The Absolute Beginners Guide to Camera Settings

By: Mat Coker   

When you bought your fancy camera with all its buttons and dials, you began a journey that few can endure.
Most people who buy a DSLR, never figure out how to use it. But the fact that you’re reading an article like this means that you’re determined to learn.
One of the most difficult phases of photography you’ll pass through is figuring out how your camera works. But once you understand even a little bit, the world of photography opens its doors to you.
If you’re new to photography, then this Absolute Beginners Guide to Camera Settings is for you.

The Olympus Tough TG-6 comes with auto mode, more than a dozen scene modes, as well as 

aperture mode (one of the most used settings by photographers). This photo was taken by a child 

using a DSLR in auto mode.

Photographs are made with light

Buying paint and canvas does not guarantee that you will produce a nice painting, nor does buying a camera guarantee a good photo.
Your camera is a complicated piece of technology designed to capture the moment you see with your eye and make a picture. However, the main ingredient it uses is not ink or paint but light.
A poor photograph may be due to a lack of creativity. But many creative photos are ruined due to a wrong combination of camera settings used to make a picture. The most important camera settings are about what the camera does as it makes a picture out of light.

Small steps

Sure, cameras differ in their capability and quality, but it’s not really the camera that is ultimately responsible for how the photo turns out. You must have control over the camera to make it do what you want it to.
Every time you snap a picture, you need to make some decisions that are affected by camera settings:

• Do I want my background to be in focus or not?
• Should I freeze the action or capture motion blur?
• Do I want my photo to be warm or cool-looking?
• Is it best to capture a series of shots in burst mode or just one photo at a time?

These decisions, and many more, are represented by “camera settings.” You select certain settings so that the camera knows what to do when it takes a picture.
There are many settings and I want to walk you through some of the most important.
The best way to learn something is by taking small steps. Learn one step, and don’t move on until you understand it. Bookmark this and other articles so that you can come back to them as you grow in your understanding.

This was my attempt to capture my son’s first steps with an advanced camera that I didn’t know 

how to use.

Auto mode

Let’s begin in Auto mode. Look for the dial on the top of your camera. You’ll either see the word auto or perhaps just a green box or icon.

What does Auto mode do? It means that your camera will make all the decisions for you and choose all the settings. All you have to do is take the picture!
When you put your camera in Auto mode, you’re basically saying, “I don’t know how to work this thing!” There is no shame in not understanding how your camera works. If you are determined, you will learn over time.
It is possible to take nice photos in Auto mode. Part of the reason that auto mode can work so well is that it frees your mind from the technical aspects of photography that you don’t understand yet. Auto mode allows you to focus on the creative elements and use of light that you’re more likely drawn to.

Auto mode exercise

Go ahead and put your camera in Auto mode. Get out into the world and take lots of pictures. As you sort through your photos, make a list of the problems you run into. It’s easier to learn photography and grow when you’ve got specific problems that you can ask questions about.

Problems with Auto mode

You’re going to run into lots of problems in Auto mode, but how come? Shouldn’t your camera be smart enough to take a great picture on its own?
First, your camera has no idea what it’s looking at. So, it doesn’t know what you’re taking a picture of and it doesn’t know what you want the picture to look like.
All it’s trying to do is take a picture with the right exposure. Exposure refers to how bright or dark your photo is and it’s all the camera really cares about in auto mode.
You may see an inspiring scene in front of you, but the camera doesn’t. All it’s trying to do is expose your photo properly, and even that doesn’t work well many times.

Common problems in Auto mode include motion blur.

Overexposed highlights are another major problem in Auto mode.

Over time, you’ll have a pretty good idea of what you wish you could make your camera do. You’ll say, “I wish I could tell my camera to…”
The good news is, there is actually a way to tell your camera what you’re taking a picture of and how you wish it would look.

How to tell your camera what you’re taking a picture of

If you tell your camera what you’re taking a picture of, you’ll increase the odds of getting a better photo.
The way to tell your camera what you’re taking a picture of is to use the scene mode option on your camera. Scene mode covers the most popular photography situations such as landscape, portrait, close-up, sports, etc.



When you select the appropriate scene, you’re telling your camera what you’re photographing. Your camera will choose a combination of settings that are best suited to that situation. It’s going to choose roughly the same settings that an experienced photographer would use.

You can use Sports mode when photographing quick moving kids, or when you’re photographing 

any action. There will still be imperfections in your photos, but you’re more likely to freeze the action.

Freeze quick-moving subjects with Sports mode.

Portrait mode will help your camera achieve an out-of-focus background. That background blur
is referred to as bokeh.

Landscape mode will favor a greater depth of field in your photo. This will keep more of the 

foreground, midground, and background in focus. It tends to make colors more vibrant too.

Your camera will have all sorts of scene modes to explore. Consider the situation you’re in and see if your camera has a scene mode to help you out.
But still, your photos might not turn out great. Why? Because ultimately your camera is most obsessed with making your photo bright enough. And you might be pointing it at a scene that is really hard for the camera to capture properly.

Light and creativity

When you put your camera on Auto mode, it has to balance three main settings in order to make a picture out of light.
The three settings are ISO, aperture, and shutter speed. Each of these three settings contributes to the overall brightness or exposure of your photo. But aperture and shutter speed have creative effects as well.
Aperture contributes toward brightening or darkening your photo, but will also help make your background out of focus, or keep it in focus.
Shutter speed contributes toward brightening or darkening your photo, but will also help freeze the action or make your photo blurry.
ISO contributes toward brightening or darkening your photo but doesn’t really have its own creative effect.
I’ll show you how to begin taking control of aperture, shutter speed, and ISO settings so that you can get a predictably good photo. I mean a photo that is bright enough without being too bright, a photo where the action is captured as you wish and the background is in or out of focus as you desire.
A little more like the photo on the right than the photo on the left!

Make one decision

The good news is, you can take some control of your camera without the burden of having to take full control. You can take control over one of the three main settings that are part of the exposure triangle. But how do you choose which one?
You can make this decision by asking yourself what’s more important; freezing the action, or blurring the background?
If you’re taking pictures of birds, sports, or other quick-moving subjects, you’re likely most concerned with freezing the action. If you’re taking a portrait, you’re most likely concerned with an out-of-focus background or, bokeh.
In order to achieve an out-of-focus background, we’ll begin with a setting called aperture.

Aperture Mode

If you’re most concerned with whether or not your background is in focus, choose Aperture mode (also known as Aperture Priority).

• For Nikon and most other cameras, turn your dial to A.
• For Canon, turn it to Av.
• If you’re using a Fuji, you control the aperture with a ring on the lens.

When you put your camera on Aperture mode, you’re telling your camera that you want to control the aperture but you want the camera to control the shutter speed and ISO.
You use aperture to control whether or not your background is in focus, but what exactly is aperture?
To understand aperture, think about your kitchen sink. Picture turning the tap on full-blast. The water will come rushing out of the tap. But you could also turn the tap on gently so that there is a slow trickle of water.
That’s what aperture is, except with light.
Open your aperture up and get a strong flow of light coming through your lens. Close the aperture, and you’ll only have a trickle of light.

The creative effect of aperture

Open up your aperture and your background will be more out of focus (great for portraits). Close your aperture a bit and your background will be more in focus (great for landscapes).
The aperture is measured in numbers such as 1.8 or 3.5 or 5.6 or 8 or 11, etc. The smaller the number, the more open the aperture. The larger the number, the more closed.

This was an aperture of f/4. The background is out of focus. The more you bring your subject away
from the background, the more out of focus the background will look.

The aperture was set to f/11 for this photo so that the background is more in-focus.

The smaller the number and the more open the aperture, the more light that comes in and the more out of focus the background.
The larger the number and the more closed the background, the less light that comes in, and the more in-focus the background.
When you’re in Aperture mode, you use the scroller on your camera to open and close the aperture.
Choose Aperture mode when you’re most concerned about whether or not your background is in focus.

If you close your aperture a bit, then you’ll have a greater depth of focus in your photo. This
photograph was made at f/5.6, but I would even recommend f/11 for landscape photos. Closing
your aperture will help to keep both the foreground and background in focus.

If you want your background to be blurred, then open your aperture as much as you can. That might 

be f/3.5 or f/5.6 on the lens that you’re using. If you have a 50mm lens then you can open all the 

way to f/1.8.

The other way to help your background to go blurry is to step closer toward your subject.

The closer you get to them, the more the background goes out of focus.

ISO

Remember, ISO doesn’t exactly have a creative effect.
So what is ISO and when do you use it?
ISO is a magical setting that helps your camera to see in the dark.
So you would set your ISO according to the lighting conditions that you’re in.

• Is it a bright sunny day? Then set your ISO to 100 or 200.
• Perhaps the sky is overcast? Set your ISO to 400 or 800.
• Are you in dim indoor light? Set your ISO to 1600 or 3200. Maybe even 6400!

You have two main options when it comes to ISO:

• Set it to Auto and let the camera figure it out.
• Take control of it yourself.

I recommend playing in Aperture mode with your ISO set to auto. That way, you can experiment with aperture and let the camera figure out ISO and shutter speed for you. In a moment, we’ll look at shutter mode. In that case, I recommend leaving your ISO on auto as well. Take control of ISO when you feel comfortable with the other settings.

A word of caution about ISO

The higher you raise your ISO to help capture the light, the more noise or graininess will be introduced in your photo – especially in low light. The noise or grain is intensified all the more if you brighten your photos in post-processing (with a program such as Lightroom).
I don’t always mind a little noise or graininess in my photos. Noise and graininess are normally considered an imperfection in our photos. To me, it reflects the graininess or imperfection of everyday life and the moment by moment struggle that we have as photographers when we take pictures.
My photos are filled with imperfections, as am I in real life. If everything in my photo looks good except for the grain, then I am happy. I have an old iPhone that I keep around just for its nostalgic graininess.

The grain or digital noise is easily seen in this high ISO photo. Generally, the newer the camera and
the larger the sensor, the less of a problem you’ll have with noise.

Shutter Mode

If your main concern is freezing the action, then you should choose Shutter mode (also known as Shutter Priority).

• Nikon – set your dial to S.
• Canon – set your dial to Tv.
• Fuji – look for the dial with numbers like 125, 250, 500, etc.

If the aperture is how much flow of water is coming out of the tap, then shutter speed is how long the water comes out for.
Aperture controls how much flow of light comes into the camera, while shutter speed controls how long that flow comes in for.
The quicker the shutter speed, the less light that comes in.
The slower the shutter speed, the more light that comes in.
It’s generally the case that in bright light you should have a quicker shutter speed, and in dim light, you need a slower shutter speed. The danger with a slower shutter speed is that your photo may become blurry.

Why will your photo become blurry with a slow shutter speed?

Consider shutter speed being how long it takes for your camera to take a picture. A quick shutter speed means that the photo is taken so quickly that the action is frozen in the photo. But a slower shutter speed means that the camera takes longer to take the photo and any movement in the scene becomes smeared across the photo.
Two circumstances lead to a blurry photo. The first is that you have moved the camera while taking the picture – often referred to as camera shake. Maybe your hand shakes, or the camera vibrates as you take the photo.

You must hold the camera still and consider using a tripod when your photos turn out like this.

Another possibility is that your camera is perfectly still but your subject is moving. If the person you’re photographing is moving, they may be smeared across the photo.

But even if you put your camera on a tripod, a moving subject may cause motion blur.

So what does it take to freeze the action?

You’ll notice that shutter speed is measured in fractions of a second. You’ll see numbers such as 1/125th or 1/2000th. Basically, the smaller the fraction, the more likely you are to freeze the action.
So 1/2000th will likely freeze the action, but 1/60th likely will not.

Shutter speed of 1/40th of a second. The camera was held still so that the background was sharp,
but the motion is blurred.

A shutter speed of 1/500th of a second froze the motion of her hair as she turned.

A shutter speed of 1/2500th froze him as he bounced in the air.

Slow shutter speed creative effects

These silky waterfalls were captured using a slow shutter speed. ISO 100, 1-second shutter speed

The panning technique uses a combination of slow shutter speed and following the movement of 

your subject with the camera. The shutter speed was 1/20th of a second.

Other articles to explore

You now have enough knowledge to control the amount of background blur in your photo and to freeze or blur the action. You can also use ISO to help your camera see better in the dark.
Now it’s up to you to practice one little bit at a time until you’re comfortable and ready to move on.
Here are some more advanced concepts that may help you down the road.

• Stops
• Light Metering
• Exposure compensation
• White balance
• Raw vs JPEG

Many people find it harder to master the introductory stage of camera settings than the advanced stages. Advanced techniques are easy to learn once you know the basics. Don’t be discouraged, and feel free to leave questions in the comment section below.

 Share this article.

Free Photography Ebook




 

Here's 293 pages of FREE Photography instruction.  Just copy and paste the link below into your web browser, click ENTER, and enjoy!

http://fotoknigi.org/photoshop_books/PHOTOSHOP.Digital.Photography.pdf

Want even more great instruction?  Try this link:

https://resources.digital-photography-school.com/ref/937/
Disclaimer - These manuals and courses are not free.  The publisher charges nominal prices beginning at just $19 USD.

7 Tips for Urban Landscape Photography

By: Leanne Cole 

When you ask people what is landscape photography they have no trouble defining it. But ask what urban landscape photography is and you will get conflicting answers. People have an idea, but often don’t really understand what it is, or how to go about doing it. One of the first things to do is work out what it is, and then how you can do your own urban landscapes.

Urban landscape photograph, taken in the early evening from a rooftop looking back towards the city.

What is urban landscape photography?

Before you can start taking specific urban landscape images it is good if you understand what it is. If urban refers to cities and towns, then it is generally understood that landscapes of these would be defined as that. Any image within those places where humans live, work and play would be considered in that category.
Cities are very popular for this kind of photography. You will find that many of you are already doing urban landscapes, especially when you travel. However, when you ask others what it is you are often told cityscapes. Yes they are, but there is so much more to the genre than that.
Here are seven tips to help you get better urban landscapes and, hopefully, help you to understand what it is as well.

1 – Street photography

Street photography can fall into two categories, one is street portraits, and the other looks more at the scene and what is going on. The first is not what you would typically find in urban landscapes, but the second is.
Look for scenes where people are, groups, or individuals, but place them in their environment so you get a context of where they are and what is happening. You could photograph people shopping and take a look at consumerism. Perhaps go to sporting events and photograph how people carry on at them. There are parks where people may be sitting on their own with no one around. Anywhere that people hang out is going to make for some interesting urban landscape photography.

A street scene showing the landscape and what people are doing in it.

2 – From above

There are many ways to photograph above the city now. You can see the tops of the buildings looking straight down to the streets below. You can get amazing views that are unique.
Observation decks allow you to look down onto the city. They aren’t always easy to shoot from, as you sometimes have to take photos through glass or some sort of security mesh.
Another way is a helicopter ride over a city. It is an option that many cities offer now. You can take a 15-minute ride if you want to pay for it. If you are lucky to live somewhere like Melbourne, you can also take early morning balloon rides over the city. You will get some views of the city that are available no other way.

A view from above, this was taken from Eureka Deck, an observation deck looking over Melbourne.

3 – Long exposure photography

Without a doubt, there aren’t many types of photography that long exposures don’t suit. You can use it for individual buildings or for groups and streets. It allows you to create some magical scenes.
The most common one that people think of is using Neutral Density filters so you can get very long exposures, anything from 30-seconds to several minutes. They can help create movement with getting blurred clouds, or you can remove people and cars from streets. You can get some interesting effects with the filters. Whether you use it for one building or many, and over water you will get some different images.

A long exposure of Melbourne taken across the river.

4 – Night photography and light trails

Night photography is another way. Urban environments are great when the sun goes down. As the lights come on you can get a completely different view. The camera will pick up a lot more than you can see with your eyes. Depending on how bright or dim it is you may be able to take some exposures for a minute to two, even longer.
You can also get great light trails at night. Look for interesting streets that have some great buildings in the background that you can use when capturing the trails.

Light trails of cars moving around captured during the night.

5 – Interesting architecture

Every city strives to build interesting buildings. Architects like to show off as much as anyone. No matter where you are, see if you can find the most interesting structures to photograph.
You could figure out why a building was designed for an area; if there is something unique about it. Churches were often built on hills so the congregations were still looking up to them when they weren’t attending.
Look for buildings that are nestled in with others that are very different. Perhaps there is an old building somewhere that is surrounded by new ones. Scenes like that can give your images an interesting story.

One of the most distinctive buildings in Melbourne, Flinders Street Station.

6 – Weather and seasons

People often forget how a city or town can look completely different in each season and how the weather can change it as well. If you only go to a place once, you don’t get a lot of choices. But if you live or visit them often then you can get a wide variety of shots when you photograph it at other times and in various conditions.
Throughout the year, the seasons will give you numerous opportunities to get scenes that are unique to that time. Autumn will have the colors, so any trees in the streets or parks can make them colorful. Winter will have people rugged up against the cold and public places are empty. In summer everyone is in lighter clothing and those same spaces are filled with people. Consider what sort of photos you want and then choose the season accordingly.
Rain, hail or shine, well perhaps not hail, but each will give your urban landscape a distinct look. The weather is not something you can control but you can take advantage of it. Photos of cities that are white from the snow can be magical. Rain will make all the surfaces reflective and make it look bigger and shinier. Don’t underestimate how much bad weather can make your photos that bit different.

Rain has given Hosier Lane a shiny appearance.

7 – Leading lines

Bridges are beautiful, but they can be used for so much more than traveling. They can be the perfect way to help your viewer enter your image. Leading lines are fantastic for helping your audience know where you want them to look. Though bridges are one type, there are lots of others as well.
Really anything that will lead people into an image will work. Look for roads that enter and leave cities and towns. Using the light trails of cars or other vehicles can be great for the same thing. Don’t just think road and bridges, consider train tracks, a moving bus, anything that will take or point your viewer to the area where you want them to focus.

Using the bridge as a leading line to take you into the early morning light in Melbourne.

Taking the tips

You don’t have to do all of these, but using one or a few will help you get good urban landscape photography images. Consider what you are taking and think about the environment around you. Make the most of it and give your images a purpose.
Share your urban landscape photography in the comments below!

How to Choose Urban Landscapes for Portrait Photography

By: Matt Murray   

Are you bored of doing portrait shoots in the studio or the local park? Try mixing things up with an urban portrait shoot. The city streets, the buildings, the laneways – this is your cinematic backdrop. All you need is a little bit of planning and a lot of imagination. If you’ve never done a shoot like this before, you might be wondering how to choose locations. In this article, I will run you through my process of choosing urban landscapes for portrait photography. 

Bailey in a window, Brisbane. I took this shot with some off-camera flash outside my local library. 

Fujifilm X-T3 with a 23mm f1.4 lens.

An urban portrait shoot in my city? No way!

You may think that your city or your town has nothing of interest, but it does. You just have to look with a fresh perspective. Sometimes I’ll be on a photo walk with another photographer, and they don’t seem to see the potential that their town has to offer. “Wow, look at that doorway!” I’ll say. With a puzzled face, they reply, “It’s just a doorway!” 
No, it’s not just a doorway – it’s a potential scene in your next urban portrait shoot. 

Sasha, Brisbane. I used these old street lamps as an element in the shoot. Fujifilm X-T3 with a  

56mm f1.2 lens.

Every town or city I’ve ever been to has its charms and a unique look: from modern glass and steel skyscrapers to historic buildings to run-down industrial areas. There are so many aspects of urban locations that you could include in your shoots: laneways, street art, doorways, neon signs, steel shutters, and traffic trails, just to name a few. 
There’s also the unique way that light falls in urban environments: harsh beams of light that fall between buildings, beautiful soft light that you find in doorways and under bridges, and in Brisbane, dazzling light reflecting off skyscrapers. The possibilities are endless.

The best time for an urban portrait shoot

The best time for an urban portrait shoot is whenever you and your client or model are both available. Regardless of the light, the weather, or the locations. The success of the photoshoot is ultimately in your hands. 
My favorite time for doing urban portrait shoots is just before dusk. This allows you to get a good mix of golden hour photos with sunlight, blue hour photos as the city lights come into play and nighttime shots with artificial light. 

Alyssa in an industrial alleyway, Brisbane. Fujifilm X-T3 with a 60mm f2.4 lens.

Location scouting

I usually run portrait shoots for around 90-minutes, allowing me to shoot in 6-8 locations. 
It’s best to do your location scouting at the same time of day that your shoot will take place. This is so you can look at the light, see how it falls, and plan accordingly. In practice, though, I usually end up doing my scouting during the day. 
Before I arrange the shoot, I take some time to wander about the city to find 8-10 locations close together. The reason I look for more places than I’ll need is to be flexible on the shoot. Cars or trucks can block alleyways, big crowds could move through the area at the time of the shoot, or the lighting could be all wrong. There’s a whole lot of things that could make the location unsuitable when you arrive at the scene.
Although it’s tempting to plan to shoot in two locations at opposite ends of town, unless you have easy access to transport on the day of the shoot, it will be impractical. Photoshoots can be tiring for everyone, so asking your client or model to walk several city blocks and back again to shoot in one location may not be the best idea. 

What to take during location scouting

When you’re scouting for locations, have a notepad and pen ready along with your smartphone. When you see somewhere that you like, take a photo on your phone for reference and jot down some notes. I always draw a map of the city streets in my notebook. Then I plot the locations on it and plan a direction for the shoot.
What I’m looking for during my walk is a cool urban location in which to place the client or model. Some locations will leap out at you, and you will know that you should take some photos there. Others may not reveal their charm until later when the lights are low. 

Natasha, Brisbane. I like the very subtle reflection in the polished stone wall behind her. Fujifilm 

X-T3 with 56mm f1.2 lens

As you’re wandering around, there’s a couple of things you need to keep in mind:

Imagination

What is this place going to look like at dusk or nighttime? Remember that for many shots, you will be shooting with a wide-open aperture, or close to wide open, so many of the details in the background will be blurred. 

Potential risks

It may look cool, but is this place dangerous in any way? Think of how you will place the model or client in this scene – are there any risks that you need to be mindful of? Is there a lot of traffic? Is it a dangerous neighborhood? You should consider all of this when you’re planning, as safety should be your top priority for these shoots.
Below are some of my go-to shots when I plan an urban photoshoot. I took all of these within a few blocks of each other in central Brisbane, Australia. 

Neon lights

Neon shots are a favorite with the Instagram crowd, and it’s easy to see why. They are so much fun and a great image idea to have up your sleeve.
Neon signs are something that, quite honestly, I never usually notice. However, as soon as you start looking for them, you’ll be amazed at how many your town has.

Alyssa, Brisbane. This neon light is outside a takeaway shop in central Brisbane. I was attracted to 

the three different colors the sign had.

Beer kegs outside a pub

As soon as I saw these beer kegs in a laneway outside a pub, I knew I wanted to incorporate them in a shoot. I’ve used them as both a background element and also as a prop for models to sit on.
In this shot of Anne, I struck gold. By chance, it was one of the busiest days for pubs in the year – Melbourne Cup Day. There were a few dozen kegs in a laneway all stacked on one another. I lit this shot with an LED video light.

Anne in front of beer kegs, Brisbane. I love the shape, color, and reflection of the kegs in the 

background. Fujifilm X-T3 with an 8-16mm f2.8 lens lit with an LED video light.

Laneways

Many Australian cities are blessed with alleyways. In many ways, they are the perfect place for photoshoots. Expect atmospheric lighting, an industrial look, street art – and best of all – little traffic. While Melbourne may be the laneways capital of Australia, Brisbane has many too.

Natasha in a laneway, Brisbane. I like the color and bokeh that some tiny blue fairy lights provided 

in this shot. Fujifilm X-T3 with a 56mm f1.2 lens.

Telephone booth

This is a really fun place to use for some shots – if you can still find one these days. You may also have to take some time to explain to younger clients or models on how to use a public payphone!

Alyssa in a phone booth in Brisbane. Fujifilm X-T3 with a 35mm f1.4 lens.

Reflections

Reflections are a go-to image idea for urban portrait shoots. Many buildings provide you with glass or reflective surfaces.

Anne looking into a mirrored surface, Brisbane. Fujifilm X-T2 with a 56mm f1.2 lens.

Old signage

I love history and nostalgia, but sadly there isn’t much left in my city. One day I noticed this sign and thought I’d love to do some shots here.

Sasha in front of a sign, Brisbane. Fujifilm X-T3 with a 16mm f1.4 lens.

Take your next portrait shoot to the streets

Urban portrait shoots can be a lot of fun. If you’ve never done one before, I hope that this guide has inspired you to look around your city for urban landscapes for portrait photography.
For your first time, you can always ask a friend to be your model if you want to try things out and see how the images look. Practice makes perfect.
Remember, safety is a very important factor in a shoot like this – both for your client or model and for yourself.
Urban shoots have helped me grow as a photographer. I feel more creative, I see possibilities for images in the mundane, and they’ve also helped me to think on my feet and improvise. ­­­­
So what are you waiting for? An endless array of scenes is right on your doorstep. Take your next portrait shoot to the streets.
Do you have any other tips for scouting urban landscapes for portrait photography? Share with us in the comments!

 Share this article.

5 Tips for Photographing Street Portraits

By: Andy Callan

Isn’t it always the way that the most daunting things in life are usually the most rewarding? It takes a certain amount of backbone to shoot street portraits. Whether it’s walking up to a total stranger and asking their permission, or taking a more candid, reportage style approach, many photographers get put off through lack of confidence.
It’s a great shame because there is no more fascinating photographic subject than people.

If you follow the Humans of New York project, you’ll know that every single person has a story to tell; sometimes uplifting, often heartbreaking, occasionally hilarious. The very best street portraits give us a glimpse at those stories in a single frame.
If you’ve always wanted to give it a go but have yet to summon up the courage, hopefully, the following tips will give you all the motivation you need.

The approach

The first time you approach a potential subject is going to be the hardest. It can sometimes feel like an insurmountable hurdle. But try and think about it from your potential subject’s point of view. He or she is going about their daily routine, possibly doing the same thing they have been for years and finding it all a little boring. Then, out of nowhere, someone has judged them interesting enough to want to take their picture. Chances are, you’ve just made that person’s day. At the very least, you’ve given them an anecdote to tell their friends.
He or she is going about their daily routine, possibly doing the same thing they have been for years and finding it all a little boring. Then, out of nowhere, someone has judged them interesting enough to want to take their picture. Chances are, you’ve just made that person’s day. At the very least, you’ve given them an anecdote to tell their friends.

Different methods

So, what’s the best way to approach someone? Different photographer’s stand by different techniques. Some just come straight out and ask if they can take a picture. Others want to try and make a connection first in a more roundabout way, striking up a conversation or asking questions.
One psychological technique favored by many salesmen is to first ask for a small, unrelated favor, such as directions or whether they have the correct time. Studies have shown that once someone has done you one favor, they’re much more likely to say yes to another, bigger one. Don’t ask me why—people are complex!
In any approach, confidence is obviously vital, but enthusiasm is just as important. Enthusiasm is contagious. Be genuinely interested, listen carefully to what they’re saying and be respectful. Also, if you can make them laugh, or at least smile, you’ll find all their barriers will start to lower.

The environment

Where you find your subject (i.e. their environment) can sometimes tell you as much about them as what they look like.
Finding an impeccably groomed city trader striding around the financial district is to be expected. But finding him in a crowded flea market hints at a story. If the environment adds to the portrait, include as much of it as you need to enhance the photograph.
If you want your portrait to be all about the person, if they have an interesting face or you want to highlight the way they dress, try and find a background that won’t distract from them. A busy background can confuse the eye and take away from the impact you’re trying to make. If you need to, open up your aperture to throw the background out of focus and bring attention back to where it should be.

The eyes have it

The most important part of your portrait will always be the eyes. The eyes tell us everything; how the person is feeling, what they’re thinking, if they’re happy or anxious, and even if they would rather you stopped taking their picture.

Eye contact

Eye contact is incredibly powerful in real life. If you’re talking to someone and they maintain a natural, unwavering eye contact, there’s something primeval that makes you trust them and creates a connection. It’s the same with a portrait. You need that eye contact to make a successful shot.
If you photograph a subject who’s not looking directly back at you, the natural instinct is to follow their gaze to see what they’re looking at. You can sometimes use this to your advantage to draw the viewer’s eye towards an element of the picture you want them to focus on. For example, in this shot of a man carrying baskets full of rabbits, the eye line of the two children always brings us back to the cages.

On a technical note; as I’m sure you’ve noticed, people tend to blink. Try to take a quick burst of shots of your subject to ensure you capture at least some with their eyes open. Autofocus systems can also tend to hunt around, and taking more shots increases your chances of grabbing a pin sharp image.

The candid street portrait

If you’re looking for a way to ease yourself into this genre, shooting candid street portraits holds some definite advantages. You do away with the whole nail-biting business of asking permission and perhaps suffering a rejection. You capture people as they really are rather than the front they put up when a camera’s pointed at them.
But that’s not to say candid street photography is easy. If anything, it’s more difficult (or, at least, a different kind of difficult) and can be just as nerve-wracking.

Your timing has to be split second in order to capture the spontaneous moments that occur all around you. You need to know your equipment inside out in order to be able to frame a great composition and adjust settings as needed quickly.
Capturing great candid street pictures takes a great deal of practice and a lot of luck. Whatever your personal feelings are on the ethics of taking someone’s photo without permission, there are people who really don’t appreciate it.
It would be very unlikely you’d get into any serious trouble, but it’s worth using your street smarts and common sense. As a personal rule of thumb, if a certain person looks too mean for me to even consider asking permission to photograph them, there’s no way I’d try and sneak a shot.

The technicalities

Whatever type of street portraits you’re taking, the one thing you don’t usually have on your side is time. With candid shots, you’re constantly reacting to the world as it unfolds in front of you at its usual breakneck pace, and with the more posed approach, you’re still cutting into someone’s, probably busy, day.
You need to be able to work quickly, without fussing over settings or lens changes or tripping over bags. Keep your equipment as simple as possible—a single camera body and a zoom lens that covers all eventualities. I put a lot of trust in my Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L. It might not have the widest aperture in the world, but I’m happy to trade that for the versatility.
I generally shoot in Aperture Priority as well. So I only really need to think about the depth of field I want in a shot and let the camera’s far superior brain work out the rest of the details for me.

One area where you do need to stock up is memory cards. Make sure you have plenty of storage space with you, you’ll be taking a lot of images—especially if you’re heading out for a day of sneaky candid shooting. Throw in a couple of freshly charged batteries as well, just in case.

Like every area of photography, shooting street portraits has challenges all of its own. By far the most difficult thing to overcome is finding the courage to approach your subjects.
The good news is, if you’ve always felt too intimidated to attempt this genre of photography, you’re in esteemed company. Legendary names such as Diane Arbus and Elliott Erwitt have said they’ve used their cameras as both a kind of license to take photos and to act as a barrier between them and their subject. There’s still something mysterious about a camera that intrigues people—even more so these days when most photos are taken on phones.

All it takes is a little daring, a projected air of confidence, and you can capture some unique moments and great street portraits.

Share this article.

Advertisement

Transform Your Ideas into Profits.

Start a Business From 1+ Million Lucrative Niches.

We all have a hobby or something that gets us excited and motivated when we think about it. It only takes one idea to create a very successful business online. Don't have any ideas? No problem, Wealthy Affiliate will help you choose a direction of your business from over 1,000,000 different niches.

 

 

Your Revenue Sources Are Unlimited.

598,500,000 Products YOU Can Instantly Sell.

Once you have traffic, you need to "make money" from this traffic. This is the fun part. Without spending a dime, you can promote all the top brands in the world through affiliate programs. As a Wealthy Affiliate member, you'll learn how you can choose from close to 600 MILLION products/services and easily promote them on your website. No inventory. No shipping. No support required.

Get started here:   https://www.wealthyaffiliate.com?a_aid=b414496e

Advertisement

 

How to Use Natural Light in Travel Photography

By: Karthika Gupta  

We all enjoy traveling and taking countless travel photos on our trips, don’t we? Why else are you reading this article! Travel photography is one of the most popular genres of photography today – especially with the advent of social media and the ‘share everything’ culture. People want to capture and post stunning photos of their travels to influence others, motivate others and in some cases also sell travel-related things.

But travel photography is so much more than that. Travel photos have the potential to connect us to our beautiful world. Images of places, cultures, art, and even food take us away from our mundane everyday existence. They can transport us to magical places we can only dream of visiting someday. Perhaps they remind us of a time when we too took that trip and had similar experiences? It can become a walk down memory lane.
So how can we improve our travel photos?
Many elements go into creating an amazing travel photo, but for the purposes of this article, we will focus on light – specifically natural light in travel photography. This is my preferred way of using light in photos. In fact, I very rarely travel with an external flash because of the extra weight and because I don’t like the look of flash in my photos. I know many people who use flash with amazing results – and more power to them!
There are several reasons why I use natural light in travel photography:

1. It is readily available and free
2. It provides a range of light variations so I can get creative with my travel images
3. It is a super-large light source, a.k.a the sun
4. It constantly changes from day to day and season to season

In order to use effectively use natural light in travel photography, you have to become an expert at reading and understanding the light that is around you as you travel. Light is affected by many things and light affects many things too.

1. Location and light

For the most part, travel photography involves a lot of outdoor photography in natural light and primarily in the harsh mid-day sun. Of course, there are exceptions where you are indoors in places like museums and restaurants.
In such cases, you will likely be dealing with indoor lighting and may even use a flash. So before you take a single photo, look around and analyze your location. This will help you understand how you can harness the natural light around.
Consider whether you are out in the elements with only the sun as your light source. Are you in a city where the light is reflecting off highrise buildings? Perhaps you are in a museum where there is a lot of tungsten lighting, and flash photography is not allowed?

Use creative framing and make the best of harsh midday sun during your travels.

How you handle you camera settings will depend on the location and light at that location. Harsh mid-day sun outdoors means lower ISO and high shutter speeds.
Cityscapes may mean mixed lighting with shade and harsh shadows, so you need to adjust your ISO and shutter speed accordingly.
Museum lighting may mean higher than normal ISOs along with really slow shutter speeds. You will have to pay attention to camera shake while hand-holding at slow shutter speeds.

2. Time of day and light

The fascinating thing about natural light is that it changes constantly. Depending on the time of day, season, or even the direction your window faces – light fluctuates minute to minute. Light first thing in the morning on a mountain top will be very different compared to the light mid-morning. Come sundown; the light changes again.
Knowing what time of day you are photographing will help you plan your gear as well as the kind of shots you will take.

I have seen the apostles photographed many different ways, but this lighting just takes the cake!
I did nothing except show up just after sunset!

Most travel photographers photograph at multiple times in the day and night. So take gear that is flexible and that you can use for all these different situations.
I travel with my Canon 5D MKIII, a 24-70mm f2.8 lens, and a small travel tripod at all times. Also, I have a few standard filters like a neutral density filter and a polarizer filter that fits in my camera bag. I have to admit, I don’t use it that often, but once in a while that waterfall during a hike calls my name.
Traveling light can help you be prepared for any situation – day or night – for amazing scenes that capture your eye.

3. Subjects and light

Believe it or not, light does impact the subject. Depending on where you are, placement of your subject, and where your light source is, the results can differ wildly. So, the first thing to do after working out the light is to understand it in relation to your subject.
In travel, I find that in most cases, my subjects are not mobile. They are buildings, monuments, and people going about their day.
So what is adjustable in these scenarios is me and my relative position to the subject and light. Don’t be afraid to move around to get the best angle and framing that will work for your situation.

This minx gave me no time to adjust myself, so I just waited for the hop and took the shot…I love
the fact that I got him and the shadow in the same frame.

If you are indoors, try to use natural light from a window to light up the subject as far as possible. If you are outdoors, perhaps using the lens hood to block out the sun can help in reducing the harshness of light, especially if it is directly behind the subject.

This is one of my favorite photos of my son during our travels. I saw the light and him almost at
the same time, and had a few seconds to take this shot….a perfect way to capture the majestic
castles in Portugal!

4. Weather and light

A common misconception that photographers have, especially those starting out, is that they cannot go out and photograph in bad weather. Bad weather can include rain or overcast skies.
But in reality, overcast skies are great for taking travel photos. The clouds act as a natural diffuser, blocking out the harshness of the sun and making the light more even without harsh shadows.

Sometimes all you need to do is show up and mother nature does the rest for you – fog, rain,
clouds – they all add to the effect.

Always check the weather forecast before you go out shooting. Periods of rain, followed by clear skies, might be the best time to photograph landscapes where everything is uniformly lit.

I hope these tips help you in understanding the power of natural light in travel photography. Travel photography is often tiring because you are out and about all day; looking, feeling, and experiencing new things and trying to capture as much of it as you can.
By understanding how to use natural light in your photos, you can focus more on the creative side of photography to create stunning drool-worthy travel photos – much to the envy of your family and friends.
Do you have any other tips for using natural light in travel photography? Share with us in the comments below!