton of bad shots on your computer, then you aren't taking enough photos!    Peace! Amy

Sing Photography School - Week 2 - Q & A

Happy Tuesday everyone! Thanks for the awesome feedback to our fun photography class! I enjoyed your comments and emails so much this week! Last week, I asked for topics you'd most like to read about and Drew's question came in first. So, that's what is on the lesson plan for this week. 

Ok, here's the question.........

I would like to learn more about how you shoot directly into the sun and still get a decent exposure on the faces.Do you overexpose? Do you do it in Photoshop? You have a way of 'blowing out' the backrounds and highlights and keeping the subject still exposed correctly. Thanks Drew

Drew is a guy that knows his stuff! Because he is dead on. I overexpose. First, I'll preface a bit by saying that this " blown out background look" came out of necessity for me. And I happen to really be crazy about it. When I am shooting a session with a family having fun, or a toddling around little one, etc and so on, I don't want to break the mood by interrupting whatever is happening to move everyone over into perfect lighting. Or maybe I like the scenery or what is going on and I love the shot I see and I happen to be facing the sun. I can really quickly, without any extra equipment that may be distracting to my subjects, just adjust the settings in my camera and come away with a rocking super fun happy look. ( this is my opinion. much in photography is subjective. which is really cool. you are the photographer, with the right technical knowledge, you can capture the look, feel, mood, etc you want and try out a technique you dig. Or blaze your own path!)

So, I'll go ahead and post an example here.......

A lesson in photography is that your light source should be behind you (the photographer) so that it falls on your subject. But, that doesn't have to always be the case. In the above shot, I loved what was going on with this fam. I could see the harsh, late afternoon winter sun between the trees and wanted it to come across in a portrait. So, I focus on my subject, meter in camera (I happen to like my camera's evaluative metering best), and then overexpose from what the camera is saying the correct exposure would be. How much overexposure really depends on the situation. That is when you can use the handy little screen on the back of your digital camera to chimp. Or, if you are using film, it's not too expensive to practice on a few rolls. In the case of backlighting, if I went with what the camera is telling me to expose, my subject would be too dark. I usually want my subject's face to be fully lit. I'm a face gal. Now.....I happen to love this really bright and "contrasty" look. It says to me that fun happy look I was talking about. But, it does blow out any light areas background. In the case above, the sky was harsh and white like that anyway, so I am cool with the white sky. Camera settings for the above shot were - iso 320, f/4, 1/2000 shutter speed.  

So, what I keep constant is my aperture and iso. I usually like my aperture as wide open as possible to let in the most light possible. And I am all about a lovely blurred out background a wide aperture creates. Unless I need to focus on more than 1 subject.  I keep my iso as low as possible and change it as a last resort. When I meter, I am changing the shutter speed. This works quickly for me. If the shutter is dragging or too fast, then I'll adjust the iso or aperture accordingly. The above shots were taken at iso 320, f/3.2, 1/1000 shutter speed.

Using backlighting can also be done with your point and shoot. The above shots were taken with my point and shoot at the beach. I didn't like what I was getting in auto, so I put the camera in manual mode (read your manual, you probably have a manual mode on your point and shoot.) In this case, I had to raise the iso. No aperture settings on my point and shoot. And, in this case, the sky was late morning harsh and white, so I am all good with the blown out background.

Now, this isn't exactly on topic, but I'm southern and can digress in conversations and when writing as well. The above shot is also an example of backlighting. In this case though, I wanted the whole portrait balanced as far as lighting is concerned. So, since Sydney is 6 and won't run away mid shot, we had time to get a piece of white foam core in her house to use a reflector. Her mama assisted and held the board until I liked the lighting on Sydney's face. Give this a try sometime! It's fun. I have a beautiful muslin reflector, but you can use white poster board or something reflective in a pinch. One time on the set of a shoot, the stylist at the location had a gold metallic purse. We were in harsh lighting and I noticed the purse and used it on the subject's face. It worked nicely. (Another digression). 

So, there you have it. This lesson was loooong. If you made it this far you get an A. Get out there and practice backlighting if you are so inclined and let me know how it goes. And if you have any questions! Also, leave me a comment on other topics you'd like to see discussed here. Next week on the agenda is a question from Miss Brandi left in the comments last week. And check back here tomorrow for a peak from a fun pumpkin patch session!!

Sing Photography School - Catchlights

Hi everyone and welcome to class! I often receive emails from folks asking photography questions. And of course, I love to talk photography!!! So, I am beginning a new Sing Photography School series here on the blog. Check in every Tuesday for some fun, free and practical photography tips. 

I thought I'd start this week out with a bang by discussing a tip that is one of my all time favorites. Catchlights! They don't cost anything, can be achieved no matter what camera you are using, and will dramatically change your photographs in an instant! 

Catchlights are highlights in the eyes - they come from the reflection of your light source. Without them, your subject's eyes can appear dark and lifeless. With them, your subject's entire face will be lively and full of personality. The best way to achieve them is to begin by paying attention to them. When you can see them in person, you will be able to see them in your camera. The best time or places to begin practicing is in open shade, late afternoon sun, or indoors by a bright window. (Turn off your camera's flash). 

Bright overhead sun- (think at the park or beach mid day) will create shadows across your subject's eyes and you won't be able to find any catchlights in those conditions. (unless you use fill lighting, a reflector, or sunbrella. but that would be another class.)

What I love about learning catchlights is that by noticing them, you will begin to notice the millions of different lighting conditions that are out there and that come in to play when taking photographs. Your photography will change overnight! 

Now, while you are out there working on your catchlight skills, don't forget to take everyday, imperfect photos. I don't want you to miss a wonderful memory or opportunity just because you were in not so great lighting! 

Hope you found this fun bit on catchlights helpful! What's on for next week? Well, I thought I'd let you decide! Leave me a note in the comments section and I'll take from there what you most want to get "learned" in. Also, email me your catchlight photos. I'd love to see your homework! Happy Tuesday!