The Polaroid Diaries: Part IV - Tricking Your Camera

Sometimes using the exposure compensation dial on your camera just isn't enough to get a properly exposed Polaroid. In these cases, you have to resort to tricking your camera into thinking it's darker than it actually is. How do you do this? If you can come up with a piece of a neutral density gel, it's really easy! Just cut out a piece that will fit inside of the light sensor on your camera (or tape it over the top) and you're done! I used a 1-stop gel, so now my camera exposes one stop more than it needs to. It doesn't always give me perfect exposures and I find I still need to turn the exposure compensation dial to the "lighten" side, but it sure helps!

Here you can see the gel next to the sensor and then inside of the sensor.

I decided to play around a little over the weekend and take a few photos. I took these photos with the gel in place and the dial all the way to it's lightest setting. I haven't done much to these scans, so the actual photos look better in person. I tried to adjust the last photo to represent what the actual prints look like.

This was taken on expired Polaroid Sepia film.

The Polaroid Diaries: Part III - The Exposure Compensation Dial

If you've shot even just a few Polaroids, you've probably got a few under or over exposed images. Polaroid meters are not that smart, so it's just going to happen. What can be done about this? Every Polaroid camera should have an exposure compensation dial or slider. What's it for? Basically, it tells your camera to adjust exposure for the final image. It's up to you to tell it how much and in which direction (over or underexposure). I'm not certain, but I'm pretty sure that on cameras with a built-in flash, it also adjusts the intensity of the flash.

So, how do you use this to get better images? First, you'll want to be able to read a scene like your camera will. Do you have a high-contrast or backlit scene? Better over-expose so your subject will (hopefully) have a decent exposure. Are you using a flash but your subject is more than a few feet away? Over-expose that image! Actually, I rarely ever under-expose an image unless I shoot one and find it's over-exposed and needs adjustment. The only time I start out with an under-exposed setting is when I'm shooting Impossible Project film that recommends less exposure.

One thing that you'll need to be careful of is assuming that you need to adjust the exposure of an image. For example, I was out shooting in full sun one day and stepped into the shade. I assumed I'd need to overexpose a bit due to the shade. I was wrong and ended up with an overexposed image. Why? The entire dynamic range of the scene was very flat, so the camera got a very accurate reading and would have probably given me a perfect exposure without any compensation.

I assumed I needed to overexpose this image because I was in the shade. I didn't.

As with anything Polaroid, there is no precise formula to follow, but with a little experimentation and trial and error you'll start to get more consistent and usable results. Have fun turning those knobs and sliding those sliders!

Here's a photo taken with flash that I overexposed by about 1 stop so it wouldn't be too dark.

I didn't adjust the exposure at all for this image. You can see that it exposed for the light sky in the background and not for Tess.

Since the brightest part of this photo was the subject, it came out perfectly exposed without any adjustments.

The Polaroid Diaries: Part II - Quick Tips

So, if you read my last post about Polaroids, you might think that it's almost impossible to get good photos. That's definitely not the case! You can get some really good photos with a Polaroid. It just takes a little knowledge of how the cameras work and see light.

While I don't claim to be an expert at Polaroid photography, I have learned a few things that I'll pass along here. While they don't work every single time, your chances of getting better photos should go up if you follow a few of these basic tips:

- If you can, use a flash. Not only will you get the classic Polaroid look, but you don't have to worry about tricking the meter. When I use my 635 CL, the flash goes off every single time. I get more good photos from that camera than any other Polaroid I own.

Without a flash, this self-portrait would have never happened.

- Limit the dynamic range in your photos. Because the metering system in a Polaroid camera isn't very smart, if your subject is in the shade but you have a bright background, the camera is going to meter for the background, your subject is going to be underexposed and there's nothing you can do about it.

Although I was shooting this session with strong backlight on my digital,
I knew I had to shoot Karina in full sun to make this instant image work.

- Recognize when you're going to get a long exposure and plan accordingly. I know that when I use my SX-70 or a packfilm camera, most of the time I'm going to have a long exposure if I'm not in direct sun. Long exposures mean I'm much more likely to have a blurry photo. I make sure to brace myself or use a tripod so I'll hopefully get a sharper photo.

I braced my SX-70 on a table to get this shot.

This handheld image isn't very sharp (but I still like it!).

I hope these help. I know they're pretty general, but they're a start. I'll dive in a little deeper next time with some specific examples. Until then...

Utilize Backlight - Better Photos... Now!

We've all seen a photo where there's a  group of people looking at the camera, but they're squinting because they're looking directly into the sun.  It's an easy mistake to make.  You want your subject to be well lit and there's not a better light source than the sun, right?  The only problem is that the resulting photo isn't that great, it's got deep black shadows and your subject is now temporarily blind.  What other options do you have?  Backlight!

By placing the sun behind your subjects, you've completely changed the look of your photo.  Your subjects are no longer squinting, so that's good.  If you've exposed for the shadows on their faces, all of their features will be visible.  Unfortunately, your background is a lot brighter than your subject, so now it's probably pure white.

By getting a little creative with your subject placement, you can create a more interesting background than just pure white.  Find a tree that you can place between your subject and the sun and you'll get a colorful and interesting background for your subject.  You can also use your flash or reflect some light back into their faces to decrease the contrast between your subject and the background (for a reflector, I use a Tri-Grip).  Just be careful you don't reflect too much light or they're going to start squinting again!

Backlighting is a technique that changes for every situation and takes practice to master.  Be patient and keep practicing and eventually you'll start to get results that you're very happy with.  Your subjects will thank you.

NOTE: The entire time your subjects have the sun to their backs, you are facing the sun.  Never look at the sun through your camera!  Also, don't forget to turn around once in a while and see how the light actually looks when it falls directly on something.  Sometimes the intensity of the sun decreases while you're taking photos and you can use it to directly light your subject with beautiful sunlight!

Here's an example of a photo with strong backlight and reflected light
to fill her face.

Here's another example with strong backlight and reflected fill light.

Here's a more subtle example of backlighting, but this time there is
no reflected light.

Read all of my DSLR tips here.

Don't Delete Photos - Better Photos... Now!

If you ever photograph in natural light or changing lighting conditions (think of a wedding where you can quickly move from shooting inside of a church to outside in the sun), you'll eventually get a good photo that is severely under or overexposed because you didn't change your camera settings quickly enough (you are shooting on manual, right?).  Don't delete that photo!  If you're shooting RAW, you'd be surprised at what you can do with a little post processing.

Of course, shooting a poorly exposed photo isn't the only issue you might have.  Maybe your subject moved and you got some motion blur.  Maybe your focus didn't lock where you expected and you got an out of focus photo.  Maybe a dog ran in front of the camera.  Maybe it was just a test photo.  All of these are very real possibilities and, although they might not have given you the image you were expecting, you might just be happy with the results anyway.

I've also heard stories that deleting photos in-camera can mess up the formatting on the card and, on rare occasions, corrupt other photos.  While the odds of this happening are pretty small (I don't personally know anyone this has ever happened to), if there's a chance it might happen at an important event like a wedding, it's probably not worth deleting a few photos just to free up a bit of extra space.

Here's an example of an overexposed photo before and after processing.

And a few more recent wedding photos that illustrate my point:

This was just a test photo before Payal's portrait.  She was talking to her brother when I took this.

Again, this was a test photo while the group was messing around.

Someone else's flash fired at the same time I took this photo.  For some this is a ruined photo, for others it's beautiful.

Read all of my DSLR tips here.

Don't Use Live View - Better Photos.. Now!

If you're fairly new to using a DSLR, you're probably more comfortable using the live view option than you are putting your eye up to the viewfinder.  If I can make a small suggestion... don't use live view!  Use the viewfinder.  Why?  Read on to find out.

A DSLR is heavier than a point and shoot.  A lot heavier.  When you look through the viewfinder, you're actually using your face to steady the camera.  A steady camera gives sharper photos.  If you're using live view, you have to hold the camera out away from your body.  With a heavy camera like a DSLR, it can be very hard to hold it steady when it's not right next to your body (or pressed up against your face), which can result in soft photos.

Another reason to not use live view is that there's generally a lag between when you press the shutter button and when the camera takes a photo.  Because of the way DSLRs operate, there is no way to get rid of this lag.  Shutter lag is bad.  Even though it may only be a split-second, it's still enough to miss the perfect expression, the best focus or that butterfly that just flew away.  By looking through the viewfinder, your camera is always ready to shoot and capture the exact moment you want to capture.

Of course, there's always going to be circumstances where live view is a great option to have.  If you're holding your camera up above your head to get a shot, it's usually better to use live view so that you can see what you're shooting rather than shooting blind.  It's also a great option to have when shooting group photos so that your head isn't behind a camera while you're trying to direct a bunch of people.

As with everything, live view is fine when used in moderation and under the right circumstances.  The sooner you get comfortable with putting your eye up to the viewfinder, the sooner you'll start getting better photos!

Read all of my DSLR tips here.

Start A Project – Better Photos… Now!

Have you ever wanted to push yourself outside of your photography comfort zone but weren’t sure where to start?  One of the best places is to start a photography project where you take a photo every single day.  The most popular type of this project is usually called a 365, meaning you take a photo every day for a year.  Think a year sounds a little too intimidating?  Try taking a photo every day for a month or even just a week.  You’ll quickly find that taking a photo for 7 days straight is harder than you’d think.

If the point of taking on a project like this is to push yourself and your creativity, you need to do just that.  You can’t just take a photo of your cat or a houseplant every day and call it good.  You’ll need to constantly find new subjects and locations to keep things fresh. 

Some people choose to do a self-portrait every day.  Some people try to create a theme to shoot around.  I’m sure different things work for different people, so don’t get hung up on a theme.  If something isn’t working for you, change it up.  Just keep taking photos! 

If you followed my previous advice and took a peek around Flickr, you’ve probably seen people discussing their 365s.  Flickr is a great resource for ideas and support when you’re trying a 365 of your own.  Somehow, the knowledge that other people are going through the same thing as you (not enough time, lack of ideas or inspiration, missing a day or two) can be a great relief!  Read through other people’s posts and find a group that you feel at home in and will want to visit once in a while. 

At the end of a year, you’ll be amazed at what you’ve photographed and how much you’ve grown as a photographer.  My own 365 documented my growth as a photographer and, looking back, I am so glad that I did it.  From my first studio session to my first wedding, family trips and fun vacations, successful experiments and dismal failures it’s all documented with a photo from every day.  If you’d like, you can view all of my photos here (or you can just go straight to the good stuff and view my favorites).

Here are a few photos that I never would have taken if it weren't for my 365:

Read all of my DSLR tips here.

Tech Tuesday - Composing for the Crop

We've all been there... We take an amazing image, the client loves it and wants to order a print.  Unfortunately, the size they want to order requires cropping the image.  What to do?  What part of this image do you leave out?    Although you'll never really escape this dilemma, you can minimize how often you're confronted with it by composing for the crop.

It's really just a matter of being familiar with the size of images your camera creates and popular crops that clients might request.  I know that if I want to print an 8x10 image from one of my photos I'll need to crop a fair amount from the top and/or bottom.

After having to make too many hard decisions as to what I'd have to crop (Top of head or hand on hip?  Head or feet?), I decided I'd better start leaving myself some wiggle room.  Now I routinely shoot with some empty top and bottom space in most of my photos.  I still find myself shooting tight at every shoot, but for as many tight photos I get I try to shoot just as many "loose" that can be cropped without losing anything vital.

If it's really that easy to just leave a little extra space around your subjects when you shoot, why not shoot that way all the time?  The primary reason for me is that the closer you get to your subject, the more defocused your background gets.  That extra foot or so of distance between me and my subject can make a huge difference to the look of the background.  Another reason is just habit.  When you get into the habit of creating the image you want to see in the viewfinder, it's really hard to change your style and create an image you wouldn't typically create.

Now, I know what some of you might be thinking: "I'm not going to compromise my artistic integrity by not taking the perfect photo in-camera."  That's fine.  I respect that.  You're going to have to decide whether you want to crop your perfect photos or not sell any prints.

What if you don't want to have to make that decision?  Just display your images digitally where they don't have to be cropped.  Or, sell prints that are sized to accommodate the popular digital formats.  Instead of ordering an 8x10 and cropping, order an 8x12 and don't crop!  The only tough thing about this is finding frames to fit your prints.

In the end, it's up to you to decide how you want to shoot and if you want to change your style or not, but always be aware of the consequences.  There is no perfect solution.  You can frame properly and crop, you can frame loose and have a more defined background, you can not print your images or you can print them in sizes that are harder to frame but don't require cropping.  Good luck!

Here are a few images to illustrate what I'm talking about:

In these images I left enough room for me to crop an 8x10 and still show Lexie's hands and chains.  Notice how much extra background I get in the image.

In these images I composed in-camera pretty much the way I wanted the image to look.  See what happens when I crop for an 8x10?  I lose her hands and chains.

Frequent Photography Forums - Better Photos... Now!

Regardless of whether you've been a photographer for 10 days or 10 years, you probably have a question about something from time to time.  These days there are more photographers than ever before.  There is also more accessible knowledge than ever before.  Just go online, type your question into a search engine and you'll probably find that the majority of your results come from photography forums.

Photography forums are just like any other online forum.  Some are very helpful, some have a more active community than others and all are going to have a few people who just like to cause trouble.  If you have questions that need answered, it's probably in your best interest to find a forum (or forums) that are welcoming of questions from any level of expertise.  These are usually the most welcoming and helpful communities.

Two forums that I've found to be particularly helpful are Open Source Photo (OSP) and Flickr Groups.  OSP is made up of mostly professional photographers, which means that there are quite a few posts about business and marketing in addition to the expected portrait and wedding photography posts.  Flickr Groups are much more suited to any skill level and photography preference.  You can just as easily find answers to a question about fashion photography or landscape photography.  I've found answers to questions that I've had about Polaroid and Holga cameras, as well as more obscure photographic techniques.

In short, if you're not utilizing photography forums, you're missing out on a vibrant community of photographers around the world.  Together, the collective knowledge available to you through forums would take many lifetimes to learn on your own.  The next time you have a question about something, why not ask it in a forum?  You'll probably be surprised by the responses you get.

Focus and Recompose - Better Photos... Now!

In photography, focus is everything.  If your exposure isn't perfect you can usually still get a good image with a little work in post processing.  If your composition isn't perfect you can usually crop to get a better composition.  Unfortunately, if your focus is off there is no way to fix it after an image is taken.  While there is always a time and place for out of focus images, it's something that you want to have total control over.

When using apertures that give you a very shallow depth of field, your focus is even more important.  If you're photographing a person's face, having an out of focus eye but an in focus nose can be enough to ruin an image.  So, how do you get the composition how you want it with the focus where you want it?  Focus and recompose!

If you've been following my recommendations so far, you're probably using spot focusing.  If you're not using spot focusing, you can safely ignore this blog post since you don't have complete control over what your camera chooses to focus on.  If you're using spot focusing, here's how to take your focusing to the next level.

Regardless of which focus point you choose to use, you'll occasionally come across a situation where your composition doesn't quite match your focus point and your camera has trouble focusing.  When this happens, the solution is simple.  Compose your image so that your camera focus on the proper part of the scene and then recompose your image.  As long as you're not really close to your subject and are not shooting with a super-shallow depth of field, the part of your image you originally focused on should still be in focus in your new composition.

This is also a trick that you can use if your camera isn't locking focus on an object that is a solid color.  Because auto focus systems rely on contrast to focus, a solid color can make focusing impossible for your camera.  If this is the case, focus on the edge of the object, recompose and take your photo!

You might notice here that the bottom image is a little sharper than the top image.  Not a huge difference, right?

In these tight crops of the same photos you can really see a difference.  Notice in the top photo that the point of
focus is on her earrings, not her eyes.  At these distances you need precise control over your focus.

The above two photos were literally taken 3 seconds apart.  Shooting at this distance at f/2.8 I lock my focus and recompose after every shot.  It can make the difference between a keeper and a reject.

Read all of my DSLR tips here.

The Rule Of Thirds - Better Photos... Now!

You've probably heard people talk about the "rule of thirds".  This basic idea of composition doesn't just apply to photography, but to all forms of visual art including cinema, drawing, painting and graphic design.  By understanding and applying this concept your images will become more powerful, engaging and interesting.

To quickly and easily see the idea behind the rule of thirds, take a look at this:

You'll notice that this rectangle is divided into three equal sections, both horizontally and vertically.  By placing your subject closer to the outer sections instead of in the center section, you create a more dynamic image that most people find more visually appealing.  If you put your subject on one of the points where the horizontal and vertical lines intersect, your image just becomes that much more powerful.

Don't believe me?  Take a look at some images, either online or in your immediate environment, and you'll notice that most of them follow the rule of thirds.  I'm sitting in a hotel room right now and every painting and photograph on the walls is composed with the rule of thirds.  Turn on your TV and you'll rarely see a person in the center of the screen.  Even local news broadcasts are composed according to the rule of thirds!

Of course, rules are meant to be broken and the rule of thirds is no different.  If you really want to call attention to your subject, placing it in the center of a photo can do the trick.  This typically works best when the background is clean and uncluttered so that all of the viewer's attention is drawn to your subject.

Many DSLRs have the option to turn on a "grid" in the viewfinder and a rule of thirds overlay is usually one of the options.  If you're just getting started using the rule of thirds, this is a great guide.  It's free and easy, so why not?  Plus, if there are any straight lines in your image, the guide can help you to keep them straight in your composition.

That's about all there is to the rule of thirds.  It's a very simple but very powerful tool that you can use anytime you take a photograph.  It doesn't matter what your subject is, what the lighting conditions are, what lens you're using or what camera you have.  You can always use the rule of thirds.  Enjoy!

You can see here my head is pretty much in the center of the frame.
This isn't the best composition for this photo.  I think I need
to work with Belinda on composition.  ;)

You can see here that Kevin's head is in the upper-third of the image.
This makes for a much more pleasing composition.

Again, Belinda's head is in the center of the frame but her eyes are in the upper-third of the image.

Here's a wedding photo with lots of negative space on the right side of the frame.  Notice that the upper-third contains

their heads and the left-third contains their bodies, taking advantage of the intersection of lines.

Read all of my DSLR tips here.