Quick Tips...

Notes on Photography:

All light has a color even if appears white.

The human brain and eyes work together as our built in computer whereby we adjust our perception of light instantly therefore, we rarely notice any change in our surroundings color temperature; (typically, the warmer the light, or color, the higher the lights temperature).

However, digital sensors and film can record color casts our eyes don't see. As example, the early morning and golden light of sunset gives us a very warm cast where mid-day, or in open shade will give us colder or a bluish tint to our shots.

A quick fix to warm up your digital shots in mid-day is to set the camera's white balance to shady or cloudy. You can experiment with this to get the desired effect; however, these settings will automatically raise the temperature of your shot for a nice warm look. This technique is particularly useful for landscapes and portraits.

Lastly, when shooting with film the key is choosing the right film and using filters to compensate for the color temperatures normally keep a Tiffen 812 warming filter on my lens for portraits and weddings when I shoot color negative film. Color slide film can be purchased for specific tints or temperatures as well. The old Kodachrome, that is no longer in production by Kodak, was renowned for its rich, warm tones. Its sibling Ektachrome was famous for its bluish or cool tints.

Quick Tips & Hints

For those of you using a flash unit attached to your camera’s hot shoe as your main source for indoor lighting (or an off camera bracket with your flash unit) try using one of the tricks the pros use by bouncing your light off a ceiling, a reflector, or wall. Reflected light is more diffuse and gives the image a soft lighting effect that compliments your subject compared to the harsh light of a front on direct flash or an on camera pop-up flash. 

In addition, if you are shooting in a small room avoid bouncing the flash straight up toward the ceiling since the shot can be eerily similar to a scary movie where the characters all have dark circles under their eyes and appear as though they could turn into vampires at the next scene change.

One solution to fix this is to add a front reflector. Another choice is to turn your flash head backwards and bounce it off a wall behind you. Note: The color of the wall or whatever you bounce your light off will give your photo that tone therefore, be aware of the colors in the area where you are working and compensate for that if needed.