Photo contests- November '10- chat thread

[ronaldhanko]

It isn't so much a black background that makes a flower stand out, as a background that is uncluttered, or sufficiently blurred so as not to distract from the flowers. I carry a piece of colored velvet with me even when we are backbacking to make sure I'm not caught out by a cluttered background, and a coat, a camera bag or something like that can provide the same service. I even use a Litedisk I have for diffusing strong light as a background.

A little flash can also be used to set off the subject and darken the background to the point where distractions are minimized, and using a telephoto lens on a subject will also blur the background, another trick I use at shows and when backpacking to help with the background.

In fact, I find pictures with only black backgrounds a bit boring and try to vary the color where I can control the background or find something else where I cannot - even a plain wall, a plain curtain or bedspread, a translucent window can provide good usable backgrounds.

[BikerDoc5968]

Ah the master.... Ronald H..... I know I can ALWAYS count on you for some creative education! I sure am glad you are here and offer so freely of your expert tips. THANK YOU

[ronaldhanko]

Thanks for the compliment, Howard, but I'm just learning like everyone else.

[ronaldhanko]

A couple of other tricks that I find useful both indoors and out are:

(1) using a small LED flashlight to highlight the flower (you have to be careful about the color when using a light like this - adjust or monkey around with the white balance);

(2) when using supplemental lighting, put it to the side or even slightly behind the flower so that the background stays dark. A reflector (aluminum foil on a piece of cardboard) helps illuminate the other side of the flowers and soften dark shadows.

Just a note, too, about studios. My "studio" is a spare bedroom with an old desk in it, and my props are some pieces of velvet, a set of two old incandescent lights in reflectors (not much more than the clamp-on work lights) and a tripod. You don't need much to get good pictures.

[ronaldhanko]

One more note: the most important thing I ever learned in taking pictures is to stop a minute before pushing the shutter and look at the rest of the picture besides the subject - you have to train yourself to do this. Sometimes a very slight change of angle, moving something or otherwise eliminating something in the background will be the difference between a good or indifferent picture.

[Call_Me_Bob]

my "studio" on a good day, consists of a velvet cloth, a corner of my room that is near the plant shelf ( so i get a tiny bit of lighting from the side ) and i tape the OB flash's mount thing to my dresser and point the flash to bounce off the ceiling. thats about it.

like i said, thats on a good day.

[IraGlacialis]

I have never had the time to set a studio, even a small one, and most of my photographs are taken somewhere else..
What I try to do is always make due with what I got (ceiling/wall distance and angle for sufficient bounce, color, background, etc) and adjust things from there.

[Call_Me_Bob]

I found that F I use an ob flash pointed towards the ceiling, and put my hand right behing it, it makes th subject warmer