Photo Tip Friday: What is Golden Hour in Photography? Part 2

by Mary Denman    @MaryDenman

Golden Hour is a magical time in photography. 

It occurs twice a day. It’s the first hour after sunrise and the last hour before sunset. Because of the position of the sun near the horizon, the rays have to travel through the most atmosphere and this creates long shadows and soft, golden light.

Last week in part 1,we talked about Golden Hour and how the light is different than the rest of the day. 

This week, I want to show you how to use this time to create warm, magical shots.

Let’s get started.

Photo Tip Friday: What is Golden Hour in Photography? Part 1

by Mary Denman    @MaryDenman

Lighting is one of the most important components of photography. Understanding how light effects your photos is crucial to creating photos you're proud of. 

Today, I'm going to explain something called the Golden Hour. It occurs twice a day. During the Golden Hour, the light is most flattering for people. And, it creates some magical effects which is why it's also called Magic Hour. 

Technically, it's when the sun is between 0 to 6 degrees with respect to the horizon. 

Practically, it occurs for the first hour after the sun breaks the horizon in the morning. Then, it occurs again for the last hour of the day before the sun sets. 

Let's see what the Golden Light looks like and how it differs from other light throughout the day. 

Monday's Musings: Do What You Love, Love What You Do

by Mary Denman  @MaryDenman

Do what you love by Mary Denman Photography

We frequently hear the quote, "Do what you love, love what you do", but have we taken the time to really think about it? Is it true?

I think it's very profound.

Why?

Well, let me tell you about a journey I've been on. Not a physical journey, but on a life journey.

It's about photography.

I've enjoyed photography for years and years. I had a point and shoot that I used all through high school. Then, a Minolta X-700. I have tons of printed photos from the years of my children growing up. Well, 1,378,964 shots of my first born to be exact, and then it went downhill from there for my other 4 kids. My fifth child has about 26 newborn shots. Maybe. You know, I was a little busy.

Photo Tip Friday: Creating Ghostly Images

by Mary Denman
Twitter @MaryDenman
Instagram @Maryfdenman

Today, I decided to teach you how to create ghostly photographic images. 

I learned this photo technique from my brother way back in the 80's. On film.  

I finally realized I could duplicate it on digital. 

So, today's tip will definitely be more technical. But worth it. 

Let's get started!  

Monday's Musings - Do Not Grow Weary?

by Mary Denman

My weary daughter, sleeping...

In the past year, I have to admit, I've grown pretty weary. And it's not a fun place to be. 

Especially if you only remember the first half of a verse: "Do not grow weary..."

So I decided to track down the verse and get it straight. Was I ever relieved! 

Wordless Wednesday - Snail

Welcome back for Wordless Wednesday! 

Thanks for dropping by! 

Join Linky below and come back on Friday for photography tips!

Photo Tip Friday - Shooting in Low Light, Part 1

Welcome back!

Today's tip is about taking shots in dim lighting.

This week is part 1 and we're going to cover photography in an outdoor setting.
Next week, we'll cover indoor shots.

Taking photographs in low light can be challenging. I'm sure you've taken a shot outside which looked cool when you pulled out your camera. But once you took the shot, it was too dark to be worth much.

So then you turned on the flash.

Either it didn't help at all (because the subject matter was too far away) or it washed out the shot (because the subject matter was too close).

And, you came away disappointed. Well, let's try and remedy that.

A quick reminder.

Time Value        = how long the shutter is open to let light in
Aperture Value = what size the aperture (shutter) is: 
                                f/5.6 lets in more light, f/22 lets in less
ISO                     = "speed" of the film: sunlight uses 100 
                                                              candlelight uses 1600 or higher

Let's go over some photos. You'll notice I put the Time, Aperture Value (Av) and ISO on each photograph. This is to help you learn these terms so you can start to experiment on your own!

Mary Denman Photography

Here's a nice, warm fire. Flames are never the same in any picture. Writers say they dance for a reason.

The flash wouldn't have resulted in the warm red and orange tones you see here. So I held the camera for 1/4 of a second. If you look closely, it's not crystal clear. But for me for this shot, that's okay. This is a "family" shot.

Mary Denman Photography

We were sitting around the fire with our kids. And here's one of them now.

Notice the difference in the ISO I used? When I was focusing in tight on the flames in the shot above, I used a lower ISO of 200 because fire burns so bright.

But in the second shot, I used a faster ISO of 800.

Why? I had to take into account both the very intense light of the flames and the reflected light on his face.

ISO 200 in this shot would have washed out the flames and struggled to capture enough light to see his face.

How do I know this? Because I've washed out a few pictures....

But digital gives you a great chance to learn quickly!

Mary Denman Photography

Okay. I love storms. I've wanted to get a shot of lightning for quite a while. Last summer, we had a massive storm come through and I took this shot from my front door. On a tripod. Even so, I, my lens and my foyer ended up soaked. But it was worth it.  


This shot required a lot of patience. Lightning is so fast and bright, that you can't just "snap" a shot when you see it. Notice I left the shutter open for 4 seconds. Knowing I had to leave it open for so long, I made the Aperture f/22 which means the shutter opening is smaller and lets in less light. 

I played around until I found that ISO 1600 worked well. 

Mary's Cheat Sheet: Take more than one shot! 

Please know that I probably took 30 photos during that storm to get 4 or 5 that were really good. Digital is free for taking shots, so take plenty, sort out later! 

Mary Denman Photography

This is an urban, nighttime photograph. 

The sun had been below the horizon for a while. But the city lights and the spot lights on the falls made for a tricky picture situation. And, I wanted the water to be milky which meant I had to leave the shutter open longer.

I didn't have my tripod, so I used the rail of the bridge as my stabilizer. 

Mary Denman Photography

I even used the railing as my "tripod" to get this picture of the bridge itself. 

Notice the people on the bridge are a little blurry? That's because of how long the shutter was open. I like the sense of movement they bring to the photo. 





Remember for low light, outside shots, you'll need to play with your settings to get the right combination. Go outside tonight if you have time and play around with your camera. Experience is the best teacher. 

Then, when you want to know what to do when you see a gorgeous sunset, or fireworks, you'll be better prepared.

Hope this tip helps! 

Keep on clicking.

Mary

Wordless Wednesday - Gorgeous Irises

Welcome to Wordless Wednesday once again. 

Okay, so I love flowers. Enjoy these springtime beauties.

Thanks for dropping by!
I do my best to return comments and Linky love!

Here are some of my older posts on Photography Tips:

Using Silhouettes Part 1

Using Reflections, Part 1, Part 2

What's That Dial (on your camera) For? Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Discussing Some Photos (using the learned information)

Here are some of my most recent Monday's Musings:

Finding Joy in the Midst of Sorrow
Living with Loss

Photo Tip Friday

Part One - Strong Lines in Nature

Today's photo tip is learning how to use strong lines to create unique shots.

Let's get started.

The shot to the right is of an extremely interesting log that is covered in a beautiful striped fungi. Notice the strong vertical line that I used to show off this log? It's not completely centered, but it does run vertically. And it catches your eye.

Don't feel it has to run straight through the center of the frame. But do use vertical lines.

But let's look at a different use of lines.

This hosta leaf doesn't have straight lines. They're curved. So to make this photograph stronger, I made sure to focus fairly closely. I don't have any edges showing because that would introduce other lines that would be distracting.

Close in on your lines to take a better shot.

 And now to some winter shots.

These are icicles. They lend themselves to vertical lines.

Aren't they just beautiful?

These next two shots involve frozen rain on some small branches.

I felt this shot was most powerful taken horizontally. And notice this branch is straight as compared to the next shot which is a curved branch covered in ice.





Try different angles with any subject. While both of these photos are taken horizontally, they have a different feel to them.

And as a parting shot, notice how simple this picture is. I got down low and looked up, using the deep blue, clear sky as a simple background to set off the twig and the single drop of ice.

This shot uses both a vertical and horizontal element to strong effect.

So start looking for strong lines that stand out in nature, and see what gorgeous pictures you can take.

Go grab your camera and experiment.

Hope this tip helps!

Keep on clicking!

Photo Tip Friday

 Tip Friday : Macro, Part 2

There are a couple of ways to take macro shots. 

The first one involves using a setting on your camera. Whether your camera is a "point and shoot" or "SLR = Single-Lens Reflex", it should have a setting on the wheel that shows a flower. See the flower on my camera? That's your camera's indication telling you to use that setting for doing macro shots.

So, you need to set the camera on the macro setting. This will enable you to get closer to your subject. The closer you get to your subject, the more detail you can get. 

The caveat for this setting, though, is that the camera decides if you need a flash or not. And you can't overrule that. So practice using the "flower" setting and see how it works for you.

On to technique two. This just uses the regular setting on your camera. So, how is this technique preferable to your camera's macro setting? The obvious answer is that you control whether or not you need the flash. Because usually, it you're using a flash on a very close subject, you will tend to wash it out. 

Just move in closer to your subject. Your camera should focus for you. It will only let you get so close before it can't focus anymore. That's your clue to back up. 

And here's a macro shot of an apple. Notice how crisp and clear the stem is? Doesn't this shot just make you want to take a bite? 

You can use macro on just about anything. 

So grab your camera and start experimenting!

Hope this tip helps.

Keep on clicking.

Mary

Photo Tip Friday

Photo Tip Friday : Macro

Mary Denman Photography

Today's tip involves learning to shoot macro.  What this means is bringing your focus down and making smaller things big.

So, how do we do this?

Well, let's start with the big picture. Literally.

Isn't this a gorgeous shot of a field of flowers? Notice the mountain in the background?

This is a great overall shot.

Photo tip Friday

But let's start bringing your focus down. Instead of the entire field, I'm focusing here on the clump of daisies. You no longer see the mountain.

I don't need the mountain in this shot. It's all about the daisies.

But they aren't the only flowers in the field.



Here is another flower. I hate to call it a weed. It may be, but it's still striking.

Notice how I looked up for this shot? You can still see the mountain, but it pales in comparison to the flower.

Finally, look at this close up of a daisy. This is what macro is all about.

You can see the center of the flower and actually count the Fibonacci numbers.

(Don't know what Fibonacci numbers are? Click here. Then go down to the bottom of the page and it shows Fibonacci numbers in a sunflower.)



Now, we can get even closer. But this week is for teaching the concept of macro photography. Next week, I'll teach you how to get closer with a point and shoot camera or with an SLR camera.

So, grab you camera and head out!

Hope this tip helps.

Keep clicking.

Mary

Photo Tip Friday

Part 2: Soft Shadows

Today's tip is about the use of soft shadows in photography to create a "mood" shot.

Last week I talked about the use of strong shadows to create interesting photographs. But you can also use soft shadows to enhance your pictures.

Let's get started.

Here is a head shot of an author and speaker. Notice how the right side of her face is slightly darker than the left side. This fits some of the topics she speaks about. Her life has had many trials and tribulations. While she is beautiful, peaceful and smiling, this shot hints that there is more to her story than first meets your eye.

Here's another head shot with mood in it. Notice how only one side of the face is well lit? This guy looks pretty serious in this photo. 

But look what happens when he is in more uniform light. Well, and makes a crazy face to boot! Same subject, very different feel to the photos.

One more head shot. This is an author. Want to guess her genre? She doesn't write childen's stories or romance. She's a mystery writer. The close up of her wonderfully intense eyes and the shadows playing around her face bespeak mystery.

Finally, here's a nature shot with soft shadows. Last week I used strong shadows with some flowers. In this instance, the soft shadows create a totally different feel. And how did I get soft shadows? I took this picture in late afternoon when the sun was dipping in the sky.

So, you can use shadows to enhance your photography, whether they are strong or soft. Go grab your camera and give it a try. Let me know what your results are.

Hope this tip helps.

Keep on clicking!

Mary

Photo Tip Fridays

Part 1: Strong Shadows

Friday’s Photo Tip is about using strong shadows to enhance your photography.  Next week we will go over using soft shadows to create mood shots.

We all have pictures where shadows from a tree made someone’s face too dark because of the contrast. So we may think shadows are bad. But this isn’t always true. Sometimes you can incorporate shadows to make a shot better!

Let’s get started.

This first photograph is of a fence at the beach and its shadow. This is a use of strong shadows to create an interesting shot of something that is fairly common. The high contrast of the black and white is what catches your eye.

So let’s use color and shadows together. Notice the shadow of the center of this dogwood. Beautiful isn’t it?  It adds a pop to this macro shot.

Look around for shadows. You may find some funny ones. This photo is the shadow of a garden spinning decoration. Yes, that’s snow beneath it. I thought it looked like a smiley face and couldn’t resist the shot. 

So grab your camera and go looking for shadows! You never know what you may find!

Hope this helps!

Keep on clicking!

Photo Tip Friday

Today’s photo tips are on doing a photo shoot with people.

While we all love to grab the camera and snap shot here and there, we can learn to use our talents for other people. One way to do this is to do a photo shoot for special occasions like weddings, anniversaries, engagements, births, graduations etc.

Here are some shots of an engagement shoot that I did a few years ago. Next week, I’ll show shots from a more recent shoot. One thing you will notice is a big difference in how the overall shoot turned out. Why? Because each couple is different. As a photographer, you need to learn to clue in to what’s important to them and how to make them feel most comfortable.

So, let’s get started.

I caught a sweet moment between them while they were just sitting on a bench. Notice how Doug’s hand is lovingly holding Patience. This picture speaks of the tenderness in their relationship.

Another mood shot was with the hydrangeas in front and the two of them in the background, just focusing on each other. Their love and tenderness shows through.

Here’s the next one. Notice the little gleam in Patience's eyes? Doug even cracked a smile for me.

 
Then, I took a close up of Patience, focusing on her intense eyes. The black and white makes her stand out.

 
Finally, here’s a fun one of her. Can you see the personality in her hidden grin? We had fun with the pictures.

 
To be honest, getting his picture taken wasn’t a comfortable thing for Doug. But working with him, and making him feel more comfortable yielded some good results.

So, experiment a little with your shoots. Try close-ups, talk to the couple, say funny or off the wall things to make them laugh and have your camera ready!

Hope these tips help.           

Keep on clicking.

Mary

Photo Tip Fridays

One Subject – Multiple Shots

Today’s post is about using different perspectives and I have photos of a beautiful horse to illustrate how you can take multiple shots of one subject and keep it interesting.

So, while on a hike, I came across this scene. The rider graciously allowed me to take some photos. As you can see from the first shot, I have taken a vertical picture of the horse. Notice that I haven’t cut the horse off at the knees. I also made sure there was an equal amount “blank space” around the horse and rider. This is a nice overall shot, but watch what happens when I take a horizontal shot.

This shot has a different feel to it. One photo isn’t necessarily better than the other. The horizontal picture does give you a better feel for how big the horse is than the vertical picture.

But let’s move in closer. Here’s a shot of the horse’s head. Notice how different this looks from my first two photos. It’s focusing more on the horse, rather than the horse and rider. And you can see the head covering more clearly.

And let’s move in once more. I focused the shot on the horse’s eye. It captures more of the horse’s personality. Look at those lashes! Again, this photo show cases the subject in a very different way than the first three pictures.

When you come across a scene that catches your eye, explore the subject from different perspectives.

Hope this tip helps.

Keep on clicking.

Mary

Wordless Wednesday

Sunflower on Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

If you are so kind as to leave a comment or link up, I'll be happy to come visit and leave you a comment as well! Happy WW!

Photo Tip Fridays

Today’s tip for taking better photographs is about Perspective.

I noticed some delicate roses running up a wrought iron railing in my neighbor’s yard.  After checking with her, I set about taking pictures of the flowers.

This first shot isn’t really all that special. But it shows what caught my eye. It has soft colors against strong lines and is generally interesting. Well, at least to me.

But there’s no well-defined focal point in this shot.

So, I changed my perspective and walked to the foot of the stairs. That’s when I took this photo. This is closer to what I was trying to capture. Notice the strong black line of the railing that cuts through the photograph. It’s in stark contrast to the soft greens and yellows of the vegetation. And, the sharp right angles of the brick stairs also form a contrast.

Then, I sat down on the stairs and looked through the railing. I used the wrought iron to frame the picture and moved in close on a clump of roses. Again, by changing my perspective, I created a completely different feel to a photo of the same subject.

Finally, I set my camera on the railing and looked back up. This is my favorite shot. I love the lines and softness, juxtaposed next to each other.

The lesson here is that when you see something that catches your fancy, try a different perspective to see how the photographs come out. Some may work and some may not. But push yourself and keep getting better. 

I hope this tip helps. 

Keep on clicking!

Mary