Well
darlings, here we are again.
On
Monday I started a blog I had intended to post this week. I got
about two-thirds of the way through writing before Thursday. Then,
on Thursday morning, I had a shoot with a friend of mine from high
school. She is lovely, so there is really not much that I have to
worry about editing, but there was some strong lens flare in a few
images. Thankfully, we are planning to continue shooting on Saturday
and can fix the problem. What we need to do is simple enough that I
can fix it with just a few tweaks in posing against the light source.
While I really should have caught these problems before finishing, I
own the mistake and took the time to research the best way to correct
everything I wanted to improve.
This
brings me to the point for this week's topic; even once you learned
it, you never know everything. The solution was something I had done
a few hundred times, I just completely forgot about it when setting
up for the session. There is the point where allowing yourself to
admit mistakes becomes vital... my botching a few shots worked out
alright in this case, but I was lucky. I should really take the time
to go through some more test shots – I also should take the time to
take some additional educational courses to improve my skills and
sharpen my memory.
So,
this week I will bring up some common focus points where experienced
amateurs and even some professionals fall flat. With each point, you
may want to review your sessions for areas in need of improvement.
Often there are points we routinely ignore or find ourselves
attempting to compensate for with digital editing in place of
focusing on the solution prior to even snapping the photo.
- Lighting - I find myself often cringing at the number of wonderfully posed and airbrushed images that would have survived without the extent of editing if they had only been shot with proper lighting. From beach images that are posed against the sun and cause the subject to squint, to studio portraits without a white-balance check. Remember that colors and light are directly related. As you work with subjects, remember that light can make or break any artistic image; and that is why I suggest that all photographers take a basic drawing class to understand the concept of Chiaroscuro.
- Poses– There are some stock poses that every artist keeps in their head; while some are great because we all need a classic image to ensure there are clear head shots or fun poses for kids, they are stock because we all know how to take them. The saying may be cliché, but as an artist you need to think outside the box. In this case, think beyond the “over the shoulder half smile” or the cutesy “laying on the tummy with hands under the chin”. If you feel you have to get those poses in, try doing something fun with camera angle, lighting, and proportion.
- Focal Length – This is a particular pet peeve of mine. It comes from seeing so many otherwise beautiful models distorted because they fell into what I call the “Myspace Trap”. Perhaps I am dating myself here, but I remember a time when taking a photo of yourself by holding the camera up over your head and making a pouty lipped face while pointing the camera right down your non-existent cleavage was sure-fire way to get friends online. Yes, the days when everyone was “edgy and unique” by having a black background and pink glittery font brought about a horrible shift in photographic vantage-points. The problem is not with shooting a subject from above; there are some classic poses using this technique to create very tasteful shots. But one should consider the differences between the slightly bulbous forehead and nose, and the demure downcast eyes of a new bride. The solution is all in how one starts the framing process; starting by actually being farther from the subject and zooming IN with the camera to frame is the correct method. Too many otherwise wonderful images are ruined because the photographer positions themselves too close and zooms OUT to frame their image and then steps back. This causes the parts of the body closest to the lens to become stretched and exaggerated. Ensure that you return on Monday for a visual lesson with examples of intentional and unintentional focal-length changes on various subjects.
- Set & Prop Involvement – Prior to starting my own company there was a time when I worked as a photographer for a commercial studio. That point in my career may not have always been my favorite, but it gave me a valuable collection of “Do's & Don'ts” to draw on in future sessions. As with poses, some photographers have a single set or item they use in every session because it is just so much a part of their style that they forget how easy it is to have those images become predictable. I admit that in my retail photography days clients knew my collection of silk flowers was unsurpassed for life-like and well-kept details. Every communion season was a wash of carnations, white and blush roses, or Easter lilies. In spring I hauled out my favorite girly poses and pinched bouquets to enhance the holiday dresses and baskets full of painted eggs. Around fall I had baskets of red apples or harvest gourds to use along with bags full of autumn leaves. The only problem with all these silk flowers was that they became my “save zone”. When a customer asked for photos with something different, I had to stop and think because it did not fall in my typical plan.
- Subject Focus– I actually mean this in two respects: First, it drives me insane to look at work from fellow photographers and see that they clearly tried to shoot everything with the auto-focus feature. While it serves an obvious purpose at times, I find that auto-focus has become just another crutch that people lean on endlessly. There is nothing sadder than a wonderfully posed wedding photo that has the bride and groom as blurry as Sasquatch while that random pebble in the foreground is unusually clear. Secondly, there is no nicer way to say things than this... if your subject is less than one-quarter of the total space in an otherwise solid black or white frame, you have failed. In general one should refer to the “Rule of Thirds” in both close-up or alternately cropped images. There is a significant difference between being artistic with an off-set frame, and poor cropping. Again, I will have examples of correct and incorrect use of subject placement in this week's visual updates.
As
you might expect, I fell into a rut and had to dig my way back out.
At this point I now hardly use hand-held props or certain poses to
avoid the traps that occur with them. I have learned and adapted,
but I continue to educate myself, as I did this week after my
mistakes with lighting and lens-flare.
When
you find yourself seeing problematic themes, take the time to
research the solution. You may well find that there is a simple
answer to even the most complex question. Never think of this as a
set-back, simply as a learning exercise. Never stop learning.
