Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time
This past summer I was camping with my family and one of the lakes we visited had a perfect jumping rock.
I knew this would be a great photo opportunity, so I brought my camera to snap a few photos of us jumping off of the rock and into the lake.
What I ended up capturing was a perfect lesson on why you need to look for atmosphere and light to improve your outdoor photography.
Even the magical light of the golden hour requires some enhancement in post-processing. There are a few ways to do it, and Denny Tang of Denny’s Tips suggest one of the simplest I’ve seen so far. He uses a single adjustment layer, and it’s the Channel Mixer. The whole editing process is pretty fast, yet gives natural-looking results on the photos taken during sunset (or sunrise).
I was just raking up the last of the fall leaves and though that I’d like to get some photos of the kids jumping in my big leaf pile.
The image I had in my head was one of those amazing fall days where that gorgeous warm glowing late day sunshine was back-lighting the leaves and highlighting the kids.
Problem was: by the time I was done raking the leaves, it was petty late in the day so most of my yard was in shade, and the ambient light that was available was coming from the wrong direction.
To get the photos I wanted, I decided to fake that late day warm sunshine glow with strobe sunlight. In this article, I will show you how to do it yourself (its actually pretty easy to get great results)!
What if you could create beautiful Golden Hour portraits without the sun? Well, you can. All it takes is a few strobes and a little know-how.
We all know how great the light is during those magical hours that surround sunrise and sunset, but knowing good light exists is only half the battle. Given that golden hour is so fleeting and the light changes so rapidly, you also need some camera skills and, most importantly, a little creativity to turn an ordinary photo into an incredible one. As Corey Rich explains the process he used to create the photo you see above, you begin to understand the real magic behind stunning magic hour shots is a combination of preparation, observation, and, of course, serendipity.
“This is what happens when you’re outside in the right place, the light’s nice, you’ve done everything in your power to arrange the situation, you stack the cards in your favorite and you get that added element and, boom, you start making really interesting pictures.”
In the video below, Rich continues to explain one of the best ways to ensure you’re getting the most out of the magic that is golden hour light, is to get there early and stay late. Do everything in your power to set yourself up for a great shot, be patient, examine the scene with an open mind, and be ready to fire the shutter on a moments notice…[Read More…]
You can find out more about John on his website and follow his adventures on YouTube and Facebook.
can change a lens mid-rappel, swap a memory card while treading water, or use a camel as a light stand.
To see more of his work please visit his studio website blurMEDIAphotography, or follow him on Twitter, 500px, Google Plus or YouTube.
JP’s photography is available for licensing at Stocksy United.
Find my work on My website or follow me on Facebook or My page
