Welcome to My Blog!
We started this new Blog to better display our work along with
adding more galleries as an extension of our website. We will
keep you in touch with all of our portrait programs and show off
many of the highlights of our Studio Life.
Please feel free to send us a note. Thanks for stopping by.
This was a summer sunset in Emerald Isle this july 4th weekend. Now that school has started and the summer is fading into the cool air of the Fall. Next week we will have a packed newsletter with lots of fun specials and important dates.
I think the longest studio portrait session is working with a new born baby. We spend most of the time trying to get the baby to fall asleep. Once they are just about in a coma you can arrange the little hands and arms in a pretty way.We offer a free portrait session for babies up to 4 weeks old if they join our growing plan.
We are still working with the class of 2012 and here is a senior video of Lindsey Hobgood.
Shooting Sunsets
Nothing to me is more peaceful and beautiful than a sunset. Each one is unique with its own design and colors. The best sunsets occur over water, with nothing blocking the horizon. The sun dips slowly below the line, and a few moments later, the afterglow appears, lighting the backsides of nearby clouds. This is why sunsets in Key West are so popular. It’s just the water, horizon, setting sun, and perhaps a glass of wine: a perfect moment of tranquility.
Let’s say you are experiencing the most beautiful moment of the day
(except for the sunrise, but I am not getting up that early). All you have is a point-and-shoot camera. Can you capture all these beautiful colors? Let’s give it a try.
Without going into too much detail, you should know that the light meter on your camera is going to see an exposure of 18 percent gray. The camera will measure the reflective light coming from the sky and try to average it out to the tone it is programmed to do. This will make your sunset appear lighter than you really want it. Plus, if your point-and-shoot camera is on Auto mode, it may try to flip up the flash.
So let’s capture that sunset the way it should be. Ok, set your camera on Program. Somewhere on the camera or in the function area, you will see a setting for plus and minus (like 0, -1, -02, -03, +1, +2). This is easy. Frame your image through the LCD just the way you want it. Go ahead and shoot. There it is…not a bad image, but lighter than it should be or than you want. Now the fun begins. Before you take another image, this time set the plus and minus button to -1. Take the shot again and see what happens. Now set the plus and minus to -2, take another shot, and see what happens. Let’s live on the edge and take a third shot with plus and minus set to -3. Each time, you will see the color tones in the sky get deeper and deeper. The sunset will start to come alive, and the rich reds, blues, and warm tones will start to show up on your LCD screen. You may be able to make a living doing this. Awesome.
By changing your plus and minus setting, you are underexposing the image, thus exposing the brightest part of the sky and capturing a range of warm colors. Some settings may be a little dark, but one of them will be just right to your eyes and will capture the true beauty of that sunset. Get out of the box, switch to Program mode (“P”), take control of your camera, and start messing around with the settings. You’ll be glad you did, and I promise, your images will look much better than you could get in Auto mode.
The next time you see the sun going down, give it a try. This will be hard to do on your cell phone because most of them do not have exposure adjustments. If you can’t get the sunset exposure right and it seems much too difficult, then go ahead and finish the wine and enjoy the moment anyway.
Thanks. I hope this helps.
Bill
I guess it doesn’t get any better. French Fries in France and of course in France you eat extra bread and cheese with it.
We are still having fun on the. This weekend the light was beautiful and this little guy was on the move.
Here are a few images of Ashleigh Gay and a copy of her senior video. A great session!!
The senior portraits have been fun this season. Everyone is getting into adding more of a personal touch to the sessions. Chase Johnson’s deep love for baseball was the perfect additional to his senior portrait.
I guess this show’s we have been around for awhile.Here is Natalie Lanier as a senior and way back when.
Camera Tips
Auto or Program
This is a new feature I am adding to the Blog and newsletter once a month. I hope it is helpful.
When photographing weddings, I am often asked to set up special “arranged candids” with friends hugging, laughing, and embracing one another. These shots are a sign of the times and our desire for more natural, non-posed looks. Often, I am handed someone else’s point-and-shoot camera to record the special image while using my own. I am happy to do so because it builds good will and makes me just a nice guy.
Almost every time I pick up a point-and-shoot camera, I notice it is set to the Auto setting. Let’s talk for a moment about how Auto (“A”) and Program (“P”) settings operate with a flash on your standard point-and-shoot camera.
If you keep your camera on Auto, you are very limited in the functions you can select. Most importantly, you cannot select the flash feature to come on when you want it. In Auto mode, the camera is supposed to know when the flash is needed, but it sometimes makes mistakes that can ruin a great shot.
Say you are standing in front of a big window and are about to capture that once-in-a-lifetime moment of your child. In Auto setting, the flash will not come on because the camera will think you don’t need it, but when you see the image, it will be much too dark! Why might this happen? Well, the camera noticed all the light filling the frame inside the viewfinder, and since the camera is not as smart as we are, it assumed in Auto setting that you had all the light you needed to get a great shot. Since the camera can’t actually “see” when your child’s face is backlit by a window, this special moment is lost.
Or imagine that it is high noon, and you are setting up a shot on the beach. They say the eyes are the windows to the soul, but they are set back just a little far in our heads; therefore, sunlight coming straight down creates dark shadows on our faces. If the flash in Auto mode does not come on, all you will capture is an image of Mr. and Mrs. Raccoon. The Auto mode cannot detect the dark eye shadows, so your image is not as great as it could be.
I guess that is why it is called Auto mode. It’s a non-thinking setting for your camera that is supposed to take care of everything. Almost everything.
The first step to good photography is noticing and understanding the light you are photographing in. It’s simple. Notice what you are taking a picture of and ask yourself a couple questions. How does the light look on their faces? Do I need to add light to counter shadows?
I always keep my point-and-shoot camera on Program mode (yes, I am a professional, but that is not the reason for keeping it on “P”). When your camera is in Program mode, you have more choices in camera settings. In Program, I can use the flash outside to reduce dark shadows on faces while still keeping the natural daylight settings. When inside, cameras are able to use such high film speed settings of such good quality that the flash is not needed as much. Setting your camera to Program mode will allow you to make the choice of adding more light when you need it.
Try it on your own. Set your camera to Program and say goodbye to Auto. Try turning your flash on outside and see the results. If you are using an SLR, you can pop up the flash on the camera when you want it instead of wondering if the camera knows enough to capture your child’s perfect sand castle in just the right light on its own. If you want to achieve an artistic look, using the flash may not be needed at all. Using the Program mode will give you more control over lighting situations to create the optimal look you want.
Next time I will go over the details of setting your camera to Program mode and capturing a beautiful sunset you just can’t get in Auto.
thank you for your great post.
I definitely needed those tips. Thank you very much. I might be coming to you in 2 years for some senior pictures myself 
Great tips in here, I am trying to improve my photography for some promotional work I am doing and the great tips you provide here are very useful.