Add External Flash to Point and Shoots

Just because your digital point and shoot has a built-in flash, that doesn't mean you're stuck with using it exclusively.

 

"When two people in an organization always agree, one of them is unnecessary." You might expect to find that quote cross-stitched on a sign in the Complaint Department. But it hung prominently behind my father's desk as the editor and publisher of a weekly trade publication. Dad's lesson is universally applicable, I've found over the years; a different perspective often provides an improvement? in life and in flash photography. I used this lesson to some effect on Mom, with more success on my siblings, and with mixed results on various employers. One place it has never failed me, though, is flash photography.

 

The big problem with most flash photography is that it uses the flash on the camera. That flash takes the same angle on the subject as the camera's lens, so it throws harsh shadows, creates red eye, and generally makes The Night of the Living Dead look like the end result from Extreme Makeover. As if that isn't enough, it also eats camera battery power alive.

 

Flash really needs to take a different point of view than your lens. An external flash can make the single biggest improvement to the quality of your flash images. And you don't need a hot shoe or sync socket to use an external flash. Nor do you need a personal trainer to heft the gear around. All you need is a flash on your camera, although hot shoes and sync sockets are also nice to have.In fact, there are many ways to put an external flash system together. Let's look at two variations: a simple wireless system you can use with any digicam and a professional bounce flash system.

 

A Simple Wireless Setup

 

If your digicam has only the flash it was born with, your external flash should be a slave flash: a flash that fires when it gets its cue (through infrared energy) from your digicam's flash.The digicam flash becomes a trigger now. It goes off and tells the external flash that it is now time to fire. To ensure that this works properly, use Fill Flash or Manual Flash mode and mask your digicam flash with a piece of exposed slide film so it won't illuminate the scene.

 

The slide film acts as an infrared filter, triggering the external slave flash. The good news with this rig is that you now have an independent flash, triggered by the camera, that you can position anywhere you want. The bad news is that you've disabled your camera's dedicated-flash exposure system. The way dedicated flash works is that the camera initiates the sequence by firing the flash. As the light is reflected off the subject back to the camera, a sensor measures the reflected light. When the amount of light matches the camera's auto-exposure setting, the camera stops the flash.

 

I know this sounds truly amazing, but it works. And it all happens in a fraction of a second. The challenge is that when you add an external unit without maintaining this communication system between camera and flash, the camera can no longer control the duration of the external flash. It is either on or off. So, you'll need to experiment a bit with this setup to get good exposures. I recommend you actually take notes, marking down the distance of the flash from your subject and all of your camera settings, so you can repeat your successes.

 

If your camera has a Manual Exposure mode, set the shutter speed to 1/30 of a second and set the f-stop to match the flash's power (according to its documentation). You can fiddle with the shutter speed to capture as much of the background light as you want. A faster shutter speed (say, 1/60 or 1/125 of a second) records less background in low-light conditions. Then, aim the slave at your subject and fire away.

 

You can use an old flash from your 35mm gear as a slave if you add an IR trigger, such as the $25 Wein Peanut slave .Or, you can buy a slave with a built-in IR trigger, such as the Zenon MagneFlash flat panel.

 

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Photography: Make Your Own Passport Photo

Don't spend money for a terrible passport picture that you'll be embarrassed to show to strangers all over the world. You can take your own shot, and make great first impressions instead.

 

 

Why is it that whenever you have an official photograph taken, you're made to look like a  criminal or terrorist? Sometimes, you don't have a choice in the matter, such as for your  

driver's license (or booking at the county jail). But when it comes to passport photos, you 

can submit your own picture, and I recommend you do.

There are general requirements for an acceptable photo:

· Photographs must be identical and recent (within six months), with a clear full-face  and front-view image. They may be in color or     black       and white.

· The photographs must be at least 2" 2" (5cm 5cm), exclusive of any white borders. The image size, from the bottom of the chin to the top of    the    head (including hair), should measure between one inch and one and three-eighth's inches. There should be at least one half inch    between the      top of the head and the photograph's border.

· There must be a clear contrast between the background and the image of the subject. The background of the photographs must be white.      Grainy   photographs cannot be accepted.

Easy enough, right? Now let's talk about actually taking the picture, because that's the important part. Here is the equipment you'll need:

· Digital camera with a self-timer or remote release

· Tripod or alternative way to position the camera

· Two pieces of white foamcore, cardboard, or some other sturdy, reflective surface

· A stool or something else to sit on

· Inkjet printer with photo paper, preferably with matte surface

You want to avoid that stark, deer-in-the-headlights appearance that's usually caused by using a single flash in darkened room. You might still use a flash for your shot, but if so, it should be a fill flash and not the sole source of illumination. 

Look for a well-lit area that has a white or light background. You might use a brightly lit room in the house (with lots of light coming through one or more windows) or an outdoor setting, where you can use the side of the house for the background. But you don't want the sun shining right in your eyes. Diffused light is better.

Position your sitting stool at least five feet away from the background. You don't want to record much background detail. Instead, you want the background a little out of focus, and distance is the best way to create that effect.

Put the camera on the tripod and point it at the sitting stool. A trick I like to do is to put a lamp on the stool to act as my model while I'm aligning the camera. If you have a helper for this project, that person can serve as your stand-in. Position the camera slightly above eye level of the subject. By doing so, the picture will be more flattering and, if you do use a fill light, the shadows will be cast downward and out of the picture.

For your first test shot, turn off the flash. Let's see how it looks with natural light only. Turn on the self-timer, have a seat, smile slightly, and hold still until the camera has recorded the image. How does it look? If one side of your face is too shadowy, then position one of the pieces of white foamcore so it reflects light onto the dark side of your face.

Source: O'Reiley | Portfolio Website for Photographers

 

 

 

Photography Ideas: Get the Big Picture with a Panorama

They say two heads are better than one. When it comes to showing the "big picture," many heads? er, shots? are definitely bigger than one.

 

Many people are frustrated by their inability to capture the majesty of awesome natural monuments such as the Grand Canyon. I've heard this phrase a dozen times: "This picture doesn't really do it justice. It looked so fantastic when I was there." Bad photography isn't the culprit here; inadequate coverage is.

 

Let me ask you this: if you went to the Grand Canyon and had to look at it through a toilet-paper tube, how impressive would you think it was? Probably not much, the same thing happens when you try to capture the magnificence of a vast location with single shots on your point and shoot. This doesn't mean that you have to go out and buy a camera with a super-wide lens. Instead, put the magic of digital photography to work for you.

 

Almost every digital camera available today is capable of creating breathtaking panoramas by stitching together a series of shots into one gigantic, seamless scene. Back in the days of film, you probably played around with this technique by taping together snapshots to make a bigger picture. One of my favorite artists, David Hockney, put a creative spin on this technique with works such as "The Brooklyn Bridge Nov 28th 1982" and "Pear blossom Hwy. Hockney's works are usually referred to as photographic collages. But the concept is similar to our exploration here? Taking a bunch of small images and combining them to make a big picture.

 

Unlike Hockney's work, however, our panoramas are very linear, moving from left to right. If your camera has a Panorama mode, use it; it helps you capture the images in a way that's easier for your computer to deal with later. That's the process. You shoot 3 to 12 pictures, moving from left to right, and then upload them to your computer where they can be stitched together as a sweeping vista.

 

Let's start with the shooting technique. You'll get the best results if you use a tripod, and you'll have even better luck if you have a bubble level to go with it. That way, you can align your camera to keep a straight horizon line through the entire picture-taking sequence. If your tripod doesn't have a built-in level, go to the camera store to buy one that attaches to your camera's hot shoe.

 

Look for a location with the sun to your back. Most panoramas cover about 180°. You want the lighting as even as possible on that scene so that you don't have abrupt shifts in the color of the sky, which makes it more difficult to stitch together the scene and end up with continuous tones. Once you have your camera mounted and aligned, swing through the scene and follow the horizon line to make sure it stays level.

 

If your camera has a Panorama mode, enable it. Otherwise, just make sure you overlap one third of the frame as you move from shot to shot. This will give your computer lots of information to stitch the scenes together.

 

Source: O’Reiley | Portfolio Website for creative professionals

Photography Tricks: Use Sunglasses as a Polarizing Filter

Chances are, you have a high-quality polarizing filter with you at all times, right under your nose. (Actually, it's sitting on your nose.)

Next to a fully charged battery and a huge memory card, a polarizing filter is the digital photographer's best friend. It reduces unsightly glare, deepens the richness of skies, and improves overall color saturation.The problem for most shooters on the go is that they don't always have their full kit of accessories with them. And many point-and-shoot cameras don't even provide a way to attach an external filter, even if you wanted to.

So what's a photographer to do? Does this mean you'll have to suffer with glare-y subjects and desaturated skies, just because you want to tote a convenient digicam instead of lugging around an albatross of a camera bag? Not at all. Your solution is sitting there right on top of your nose. Your sunglasses! Great lighting usually results in good photographs, with or without filtration, as shown. But sometimes you want to enhance an already good lighting situation. Often, polarization is the perfect solution, as shown . If you don't have a polarizing filter with you, try your sunglasses. You might be surprised by the results.

Without Sunglasses Filter

 

Using a Sunglasses Filter

 

Many quality shades are made out of the same material that camera polarizers are made out of. Simply take off your sunglasses and place one lens as close to your camera's shooting lens as possible. Then, take the shot. If you want to see the difference, take the same.

 

Source: O'Reiley | Online Portfolio Websites for Photographers