This Quick Shot question is from Nick Stewart who wanted to know what all the fuss is about grey backgrounds and some tips on lighting them.
First off I should say my studio is fitted with a seamless vinyl background which I absolutely love working with. With careful lighting I can make it pure white through to dark grey. I also have a roll of black muslin which I roll out if I need a black or light it with gels for some funky colour effects.
Much as I love my white seamless, if I only had the room/money for one background it would be grey. Why? Well watch the video to find out.
A couple of questions from the video.
What triggers were you using?
They’re the Yongno RF602
I love the gel idea who makes them?
I’m using the Strobist gels from Rosco Here's the link
Great, how do I attach them to the speedlite?
I use two little bits of blu-Tack at the edge of the flash. The gels stick every time.
Where have I seen that softbox before?
It's a Lastolite Ezybox and you might have seen it here
Where did you get the grey background?
You can pick them up from many places but mine came from my good friends at smick.co.uk. Here’s the link
Why didn’t you iron the background?
Good point. The reason was to show that creases can vanish when lighting the grey background to white.
So are you saying DON’T iron a muslin background.
No, always iron it before using it.
Showing posts with label Quick Shots. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Quick Shots. Show all posts
Wednesday, 23 June 2010
Tuesday, 25 May 2010
Exposure compensation - video & tips
This Quick Shot question comes from Gary S who asks:
“…I don't really understand what the Exposure Compensation is and when it should be used. I remember seeing you use it by 1 stop I think it was to prevent a white back drop looking grey”
Scroll down for some exposure compensation FAQ's
Where’s Exposure Compensation on my camera?
I might be called EV +/- check your manual.
Can I use Exposure Compensation in Manual mode?
No, exposure composition may is usually only available in Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority and Program modes.
Isn’t the camera meter always correct?
Modern cameras feature intelligent meters which produce good images every single time… almost. Good as they are they still make mistakes, which is why checking your cameras LCD and histogram from time to time is a good idea.
My Canon DSLR’s exposure compensation doesn’t seem to work.
Make sure you have the on button switched to the angled line symbol.
But I was told real photographers only ever use Manual mode, everything else was for amateurs.
Total rubbish. Most photographers I know generally use Aperture Priority when shooting in natural light.
Can Exposure Compensation be used in other ways?
Yes it can. By deliberately inducing under or over exposure you can add mood to an image. Dark images add drama where light images feel calming.
I thought Camera RAW could pull back two stops, so why do it in the camera.
In fact Adobe Camera RAW can pull 4 stops each way and that can be a life saver at times. But be careful not to fall into the mind set of thinking “I’ll fix it in Photoshop”, it’s a very slippery slope. Try and think I’ll get it right in camera and you’ll be a better, happier photographer.
“…I don't really understand what the Exposure Compensation is and when it should be used. I remember seeing you use it by 1 stop I think it was to prevent a white back drop looking grey”
Scroll down for some exposure compensation FAQ's
A few questions that have already arisen:
Where’s Exposure Compensation on my camera?
I might be called EV +/- check your manual.
Can I use Exposure Compensation in Manual mode?
No, exposure composition may is usually only available in Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority and Program modes.
Isn’t the camera meter always correct?
Modern cameras feature intelligent meters which produce good images every single time… almost. Good as they are they still make mistakes, which is why checking your cameras LCD and histogram from time to time is a good idea.
My Canon DSLR’s exposure compensation doesn’t seem to work.
Make sure you have the on button switched to the angled line symbol.
But I was told real photographers only ever use Manual mode, everything else was for amateurs.
Total rubbish. Most photographers I know generally use Aperture Priority when shooting in natural light.
Can Exposure Compensation be used in other ways?
Yes it can. By deliberately inducing under or over exposure you can add mood to an image. Dark images add drama where light images feel calming.
I thought Camera RAW could pull back two stops, so why do it in the camera.
In fact Adobe Camera RAW can pull 4 stops each way and that can be a life saver at times. But be careful not to fall into the mind set of thinking “I’ll fix it in Photoshop”, it’s a very slippery slope. Try and think I’ll get it right in camera and you’ll be a better, happier photographer.
Friday, 16 April 2010
Long exposure technique - Quick Shots 05
UPDATE: The photos from this post are now on Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/photogavin/4530406343/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/photogavin/4531039982/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/photogavin/4531040134/
It’s been a bit of a blog free week for me as I’ve been away with the family for a mid week break by the sea.
We managed to find one of the few places in the UK without a 3G internet connection, so I feel like I’ve been a little cut off from all the excitement that’s been going on around the launch of Photoshop CS5.
Just be for I left a Quick Shot question landed in my inbox from Daniel Roberts who asked a great question. Basically Daniel wanted to some tips and advice on how to get silky smooth water on long exposures.
Fortunately I was planning to take exactly that kind of shot whilst I was away, so I threw my video camera into my camera bag and set off for the coast.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/photogavin/4530406343/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/photogavin/4531039982/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/photogavin/4531040134/
It’s been a bit of a blog free week for me as I’ve been away with the family for a mid week break by the sea.
We managed to find one of the few places in the UK without a 3G internet connection, so I feel like I’ve been a little cut off from all the excitement that’s been going on around the launch of Photoshop CS5.
Just be for I left a Quick Shot question landed in my inbox from Daniel Roberts who asked a great question. Basically Daniel wanted to some tips and advice on how to get silky smooth water on long exposures.
Fortunately I was planning to take exactly that kind of shot whilst I was away, so I threw my video camera into my camera bag and set off for the coast.
Thursday, 18 March 2010
Shadows & Borders in Photoshop - Quick Shots 03
This weeks Quick Shot question is...
How to add a border and a drop shadow onto an image.
If you have a question you’d like to see answered in a Quick Shot video then head over to the Gavtrain home page and send it over.
I can’t believe how many of you have taken the time to send me your Quick Shot questions. There’s some really great answers coming up. I received a surprising number photography related questions, which is great. If the fine weather holds, I plan to get some photography tutorials filmed next week.
How to add a border and a drop shadow onto an image.
If you have a question you’d like to see answered in a Quick Shot video then head over to the Gavtrain home page and send it over.
I can’t believe how many of you have taken the time to send me your Quick Shot questions. There’s some really great answers coming up. I received a surprising number photography related questions, which is great. If the fine weather holds, I plan to get some photography tutorials filmed next week.
Friday, 5 March 2010
Jpeg in to RAW - Quick Shots 01
First a huge thank you to everyone who took the time and trouble to post a comment or send me an email with suggestions for the name of the new videos and your questions.
As you will see I choose the title “quick shots” from the many excellent suggestions.
This week the question is… Can I open Jpegs in Adobe Camera RAW?
Check back again next Friday for another Quick Shot question answered.
As you will see I choose the title “quick shots” from the many excellent suggestions.
This week the question is… Can I open Jpegs in Adobe Camera RAW?
Check back again next Friday for another Quick Shot question answered.
