Sunday, November 27, 2011

Santa Pix with no Santa




All you need is a...

-Santa Hat (I found mine in the $1 bin at Target)
-Scissors
-White Glove
-Fabric for a backdrop (I used black fabric but you can use anything you have around)
-Reflector (I'll talk more about this later in the post)

Cut a hole big enough for your hand to fit through
The perfect spot to shoot is next to an open door.  You'll notice a couple of things...

1.  Notice I just draped the backdrop over the open door.
2.  Notice that my Santa hand person was not blocking the light coming in the door. 
3.  Notice there is no direct sun coming through the door just indirect light.

Here's the image I captured...

The next images I played with a reflector as fill light.  (Fill light is the light that diminishes the shadows cast by the main light.)  The open door will light my subject bright on one side and leave a shadow on the other side of her face.  Sometime this look is desired.  A strong light and dark side makes for a more dramatic image.  When you diminish the shadows by using fill light it creates a more soft image.


Ho Ho Ho Merry Christmas!!

If you enjoyed this tip and love learning about photography and lighting then you must check out the Photo By Emilie Workshops.  I offers workshops in Salt Lake and ONLINE!!  I am giving you a discount of $25 off until Christmas.

Discount Code "perfectgift"

Friday, November 4, 2011

Accessories under $100.



Gift giving season is upon us.  Here are 10 fantastic photography accessories under $100.  Happy Shopping!!


Keeping your lens clean is so important to the sharpness and quality of your images.  This cleaning kit is only $15.90 on Amazon.  Here is a video on how to clean your lens.  Happy Cleaning :)




The harsh and direct light produced by the on camera flashes is so unflattering.  This Soft Screen Pop-Up Flash Diffuser softens and diffuses the light.  It's only $11.95 on Amazon.


This program does 90% of what the full version of Photoshop does, but at a tiny fraction of the cost of the full professional version.  Only $89.99 on Amazon.

 

If you have Photoshop you Must have my action set.  It comes with a Color, BandW, Vintage & Soft color action.  Have Elements?  No trouble, it comes with step by step on running the actions in Elements.  Only $30.00 on my blog.


This little flash is 90% as good as the Canon/Nikon flash and comes at less than one-fifth the price.  I have one of these flashes and love it.  The YN-560 works on both Canon or Nikon cameras.  Only $68.64 on Amazon.


This Rain Cover is perfect for the upcoming winter snow storm photos.  You can buy a permanent one for more money, but I like the cheapies since they are so small and portable.  Only $5.99 on Amazon.


I LOVE LOVE LOVE my reflector.  I use my constantly!!  My favorite is the 32" White/Soft Gold.  Click here for read a tip I wrote on my blog.  Only $55.42 on Amazon.


If you haven’t learned all the thousands of keyboard shortcuts in Photoshop, you’ll love these little stickers that go on your keyboard to remind you of the shortcuts until you memorize them.  Using shortcuts have saved my years of my life!!  Only $6.96 on Amazon.


A Tripod is a must have if you're taking photos of products, home improvement projects, food or crafts.  It allows you to use a slower shutter & brightens up your images.  Only $28.64 on Amazon.

A clean camera is a happy camera.  These non-abrasive and lint free wipes are perfect for cleaning your camera.   Only $10.14 on Amazon.

Learn to use many of these nifty accessories during my Online and Salt Lake workshops.
Click Here to learn all about my photography education options.