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15 Tips for Photographing Toddlers
One of the things I am asked most frequently about is whether I have any tips for photographing toddlers, so I thought I'd put together some for you! Although these tips certainly apply to professional photographers wanting to capture this age group, I've written these more with a parent photographing their own child in mind - so in natural situations, not necessarily studios or formally posed.
Exposing for Skin
We talk a lot in photography about making sure that we get the "correct" exposure in camera. This is particularly important in portraiture, as pulling your exposure up or down significantly in processing can make their skin look a weird colour, and gives a harsher contrast which is generally unflattering and best avoided! .
Great skin happens first in camera, so for the most part when taking images of people, we want to make sure that our subject is currently exposed. The best way to to do that is to use your subjects skin as your metering point!
And here's how do it :)
How to quickly process lots of images!
Right now, I need to be able to edit multiple images quickly and efficiently. The reason? 'm working my way through my 2014 photo book, adding in the images from each month. As usual, the photos from the beginning of the year are in perfect order, the it's gradually gets worse month on month - by the time you reach October, (and from there on in) only a few images here and there have been edited - leaving me with a ton of images that I need to get through and edit quickly if I am going to make my - admittedly self imposed - deadline of having the book finished by the end of January. Luckily for me, there are tools in Lightroom / ACR and Photoshop come in handy for this very purpose, so here's my strategy for dealing with situations when you want to quickly edit multiple images.
5 Quick Tips for a Shooting a Back Lit Image
Backlighting can be a wonderful choice for lighting an image - from a warm buttery backlight to a blown out window. Shooting with the light facing you does present some challenges though, so it's important to set your camera correctly. Here's how:
How to Use Exposure Compensation
Although I am a strong advocate for shooting in manual mode, as I believe it was only when you fully commit to taking full control that your images turn out the way you want them to, I do realise that there are many people who feel happier using the semi automatic modes (such as AV or TV) instead.
If you are one of these, I urge you to use exposure compensation if you aren't already!
(Actually, I urge you to learn manual mode, but this is the next best thing!)
Righto, let's have a look at what exposure compensation does, and when you might want to use it!
How, When and Why To Use Burst Mode
Most cameras, even point and shoots, have the option of taking photos in burst mode (also called continuous mode) What this mode allows you to do is to take several shots in rapid succession and is very useful for action shots, such as jumping or sports, when it's hard to press the shutter at the exact moment you need. I use it for action shots, like the jumping one above and the running one below, and for things like dancing (like the one of my son dancing in the street at the end!) so that I can make sure that I have the "perfect" moment captured.
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It's been quite a few years now since I made the switch from Aperture Priority Mode to shooting in Manual Mode, and it was one of the BEST things I ever did to improve my photography skills.
It was like a whole new world opened up to me, and I started TRULY understanding exposure, and in turn, getting the images that I wanted.
Of course, there was a lot to learn, and there are some things I wish I had known before I started!
So, here are 10 things about shooting in Manual Mode that you might just wish you knew…