[clackers]

Good morning everyone, it was our wedding anniversary the other day. I love being married.

It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life.

I think it's a family trait. My grandmother was a very tough woman.

She buried three husbands. And two of them were just napping.

This week I want to talk about not accepting where your subject currently is, for the poor light or distracting background.

If I'd encourage you overriding your camera's choice of exposure or focus point in a scene, I'd also encourage you to ask your subject to move, to make a better picture. You might have noticed somewhere more interesting on the way in. Wedding photographers can scout locations prior to the date, at about the same time of day so they can know where the good light will be.

In this case, I was shooting Paul doing some boxing, but the pictures were never going to be keepers because of the darkness. You'll remember I think defensive guys get relaxed by physical activity, so the minutes weren't completely a waste.

So I then asked him to step right up to the punching bag, into the spot of sunshine coming from the floor above this home gym, so that became the real portrait.

If you're taking a picture of someone at a cafe, you can ask them for the purposes of the photos to move and sit at a window table to get beautiful sideways light happening on them.

But you have to do it. To take a photo instead of a snapshot, you have to go through with it!

To finish, there's the story of the American, the Englishman and someone of another tough nationality - let's call him 'Biddleonian' - applying to be CIA agents.

They go through every single test and pass with flying colours. For their final test they are each given a pistol and led inside a room with their wife tied to a chair and are instructed to kill her.

The American goes into the room and comes out 5 minutes later. "Guess I'm not cut out for this. I couldn't do it, I'm sorry," he says, giving the gun to his superiors.

The Englishman walks in, comes out 10 minutes later. "I couldn't do it either, lads, I apologize," he says, giving the gun to his superiors.

The Biddleonian walks in the room and several shots can be heard, followed by screaming, crashing, breaking. He walks out 10 minutes later, sweating. He says: "You morons gave me a prop gun, I had to finish her with the chair!"

Next week: Tip 23 - Flash Extenders Part One

Find the rest of the series here: Clackers' Beginners Tips (Collected) - PentaxForums.com

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Last edited by clackers; 05-19-2022 at 11:24 PM.

[reynb]

Excellent! The tutorial wasn`t too bad either!

[yucatanPentax]

Stupendous image that captures the subject and the sport. Jussssssst right!

prop gun, omg.....

edit: for the exposure for an image like that, did you use center weighted or center point? Or was some post work involved? It looks perfectly natural and "uncooked."

[35mmfilmfan]

With wildlife photography (even flowers) the issue is persuading the subject NOT to move !! And steam trains in motion are far more impressive than stationary. Just saying . . .

[kiwi_jono]

Great portrait!
I kind of suck at portraits probably because I fail to do this.

[clackers]

Great portrait!
I kind of suck at portraits probably because I fail to do this.

Yeah, and you know what, Jono?

Someone can spend a lot of money on a glorious DFA*85 and take a crappy portrait.

Move someone into interesting lighting with the kit lens and they can take a beautiful picture!

So, that's what I'm banging on about, week after week, I think ... it's technique.

[clackers]

With wildlife photography (even flowers) the issue is persuading the subject NOT to move !! And steam trains in motion are far more impressive than stationary. Just saying . . .

Exactly the same principle, Tony. The light makes the photo, I don't do that any different for a flower or a charging steer!

I sat hours in advance in my position because I knew where the setting sun would be.