When you are photographing a person you should always focus on the eyes... the eyes create a connection with the subject and the person looking at your photo.
Showing posts with label Photography workshops in Kitchener. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Photography workshops in Kitchener. Show all posts
Tuesday, 25 June 2013
Photo Composition Tip - Photographing People
When you are photographing a person you should always focus on the eyes... the eyes create a connection with the subject and the person looking at your photo.
Sunday, 23 June 2013
Photo Composition Tip on naturally framing a subject
Framing a subject... naturally framing a focal point is a great way to anchor a photo. It gives an image a natural border and keeps the eyes on the subject.
This image uses the clock face at the Musee D'Orsay as the frame for the Sacre Coeur in the background. Both have interest, but the eye is naturally drawn to the Sacre Coeur.
The next time you are out taking photos, try to use elements to frame your image.
If you want to learn more about composition, check out our Composition Workshops at the Photographer's Lounge.
Monday, 17 June 2013
Photo Composition Tip
Two important elements of a photograph's composition are "leading lines" and "light". The eye is drawn towards the brightest spot(s) in a photo and a line, natural or man made aide in leading someones eye.
This photo uses the lighter bench on the bottom left as an anchor, then the path leads the eye into the heart of the photo, with the brighter sky as another draw of the eye.
A properly composed photo rarely happens by change. Next time you are out shooting look for leading lines and light as a way to create interest in your images.
If you want to learn more you can check out our "Composition Workshops" at the Photographer's Lounge.
Wednesday, 29 May 2013
10 days of Lighting Tips and Tricks
For the next 10 days I am going to be re-posting some great tips and tricks on various subjects pertaining to lighting, shooting styles and setting up a home studio...
Yes, some will be a bit more technical, but most of my blogs will be short, informative and full of great information that will inspire you to grab some light sources, create emotion with some shadows and just have some fun...
Happy shooting everyone!!!
Kev
Tuesday, 22 January 2013
Photography Learning Opportunities for Photographers in Ontario
Photography Workshops in Ontario
The Photographer's Lounge of Waterloo Region has announced their workshop schedule for 2013. We are offering over 40 workshops in Ontario this year and will cover everything from composition, to lighting, to landscape and nature photographic learning opportunities.
please see below for all the options that are available for you to take advantage of:
Kawartha Workshops - our weekend getaway workshops in in the Kawartha region of Ontario. we run four of these workshops each year and spend the weekend visiting waterfalls, following waterfowl and enjoying sun rises and sun sets together.
http://www.photographers-lounge.com/workshops/kawartha-workshop-series/
Composition Workshops - want to learn photo composition techniques. we run these workshops once a month for photographers that want to learn how to better compose images.
http://www.photographers-lounge.com/workshops/composition-workshops/
Beginner Lighting Workshops - these workshops are designed to teach the photographer basic lighting techniques so you can take great family photos.
http://www.photographers-lounge.com/workshops/lighting-workshop-series/
Advanced Lighting Workshops - in our studio you will learn advanced lighting techniques using speedlites and studio lights with professional models as our subjects.
http://www.photographers-lounge.com/workshops/lighting-workshop-series/
Niagara Falls Workshops - join us for our four trips to Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-lake.
http://www.photographers-lounge.com/workshops/niagara-falls-workshops/
Junk Yard Workshops - we will visit a 50 acre junk yard five times in 2013 so photographers can enjoy this location in all seasons.
http://www.photographers-lounge.com/workshops/junk-yard-dog-workshops/
If you would like to register for any of these Ontario workshops, or our International workshops, please contact Kevin Pepper at kevin@photographers-lounge.com
Or, you can register and pay for our workshops online.
I hope to see you out at one of our many local photography workshops in 2013.
Monday, 3 December 2012
Just Announced... Flash and Studio Lighting Workshops
The 2013 Dates for our Lighting Workshops have been announced. This year we have split our workshops into two categories:
1) an introductory class to basic lighting tehniques
2) an advanced lighting workshop with flash and strobe lighting.
Introductory Flash Workshops
You will regularly hear people say “I prefer natural light to the artificial look of flash.” But really, that’s not true. Flash can look as natural as the sun... if you know how to do use the light to your advantage.
Our workshops will be divided into 2 parts: On-camera and Off-camera. Each part will start with interactive discussion, and end with your hands-on shooting, using the concepts learned.
On-camera will start with Getting better snapshots. In some workshops we will be using a models and a typical house-party setup, we will explore the typical problems with shooting indoors, and demonstrate the way to make flash work for you. We’ll start with shooting high-ISO, and progress through pop-up flash, and ending with speedlights.
Once we get our snapshots, we will look at using other flash features… High Speed Sync, second curtain shutter, light modifiers, bouncing, dragging the shutter, sync speeds, inverse square law (it’s easier than it sounds). So many opportunities for creative use of flash!
Introductory Workshop One - February 3, 2013
Introductory Workshop Two - May 26, 2013
Introductory Workshop Three - August 24, 2013
The only prerequisite to this course is you must have a basic understanding of studio lighting, meaning you know how to properly meter at least one strobe. The basics of studio lighting will not be covered during this workshop.
This workshop begins with setting up each of the major studio lighting styles with a key light, namely short, broad, butterfly, loop, Rembrandt, and split lighting. The participants will move the key light themselves to the proper angle and height to achieve these styles, as well as adjust power levels and camera exposure settings to adjust the fill light in the shadowed side of the face. Together we will then look systematically at where to position background lights, in angle and position, so that the hot spots are removed and even lighting is achieved.
This hands-on approach is meant to ensure the participants doesn’t come in and watch lights being moved around, but rather that they move the lights themselves, understanding why and refining their knowledge over exercises to solidify the concepts.
From there, everyone will split into 2 groups for the remainder of this section of the workshop, and will cycle between the different lighting techniques previously discussed.
The second part of the workshop will cover some of our retouching methods in the digital darkroom as well as some critique on your favorite photos from first section.
When you have finished this course, you will be knowledgeable and experienced in the methodology of determining the position for each light you are using in a studio setting, and how they relate to each other. You will have experience moving lights and adjusting their power output to the proper settings, as well as setting your camera for the proper exposure given these settings. But just as important, you will learn some editing styles that will help you showcase some award winning images.
Advanced Workshop One - February 2, 2013
Advanced Workshop Two - May 25, 2013
1) an introductory class to basic lighting tehniques
2) an advanced lighting workshop with flash and strobe lighting.
Introductory Flash Workshops
You will regularly hear people say “I prefer natural light to the artificial look of flash.” But really, that’s not true. Flash can look as natural as the sun... if you know how to do use the light to your advantage.
The best part is you don’t need a lot of expensive gear or fancy knowledge, or painstaking hours to setup. Some inexpensive and basic gear, and the technology built into your camera are enough to REALLY improve your snapshots, and also deliver some really fun and creative photos or your family and friends.
Our workshops will be divided into 2 parts: On-camera and Off-camera. Each part will start with interactive discussion, and end with your hands-on shooting, using the concepts learned.
On-camera will start with Getting better snapshots. In some workshops we will be using a models and a typical house-party setup, we will explore the typical problems with shooting indoors, and demonstrate the way to make flash work for you. We’ll start with shooting high-ISO, and progress through pop-up flash, and ending with speedlights.
Once we get our snapshots, we will look at using other flash features… High Speed Sync, second curtain shutter, light modifiers, bouncing, dragging the shutter, sync speeds, inverse square law (it’s easier than it sounds). So many opportunities for creative use of flash!
Off-camera will explore using a single speedlight to make creative and artistics portraits. We will use bare lights and simple modifiers (umbrellas, etc) to shape light to make people look their best. Along the way, we will discuss different wireless flash triggering systems and their pros/cons.
You will learn all the techniques the Pros use and you will walk away from our workshop with the hand-outs and hands on working knowledge that you can go home and practice before your next photo shoot or family function.
Introductory Workshop Two - May 26, 2013
Introductory Workshop Three - August 24, 2013
Introductory Workshop Four - November 17, 2013
Advanced Lighting Workshops
The workshop will be limited to 12 students and will be very hands on. We are not a ‘watch me while I shoot’ kind of teachers. You will shoot, you will learn, and you will leave with the ability to create shape using flash, multiple strobes and modifiers. You will leave this workshop a better photographer than when you entered.
The only prerequisite to this course is you must have a basic understanding of studio lighting, meaning you know how to properly meter at least one strobe. The basics of studio lighting will not be covered during this workshop.
This workshop begins with setting up each of the major studio lighting styles with a key light, namely short, broad, butterfly, loop, Rembrandt, and split lighting. The participants will move the key light themselves to the proper angle and height to achieve these styles, as well as adjust power levels and camera exposure settings to adjust the fill light in the shadowed side of the face. Together we will then look systematically at where to position background lights, in angle and position, so that the hot spots are removed and even lighting is achieved.
This hands-on approach is meant to ensure the participants doesn’t come in and watch lights being moved around, but rather that they move the lights themselves, understanding why and refining their knowledge over exercises to solidify the concepts.
From there, everyone will split into 2 groups for the remainder of this section of the workshop, and will cycle between the different lighting techniques previously discussed.
The second part of the workshop will cover some of our retouching methods in the digital darkroom as well as some critique on your favorite photos from first section.
When you have finished this course, you will be knowledgeable and experienced in the methodology of determining the position for each light you are using in a studio setting, and how they relate to each other. You will have experience moving lights and adjusting their power output to the proper settings, as well as setting your camera for the proper exposure given these settings. But just as important, you will learn some editing styles that will help you showcase some award winning images.
Advanced Workshop One - February 2, 2013
Advanced Workshop Three - August 25, 2013
Advanced Workshop Four - November 16, 2013
To register for the right workshop that fits your needs please visit the Photographer's Lounge
Friday, 23 November 2012
Photography Composition Tips
Over the past week I have been posting a composition tip each day... in reality though... there are no rules... art is subjective. But it is always good to know the basics.
Below you will find a summary of each of my tips.
Leading Lines
When we look at a photo our eye is naturally drawn along lines. By thinking about how you place lines in your composition, you can affect the way we view the image, pulling us into the picture, towards the subject, or on a journey "through" the scene. There are many different types of line - straight, diagonal, curvy, zigzag, radial etc - and each can be used to enhance our photo's composition.
Naturally Framing a Subject
Framing a subject... naturally framing a focal point is a great way to anchor a photo. It gives an image a natural border and keeps the eyes on the subject.
This image uses the clock face at the Musee D'Orsay as the frame for the Sacre Coeur in the background. Both have interest, but the eye is naturally drawn to the Sacre Coeur.
The next time you are out taking photos, try to use elements to frame your image.
Symmetry and Patterns
We are surrounded by symmetry and patterns, both natural and man-made., They can make for very eye-catching compositions, particularly in situations where they are not expected. Another great way to use them is to break the symmetry or pattern in some way, introducing tension and a focal point to the scene
Depth in a Photo
Because photography is a two-dimensional medium, we have to choose our composition carefully to conveys the sense of depth that was present in the actual scene. You can create depth in a photo by including objects in the foreground, middle ground and background. Another useful composition technique is overlapping, where you deliberately partially obscure one object with another. The human eye naturally recognises these layers and mentally separates them out, creating an image with more depth.
Landscape Photography
Do not forget the foreground in a landscape photo... the best way to capture the whole photo is to focus 1/3 of the way up from the bottom of the photo and use an f-stop of f/16 to bring as much into focus as possible.
Experiment When Taking Photos
With the dawn of the digital age in photography we no longer have to worry about film processing costs or running out of shots. As a result, experimenting with our photos' composition has become a real possibility; we can fire off tons of shots and delete the unwanted ones later at absolutely no extra cost. Take advantage of this fact and experiment with your composition - you never know whether an idea will work until you try it.
Photographing People
When you are photographing a person you should always focus on the eyes... the eyes create a connection with the subject and the person looking at your photo.
Rule of Thirds
Imagine that your image is divided into 9 equal segments by 2 vertical and 2 horizontal lines. The Rule of Thirds says that you should position the most important elements in your scene along these lines, or at the points where they intersect.
Doing so will add balance and interest to your photo. Some cameras even offer an option to superimpose a rule of thirds grid over the LCD screen, making it even easier to use.
Point of View
Before photographing your subject, take time to think about where you will shoot it from. Our viewpoint has a massive impact on the composition of our photo, and as a result it can greatly affect the message that the shot conveys. Rather than just shooting from eye level, consider photographing from high above, down at ground level, from the side, from the back, from a long way away, from very close up, and so on.
To learn more about composition please check out the Photographer's Lounge composition workshops. We run a composition class each month focusing on a diferent topic.
Below you will find a summary of each of my tips.
Leading Lines
Naturally Framing a Subject
Framing a subject... naturally framing a focal point is a great way to anchor a photo. It gives an image a natural border and keeps the eyes on the subject.
This image uses the clock face at the Musee D'Orsay as the frame for the Sacre Coeur in the background. Both have interest, but the eye is naturally drawn to the Sacre Coeur.
The next time you are out taking photos, try to use elements to frame your image.
Symmetry and Patterns
Depth in a Photo
Landscape Photography
Experiment When Taking Photos
Photographing People
Rule of Thirds
Doing so will add balance and interest to your photo. Some cameras even offer an option to superimpose a rule of thirds grid over the LCD screen, making it even easier to use.
Point of View
To learn more about composition please check out the Photographer's Lounge composition workshops. We run a composition class each month focusing on a diferent topic.
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