Collins Complete Photography Projects. John Garrett
light look realistic.
DAYLIGHT WB
This portrait was taken in the shade, with the sky providing the blue cast. With the WB set to Daylight, the picture is far too blue. 1/125 second at f5, 24mm, 400 ISO. JG
SHADE WB
Here the Shade WB setting has added some warmth to neutralize the blue colour cast.
FILTERS
In the pre-digital days of shooting on colour transparency film, professional photographers carried around a large selection of light-balancing filters to correct the colour casts in single and mixed light sources.
With the technological advances in digital cameras, those filters attached to the front of the lens have largely become obsolete; most cameras now have built-in digital filters to simulate the effects they gave. Generally, these can only be applied via the retouch menu after the picture has been taken. Post-processing on the computer also provides the ability to adjust colour casts.
The two on-the-lens filters we still recommend you carry are the graduated neutral-density filter and the polarizing filter, especially when you are shooting landscapes. The ‘grad’ filter, which is available in varying densities and colours, will allow you to retain detail or exaggerate the sky tone in a landscape where the sky would be overexposed. This effect can also be done in the computer using Photoshop, but it requires some skill. Using a grad filter on the lens will give you an instant result. A 2-stop neutral density (grey) graduated filter is a good one for general use.
The polarizing filter is often used to darken blue skies and thus make the cloud formations more prominent. While that can also be achieved in Photoshop, where the polarizer comes into its own is in reducing or eliminating unwanted reflections from water, glass and non-metallic surfaces, which cannot be done on the computer.
QUICK TIP
Adding a diffusion or softening filter on the lens can be flattering for portraits, giving them a glow and smoothing detail. A similar effect can be added later in Photoshop or in Lightroom using the Clarity tool. Also try breathing on the lens to mist it up before you shoot – it can produce a very soft effect.
FILTERS
Shown here are a polarizing filter (bottom left), graduated filters (top left and right), and the lens mount (bottom right).
UNFILTERED
In this unfiltered landscape shot, the sky has been overexposed because the landscape, which occupies most of the picture, is darker than the sky. The camera is unable to handle the major difference in exposure. 1/250 second at f11, 75mm, 400 ISO. GH
NEUTRAL DENSITY FILTER
Here, the neutral density filter has been slid over the sky area, slightly cutting into the horizon line. This has enabled the capture of detail in the sky that was visible to the human eye. 1/250 second at f11, 75mm, 400 ISO. GH
UNFILTERED
In this photograph taken without a polarizing filter, the sky is reflecting in the water. The water is impenetrable, resembling opaque glass. 1/250 second at f6.3, 29mm, 400 ISO. GH
POLARIZING FILTER
Here a polarizing filter attached to the front of the lens was rotated to a position where it cut out the reflections of the sky, allowing us to see below the surface of the water. 1/30 second at f6.3, 29mm, 400 ISO. GH
USING FLASH
While the newer digital cameras with high ISO speeds enable photographs to be taken in low light conditions that would previously have required flash, it can still be used as a creative light source even where it’s not essential. However, it should be employed with care to avoid ruining the beauty of natural light.
Most cameras have their own built-in flash, and all manufacturers also make dedicated flash guns for their cameras. These have more power than built-in flashes and because they have their own battery power they don’t drain the camera’s batteries. They fit onto the camera’s hot shoe and, unlike built-in flashes, they have a swivel head so they can bounce light off the wall or ceiling, which can produce a softer effect than direct flash. You can also hand-hold them or use a separate support; the new flash guns can be used off-camera remotely, while older models require a cable to synchronize with the camera.
AVAILABLE LIGHT
The available light version of this young gardener is charming, but his face can’t be seen as clearly as a mother would like. 1/60 second at f9.5, 26mm, 400 ISO. GH
FILL-IN FLASH
Here the camera has balanced the built-in flash with the available light, giving a ‘fill’ light so his face is no longer lost in shadow. 1/100 second at f9.5, with fill-in flash, 26mm, 400 ISO. GH
BUILT-IN FLASH
This is a portrait made with the built-in flash. It is important to underexpose direct flash pictures such as this by about –½ stop to eliminate that bleached-out, pasty look that you see on many direct flash portraits. 1/60 second at f2.8, 6.1mm compact camera, 400 ISO. JG
DIRECT FLASH
This portrait of Jen was taken with the flash gun on the camera pointed directly at her. The direct front light has flattened her face and the highlights are bright. Because the background is further from the light than her face, it is underexposed. 1/180 second at f8, 46mm, 200 ISO. GH
BOUNCE FLASH
With the flash gun still on the camera, I tilted the flash up to bounce the light off the ceiling. I pulled up the white bounce card in the flash head, which has added a little front light to fill in the shadows and put a sparkle in her eyes. This gives a more natural look and the bounce light has lightened the background, too. 1/180 second at f8, 46mm, 200 ISO. GH
OFF-CAMERA FLASH
I removed the flash gun from the camera and held it to the left, giving more modelling to her face. I set the flash to remote mode to synchronize it to the camera, but an off-camera cable would also have done the job. The background and shadows are very dark. 1/180 second at f11, 46mm, 200 ISO. GH