Photography tips and techniques for the cash-challenged
This tutorial is for those of you who would like to go a step further in polishing your photography skills.
In this tutorial, I will give you a list of all the items you will need to set up a small, functional photo booth in your home. What is a photo booth?
A picture is worth a thousand words.
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I want to talk about depth of field (DOF) and why it matters. First, a definition:
In optics, particularly as it relates to film and photography, the depth of field (DOF) is the portion of a scene that appears sharp in the image. Although a lens can precisely focus at only one distance, the decrease in sharpness is gradual on either side of the focused distance, so that within the DOF, the unsharpness is imperceptible under normal viewing conditions. –Wikipedia
Huh?[…]
There is no doubt that photographing young children can be a challenge, and never more so than when using a low-key lighting setup. So why bother? Because the drama and richness inherent in this type of lighting is SO worth it and because it’s unexpected for high energy children’s photography. For the purposes of this post, young and active will be defined as children between the ages of one and four (toddlers).
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With the whole, wide world out there to shoot in, why would anyone bother with a studio? I’ll answer that question and then move on. The best reason for having a studio is control. Indoors, you have absolute control of climate, background and lighting.
However, not everyone has a studio, a camera room or even wants one (in a later post I will discuss ways to convert almost any room in your home into a camera room with comfort and ease). Or maybe you do have one, but want to break out of your cozy little comfort zone and take it to the streets.
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In my last post I discussed a classic four light, high key on white, lighting setup.
“But Deborah,” you say, “I don’t have four lights. Or three. Or really, even two. I just have the one.” No problem. You’re perfectly outfitted to do a beautiful, classic low-key lighting setup. Your camera’s dedicated flash unit could even be set up off-camera to achieve this result.
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This is the first in a series of lighting tutorials. I think it’s a good idea to understand the basics of a thing. Learn the rules first and then break them with impunity later.
I offer this lesson freely from the bottom of my heart to the world at large, because frankly, bad lighting makes me cranky.
I have been setting up functioning, working studios in sometimes surprisingly small spaces over the span of two decades. My last camera room measured approximately 12’x16’. This lighting ‘recipe’ worked great there:
What is high key lighting?[…]
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