Bennett’s Camera

Technology, homemade light modifiers, photographer ingenuity, store-bought products, or a combination of any of these can provide a solution to the harsh light problem of outdoor portraiture.

The world is chock-full of items that don’t go well together. The quintessential science example is oil and water. How about a cell phone and a swimming pool? Not a good pairing. In the world of photography, how about harsh sunlight and portraiture? While there may be no hope for the first two examples, there are options for the last. These options include technology, homemade light modifiers, photographer ingenuity, store-bought products, or a combination of any of the above that provides a solution to the harsh light problem.

Example No.1

Before and After: These two images were made with a digital point-and-shoot camera. I intentionally included these before and after pictures to prove one doesn’t need to spend thousands of dollars on sophisticated lighting equipment to net a pleasing image. This is a photo of a participant on my nature photo tour to Hunt’s Mesa and Capitol Reef National Park. When I saw how the fall foliage and the red vest blended, I knew there was a photo opportunity, but the light falling on the subject was awful.

Out from my pocket came my little point-and-shoot. I knew I had to use fill flash to counteract the high-contrast light falling on the subject. I set the flash mode to “Forced On” as it otherwise would not fire due to the intensity of the ambient light. I made the image, but the result was still less than ideal. I showed the photo to the “nature-walk class,” and the realization was the flash on the point-and-shoot was not powerful enough to overcome the harsh sun. I then asked for two volunteers to stand to the subject’s right side to cast their shadows across her. This softened the light to the point the flash on my trusty point-and-shoot worked just fine, as evidenced by the result in the “After” photo. Moral: A combination of flash technology along with a bit of ingenuity and two volunteers worked together to provide a nice souvenir portrait, even with a point-and-shoot camera.

Example No. 2

Overhead Sun and A Large Hat – Two Major Obstacles: When the sun hovers directly above, deep shadows appear in the eyes, under the nose, and under the chin. To make matters worse, the lit portions of the face tend to be washed out. Add to the mix a hat that creates its own havoc-filled shadows, and the photographic nightmare begins. Thankfully, the fix is as basic as the pop-up flash on a DSLR, providing the photographer is close enough to the subject. As an instructor for the Panasonic Digital Photo Academy, I went to New York City for an orientation. During this orientation, one session included a photo shoot in Central Park with live models. I positioned one of them by an iron fence, as the setting matched her outfit.

As you might imagine, the light was horrendous because the hat created a strong shadow directly across her right eyebrow and left eye. I set the focal length of the lens on my Panasonic L1 DSLR to 50mm and moved in close so the pop-up flash would be strong enough to offset the harsh ambient light. I had to set the aperture to f9 because of the strong ambient light, but in checking the depth of field, this was not a problem in that the background was far enough away to throw it out of focus. I set the compensation on the flash to +2/3 so it would act more as a main light rather than a fill, which was necessary to overcome the shadow cast by the hat. Look closely at the image to see how the shadow line of the hat crosses just above the eyes but even the light is a result of using the flash and moving in close to overpower what would have otherwise been a poorly lit photograph.

Example No. 3

White Reflector: In the portrait of the girl in the red blouse, I used a reflector to bounce light back onto her face. The weather conditions included cumulous clouds in the sky. I took the photo when the sun just started to be obscured by one of the clouds. This provided directional, yet soft, light. The reflector kicked back just enough light onto the subject’s face to make it the brightest part of the image. Without the reflected light, she wouldn’t stand out as prominently, and soft shadows would have appeared in her deep eye sockets and under her nose.

With a little patience, and these handy tips,your outdoor portraits can really pop, giving them that glamorous look of a professional photo shoot.

Capture the Possibilities!

Register now at Bennett’s Camera!

Saturday October 9th, 2010

9:00am to 4:00pm, includes refreshments and a break for lunch

Sheraton Galleria,  4 Galleria Boulevard Metairie, LA 70001

Cost:$25.00 and receive a $20.00 Bennett’s Gift Card

Bennett’s Camera 504-885-9050

A George Lepp Seminar for Nature and Outdoor Photographers

In the age of digital, photography is still the same—but everything’s different! Exciting new equipment, capture techniques, and software programs are redefining the field by overcoming the limitations previously set by film and expanding the possibilities for expression of every photographer’s creative vision.

Today’s digital photography involves mastering the inter-related processes of image capture and optimization. How we approach each subject determines the range of possibility for its portrayal, so get it right from the start. As George will demonstrate, there are no limits! You’ll learn how to create magnificent panoramas (even macro panoramas) and high-resolution “gigaramas,” maximize your options with expanded ISO, photograph lightning in the daytime, get unlimited depth of field for landscape and macro applications, and achieve perfect exposure with HDR composites or multiple-processing of a single image. And it’s time to embrace action—and stop action—with time-lapse movies created with your DSLR and the high-resolution video capabilities of many of the new cameras. It’s a whole new approach made easy with your familiar lenses and simple, efficient editing software!

In this seminar, George Lepp will share his many creative approaches to landscape, macro, and wildlife subjects to help you get every shoot right from the very beginning. Illustrated by George’s masterful imagery and seasoned with wit, this program is a must-see for nature and outdoor photographers who are ready to embrace all the possibilities of digital capture and composition. You’ll be inspired and energized, and ready to get better results and more enjoyment from your photography!

Tips for Photographing Little Leagues

like a Big League Pro!

Learn your camera menu.

Menus are crucial, and screens are often impossible to read in the sunshine. Don’t wait until you’re outside and shooting before trying to figure out the camera.

Learn how to operate the aperture and shutter speed settings. For any degree of sophisticated photography or anything with a creative bent, you should know how to use the more advanced controls. Everything should be natural to you before picking up the camera and trying to shoot.

Know the sport.

The better you know the sport, the better you can position yourself to capture the best images. For example, if you’re at a Little League game and you think there’s going to be a play at the plate, you can move around and get the shot before it’s all a cloud of dust.

Give yourself warm-up time.

Get to the game early enough to photograph the players warming up. It’s a good time to get in sync with your camera. Just like the players, use this pre-game time wisely.

Be a director.

Move your subjects around, and try different things and angles, rather than simply taking straight on shots. You can dramatically change the look and feel of your images.

Become a student of photography.

Look at other people’s work. You can learn a lot by trying to replicate the looks achieved by other photographers.

Reverse engineer the more difficult photographs.

If you’re trying to achieve a complicated shot, try to reverse engineer it. How did the photographer do that shot? Were there extra lights in it? What was the angle?

Think about what you might have missed.

Before you stop shooting a particular subject, ask yourself: “What haven’t I captured?” Can you shoot higher? Can you shoot lower? Can you move to the left or to the right? Can you change lenses or ISOs? Can you capture the action from a different angle and capture something new?

Learn the athlete’s tendencies.

For example, if you’re shooting a left-handed hitter, you want to be on the third-base side so he or she is facing you when batting. Pay attention to the tendencies of the children when they are up to bat or in the field. Use that knowledge to anticipate and prepare for those great shots.

Think about how you want the picture to look.

With a Little League game, you may not have a lot of choices, but you can create better images by thinking in advance about what you want. Sometimes you can make a big difference with a small change. It could be as simple as turning on the flash in the middle of the day to force the shadows.

Remember, you never know what will happen, where, or when. So stay alert and be ready to move where the action is to make sure you get that perfect shot.

Congratulations to the Russo and Gros Families!  They were the lucky winners of an autographed portrait of Eli and Peyton Manning respectively.  Bennett’s Camera participated with Canon USA  at the 2009 Manning Passing Academy at Nicholls State University loaning Canon cameras to family and friends of the athletes.

CLASSROOM SESSION

May 15th,  2009 - Friday  6:00 - 9:00 pm

In this fast paced 3 hour seminar, centered on taking better images, your instructor will present a variety of techniques that cover exposure, lighting, composition and more using his stunning images as starting point for discussion.  Equipment selection and post production methods will also be discussed.

 IN THE FIELD SESSION

May 16th, 2009 - Saturday  Six hour Instruction

An early morning shoot in a local cemetary, followed by a walking tour through the historic French Quarter.  Richard Martin will demonstrate techniques for architectural, macro, travel, people photography and more!  A deli-style lunch and review will be held in a local restaurant in the French Quarter.

 CLOSING SESSION

May 16th, 2009 - Saturday Wrap - Up

The wrap up portion of the workshop will be held at Bennett’s Camera.  Wrap - Up will consist of review of the days activities, follow up Q & A, door prizes and more.  Refreshments will be served.

 $179.00 per person   (Seating is limited to 30 students, sign up now!)

 Who should attend:

Beginners through advanced DSLR photographers with a love of photography.

 What’s included:

Welcome Bag, In the Field workshop, Transportation, $20.00 Bennett’s Gift Card, Classroom seminar, Loaner equipment, Refreshments and Meals, Exclusive Tamron, Bogen, & Expodisc Offers and Rebates, Door prizes include Nik Filter Set, Books, Tripod, & more.

About Our Photographer - Richard Martin 

Well known for sharing his enthusiasm, creative vision, and passion for the medium, Richard Martin has been leading annual workshops on photography and visual design in his native Kingston, Ontario for fourteen years.  He also teaches workshops and seminars across the country, including Seattle, San Francisco, Vancouver, Toronto, and Montreal.  He is best known for his unique vision of the natural world, with a personal style characterized by a strong sense of composition, color, and the use of light - combining an architectural love of geometry, pattern, and texture with a painter’s sensitivity color, light, and composition.

Bennett’s Camera is proud to present Joshua Lee Studio.  Unique photography “Focused on the Louisiana You Remember”.  Often poignant, always inspirational, and satirical to say the least, come see the great works of Joshua Lee.  Many sizes available, you are guaranteed to fine one that speaks directly to you!