Light--Cloudy sky, Night photography, cityscape, fireworks

In last blog, I talked about the day light with sun....That is not the end....One most important lighting is from the cloudy sky...This may happen any time during the year in our country, though rainy season is already there to provide the softest of light for good portraits outdoors, without squeezing the eyes (refer earlier blog).....The Angle matters and just look in the sky where sun's visibility is there....Let your subject's half face be towards the sun...If there is some difference in the light intensity, your subject get bright light from sun's side and some shadow at the other side saving it going as a flat light portrait...This will happen with some practice as here also sun's or your subject's angle is very important.....Not difficult?

ii) There is all round reflectance of light from sky, side buildings, even in the ground and the clouds too. I brought you the picture of school children, how comfortably they are moving under the light of overcast sky.

And there is even light on the faces.

2) You have seen much photography is done during night....the easiest example is the weddings and other functions -- as in a drama on the stage without use of flash....Yes you will say, that during night the photography is done through flash lights. Yeaaa...you are right, where there is less light, the flashes are being used. However, with the incoming of digital cameras, more of the dim light is covered with higher ISOs and it has become easy to photograph half of your images with sufficiently brilliant light on stages etc.....If you use tripod, there are good chances to photographing your town, in night lights with vehicles adding movement effect....The exposure many be in seconds...Therefore tripod or some solid support is needed.

3) Here is an example of night photography of town or cities....The camera was supported on a brickwall alongside of the lake....The lake is visible with trees in foreground....The exposure was auto counting 3 seconds...The sky too is well delineated.

4) Wow you won't miss the fireworks too....There are so many advantages in night also to continuing the clicking your camera....and learning a lot about photography....may become your bread-winner, perhaps........to continue....

DAYLIGHT TO SHOOT PICTURES

In the last blog, I was talking of the light during day time.....Here is a picture taken in the morning in a lake. The light is rendering good effect since the sun was at an angle, nearly 9.30 AM...What we see in the light during day or night....The features are clearly shown....Yes this example will take you to that direction...The water is sufficiently of deep colour giving the best of contrast between the bird and the surrounding...

2) Now recollect or go back to my last post where the guy's photo was taken at the time of overhead sun....Do you think the light is correct to find out clearly all the details needed in a good profile...there is all shadow from forehead to chin....So this time of day is to be avoided while doing serious type of photography.....For visiting tourist places, all light is good, since you are not to stay long there....Therefore this is a sort of emergency clicking....Or if you are at ease there and wish to stay longer, wait for nearly 3.00 PM onwards, when again the sun goes angled.....Besides one hint I would suggest to use your camera's builtin flash when the sun is high at noon time to fill in shadows...In other words reducing them to have better picture closeups---Pl remember the flash has a limited range of 10-15 feet and the intensity of light of flash is further reduced in front of the shining sun.....So upto 10ft coverage is sufficient.

3) You are at the evening time now....The picture at side was taken nearly 5.00 PM....The light evenly lits the faces...and shadows are making good modelling on the face.....Here and morning also you are at liberty to use cameras's flash....It won't kill the original skin tones but rather fill-in the shadows or lighten them.

4) So we can divide morning time from sun rise to 10 AM FOR GOOD PICTURE TAKING, be it portraits or landscapes......Noon time when the sun is high on head....Avoid portraits or use fill flash.....Evening 3PM to sunset the best time with or without using fill flash.....Yes in the morning or evening when your subject faces you with back to sun, the camera's flash will be of great help to light up the face or faces....BESIDES a good advice is to keep sun at your back, left or right side during morning or evening so half shadow on the face can be a tolerable feature of people you are taking photographs.

5) An old saying goes.....when photographing a person/persons, keep sun behind you...It was true, as the cameras had less inbuilt facilities....Not like today's advanced cameras...

6) To add good picture taking, you can use shadows of wall near houses, under the trees....so there is even light on the faces....Verandahs/porch are also good places...to avoid squeezing of the eyes...hahaha...and having plain lighting...GO on CLICKING.....THERE IS NO LIMIT.....to continue.

CAMERA does not take PICTURES but the PERSON BEHIND THE CAMERA TAKES THE PICTURES.

Photography is painting with light..!

Here  one photo is shown taken in sunlight...and another during evening in large shadow of evening in a park....The first picture tells you to avoid such sort of light as the eyes, the most important part of a portrait, look squeezed because of facing to sun..that has to be avoided.....In another though the child looking uncomfortable in order to reach to her mom, the picture is good in all respects...(skin tone,her pose, colour of clothes,diffused background etc)..I wish she cud see in camera....now you do not avoid.

We talked about cameras in last blog.....There is no limit to people's likings and no limit for companies to manufacture, as good as cameras.....You may have a compact camera or other with higher zooms and features including a DSLR.

What is the purpose of manufacturing a camera? Yes to take pictures.....But how you will take pictures? They are not made to shoot aimlessly......To take a good picture you will have to depend upon 'Lighting'....As is said , without lighting there is no picture....How true it is said....In general terms a picture is 'painting  with light'....Shutter and aperture acts as brush and thru correct recording of light a good painting....errr, sorry , a good picture is made.

As photography in itself is a vast subject it may take months to understand the lighting....But for simple and good pictures, simple and good lighting will be required....As you all know daylight is the best light source....but depending on the sun's position....It is not that we come out with camera in one hand and find out lots of sunlight spread over the atmosphere....Does it good for photography? Yes, if you have a vast field and beautiful scenery, it will be delight to snap good pictures then and there....More pictures of the same area you need....Yes, that is possible....you will have to move to change angles and you will be amaged viewing through LCD panel or viewfinder that the beauty was so near to you and you never noticed.. YOUR INTEREST IN PTOTOGRAPHY MADE IT POSSIBLE..

THERE ARE MANY SITUATIONS OF LIGHT BUT HERE I AM TALKING OF BRIGHT DAY WITH SUNLIGHT from morning to evening...And you will wonder that 99 percent of the photographs are made using this light, throughout the day.

Here I am talking of India of sunlight where sun is bright almost round the year otherwise in many countries the sun shines for few months only...So the best advantage is taken there also of the sunlight.......to continue

More on Cameras

The cameras used for Studio, Fashion, Modelling, and Commercial photography have lot of difference from the cameras, we were talking hitherto, I mean in last blog.....They are good for home and occasional function photography, and if you area good hand at photography, you can make immortal photographs from them.....that is your creativity...There was a price tag with these cameras for people who cannot afford cameras more than 10k....Above 10k, their versatility increases and the cost too...There are good cost cameras i.e. above 15-20k and more, which even the Professionals keep as a standby camera.......Please do not be disheartened as the DSLR cameras start 30000 and above, they are entry level cameras and pro cameras will normally be 60000 & above., however rendering great results with their kit lenses...(In the pic is a DSLR with 18-55 kit lens).

That is why I told not to be disheartened as the small compact cameras take good photographs, which I showed of a baby and let u know more from them......Yes the DSLR cameras are made for professional and interested enthusiasts. They have the facility of interchanging lenses from 18-55 kit lens to 70-300 zoom lens, macro lens, and all sort of lenses the company has released for their cameras and besides. subsidiary companies are mfg them with less price.

The changing of different lenses make use in wildlife photography, bird photography, studio portraits, in weddings,stage programmes...So with one DSLR and a good telezoom you can cover lots of subjects.....Yes the cost will increase to nearly Rs.40000/- or above.

Before getting into commercial, industrial,product,fashion photography etc....the two companies are more popular since many years. The are Nikon and Canon....Best consult your photography friend or expert, which camera to buy...In small towns the cameras are not immediately available. Get to authorised dealer, and learn which camera fits your pocket and which is more selling....Or go to yourself Delhi, Mumbai or Chennai to choose the best from long ranges they have on display.

Yes previously I told you about compact cameras with less money, still giving good results....Now there are pro range cameras for purpose of money-making or for livelihood, as there are many coming generation gals and guys to make  photographty a bread earner, like selecting RJ,VJ..........continue

How to shoot hussle free pictures & camera's capacity.

3 days son of my nephew(in picture)......Who wud like to miss this opportunity, once in life time?...Next AS TIME PASSES your child is grown up....I heard of a parent who took one photo each day of his son....With digital it is just only possible....For example IF YOU USE YOUR CAMERA's MEMORY CARD REGULARLY AND FORMATTING EVERY MONTH....IT CAN TAKE THOUSANDS OF PICTURES. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT BENEFITS FOR PROFESSIONALS, WHO USE 10000 TO 1 LAKH FRAMES EACH YEAR with their cameras.......Then they can buy another cameras, as there is a change of model every 3-4 months...with good capabality....No this is not our intention at present to talk top gears....lest my new friends are threatened by their prices.

The compact cameras have a small body, which can be slipped into the pocket, handbag or briefcase.....The lens comes out when you press a start button and after taking pictures, it will go back into the body by pressing same button...So no hussle....As soon as the lens comes out, there are beep signals for focusing and you squeeze the button thus capturing the pic....One important thing to understand is that when the lens comes there are focusing signals in the form of squares on LCD panel when you HALF PRESS the shutter button and keeping the button half pressed you can compose picture and when satisfied, just fully press the shutter button slowly to take the picture.....The picture is recorded and viewed on the LCD panel...If you feel dissatisfied take many shots for no cost?...and select one or two...In case of children, there may be many, so your heart fills with pride and you are able to make a good album...OR buying a digital frame, just insert the memory card in it and view slide show, individual pictures, enlarging them also.

There is a zoom lens facility in your camera  so you can shoot distant subject's photographs, just turning zooming button towards left and right.which is generally located around the shutter button.

There is no definition of a good camera...Every camera that takes sharp pictures and renders good colours is  the choice of the users.

.........more with camera features.....aperture/shutter................next............

Cheap Cameras and Photography--For Homes

...IS your child that much naughty?...Or you were naughty at this age?....haha....This is in contunuation of previous blog....The camera's capability is to ptotograph the subject before it.....While doing an amateur photography and starting it with new camera, there are faults to occur....Many of your photographs get over/under exposed and many you get worthy of praise by your friend circle and family.

When buying cameras, the question arises, whether to buy a lesser price camera or a higher price prosumer or dSLR. The thinking depends upon the use of camera. Is it for family purpose, e.g. for birthdays, picnics, or small functions and festivals?....Yes there are festivals galore in India and all 12 months are occupied by small or big festivals in all castes and creed....THERE is a wrong notion that a costly camera can take good photographs...Now with digital cameras  also, as in film days, good pictures can be taken by cheaper cameras....There are good companies like, Nikon, Canon, Sony, Olympus, Panasonic, who are making good affordable cameras in compact design....These cameras too used with some understanding can take award winning pictures....There is a manual with every camera or a CD and going through it will give you sufficient knowledge of operating the equipment.....THOUGH I WILL TRY MY BEST TO COVER THE MANUALS  features which sometimes, many people try to avoid reading.

For home purpose photography, a compact camera will be a good bargain, with a 4x zoom facility and builtin flash and AUTO mode to cover your 99% subjects, as u do not wish to go into the intricacies and features built into the camera, as you are already engaged in other home works,kitchen, children/men with late coming, early going, getting time of rest or other household works,  friends etc.....next

Understanding Photography

This is the desire of every one to keep the past memories alive in the form of photographs. When they see them it seems the gone time has come back....What can be the best medium than the photography.

Today also we see the old photographs of school days, our relatives, father, mother, grand father/mother and the friends we enjoyed the life with.Many of the friends have uploaded their class photographs of KG, Class I onwards and their family photographs in colour and black & white on the Facebook and other friendly sites.. Fond memories come alive and we become emotional.

Today many of you already have some sort of digital camera. (Sorry, the film cameras have become the things of past, which you cud buy a good Kodak camera even in Rs.500/-)....Anyhow the time changes and we have to follow its footsteps....Yeaa--Digital cameras....They come well in Rs.3000/- and above and your Mobile has a builtin camera, which is more handy to capture memories of marriages, picnics,travels, child births or any other functions in school/colleges.

Photography in itself is a detailed topic, which goes as courses in Schools and Colleges....Thus a photographer learns throughout his life....if he is a persistent follower of the art....For Common man it may not be an art, but as I said, the subject to capture vivid memories of day-to-day life, which he can store as a soft copy, in PCs, Laptops, while making a small album of chosen photographs to share with the visiting guests, or enjoy himself.

The above photograph of Lord Ganesh idols, I took on Ganesh Chaturthi, on the road side,ready for sale to devotees---see the beautiful colours.....So it is a good subject to have 'Darshan' of Lord Ganesh in the beginning of your album.

Expo: 1/400, f11, ISO 200........................to continue