 Angela McClain |
How to Take Christmas Photos and Show Twinkling
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Jeff S. Kennedy |
I'm not entirely clear as to what you want. The photo you attached looks pretty good to me. If you want to give the impression of twinkling lights then you might try a star filter.
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John A. Lind |
Angela, Your photograph does look fine compositionally; the camera angle looks decent. Keep it level to keep the fireplace looking natural (don't tilt it up or down). In looking at the shadows in the photograph, it appears you used an on-camera flash aimed directly at you. This is called "frontal" lighting. From a flash mounted on the camera and aimed directly at the subject it leave zero or nearly zero visible shadows, and is often harsh. From the description of what you want, I don't believe you can achieve it with direct, on-camera flash. Even with studio equipment, including soft boxes over the strobe(s) and separate reflector(s) for fill, the lighting setup would not be that simple. You didn't state what type of camera you are using, or the type of flash unit. If it's built-in to the camera, there's not much you can do. If it attaches to the camera, there may be some things to try, depending on its capabilities. You already know the basic issue is lighting. Take a detailed look at where all the light in this photo came from and how powerful each light source is compared to all the others: Suggestions: Don't be afraid to experiment with this some. Doing it, looking at your pictures and analyzing them for how your lighting worked out in the image will give you experience with exactly what works, and what to expect from a specific technique and setup. -- John
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Tony Peckman |
For one thing, I'm gonna look for more of John L.'s advice... on anything. He's so detailed and helpful. Second, I would also, compostionally speaking, watch out for little things like putting the fire itself behind my little child's head. Makes him look like that old Lynyrd Skynyrd album cover... heads on fire. Lighting wise, cancel the flash, if you're using a point and shoot, and maybe bounce (reflect) the fires light back toward you with a foil covered piece of cardboard. John's advice of experimenting is the best thing for you and record what you did in each shot so you know what works. Have fun and don't get frustrated.
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John A. Lind |
Thanks Tony . . . The reflector is also something to try . . . you won't get as much light using it, but it may work depending on your lens speed and film speed. Aluminum foil on cardboard is an old trick for making a good reflector. Tip: Crumple the foil slightly first and then flatten it back out again. This helps prevent "hot spots" in the image by spreading the reflected light out. If you try it, place it off to the side of the camera so there's about 30 degrees between reflector, subject and camera. Tony's mentioning the foil reflector trick reminded me of a very portable version I saw used recently "on location" in the field. One side of a "space blanket" has a textured foil surface. These also work well as a reflector. They're very light and can be folded up almost as small as a nylon windbreaker making them easy to carry. If the "foil" side is gold colored (instead of silver), it will "warm" the reflected light giving it a slight yellow cast . . . it's sometimes desired and sometimes not (not in this case; the fire is already a red-yellow color). Turn it over and you can use it to shade something from direct sunlight. The portability is also a downside when supporting one in use. They're not as easily propped up as a piece of stiff cardboard. "Field expedient" methods to do this are something to think about before you're in the field wanting to use it. -- John
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N. Keith Moore |
Hi Angela, I also think the suggestions that were already given were good. However, you may try softening the light on your flash and dragging or leaving the shutter open for about 1/8th second. It's worth a try if all else fails. NK
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Angela McClain |
Okay, I've got the six point star filter that seems to get the effect I was looking for. If I cover the flash it seems to get the right amount of light in without overdoing it. I need to go pick up the faster speed film and give it a shot. Hopefully they come out okay. I was going to do the slower film but with two small kids its imposible to keep them still so it won't blur. I will post the results. Thanks for all the input!
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Jaymes R. Stuart |
Your shot looks really great, but here's my 2 pesos worth of advice to help you pull off the shot you want, and almost any other indoor flash shot in the average house. Get a cheapie flash unit (Vivitar 2800, $50) stick it on a cheapie off-camera bracket ($20) connect it to your camera with a PC cable ($10). Turn the external flash unit to Manual and point it upwards at 45 degrees so it bangs off your ceiling or a wall. Set the on-camera flash at full. Set your f-stop one to two stops smaller than you would use with the on-camera flash alone, to accommodate the extra light. Now, the xmas twinklies? Set the shutter speed to 1/8 second or longer. If your camera has a slow-synch flash setting, use it as a starting point. This allows the camera to soak up the ambient light as well as the flash. You will need to play with this a bit to get the ratio bewteen FG/BG and twinklies you want, but your indoor shots will look 200% better using this set-up. Here's a portrait I shot hand-held using this equipment (sorry no twinklies) on an Oly C3000. Good luck. Jaymes
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Jaymes R. Stuart |
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