Camera Dojo » Shooting and Lighting Tips

Use a simple angle to make a shot more dramatic

KerryG — Thu, 09 May 2013 14:22:02 +0000

Here is a quick tip for you that can make a big difference in your shots, try adding a little angle to your shots when you take them. The following two images show what a little turn of the camera can accomplish.(...)
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Skills You Need To Thrive as a Wedding Photographer

KerryG — Tue, 07 May 2013 17:06:06 +0000

Wedding photography can be a very lucrative endeavor for a budding, talented photographer out there. However, it takes a specific skill set to really thrive out of the gate, and you should be aware of what you would need to succeed. If you can begin the venture with these skills and the right mindset, you could stand to be a highly sought after photographer in your area. Here’s what you need.

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Post tags: Business, Photography, Skills, wedding

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Simple Yet Effective On-Location Portrait Lighting Setup

KerryG — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 09:00:37 +0000

I often get asked to do portrait shots during local charity events and getting a simple lighting setup is the key to having a successful event. If you just use on-camera flash you will get very flat lighting which isn’t going to make the people look very good plus it also makes harsh shadows behind them. What you really want is some good directional lighting from one side with just enough fill light to reduce shadowing on the other side. In this article we are going to look at the basic lighting setup I use for these types of portraits and how it works.

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Post tags: exposure, lighting, Setup

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Mastering Your Flash 101 – Learning to Love eTTL/iTTL

KerryG — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 09:01:03 +0000

For many people the thought of taking their flash off of eTTL/iTTL mode is as intimidating as BASE jumping off a bridge, this is because they haven’t even fully mastered these automatic settings yet. The fact is, eTTL (Canon) and iTTL (Nikon) modes do work pretty good most of the time. However, there are two basic issues that these modes suffer from that there is simply no way to avoid. First off, the camera/flash doesn’t know what you are trying to accomplish, it will simply attempt to get a good exposure based on what the camera is seeing which may or may not be how you are trying to light the scene. Secondly, the metering modes can be confused by what the light is pointing at, this can result in over-exposed or under-exposed images. In this first part of our Mastering Your Flash 101 Series, we will address these two issues and learn to fine tune what our flash is doing.

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Read the original post at Mastering Your Flash 101 – Learning to Love eTTL/iTTL (1,449 words)

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Post tags: eTTL, flash, lighting, Speedlites

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The Sunny 16 Rule in Photography

KerryG — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 08:01:03 +0000

Although you may think that no two situations are alike, the fact is that there are a few constants that you can rely on to give you a good starting point. The sun is one of these things you can count on to be consistent. Of course there are things that affect the sun’s output like the time of day, haze, fog, and clouds, but on a bright sunny day the light output is very consistent and knowing the camera settings for this condition will give you a guideline to make adjustments. This is where the “sunny 16″ rule comes into play.

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Post tags: Adjustments, camera, ISO, light, lighting, shooting, shutter

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The Latest Fujifilm FinePix SL1000 Review

Chris — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 17:11:36 +0000

Fujifilm is a Japanese multinational photography and imaging company which has been consistently presenting an array of digital cameras in the world of photography. Lately the company has come up with its latest product i.e. Fujifilm FinePix SL1000. Fujifilm SL 1000 is categorized as a low cost super zoom which is expected to go head to head with mighty PowerShot SX50 HS by Canon which won the award for Best Super-Zoom in the year 2012. It’s said that Fuji SL 1000 will be best suited for the newbie in the world of photography.

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Read the original post at The Latest Fujifilm FinePix SL1000 Review (590 words)

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Building your own snoot

KerryG — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 08:01:16 +0000

What is a snoot? Simply put, a snoot is a tubular structure that is used to limit the throw of a light source to create a narrow beam of light. While commercial snoots are actually pretty affordable, from $14 to about $20, so why would we want to make our own? Because we know what we want and because for $20 we can make a dozen or more experimental ones and end up with a handful that we could use in different situations. So guys. go break into the wife’s scrapbooking supplies and get ready to make your own customized flash snoot.

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Post tags: Accessories, DIY, flash, lighting, snoot, Speedlite, Strobe

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Lighting Basics – Using a single light source

KerryG — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 08:01:51 +0000

Along with dissecting different photo shoots like we have done in the past, we are now beginning a new “Lighting Basics” series that will start with a single light source and work up through multiple lights and advanced lighting techniques. Today we will start with a single flash and show how to make the most of an on-camera flash, an off-camera light, and how reflectors can make it appear as if you have more light sources.

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Read the original post at Lighting Basics – Using a single light source (1,149 words)

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Post tags: flash, lighting, Portrait, Single Light, Strobe

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Getting Flash Exposure Fast

KerryG — Fri, 01 Mar 2013 09:00:03 +0000

In this episode of our Friday Photo Tips I answer a common question about how to get flash exposure dialed in quickly when using manual strobes. This will work whether you are using manual speedlights or studio strobes. With this simple technique, you are only a few seconds away from getting your flash exposure quickly and easily.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oZB2OH-75I

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Post tags: aperture, DSLR, exposure, flash, lighting, Manual, Photography, Speedlight, Speedlite, Strobe

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How to hold your camera

KerryG — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 15:17:48 +0000

In this week’s Friday Photo Tip I show you some different techniques for holding your camera to help prevent camera shake. Accidentally moving the camera when taking a picture is one of the leading causes of fuzzy or blurry images and these techniques will help.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M59WC4fOChg

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Post tags: Blurry, camera, Friday Photo Tip, Photography, Shake, Techniques, Tips

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How to clean your DSLR sensor

KerryG — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 04:46:48 +0000

In this episode I show you how to clean the sensor on your DSLR or mirrorless camera. To clean the sensor I use a LensPen SensorPen and KlearLoupe. This kit allows you to easily see the dust on the sensor and remove it without using and chemicals that can leave a residue on your sensor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3N1pWoTmqI

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Post tags: cleaning, Friday Photo Tip, lenspen, Photography, sensor, SensorPen

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Posing Basics: Using V’s for Composition and Framing

KerryG — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 16:34:03 +0000

Using V shapes is extremely pleasing to the eye and can help add a lot of dramatic flair as it really makes the subject stand out. The V shape can be used for both composition as well as framing the subject. In the first example we see how V’s help the overall composition of the shot:

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Read the original post at Posing Basics: Using V’s for Composition and Framing (51 words)

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Post tags: Models, Photography, Posing, Women

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Using a reflector

KerryG — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 18:00:20 +0000

In this episode, Kerry Garrison (http://kerrygarrison.com) shows how to use a reflector to bounce sunlight onto a subject to help improve your natural light portraits

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpecG1T1vfc

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Post tags: Friday Photo Tip, lighting, Natural Light, Photography, Reflector, technique, Tip

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Posing Basics – The Naked Shoulder & Full Back

KerryG — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 06:57:01 +0000

Continuing in our series on posing is The Naked Shoulder. In this pose the subject’s face is turned towards a naked shoulder with the face in either full frontal or 2/3 view. Of course the shoulder doesn’t always have to be bare but who doesn’t like to see more skin on a beautiful model? This pose works really well with all kinds of women, its easy to do, always helps to make a woman look great, so its no wonder it is so popular.(...)
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Post tags: Models, Naked Shoulder, Photography, Posing, Woman

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Friday Photo Tip – Understanding ISO

KerryG — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 06:11:00 +0000

The ISO setting of your camera is used to adjust the sensitivity of your camera’s sensor, allowing you to shoot in darker situations than normal. There is a trade-off as increasing the ISO setting will eventually degrade your image quality. In this video I explain more about the ISO setting and shows examples of how too high of a setting can result in poor image quality.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWgYfrr7clA

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Post tags: exposure, Friday Photo Tips, ISO, Photography, Tips, Tutorials

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Classic Portrait Lighting Styles Part I

KerryG — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 07:00:36 +0000

As we continue our series on portrait lighting we now need to look at the different types of classic portrait lighting and see the effect it has on someone so we can decided when to use each type. By choosing the proper lighting for a particular person, we can help them to look their best by making them appear to be thinner or wider or to accent or minimize certain facial features.(...)
Read the original post at Classic Portrait Lighting Styles Part I (535 words)

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Post tags: camera, exposure, light, lighting, Meter, Photograph, Photography, Portrait, ratios, Rembrandt lighting, shadows

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Posing Basics – The Step Up

KerryG — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 05:59:15 +0000

Most of the poses we have seen so far in our posing series have been used to show a woman’s curves or can even be used to hide unwanted curves. This pose, which I call The Step Up, is a much stronger pose generally which helps add certain strength to a woman’s look. All we are doing in The Step Up is having one leg that is stepping up onto a platform or object.

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Post tags: Models, Photography, Posing, Women

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Posing Basics – Knees in or Out

KerryG — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 05:10:25 +0000

In the second installment of our Posing Basics series we will look at another simple technique to add a little style to your subjects with just a little knee action. The result is very similar to the S Curve but usually isn’t quite as dramatic. In the first set of examples one knee is turned in such that the presentation leg is turned so that the knee is bent in towards the other leg.

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Post tags: Models, People, Photography, Posing

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Three Things to Know When Buying Your Lighting Essentials

KerryG — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 06:46:38 +0000

Lighting can affect a shot, too much or less of it is a matter of delivering the perfect shot. Every photographer would stop relying on its camera’s built – in flash and start discovering and exploring more on playing with light. Thus, this article will guide you on the essentials of lighting.

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Post tags: equipment, flash, lighting, photo gear, Photography, Strobe, studio

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Color Correction with Gels

KerryG — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 05:01:48 +0000

This week I show you how to match flash color with ambient color using colored gels on your flash. Kerry goes on to show you how to use the same technique to trick a scene into have a blue sky when its dull and gray.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RMWtVufORY

Used in this episode:

Stickey Filters Color Correcting Gels (Review)

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Post tags: camera, Color Correction, flash, Gel, lighting, Photography, Strobe, Tutorials

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Posing Basics – The S Curve

KerryG — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 05:00:40 +0000

One day my wife came home to find me sitting in the middle of the living room floor surrounded by torn up fashion magazines. After the appropriate jokes about what I could possibly be doing I explained that I was going through the popular magazines and sorting the advertisements by poses. This turned out to be an excellent way to learn about posing and in this series about posing, we will go through the most popular poses and see how you can use them with your clients to make them look their best. We are going to start off with the S curve.

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Read the original post at Posing Basics – The S Curve (106 words)

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Post tags: Models, Photography, Posing, Techniques

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Principles of Photography 101, Working with Light

Chris — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 05:29:57 +0000

With breakthroughs in modern technology, it is becoming easier and easier for people to learn to take nice, quality pictures themselves. DSLR’s (Digital Single Lens Reflex) are available for affordable prices.

These cameras can keep up with the best of them when you have the right filters and lenses. In fact, you will see many professional photographers in Las Vegas using them on site.

The equipment alone cannot make you like the professional photographers in Las Vegas. Nor can it make you into an amateur photographer, because anyone can point and shoot—you ask a stranger on the street to do it all the time.

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Read the original post at Principles of Photography 101, Working with Light (432 words)

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Using a Light Meter

KerryG — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 05:01:47 +0000

Getting a good exposure can often be tricky even when your camera’s internal meter is showing the exposure should be correct. If you have a light mete, you can ensure a proper exposure every time.

In this week’s episode I show how to use a light meter to ensure a proper exposure every time. For the example, Kerry used a Sekonic L-358 Light Meter.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eooZWQh7-MI

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Understanding White Balance

KerryG — Fri, 04 Jan 2013 05:01:01 +0000

In this episode we take a look at white balance and what it means to you. Kerry Garrison shows examples of white balance issues and shows some of his favorite tools for ensuring a proper white balance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOwThGJeiMA

Items used in this video

Be sure and visit http://fridayphototip.com for more weekly videos

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Post tags: camera, Photography, White Balance

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Introduction to White Balance

KerryG — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 06:00:33 +0000

White balance is one of the more confusing aspects of digital photography and is one of the things that really baffles people when they go from simpler point and shoots to more advanced DSLR cameras and can’t figure out why the color of their images is so bad. Today we take a look at white balance and how it affects the color of your photos.
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Read the original post at Introduction to White Balance (372 words)

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Post tags: lighting, shooting, White Balance

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Should You Enroll in a Photography School?

KerryG — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 05:28:25 +0000

A lot of people love taking pictures of their friends and family. Many people who photograph for fun fall in love with the idea of taking it to the next level. Some people want to run their own photography businesses, some might want the intellectual foundation, or others might just simply want to make money with their passion. Fortunateley, anyone who wants to improve their photography has a lot of options. The path you should take should depends on your financial situation, as well as what you want out of the experience. So, here are six ways in which you can improve your photography skills, but not all of them might be options for you.

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Everything People on the Go Should Know About Photography

Guest Author — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 03:31:28 +0000

Photography is a fun hobby that interests people from all walks of life. Nothing is more enjoyable to many people than taking a stroll through the woods and photographing their favorite sites. Parents who have kids love the idea of taking pictures of everything their kids do, especially when their kids are young. Unfortunately, a lot of people are too busy in their day to day lives to take great photographs. Luckily, for anyone on the go, there are many tips to ensure that they do not neglect their hobby. So without further ado, here are four tips for anyone who is on the go and still wants to practice their favorite (or a new) passion.
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Top Five Reasons To Rent Camera Gear

KerryG — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 08:54:24 +0000

Most people don’t realize how cost effective it can be to rent camera gear when you need it rather than making a huge investment up front. Even if you have never considered renting gear before, go ahead and read through my top five reasons to rent camera gear and maybe you will find a good reason that fits your needs and requirements.

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Post tags: Borrowlenses, Gear, Photography, Rental

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Directional Lighting with On-Camera Flash

KerryG — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 07:49:45 +0000

Buuuut Kerrrry..If you use your flash ON your camera (not your pop-up flash) you can’t get directional lighting, its going to look horrible. Well, yeah, and that’s why so many people don’t like to use flash or stick to being “natural light” shooters. In a podcast with Neil van Niekerk, Neil talked about bouncing the light to the left or right to create directional lighting. This created tons of emails asking for some more information on this so I decided to create a simple setup to demonstrate this concept.

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Read the original post at Directional Lighting with On-Camera Flash (422 words)

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Post tags: camera, flash, light, lighting, shooting, technique

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Lighting ratios for portraits

KerryG — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 13:25:28 +0000

Shooting portraits using classic styles of lighting ratios is a dying art. Many new photographers are completely unfamiliar with how to do portrait lighting and so they don’t even try leaving the current trend of wedding photography to be that of photo-journalism instead of being a mix of styles including traditional portraits. In this article we are going to try to teach you the typical lighting ratios that are used in portraiture.

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Read the original post at Lighting ratios for portraits (586 words)

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Post tags: camera, light, lighting, Portrait, ratios, shadows

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Camera Dojo Podcast Equipment Setup

KerryG — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 08:00:55 +0000

I get asked quite a bit about the equipment I use when recording the Camera Dojo Podcast. The answer to this has changed over the years as I have always tried to have the best audio quality I could. The setup today is pretty much the same as what I use to record videos but with a few minor changes.

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Read the original post at Camera Dojo Podcast Equipment Setup (414 words)

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Post tags: Audio, equipment, Mic, Microphone, Photography, podcast

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Photography Basics: Beginners Guide to Aperture

KerryG — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 02:00:02 +0000

As part of our Photography Basics series we talked about Exposure already and this time we are going to cover the mystery of aperture. Aperture is probably the least understood setting of everything on your camera. While shutter settings are very easy to understand, to long of a shutter speed and you will get blurring, pretty simple stuff. Same with ISO, too high of ISO and you introduce digital noise. But learning how to use aperture properly can kill brain cells faster than a frat house kegger party.

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Read the original post at Photography Basics: Beginners Guide to Aperture (780 words)

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Post tags: Adjustments, aperture, background, Backgrounds, camera, Digital, distance, exposure, ing, ISO, lens, light, lighting, noise, Post, shutter

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Another Take on Perspective

KerryG — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 03:01:31 +0000

Last time we looked at tilting the camera and getting a little more angle on the subject. This time lets look at shooting from an angle that isn’t normal. Often changing to a low-to-high or high-to-low angle can change the mood or the message we are trying to convey.

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Understanding Light Stops

KerryG — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 11:00:43 +0000

One thing that seems to baffle a lot of new photographers is understanding the term “stop” as it pertains to a measurement of light. We see this word used over and over with regards to shutter speed, aperture, film speed, filters, lighting, and other ways that light is used. You may hear a phrase like “you should expose one side of face 1-2 stops under the lit side of the face and expose the background 1 stop under the main subject”. For many people that’s about like asking them to solve a complex calculus problem. So what does it all mean and how do we use this information? That’s exactly what we are going to look at in this article

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Read the original post at Understanding Light Stops (860 words)

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Post tags: aperture, exposure, f stop, light, lighting, shutter, stop

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Getting Manual Flash Exposure Quickly

KerryG — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 04:30:23 +0000

I always love hearing from people to find out what things people are struggling with and one of the most common things is how to get your exposure dialed in quickly when using manual flash. Once you know a few simple tips, getting an exposure dialed in should only take a few seconds. Once you get the speed down, you can really open up your creativity in your lighting setups.

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Read the original post at Getting Manual Flash Exposure Quickly (451 words)

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Post tags: flash, lighting, Manual, Strobe, Strobist, YN560

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How to Calculate Depth of Field

KerryG — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 03:00:53 +0000

A big stumbling block for many new camera users is how to figure out how much depth of field a particular image will have it in given the focal length of the lens, the aperture used and the distance to the subject. Trust me on this, trying to do the algebra to figure it out is not something most people want to try to do in their heads. In this article we will cover all the math involved and then make it real easy with an Excel spreadsheet and some links to some free applications to help you out.

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Read the original post at How to Calculate Depth of Field (948 words)

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Post tags: Android, aperture, articles, camera, canon, Digital, distance, exposure, flash, iPhone, lens, light, lighting, lost, Meter, new, Pictures, power, shooting, wedding, Weddings, windows

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Simple One-Light Directional Portrait Lighting

KerryG — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 03:00:06 +0000

Lighting can often be one of the most intimidating things to learn but it doesn’t need to be that way. I think the problem is that many people get intimidated thinking they need tons of lighting gear in order to make good images. Today we are going to look at using a single light source and just a little planning to give us a look we are going for. In the first example we will dissect a very simple couple portrait to see how we can achieve directional lighting in order to make the scene look as natural as possible.

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Read the original post at Simple One-Light Directional Portrait Lighting (556 words)

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Post tags: flash, lighting, shooting, Strobes

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Mastering Your Flash 101 – High Speed Sync

KerryG — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 13:00:38 +0000

One of my favorite features of speedlites is High Speed Sync. This feature allows you to work with speedlites way past your camera’s normal sync speed (1/160 – 1/250 depending on camera). By shooting at very fast shutter speeds you can dramatically cut ambient light and can shoot what looks like night-time shots at high noon. Sounds incredible huh? Guess what, using it is as simple as pressing a single button.

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Read the original post at Mastering Your Flash 101 – High Speed Sync (1,442 words)

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Post tags: canon, flash, High Speed Sync, lighting, Speedlites, Strobe

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Using Common Filters

KerryG — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 13:00:39 +0000

While there are dozens of different types of filters you can put on your lenses for different effects, there are three very common filters that everyone should have in their camera kit, the circular polarizing filter, the neutral density filter, and the UV filter. In this article we will discuss what these three filters are and the effects that it can add to your images.

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5 Tips for Shooting Off-Camera Flash, Part 5

KerryG — Tue, 09 Oct 2012 17:10:59 +0000

This week Jason Anderson from Canon Blogger continues his five part series on learning how to use off-camera flash.

The final installment of the off-camera flash series is here! For the past five weeks, I’ve been posting various tips and tricks on how to get the most out of your minimalist off-camera flash setup. The equipment is a single flash, a light stand, and an umbrella. The goal was to come up with 5 tips for how to get the most out of it! Here’s what we’ve done so far:

1. Attached the umbrella correctly

2. Positioned the light as far away from the shoot-through as possible

3. Added a little extra diffusion from the built in diffuser for your flash

4. Stabilized the light stand by spreading the base to it’s widest point – adding a possible “4th leg” in the process too!

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Read the original post at 5 Tips for Shooting Off-Camera Flash, Part 5 (251 words)

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Post tags: flash, lighting, Speedlites, Strobe, Strobist, Tips, Umbrella

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Top 10 Photography Books of 2012

KerryG — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 06:06:13 +0000

Photography education should always be an on-going thing and there are some excellent books available to help you learn more about photography technique as well as post processing. I have compiled a list of my top ten books for this year so far so get your reading on and learn something new, fun, and exciting!

The Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 4 Book for Digital Photographers (Scott Kelby)
Understanding Exposure, 3rd Edition: How to Shoot Great Photographs with Any Camera (Bryan Peterson)
Welcome to Oz 2.0: A Cinematic Approach to Digital Still Photography with Photoshop (2nd Edition) (Vincent Versace)
Speedliter’s Handbook: Learning to Craft Light with Canon Speedlites (Syl Arena)
Lighting for Digital Photography: From Snapshots to Great Shots (Using Flash and Natural Light for Portrait, Still Life, Action, and Product Photography) (Syl Arena)
So You Want To Be A Rockstar Photographer: Exploding The Myth And Real World Guidance (Gary Fong)
Magnum Contact Sheets (Kristen Lubben)
Captured by the Light: The Essential Guide to Creating Extraordinary Wedding Photography (David Ziser)
On-Camera Flash Techniques for Digital Wedding and Portrait Photography (Neil van Niekerk)
Picture Perfect Practice: A Self-Training Guide to Mastering the Challenges of Taking World-Class Photographs (Roberto Valenzuela)

Available for Kindle are also my two books Beginner’s Guide to Exposure, and All About Light. If you have a favorite book, be sure and let us know about it in the comments.

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Post tags: Books, flash, lighting, Lightroom, Photography

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Rim Lighting To Add Wow To Your Images

KerryG — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 04:00:56 +0000

I really love using multiple light sources because it enables you to do things that most photographers can’t do. With a little extra light somewhere you can take a regular image and really do something interesting and different with it. Rim lighting is one of those things that is virtually impossible to do without off-camera lighting unless you wait for that 5 minute window in the late afternoon and just happen to have everything else lined up perfectly. However, there is nothing to say that we can’t fake it and get some great results.

Getting the shot is easier than you might expect but will take a little bit of gear to get us the desired result.

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Post tags: flash, lighting, Rim Lighting, Speedlite, Strobe, Strobist

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5 Tips for Shooting Off-Camera Flash, Part 4

KerryG — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 06:00:29 +0000

This week Jason Anderson from Canon Blogger continues his five part series on learning how to use off-camera flash.

This series has been all about wrangling in your off-camera flash. We’ve gone a little more advanced, and the responses have been quite positive, so if you’ve got some ideas for other advanced topics to cover, be sure to share your thoughts in the comments. As you may recall, we started the series with attaching the umbrella correctly to your light stand. This was followed by a demonstration of what happens to light as you slide the umbrella closer to and further away from your flash. Then, last week, we looked at how to really fill out your shoot through with that strobe flash.

Quite a bit already, and we’re almost done, so I’d like t round things out with a little bit of stabilizing. You see, while light stands are great for moving your flash off-camera, they’re not the most stable things around. Certainly not like a tripod for your camera! Why is that? The answer is in the physics – a light stand is typically a single pole that is extended into the air, whereas a tripod is three poles that converge at a point (your ball head or camera mount). Whereas the former has each other to lean on and stabilize things, your light stand doesn’t have this benefit. But, you can minimize the wiggle! Here’s how…

Most light stands will have a three-legged base which collapses down to help with portability and to compact the size. I’ve seen people take light stands out, and the first thing they extend all the way are those three legs. Don’t! When you take the three legs to their maximum height, yes, you are getting more height, but you are losing leverage and stability! Don’t! Instead, do this:

See how in the first example the legs are high, narrow and only have three points touching the floor – this invites a top-heavy rig, which is always more likely to topple over. If you sacrifice those 3″ at the bottom, look what you can gain! A wider stand base = more stability, a lower light stand = additional stability, and then the addition of the center point for even more stability! The one on the left is how it’s supposed to be done.

For an added corollary, you can also bring sand or water bags to your shoot and fill them when you get there…then place the bags inside that little “pocket” that is formed for even more of a weighted base that will further reduce toppling risks! (Consider it a Light Stand Tip 4A!)

Next week we wrap up the week of lighting do’s and don’ts when using light stands and shoot-throughs! I hope you’ve enjoyed these as much as I enjoyed writing them (it’s always fun to do a series like this, because it has a beginning, middle and end – which makes for nice writing projects!)

Be sure and check out more of Jason’s articles at http://canonblogger.com

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Post tags: flash, lighting, Lightstand, Speedlite, Strobe, Strobist

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Composition Basics: Get In Close

KerryG — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 06:00:03 +0000

Very often we hesitate to get in close with our subject but we also have to realize that details are very important. The best way to show details is to get up close and personal. Don’t be afraid to really push it and even get close enough the parts of the subject get cut off. Whatever you are shooting, try experimenting with getting closer and closer, past the point where you are comfortable and see what happens. In the rest of this article we will look at some examples to see just how big of a different this can make.

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Post tags: composition, details, People, zoom

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Top 5 Modifiers For Photography Lighting

KerryG — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 06:00:47 +0000

I constantly get asked about my favorite modifiers so I have put together a list of my top 5 all-time favorite light modifiers. From the small and ultra-portable Rouge Flashbenders that you will always see in my camera bag to the massive seven foot tall Westcott parabolic umbrellas that provide the best light from my flash equipment, all of them work to provide you with the best lighting possible for your shoots.

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Post tags: Accessories, flash, lighting, Modifiers, Strobe

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Using The JuicedLink RA333 Riggy-Assist PreAmp

KerryG — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 06:12:09 +0000

If you have been following Camera Dojo over the past year you may have followed along as I discovered Why DSLR Audio Recording Sucks and What To Do About It and then used a JuicedLink DS214 Amp to improve the audio which worked extremely well. More recently I tried using a Zoom H4 as a Boom Mic. While these things did pretty good, my goal was to get broadcast quality audio and I simply was not getting there without extra work in post production. The big question is what to do to really take the audio to the next level of quality. It was time to consult an expert and there is nobody better than Robert Rozak at JuicedLink. Robert made two suggestions, first I needed a better microphone and recommended the Audio-Technica AT875R. The second thing I needed was a preamp with XLR inputs and we settled on the JuicedLink RA333.

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Post tags: Audio, JuicedLink, Microphone, noise, RA333, Review, Video

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5 Tips for Shooting Off-Camera Flash, Part 3

KerryG — Wed, 19 Sep 2012 07:01:10 +0000

This week Jason Anderson from Canon Blogger continues his five part series on learning how to use off-camera flash.

This week continues the journey through various tips to wrangle the best possible light out of a single light source off-camera! To do this, we are employing the assistance of only a light stand and a shoot through umbrella. As you may recall, in Week 1, we focused (if you’ll pardon the pun) on how to correctly attach the umbrella to the light stand. In Week 2, we shifted gears to demonstrate how adjusting the umbrella’s proximity to the flash can affect the quality of light (think hot light versus diffused light). Today, for session 3 – we are now shifting our attention to the little flaps that come with your camera – the built in reflector and diffuser.

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Post tags: flash, lighting, Speedlite, Strobe, Strobist, Umbrella

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Improving Sports Action Photos

KerryG — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 14:42:02 +0000

Action photos are some of the funnest photos you can take but it takes a few tips to go from simple snapshot to something that really stands out. Usually the problem is with showing motion. As the image to the right shows, a fast shutter speed and the rear side angle doesn’t really do much for this shot. During this article we will look at other images that didn’t work, and others that did so we can learn how to improve our sports action photos.

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Post tags: Action, Bikers, Movement, Sports

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Composition Basics: Rule of Thirds

KerryG — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 12:44:44 +0000

There are several different rules of composition but the first one you should start off with is the rule of thirds. With just this simple skill you will go from taking snapshots to making images. Put simply, think of a Tic-Tac-Toe grid overlaid on your image and then place the subject on the lines as best you can. If you can put an important element just as the primary eye right on the intersection of two lines then you get an even more powerful image.

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Sony Announces NEX 6 Mirrorless Camera

KerryG — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 02:00:58 +0000

The much anticipated Sony NEX 6 has just been announced and is quite the enhancement over the NEX 5 series and has some very unique features. A new dual dial system on top makes switching between modes and settings a lot easier. the NEX 6 sports a built-in pop-up flash and a built-in viewfinder, so that’s two less accessories to have to deal with. WiFi ability allows for simple image transfers and uploads as well as being able to use a smart phone as a remote viewfinder and shutter release. The 18-50mm lens that came with the NEX 5 series and NEX 7 has been replaced with a new 16-50mm that is only an inch thick. The body is outfitted with a new hybrid autofocus system for faster and more accurate focusing. The most surprising new feature of all is a standard ISO hotshoe. What all we will be able to do with this hotshoe is unknown but since it only has a single pin, it sure makes this camera an oddball for Sony.

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Camera Dojo » Shooting and Lighting Tips

Use a simple angle to make a shot more dramatic

Skills You Need To Thrive as a Wedding Photographer

Simple Yet Effective On-Location Portrait Lighting Setup

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Mastering Your Flash 101 – Learning to Love eTTL/iTTL

The Sunny 16 Rule in Photography

The Latest Fujifilm FinePix SL1000 Review

Building your own snoot

Lighting Basics – Using a single light source

Getting Flash Exposure Fast

How to hold your camera

How to clean your DSLR sensor

Posing Basics: Using V’s for Composition and Framing

Using a reflector

Posing Basics – The Naked Shoulder & Full Back

Friday Photo Tip – Understanding ISO

Classic Portrait Lighting Styles Part I

Posing Basics – The Step Up

Posing Basics – Knees in or Out

Three Things to Know When Buying Your Lighting Essentials

Color Correction with Gels

Posing Basics – The S Curve

Principles of Photography 101, Working with Light

Using a Light Meter

Understanding White Balance

Introduction to White Balance

Should You Enroll in a Photography School?

Everything People on the Go Should Know About Photography

Top Five Reasons To Rent Camera Gear

Directional Lighting with On-Camera Flash

Lighting ratios for portraits

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Camera Dojo Podcast Equipment Setup

Photography Basics: Beginners Guide to Aperture

Another Take on Perspective

Understanding Light Stops

Getting Manual Flash Exposure Quickly

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How to Calculate Depth of Field

Simple One-Light Directional Portrait Lighting

Mastering Your Flash 101 – High Speed Sync

Using Common Filters

5 Tips for Shooting Off-Camera Flash, Part 5

Top 10 Photography Books of 2012

Rim Lighting To Add Wow To Your Images

5 Tips for Shooting Off-Camera Flash, Part 4

Composition Basics: Get In Close

Top 5 Modifiers For Photography Lighting

Using The JuicedLink RA333 Riggy-Assist PreAmp

5 Tips for Shooting Off-Camera Flash, Part 3

Improving Sports Action Photos

Composition Basics: Rule of Thirds

Sony Announces NEX 6 Mirrorless Camera

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Post tags: exposure, lighting, Setup

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