Hi everyone! Today I thought I would share a few helpful photography tips that I actually get asked often. 🙂
So, if you’re not a photographer and don’t understand the terms, “ISO, shutter speed, and/or aperture,” you might be a little lost on today’s blog post!
I get asked, “How do you capture bright photos but keep everything in focused?” “Do you use a reflector? Flash?” or “How do you keep everything in the photo with out it being blown out?”
I RARELY use a reflector or flash. The times I actually bring it out is more to create shade when there isn’t enough! hahah!
If you see in the photo above to the left, you see that Christina’s face is nicely light, but also has the sun-shining from behind her! On the right, you see that I am NOT holding a reflector. Well, take a look at the concrete right in front of her. The sun is shinning onto the road, which is going to bounce right back to her face naturally! 🙂 Thanks to the road, made my job easy!
I LOVE shooting with the sun behind my clients! Something about the sun flare makes my heart so happy! BUT, if you see on the left, Christina isn’t as sharp as the photo on the right.
This is because of the available light and my camera settings.
On the left I had to shoot with either a higher ISO and lower shutter speed. (I kept my f-stop/aperture around 2.2-2.5)
The photo on the right has a lower ISO and higher shutter speed. Helping make sure I capture more details.
(If you take a better look at the photo on the right, you will see my body’s shadow. I used my body for this specific shot to create shade instead of having harsh light on her. BUT, on her dress and arm, it’s uneven light. To “save” this shot, I would crop closer to her face ensure you do not see the sun spots. 🙂 )
How do I still keep “bright” photographs when hills are blocking the last 30 minutes of the sunset?
I typically keep my aperture at 2.2-2.5 the whole session! BUT as the sun is going down and losing light, but I still want to capture my clients, I will go down to 1.8-2.0, bump that ISO and never go under 1/250 for my shutter speed! If I am shooting lover than 2.2, I typically stay close to my clients to ensure that their face is in focus! 🙂
I really hope these little tricks help you out! 🙂
Remember, it all takes time and practice! This is my style and it takes time to find your shooting AND editing style! 🙂
XOXO,
Shelby Danielle
{Follow me of Instagram for daily updates: @ShelbyDaniellePhotography}
