IntroductionExploring the structure of this course| 00:00 |
(music playing)
| | 00:05 |
Whether you are a beginning photographer
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with a compact camera or a photo
enthusiast with a DSLR, this course is
| | 00:10 |
designed to inspire, inform.
And to help you create beautiful
| | 00:15 |
photographs using natural light.
Now, it may seem unusual to begin a
| | 00:19 |
course about natural light in the studio.
But before we get into this specifics
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about light, it's helpful to understand a
few important controls on your camera.
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We'll start with the basics of exposure
and I'll show you how to use your camera
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settings to get the best result possible,
in a variety of natural light conditions.
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Next we'll go outside and I'll
demonstrate different ways to work with a
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model in various lighting conditions.
Using tools to modify the light and
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capture the best possible photograph.
And finally whether you're a photo
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beginner or a more advanced enthusiast.
I've found it can be very helpful to
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watch and learn along side others with
similar questions and challenges.
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So, you'll be coming with me, one of my
students, and our model Josh in a natural
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light photo shoot.
Working with natural light can be a lot
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of fun, relatively easy, and definitely
not intimidating.
| | 01:10 |
Once you're equipped to understand and
control the light, I'm confident you'll
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find your images improving with each
shot.
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1. Understanding LightUnderstanding soft and hard light| 00:01 |
Recognizing the quality of light falling
upon your subject is the first step
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towards controlling the outcome of your
image.
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The quality of light in a photograph
refers to how hard or soft the light is
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falling upon your subject.
Hard light is considered to be direct,
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while soft light is diffused.
A good way to begin identifying the
| | 00:20 |
quality of light is to look at the
shadows.
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A soft light appears to wrap around your
subject with a smooth transition from
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light to shadow, producing soft shadows.
Soft light is even and very flattering,
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allowing your subjects to face the light
without squinting.
| | 00:36 |
And it provides a subtle gradation in
tone.
| | 00:39 |
You can find soft light on cloudy
overcast days and in open shade.
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A hard light creates abrupt sharp
transitions between light and shadow,
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producing hard shadows and more contrast.
Hard light comes from a single spot or
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source point and is very directional,
think about all the pictures you've taken
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outside on a sunny day.
Remeber those harsh under-eye shadows?
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You might be wondering, why does the
quality of light matter?
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Well, light effects the mood of a photo.
Shadows create depth, and can make the
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photo more interesting.
A light's intensity or brightness
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determines your camera's ability to
interpret the light and make a proper exposure.
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I'll talk more about exposure later in
the course.
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The two main factors that determine the
quality of light are the size and
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distance of the light source in relation
to your subject.
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For example, a big cloudy sky becomes a
huge soft box of light and results in a
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very soft, diffused light.
The smaller the light source in relation
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to your subject, the harder the light.
For example, although the sun is 100
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times the size of the earth, it's 93
million miles away, and it actually
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becomes a small light source, producing
hard, well-defined shadows on clear days.
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Now that you know how to identify the
difference between hard and soft light,
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you're on the way to creative control.
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| Understanding the direction of light| 00:00 |
The angle of light falling upon your
subject is an important concern in photography.
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Whether natural or artificially created
in a studio, the direction of light
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dictates the outcome of your image.
The 4 basic angles of light are side
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light, front light, back light and top
light.
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Side light makes the shadows in your
scene more visible, and creates dimension
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and form in your photograph.
The nature of a photograph is two
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dimensional, but by using side light you
can accentuate facial features, emphasize
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texture and create a three dimensional
quality to your photograph.
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When shooting outdoors in natural light,
look to see where the light is coming
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from so you can position your subject
with one side towards the brighter light
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in your scene.
Front light illuminates the entire face
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and occurs when your subject is facing
the light.
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This is also known as beauty lighting
because it de-emphasizes any lines bumps
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or wrinkles on someone's face.
You can read where the light is coming
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from by looking at the shadows and
attractive light direction on people as
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wide above the subject eye line.
In this image you can read the light
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direction by the shadow right under my
subject's nose.
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Shoot when the sun is low in the sky.
Early morning or early evening.
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You can position your subject in open
shade or indirect light near a window.
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Back light is light coming from behind
your subject, and can be used to create a
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rim light, a silhouette, lens flare, or
reveal transparency of an object in your image.
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This can be the trickiest light to expose
for, and you must be careful not to
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damage your eyes by accidentally looking
straight into the sun through your lens.
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A lens magnifies and you don't want to
fry your eyes.
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Create a rim light around your subject by
shooting outdoors when the sun is lower
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in the sky.
Either early morning or late afternoon.
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The goal is to shoot into the light while
avoiding the sun's direct rays on your lens.
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A lens hood is helpful in blocking these
rays.
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Create a silhouette by placing your
subject against a brighter background,
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like a bright sky in the early morning or
late afternoon, or right after sunset.
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The camera's internal light meter will
read all the light in your scene, and
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expose for the brightest areas, rendering
the darker areas almost black.
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Strong rays of light directly hitting
your lens and causing a slight sunburst
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in your images are called lens flare.
Sometimes it happens by accident, but you
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can create it in purpose for a cool,
contemporary effect on your images.
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If you want an image with lens flare and
not simply over exposure, you need to
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remember one thing, camera position to
the sun.
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This will depend on what time of day you
shoot.
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In the mornings or evenings it's easier
to shoot directly into the sun.
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But at midday this changes.
You'll need to position yourself fairly
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low to the ground in order to shoot into
the sun.
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Typically 11 AM or 2 PM are the best
times for midday lens flare.
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Take a lot of pictures and experiment
with your camera settings.
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This may be a time to shoot a manual mode
instead of one of your camera's pre sets.
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Create transparency in your images by
shooting earlier or later in the day when
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the sun's direction has a chance to shine
through clothing, leaves or flowers or
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anything else with transparency.
This really makes your image come alive.
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When the direction of light is straight
above whatever you are photographing it's
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called Top light.
It can create deep shadows under eyes and chins.
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And unless you fill in the shadows with
the reflector this is a very unattractive
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lighting scenario.
Top light happens during the middle of
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the day in bright, harsh sunlight.
This is often not a great time to shoot
| | 03:51 |
natural light, so try to avoid it.
Once you learn to recognize the different
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directions of lighting, your photographs
will become much more interesting.
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| Understanding the color cast of light| 00:01 |
Looking at the world through your naked
eye you'd probably never notice it, but
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light varies in color depending on the
light source, the time of day, the
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weather and a lot of other factors.
The human eye automatically compensates
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for these variations in color and our
eyes adjust to always see light as a
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neutral white.
Unfortunately, camera sensors are not as
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advanced as the human visual system, so
your digital camera may produce images
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with a color cast.
There are many sources of light and each
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source has its own color temperature
measured in degrees Kelvin designated by K.
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Just in case you're ever asked this
question on a quiz show, the Kelvin scale
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is named after a British scientist, Lord
Kelvin, the father of thermodynamics.
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He discovered that different light
sources emit different colors, and he
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assigned a temperature measured in
degrees Kelvin.
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For instance, color temperatures over
5000 K are called cool colors, and
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they're kind of a bluish-white.
While lower color temperatures, 2700 to
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3000 K, are called warm colors, and
they're yellowish white through red.
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This color temperature explains why
photos taken inside your home may have a
| | 01:12 |
golden cast.
And images taken at a office using
| | 01:15 |
traditional fluorescent lightning have a
greenish cast.
| | 01:18 |
And pictures taken outside in the shade
might look a little bit blue.
| | 01:22 |
And mixable light sources can result in a
funny looking photograph.
| | 01:27 |
Unless that's your creative intent.
Fortunately digital cameras have a white
| | 01:32 |
balance setting, this control is used to
compensate for any difference in color temperature.
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And allows the cameras sensor to record
the images as you see them with your eyes.
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Some color casts can be beautiful and
evoke a mood such as the warm glow of a
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sun set, or they can negatively effect
the aesthetic quality of your image.
| | 01:51 |
Such as a pink or green glow from indoor
sporting events.
| | 01:55 |
It all depends upon your creative vision.
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2. Understanding How to Control Light In-CameraUnderstanding exposure and light| 00:01 |
The word exposure refers to the amount of
light hitting your camera's sensor and
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being recorded by the camera's memory
card.
| | 00:07 |
Now your camera gives you a little help
with this situation by providing you with
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an internal reflective light meter.
That measures the light and dark in your
| | 00:14 |
scene and then tells the camera what it
thinks the proper exposure should be.
| | 00:18 |
You can let the internal light meter do
all the thinking for you and see the results.
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Or you can gain a little more control by
adjusting your camera's metering settings
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or depending on your light in your scene
and your artistic intent disregard it completely.
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In any case, it's good to know how to
control the light entering the camera.
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And exposure is a combination of three
important elements, aperture, shutter
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speed, and ISO.
It's often referred to as the
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photographic triangle.
Aperture measured in f stops, is the
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opening in the lens that lets in the
light.
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Shutter speed is the amount of time the
shutter is open to let in the light and
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ISO is your camera's sensor's sensitivity
to the light.
| | 01:03 |
Does it sound like everything is about
the light?
| | 01:05 |
Well, it is.
When you press the shutter button on a
| | 01:09 |
digital camera, a lot more goes on than
meets the eye.
| | 01:12 |
The camera's internal reflective light
meter is assessing the light in your scene.
| | 01:17 |
Adjusting for the camera's calculation of
proper exposure and focusing the shot.
| | 01:22 |
That's a lot to do in a very small amount
of time.
| | 01:24 |
But the camera is only a tool.
You are the artist and have the final
| | 01:29 |
decision with your image making.
So, let's go over a few things about
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controlling your camera to achieve the
results you want.
| | 01:36 |
Whether you have a compact camera or a
DSLR, every camera offers the option to
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shoot in automatic and that's often where
most people start.
| | 01:45 |
Now this setting is typically denoted by
a green icon on the camera's mode dial or
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just by the word auto.
When you shoot in automatic the camera
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reads the amount and type of light
entering the lens and hitting the sensor.
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And it makes the best guess for setting
the proper exposure with or without a
| | 02:02 |
flash and without much control by you.
Sometimes it's nice to know that in most
| | 02:07 |
situations your camera will take an okay
image.
| | 02:09 |
But I'm guessing that you'd like to
improve your photographic skills and move
| | 02:13 |
beyond the ordinary.
It's time to take control and get
| | 02:16 |
creative with your photography.
If you're just starting out and still
| | 02:20 |
need to experiment to build your
confidence with your camera, I suggest
| | 02:24 |
shooting in program mode.
Now, this is a more advanced automatic
| | 02:29 |
setting that determines the exposure by
focusing, reading the light in the scene
| | 02:34 |
and automatically choosing a shutter
speed and aperture.
| | 02:37 |
Yet allow you make decisions about the
flash, white balance and your drive mode.
| | 02:42 |
This setting gives you more control over
your camera, but still makes all the
| | 02:46 |
exposure decisions for you.
If you like to control the depth of the
| | 02:50 |
field and create that blurred background
effect in your portraits, shooting an
| | 02:54 |
aperture priority is a good choice.
Referred to as A or AV on most cameras,
| | 03:00 |
you set the desired aperture, and the
camera automatically adjusts for the
| | 03:05 |
proper shutter speed exposure.
You can really isolate your subject from
| | 03:08 |
the background by setting your camera to
the widest aperture, your lens will allow.
| | 03:14 |
If you're shooting with a compact camera,
try using the Portrait mode setting
| | 03:17 |
represented by the head on your camera.
Now every camera is different.
| | 03:22 |
The portrait setting could be located on
a mode dial or in your menu settings.
| | 03:27 |
When you select portrait mode, the camera
adjusts the aperture and shutter speed
| | 03:31 |
for you, softening hair and skin tones,
and minimizing the depth of field for a
| | 03:36 |
soft background effect.
Now if you're more advanced, then manual
| | 03:41 |
mode is going to give you the most
creative control.
| | 03:43 |
Allowing you to select your aperture and
shutter speed independently.
| | 03:48 |
Now, if you're unsure what your manual
setting should be, take a picture in
| | 03:51 |
portrait mode, first, check to see what
the exposure settings are.
| | 03:55 |
Then use those settings in manual mode,
and make adjustments from there as you
| | 03:59 |
see fit.
| | 04:00 |
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| Setting white balance in camera| 00:00 |
When your camera is set to the automatic
white balance setting it adjusts for the
| | 00:04 |
color temperature in your scene and makes
its best guess for the proper white
| | 00:08 |
balance exposure.
Rendering the whites in your image a true
| | 00:12 |
white, without any strange color casts.
In some situations the auto white balance
| | 00:17 |
works well and other times you may end up
with a color cast.
| | 00:20 |
Because the default auto white balance
setting doesn't always make the best
| | 00:24 |
guess regarding your particular
conditions.
| | 00:26 |
You need to take control and select one
white balance setting for each specific
| | 00:31 |
lighting scenario.
Digital camera settings vary from
| | 00:34 |
manufacturer to manufacturer, so check
out your owner's manual and find your
| | 00:38 |
white balance setting.
Scroll to the white balance options,
| | 00:42 |
daylight, cloudy, incandescent, tungsten,
and any other option your camera has, and
| | 00:48 |
pick the one that matches your specific
lighting condition.
| | 00:51 |
If you aren't sure, just choose one white
balance setting for a particular lighting scenario.
| | 00:56 |
This way you're assured of the same color
cast in all of your images and this saves
| | 01:00 |
time later when adjusting multiple images
together in an image editing software application.
| | 01:06 |
I don't suggest using the auto white
balance setting because as you shift your
| | 01:09 |
camera the white balance interpretation
could change resulting in multiple color
| | 01:14 |
casts in your collection images.
Some digital cameras have a manual
| | 01:18 |
adjustment setting that allows you to
dial in a specific Kelvin temperature.
| | 01:22 |
And the most accurate method of setting
white balance is to use the custom white
| | 01:26 |
balance setting your camera offers.
Using custom white balance amounts to
| | 01:30 |
shooting a white object as a reference,
and then shooting your remaining shots normally.
| | 01:36 |
It helps to carry a white piece of paper
or a white card or other objects can be
| | 01:41 |
used as well such as white shirts, a
white door or a concrete driveway.
| | 01:46 |
Here is how it's done.
First I need to shoot an object as a
| | 01:52 |
reference in my image, in my scene.
So I want to pick up a white card and
| | 01:57 |
have this kind of out in the lighting
scenario that I'm going to be photographing.
| | 02:02 |
So let's say I'm going to be
photographing something at the end of
| | 02:04 |
this table.
I'll go ahead and just take a shot.
| | 02:08 |
And you don't have to worry about
focusing.
| | 02:10 |
Just get the picture.
So here I've got a shot of the white card.
| | 02:14 |
Now I go into my Menu settings.
And I'm going to scoot over and choose
| | 02:19 |
Custom White balance.
And now the camera say's, I want to
| | 02:25 |
choose a picture as a reference.
And the picture I just shot pops up.
| | 02:28 |
And I'll choose Set and then choose OK.
And now it's going to say choose the
| | 02:36 |
custom white balance setting.
So I'm going to click on OK and now I'm
| | 02:41 |
going to click on White Balance.
And, cycle over to the custom white
| | 02:46 |
balance setting.
So now, I am custom white-balanced for
| | 02:53 |
the white in my scene.
So I'll take a shot.
| | 02:56 |
(NOISE) And now, the white is rendered as
a true white.
| | 03:04 |
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| Understanding ISO settings| 00:00 |
An important factor in the photographic
triangle is ISO.
| | 00:04 |
You can control the light by adjusting
your camera's ISO setting.
| | 00:08 |
ISO is your camera's sensor's sensitivity
to the light.
| | 00:12 |
Let's say you're in a low light
situation, like a party or a museum or a
| | 00:16 |
school play, and you can't use your flash
to light up the scene.
| | 00:20 |
To reduce the blur and still capture the
shot, raise your ISO to 400, 800, or as
| | 00:26 |
high as it goes.
Just experiment, that's the beauty of digital.
| | 00:31 |
You can instantly check out your image on
the LCD view finder to see if you're
| | 00:35 |
capturing a good exposure.
There's one catch to raising the ISO.
| | 00:39 |
You may see noise in your images, similar
to film grain it appears as discolored
| | 00:45 |
pixels in the darker areas of your image.
It's a trade off.
| | 00:49 |
Do you want a blurry image due to low
light and a slow shutter speed, or a
| | 00:53 |
little noise in your image?
If I do find noise in my images, I can
| | 00:57 |
filter it out later using an image
editing software program like Photoshop Elements.
| | 01:02 |
Some high end cameras allow you to use a
high ISO setting without experiencing
| | 01:07 |
major image degradation.
But many cameras produce too much noise
| | 01:11 |
when you set the ISO above 800.
You'll need to experiment and see how
| | 01:15 |
your camera responds to high ISO
settings.
| | 01:17 |
If you're in a low light situation and
would like to maintain the natural light
| | 01:21 |
effect increase your ISO.
Open your lens aperture to the widest
| | 01:26 |
setting your lens allows, and if the
light is very low, support your camera on
| | 01:30 |
a solid surface or use a tripod.
Don't be afraid to use ISO as another way
| | 01:35 |
to control the light.
| | 01:37 |
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3. Working with LightMaking the most of good light| 00:00 |
Now that we've discussed the direction
and quality of light, where do you find
| | 00:04 |
the best light for taking pictures?
Experienced photographers know that the
| | 00:08 |
best natural light occurs early in the
morning or late in the afternoon when the
| | 00:12 |
sun is low in the sky, and the light is
soft and warm.
| | 00:16 |
These are also the same times when most
people would like to be sleeping, or
| | 00:20 |
sitting down to dinner with family and
friends.
| | 00:22 |
So be aware that beautiful light may
disrupt your normal schedule.
| | 00:27 |
Whether you're shooting landscapes or
people, this quality of light offers a
| | 00:31 |
greater chance of capturing a beautiful
and interesting image.
| | 00:38 |
When I was shooting images of Josh
outside near the beach in late afternoon
| | 00:41 |
sun, it was almost impossible to capture
a bad photo.
| | 00:45 |
But what if you don't have the time or
luxury of shooting at the most beautiful
| | 00:49 |
time of day?
Are your chances of capturing a beautiful
| | 00:52 |
image, shot?
Not at all.
| | 00:56 |
It's still possible to capture great
images in the middle of the day, you just
| | 00:59 |
have to know what to look for.
| | 01:01 |
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| Working with open shade| 00:00 |
Open shade can be found almost anywhere
on a sunny day.
| | 00:03 |
The shaded area beneath a tree, under the
porch of a house, in a doorway, under an
| | 00:09 |
umbrella, or the shade of a building.
Any shady location where the sunlight is
| | 00:13 |
not directly falling on your subject.
This is one of my favorite light sources
| | 00:18 |
for shooting pictures of people.
It produces beautiful soft light, often
| | 00:22 |
mimicking studio lighting, and it's one
of the easiest light sources to shoot with.
| | 00:27 |
I'm going to move up just a bit.
This looks nice.
| | 00:30 |
So now the sun is no longer beating down
upon you.
| | 00:33 |
The light looks pretty good.
How is it with your eyes.
| | 00:37 |
You can keep your eyes open.
>> Great.
| | 00:39 |
It's totally shaded.
>> Great.
| | 00:41 |
See what these look like.
Nice.
| | 00:44 |
I'm liking these.
(NOISE) As Josh and I search for good
| | 00:49 |
light in the afternoon sun, we found
shade beneath a building overhang that
| | 00:53 |
provided the right amount of light to
evenly illuminate his face.
| | 00:57 |
As long as you place your subject
relatively close to the edge of the
| | 01:00 |
shade, looking towards the light you'll
be able to see a catch light in your
| | 01:05 |
subject's eye and their face will be
evenly lit.
| | 01:08 |
You as a photographer can be standing in
full sun to get the shot if necessary.
| | 01:12 |
As long as the subject is not in direct
sunlight.
| | 01:15 |
This means that you can photograph at
almost any time of day and not have to
| | 01:19 |
worry about the timing of the early
morning or late afternoon light.
| | 01:22 |
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| Working with window light| 00:00 |
Ha, this looks nice.
Got some great window light here.
| | 00:05 |
I think you're going to look fab in your
red shirt next to this window.
| | 00:09 |
How about like right in there.
That looks pretty good.
| | 00:16 |
Okay, may be get close to the window.
That looks nice.
| | 00:19 |
Let's see.
Window light has been a source of
| | 00:26 |
inspiration for traditional artists for
centuries.
| | 00:29 |
When they painted portraits of people.
Still life images, and the interiors of
| | 00:32 |
magnificent works of architecture.
The quality of window light I'm referring
| | 00:36 |
to is the soft, indirect light that comes
in through a window during the middle of
| | 00:39 |
the day.
This is different from the hard, direct
| | 00:42 |
light that can also come through a
window.
| | 00:45 |
Direct light can be just as unflattering
indoors as outdoors.
| | 00:48 |
I positioned Josh near a frosted window
in a hallway, and the soft light
| | 00:52 |
enveloped his face, producing a soft side
light that resulted in a portrait with
| | 00:56 |
dimension and form.
I experimented with angle and distance,
| | 01:01 |
and because it wasn't too bright, I kept
Josh at the window and adjusted my
| | 01:04 |
position to capture different shots.
Window light can be a very convenient
| | 01:10 |
light to shoot in.
Especially when the weather outdoors
| | 01:13 |
isn't comfortable and, perhaps, your
subject wants to stay inside.
| | 01:17 |
Think about the windows in your home.
Do you have sheer curtains?
| | 01:21 |
How does the light enter the room?
Experiment by placing your subject close
| | 01:25 |
to the window and then farther away.
Adjust your shooting position to capture
| | 01:30 |
a variety of angles, you may be
pleasantly surprised with the results.
| | 01:35 |
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| Working with overcast light| 00:00 |
You might think that a gray, overcast day
would be a good reason to cancel a
| | 00:04 |
photoshoot, but an overcast sky can
result in great photos.
| | 00:08 |
Instead of a direct light source coming
from a single spot in the sky, the clouds
| | 00:13 |
on an overcast day create a huge soft box
in the sky.
| | 00:16 |
Resulting in even, diffused light falling
on your subjects, and less contrast in
| | 00:21 |
your images.
Depending on the time of day you're
| | 00:24 |
shooting, the gray day cloud cover may
result in portrait images that still need
| | 00:29 |
a little pop of light to brighten up the
eyes and eliminate any unwanted shadows
| | 00:33 |
on the face.
My photos of Josh were looking a little
| | 00:37 |
dark and blah until I handed him a
Reflector to bounce a little light back
| | 00:41 |
into the the darker areas.
Now his eyes have a catch light and the
| | 00:45 |
light on his face have a bright and even.
I'll be covering reflectors in more
| | 00:49 |
detail later in the course but I wanted
to share this little secret for
| | 00:53 |
brightening up faces on an overcast day.
If you don't have an assistant or
| | 00:57 |
reflector stand handy, it's okay to have
your subject hold the reflector near
| | 01:01 |
their face, angling it slightly.
The reflective surface bounces ambient
| | 01:06 |
light into the shadows and creases on the
face and brightens up the eyes.
| | 01:10 |
And gray days don't always last.
Sometimes a bit of sun shines through the
| | 01:15 |
clouds resulting in more defined shadows
on your subject's face.
| | 01:19 |
That's what happened during our photo
shoot on a cloudy day.
| | 01:22 |
The sun was peering through the clouds,
and the reflector helped bounce the light
| | 01:26 |
and the shadow on Josh's face.
Professional reflectors are available in
| | 01:30 |
white, gold and silver.
And it's good to experience to see what
| | 01:35 |
works best in your scene.
I found that silver or white reflector
| | 01:39 |
works best on overcast days.
And sometimes a soft silver gold
| | 01:43 |
combination reflector Produces a bounce
light with just enough warmth.
| | 01:47 |
Overcast skies also allow you to capture
more saturated images during the middle
| | 01:52 |
of the day.
If you're lucky enough to have some
| | 01:54 |
weather roll in, this can be a great time
to take advantage of different moods
| | 01:58 |
weather can evoke in a photograph.
| | 02:00 |
| | Collapse this transcript |
|
|
4. Working with Tools for Modifying LightWorking with the light and diffusion| 00:00 |
Alright.
So we're going to take some great shots.
| | 00:04 |
Oh, this is a pretty area.
What do you think?
| | 00:08 |
Really nice.
Light comes from many sources and
| | 00:13 |
directions with varying degrees of
intensity.
| | 00:15 |
That's why it's important to understand
how to identify the light so you can
| | 00:19 |
begin to modify it to your liking.
Reflecting and diffusing the light
| | 00:23 |
creates so many more possibilities for
capturing a beautiful image.
| | 00:27 |
Because, you're in control.
When photographing a subject outdoors,
| | 00:32 |
harsh overhead sunlight can result in
dark, unflattering shadows on a face.
| | 00:36 |
You can diffuse and soften this harsh
light by holding something translucent
| | 00:41 |
and white between the sun and your
subject.
| | 00:44 |
Sheer white fabric, a translucent white
umbrella, or a professional diffuser
| | 00:49 |
works well to soften this harsh light.
I like to use a collapsible circular
| | 00:54 |
diffusion disk.
And you can find them at most
| | 00:56 |
professional photography stores and
online.
| | 00:58 |
The goal is to diffuse the light falling
upon your subject creating soft even illumination.
| | 01:05 |
When we arrived on location to shoot
photos of Josh during the mid day sun I
| | 01:10 |
soon realized the bright ocean would be
too distracting for a successful portrait.
| | 01:15 |
So we opted using the surrounding
greenery as a back drop.
| | 01:18 |
Alright Josh you're going to back up just
a little bit and just walk towards me
| | 01:21 |
slowly so I can get kind of an action
shot going on here.
| | 01:25 |
Nice.
A little too much contrast though, so
| | 01:27 |
let's see.
Lauren, could you come in and do some,
| | 01:30 |
work some diffusion magic on the bright
sun on his face?
| | 01:37 |
Thank you.
Oh, that's looking nicer.
| | 01:38 |
It's difficult to shoot and hold a
diffuser at the same time.
| | 01:41 |
I often use a stand and extension arm to
hold the diffusion disc.
| | 01:46 |
But if you're on the go, it helps to have
a friend or two along to help.
| | 01:49 |
In this instance, I asked my friend
Lauren to hold the diffuser between Josh
| | 01:53 |
and the bright sun.
It really helped to soften the shadows.
| | 01:57 |
I like to experiment and sometimes use a
one stop diffusion panel when the sun's
| | 02:01 |
not that strong.
Or, switch to the two stop panel which
| | 02:04 |
offers greater diffusion.
You can see how the diffusion disk really
| | 02:08 |
softens the harsh light, rendering a
nice, even glow upon Josh.
| | 02:13 |
The next time you need to shoot images in
midday sun, bring along a diffuser to
| | 02:17 |
help control the light.
| | 02:19 |
| | Collapse this transcript |
| Working with reflectors to supplement light| 00:00 |
Light is being reflected around us every
day.
| | 00:03 |
Mirrors, glass, water, white walls, and
even white tablecloths reflect light.
| | 00:10 |
By reflecting light onto your subject,
you have more control over the quality of
| | 00:14 |
light in your image.
If your subject has under eye circle,
| | 00:17 |
wrinkles and bumps, they all but
disappear when a reflector is used to
| | 00:21 |
bounce light back into their face.
So I'm going to take a few shots, that
| | 00:26 |
looks nice but it's very contrasty, so
Lauren could you help me out again, with
| | 00:31 |
the reflector?
>> You want to use the goldish side?
| | 00:33 |
>> Let's try the silver gold side.
>> Okay
| | 00:36 |
>> See how that works.
That's great, yeah.
| | 00:38 |
You're kind of filling in those shadows
there, that's nice.
| | 00:42 |
And Josh, you can close your eyes for a
second while I get set, because I know
| | 00:44 |
the lights really bright.
While we sort of fill it in and figure
| | 00:48 |
out where we're going to be.
Yeah, if you can get really close.
| | 00:52 |
I think that, I think that's good.
And Josh what I'm going to have you do
| | 00:55 |
when I say 1, 2, 3 I'll have you open
your eyes and look right in camera.
| | 00:58 |
>> Okay.
>> And 1, 2, 3.
| | 01:00 |
(SOUND) Good, you can shut them.
To reflect light, find your light source
| | 01:06 |
and position your reflector so you can
bounce the light back on to your subject,
| | 01:11 |
filling in shadows and diminishing
imperfections.
| | 01:14 |
This reflected light can also liven up
the catch light in your subject's eyes.
| | 01:19 |
You can buy professional reflectors of
gold, silver, and white from camera
| | 01:23 |
stores or online.
But you can also you common household
| | 01:26 |
items to reflect the light.
For example, a white foam core board, a
| | 01:31 |
cookie sheet covered in aluminium foil,
or an inexpensive car dashboard,
| | 01:35 |
reflector can all reflect the light back
on to your subject.
| | 01:40 |
Gold reflectors bounce a golden light.
They're nice for warming up skin tones.
| | 01:45 |
Silver reflectors bounce a cooler harsher
light.
| | 01:48 |
And white reflectors bounce a neutral
white light onto your subjects.
| | 01:52 |
>> (SOUND) That's good right there,
okay.
| | 01:56 |
I know it's, are you blind yet?
(LAUGH)
| | 01:58 |
>> Nope.
>> Alright, 1, 2 and 3.
| | 02:00 |
Right back at me.
Whoo!
| | 02:02 |
Those blue eyes look amazing!
(LAUGH)
| | 02:07 |
>> Good.
Have an assistant hold the reflector for
| | 02:10 |
you or use a light stand with an
extending arm that holds the reflector so
| | 02:15 |
you're not limited to zooming into your
subject and cropping tightly.
| | 02:18 |
And ask your family and friends for
assistance.
| | 02:22 |
A lot of people enjoy going on photo
shoots and don't mind holding a reflector
| | 02:26 |
to help you out.
| | 02:27 |
| | Collapse this transcript |
| Working with a combination of diffusion and reflected light| 00:00 |
Diffusing harsh light falling upon your
subject can definitely soften the shadows
| | 00:05 |
while keeping the overall image bright.
But sometimes you need that extra little
| | 00:09 |
kick of light from reflector to brighten
things up.
| | 00:12 |
(SOUND) This looks great but I'm thinking
probably a little reflector might help
| | 00:17 |
too, so Heather if you could step in.
Thank you.
| | 00:22 |
It's great to have some assistance, help
out.
| | 00:24 |
Woo, that's nice.
So now we've kind of knocked down that
| | 00:28 |
contrasting light.
And one, two and three.
| | 00:33 |
Right to camera, very nice.
Now give me a little bit of 'tude on this one.
| | 00:38 |
So you're looking down, you're looking up
real slow.
| | 00:40 |
One, two and look up.
Using both a diffuser and a reflector
| | 00:45 |
simultaneously gives you more options for
controlling the light and creating a
| | 00:50 |
successful image.
In this image I had Lauren hold the
| | 00:53 |
diffuser over Josh's head, and Heather
stepped in with a silver gold reflector
| | 00:58 |
to bounce a little more light into Josh's
face.
| | 01:01 |
The location of the sun in the sky an the
light falling upon your subject,
| | 01:05 |
determines the position of the diffuser
and reflector.
| | 01:09 |
In this example, it's about 1:30 in the
afternoon, and the diffuser needs to be
| | 01:13 |
placed between the harsh sun and Josh.
So, Lauren is holding the diffuser above
| | 01:18 |
Josh's head, and Heather has a reflector
position on the opposite side, reflecting
| | 01:23 |
some light back into Josh's face.
Now you can see the different effects
| | 01:28 |
created by reflecting, diffusing and
combining the two.
| | 01:31 |
Every lighting situation varies, so
experiment and see what works best for you.
| | 01:36 |
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|
|
5. Shooting Scenarios with a StudentShooting scenario: Working with sun| 00:00 |
I'm here with my new student Winter.
And she's had some challenges in taking
| | 00:04 |
photographs in bright sunlight.
So I thought I'd bring her out here today
| | 00:08 |
and we'll be taking some more pictures of
Josh.
| | 00:10 |
And I'll be showing her some tips and
techniques to help her improve her photographs.
| | 00:15 |
Now Winter tell me some of the problems
you've been having before in taking photos.
| | 00:20 |
>> I think my biggest challenge is the
positioning of the photographs, whether
| | 00:23 |
there's too much sunlight, too much
shadow or uneven skin tone.
| | 00:27 |
I just want to make it so I can see the
person clearly and pronounced.
| | 00:30 |
>> Yeah and make them look good.
>> Yes, of course.
| | 00:32 |
That's my goal.
>> All right.
| | 00:34 |
>> All right.
>> Let's go do it.
| | 00:36 |
>> I want to do it.
>> All right, let's go.
| | 00:44 |
>> Remember you can turn around and
come back out or two.
| | 00:49 |
And Winter, feel free to give him some
directions also.
| | 00:52 |
>> Okay, okay.
Can you do a crouching thing too, like?
| | 00:57 |
>> Yeah.
>> Good, good, good, good.
| | 01:04 |
(SOUND)
>> Oh, that's nice.
| | 01:05 |
(CROSSTALK) He's into the flowers.
That's good.
| | 01:07 |
Interacting with his environment.
>> (LAUGH) That's good.
| | 01:15 |
I like this that you're getting down and
getting all these different angles.
| | 01:20 |
This is great.
>> Very good I really like this picture.
| | 01:24 |
Nice strong.
So this is what my problem is.
| | 01:32 |
>>
>> He's looking he looks great.
| | 01:34 |
>> Yeah.
>> But.
| | 01:35 |
These shadows are just, they won't, they
won't do.
| | 01:38 |
>> Yeah.
Pretty harsh.
| | 01:39 |
>> They're very harsh.
>> Well, here is, here's a little tip.
| | 01:42 |
I brought along a circular diffusion disc
and I'll show you what it is.
| | 01:47 |
It comes zipped up in here and you just
open it up, poof, like this.
| | 01:53 |
>> Alright.
>> And what it is is white translucent
| | 01:55 |
fabric and I'm going to place this in
between the harsh sunlight and Josh and
| | 02:00 |
I'll wait to see what happens.
>> Okay.
| | 02:03 |
>> I'm going to step over here and I'm
going to hold it up right between Josh
| | 02:09 |
and the harsh sun.
Look at that.
| | 02:10 |
>> Oh, my goodness.
That's a whole difference.
| | 02:12 |
>> Quite a difference, isn't it?
>> It's a amazing difference.
| | 02:16 |
Wow.
>> So what's the first thing you noticed?
| | 02:18 |
>> Much softer.
>> Mm-hm.
| | 02:20 |
>> Much softer.
Even skin.
| | 02:23 |
>> And he can keep his eyes open.
>> He can keep his eyes open, yes.
| | 02:25 |
That's the main thing.
>> And so watch this.
| | 02:27 |
No diffuser.
>> Yeah.
| | 02:29 |
>> Diffuser.
>> Need the diffuser.
| | 02:32 |
>> Yeah, his eyes.
>> A whole difference.
| | 02:36 |
>> Really pop.
>> Much better.
| | 02:39 |
>> And as I kind of move it around and
bring it closer to him.
| | 02:42 |
>> He looks a little brighter.
>> Oh, I see, okay.
| | 02:44 |
>> Uh-huh.
I'm always keeping it between the sun and Josh.
| | 02:50 |
So if I'm going to take it away, I
want to make sure I can completely cover him.
| | 02:53 |
So I don't want to do it partially.
>> Okay.
| | 02:55 |
>> Right, you want to make sure you
fully cover him.
| | 02:59 |
So if I hold it a little farther away.
>> So it's always good if you can bring
| | 03:03 |
a friend with you on these photo shoots.
>> I see, I was going to ask that.
| | 03:06 |
So you always bring maybe a friend with
you to help hold that.
| | 03:08 |
>> Yeah.
>> Okay.
| | 03:09 |
>> To hold up the diffuser and help
out.
| | 03:12 |
>> Alright, great Josh.
>> You're still looking pretty good.
| | 03:15 |
>> Yeah, do you want to check some of
them out?
| | 03:17 |
>> Yeah, let me take a look.
>> Okay.
| | 03:19 |
>> Let's see.
>> So.
| | 03:21 |
Oh nice.
>> There's much more, like.
| | 03:24 |
>> Oh yes.
>> The shadows are so much softer.
| | 03:26 |
>> His face looks great.
>> And like, the light is just softer
| | 03:30 |
and that's what I like all about it.
>> Nice job.
| | 03:33 |
>> It looks good.
>> Okay.
| | 03:34 |
>> Thank you.
Thank you, Josh.
| | 03:37 |
>> So this is diffusing light with the
diffusion disc.
| | 03:40 |
>> Okay.
>> Let me show you some other lighting
| | 03:42 |
scenarios where you can improve your
photographs.
| | 03:44 |
>> Thank you.
I'm ready.
| | 03:45 |
>> Let's go.
>> Let's go.
| | 03:48 |
| | Collapse this transcript |
| Shooting scenario: Working in the shade| 00:00 |
Okay, here's another tip for shooting in
bright sunlight.
| | 00:03 |
Let's say you're walking around and you
don't happen to have a diffusion disk
| | 00:06 |
with you, the next best thing to do is to
take your subject and move them off into
| | 00:11 |
what's called open shade.
>> Okay.
| | 00:13 |
>> So we've placed Josh here into open
shade, and look at, look at his face
| | 00:17 |
right now.
What do you notice?
| | 00:19 |
I noticed that there's no sunlight.
>> Right no sunlight but it's nice and
| | 00:23 |
soft and even right.
And your camera will expose that, so
| | 00:26 |
let's take some shots.
Nice shots, as long as they're facing
| | 00:32 |
toward the light but standing in the
shade you'll get nice illumination.
| | 00:36 |
>> This.
>> Let's take a look.
| | 00:38 |
Yeah, that looks pretty good.
>> Okay, yeah.
| | 00:40 |
>> Nice, even on his face.
It looks pretty good but now let's say
| | 00:43 |
you want to punch it up just a little
bit.
| | 00:45 |
>> Okay.
>> You want to bring your reflector
| | 00:47 |
with you.
So this is a reflection, circular
| | 00:50 |
reflection disk, and they come in these
little zippered cases.
| | 00:53 |
And just take it out, this one happens to
be Gold and Silver on one side and silver
| | 01:01 |
on the other.
Now, gold typically is for warming things
| | 01:04 |
up and silver is for kind of cooling
things off.
| | 01:08 |
But they both reflect.
Now, this happens to be a combination of
| | 01:11 |
gold and silver so it would be a nice
skin tone on him.
| | 01:14 |
And what I'm going to do is back up into
the sun.
| | 01:16 |
You'll stay there.
>> All right.
| | 01:17 |
>> I'm going to back up into the sun,
find some sun for this reflector and then
| | 01:21 |
bounce it onto his face.
Now, look at that.
| | 01:23 |
>> Wow, that's a difference.
>> What do you notice?
| | 01:26 |
>> His face is just light and soft and
his eyes are popping.
| | 01:29 |
>> His face is lit up, his eyes are
brightened.
| | 01:33 |
He has a nice catch light in his eye.
>> Yes.
| | 01:35 |
Nice, Josh.
All right, yeah, look up like that.
| | 01:41 |
That's good.
>> So I'm bouncing the sunlight that
| | 01:44 |
I'm finding, outside the shade back into
his face.
| | 01:48 |
>> And it's really making his eyes pop.
Nice, Josh.
| | 01:56 |
>> An that darker background is very
nice to because it's not distracting.
| | 02:01 |
>> We're popping him out of the
background.
| | 02:03 |
>> Hm.
Okay.
| | 02:05 |
>> Okay, let's take a look.
>> How do you like these?
| | 02:12 |
>> Good, good composition too.
>> Thank you.
| | 02:15 |
>> Very nice.
Those look great.
| | 02:19 |
Okay.
So that was great for putting someone
| | 02:21 |
into open shade.
>> Okay.
| | 02:23 |
>> Now, here's another little tip.
Let's say you're in open shade.
| | 02:27 |
But you just want to put a little
brightening under their face.
| | 02:31 |
>> Okay.
>> You would take the silver side of
| | 02:33 |
the reflector.
This is better in shade.
| | 02:36 |
>> And just hold it kind of close from
your face.
| | 02:38 |
And it just brightens things up just a
little bit.
| | 02:40 |
>>
>> It's a different look.
| | 02:43 |
>> I see.
>> The light is still nice and soft and
| | 02:47 |
even on his face.
>> The intense look is good.
| | 02:49 |
It's good.
>> But, it's just a little bit brighter.
| | 02:51 |
A little bit happier looking.
>> Mm-hm.
| | 02:56 |
>> And the closer I hold this the
brighter it's going to be.
| | 02:59 |
>> Okay.
>> So you want to make sure you crop
| | 03:01 |
out the reflector.
>> Okay, great.
| | 03:06 |
>> Okay.
Let's take a look at those.
| | 03:08 |
>> So, I see a little bit of the
reflector, but you said to crop that out.
| | 03:11 |
>> Yep, good.
That's nice, and those are just a
| | 03:16 |
different look from what you had
before...
| | 03:18 |
>> Yes!
>> ...
| | 03:18 |
with the, the gold reflection on his
face.
| | 03:20 |
>> Okay.
>> Okay, now.
| | 03:21 |
>> Yes.
>> What we're going to do is we'll move
| | 03:23 |
Josh into the sunlight over here.
So Josh, if you want to step over here.
| | 03:31 |
>> And okay, here's what we're going to
do.
| | 03:33 |
First we still, he's in the sunlight, but
his back is towards the sun.
| | 03:37 |
>> Hm-mm.
>> And it's about 3:30 in the
| | 03:39 |
afternoon, so it's a little bit lower in
the sky.
| | 03:41 |
>> Yes.
>> And what you see is a nice rim light
| | 03:43 |
around his hair and his shoulders.
>> Hm-mm.
| | 03:46 |
>> Josh, step up just a little bit.
There you go now you see more sunlight
| | 03:50 |
around his hair and shoulders that pops
him out of the background.
| | 03:53 |
>> Yes.
>> But his face still looks dark.
| | 03:54 |
>> Mm-hm.
>> So, I'm going to reflect some light
| | 03:57 |
back into his face.
I think I'll use the silver gold side again.
| | 04:00 |
>> Okay.
>> And I'll step back here and find
| | 04:03 |
some sunlight.
And now pop it back into his face.
| | 04:06 |
Now, you've got the proper exposure on
his face
| | 04:10 |
>> And he has that nice rim light
around his hair and his shoulders.
| | 04:14 |
>> I see.
Yeah, the backlight is really nice.
| | 04:20 |
>> And you could hold the reflector up
and find the light.
| | 04:27 |
There we go.
(INAUDIBLE) That's nice.
| | 04:33 |
So we've got the nice room light popping
him out of the darker background and
| | 04:38 |
showing off his hair and his shoulders.
>> : Great look great look
| | 04:41 |
>> : And now I'm just reflecting this
light right back into his face.
| | 04:47 |
Looking good.
Wow, his eyes really look green now.
| | 04:50 |
>> Yeah, they do.
They are popping right now.
| | 04:52 |
Okay.
>> Okay.
| | 04:54 |
Let's take a look.
We got this one.
| | 04:57 |
>> Wow.
>> Those really look more dramatic,
| | 05:02 |
don't they?
>> Yeah.
| | 05:04 |
Uh-huh.
I really like that one.
| | 05:07 |
>> So how do you feel.
>> I feel that I've just gained the
| | 05:10 |
whole skill set right now, and I want to
go out.
| | 05:11 |
>> (LAUGH).
Yeah, so now you know how to control the
| | 05:15 |
lights by diffusing it or placing someone
in open spade or reflecting light back
| | 05:21 |
into their face.
>> I am now intimidated to use natural
| | 05:23 |
light to take my pictures now.
>> Oooh.
| | 05:26 |
>> Oooh, that's great.
| | 05:27 |
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|
|
ConclusionNext steps| 00:01 |
We've covered a lot of great content in
this course.
| | 00:03 |
From recognizing the quality of light,
the direction of light and avoiding color casts.
| | 00:09 |
To camera exposure settings, color
balance, finding the good light and then
| | 00:13 |
controlling light with reflectors and
diffusers.
| | 00:16 |
I demonstrated how to work with a model
in front of the camera lens and then
| | 00:20 |
combine some of these techniques on a
final photo shoot including another student.
| | 00:25 |
I hope these movies have helped you feel
more knowledgeable and confident about
| | 00:28 |
the language of light and how you can
control the light to improve your images.
| | 00:32 |
So what's next?
What are some things you can do to
| | 00:36 |
improve your natural light photographs?
First, I encourage you to revisit some of
| | 00:40 |
the content we've covered in the course.
And then go outside and try some of these
| | 00:45 |
techniques with your family and friends.
Take a beautiful portrait of a friend in
| | 00:49 |
late afternoon light.
Or capture pictures of your kids as they
| | 00:52 |
play near window light in your home.
Or position a loved one in open shade to
| | 00:57 |
capture a flattering shot.
The possibilities are endless.
| | 01:01 |
Now grab your camera, experiment and
practice.
| | 01:05 |
Creating beautiful photographs in natural
light is possible in any kind of daylight
| | 01:10 |
once you master the basics.
| | 01:11 |
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