Bright and Bubbly

Mirabelle and Garth
Wedding day
Yellow Piano, Manley Flatts

I woke up on Saturday with a sense of anticipation. Also a sense of panicky nausea, but mostly anticipation. You see, it had come time for me to attend my second wedding as a photographer. For those of you who do not remember, the first was a minor disaster with my camera dying halfway through the reception and me feeling completely terrible about it for weeks thereafter. And yet, I had been given another chance. And this time, I was being paid for it. There could be no mistakes now!

It was the perfect day for a day wedding - blue skies graced us without a hint of cloud and the sun was shining brightly. The middle of the day is, of course, not ideal for photography, but I was prepared to make it work. I had visited the venue a week earlier to scope it out and find some ideal spots for pictures - the trees that provided a perfect frame for family photos, the hidden swing, the pool around back and the bougainvilleas all providing possibly perfect backdrops while the animals provided interest. I had also, once again, discovered that I would need to bring a flash for the indoor shots and managed to find one with time to spare. Everything was set.

As we arrived at the wedding venue, in convoy behind the bride and groom, the nerves started showing again. I hurried everyone out of my car and rushed to the back to grab my camera and equipment so that I could get the couple arriving, but I was late and found that a lot of the guests had cameras of their own, cameras that seemed to be of the same quality as my own and cameras that made me very nervous. Was I really the hired photographer? Was it a courtesy that the couple had shown me while hiring a real photographer on the side to actually take the wedding photos. But I tried not to let it get to me. Even if I was only a courtesy photographer, I was damn well going to take the best shots that I could! And soon the crowds started dispersing, the cameras with them, and I found myself feeling more confident and I looked down at my viewfinder to review the shots that were being taken and found that they were coming out just the way that I wanted them to. 

Before long, it was time for the ceremony and my scope out came in handy once again. I immediately made my way to the back of the room, away from the bride and groom, up a rickety staircase and onto a small balcony that overlooked the room. It was a risky move, deciding not to take the photos of the bride and groom up close, but it also meant that I was able to get shots of the whole room, was able to get further back than I would have managed otherwise, and with my telephoto lens I was still able to get great shots of the bride and groom swapping rings and saying their vows. It was a risk that paid off in some ways, allowing me to get photographs that I was really happy with, but it was also one that failed in others, the lighting of the room leading to grainier photos than I would have liked.

Once the ceremony was over, it was time for the family and guest shots. Like the first wedding that I photographed, the couple seemed to feel that the wedding was less about themselves and more about celebrating with their friends. This meant that they insisted on having photographs with all of the guests in attendance, an idea that I was particularly fond of. Even though the photographs were taken in the same position and area, every single one has a personal feel that shows the relationship between the couple and the guests. I found that these were some of my favourite photos taken on the day and few of them ended up being "rejected".

The official photos having been taken, it was time for the meal, and a big one at that. The first course arrived and it was assumed that this was the meal that was being provided. Everyone dug in happily to various salads, chicken, honeycomb and more, only to find out that these were only the starters and there was more on the way. With stomachs aching, it was time for a second course of mousakka, lentils, butternut, pumpkin, lamb and stew. Finally, the formalities ended with the cutting of the two different cakes and dessert being served.

 

With everyone filled to the brim, it was time for the relaxation to commence, and people made their way outside, where it was slightly cooler in the mid-afternoon sun than it was in the stone-walled building. The animals started to make an appearance, which everyone enjoyed, and everyone found spots to relax and take in the wonderful afternoon, whether it was under the shade of the trees or in the green house around the back. The bride and groom made their way around from group to group, chatting and just generally having a good time until I snuck them away for the last few couple photographs.

The swing, it turned out, was a perfect idea, showing off the couple having fun and not requiring too much posing. It was also perfect in that it was out of the harsh sunlight and hidden in amongst the trees, letting in perfectly dappled light. The pool was also a great place for the couple to cool off and just enjoy a few moments of peace and serenity before going back to the crowds and saying a final farewell as they left for their honeymoon.

 

When going through the photos later that evening, I found that I was really proud of each and every one of them, even the ones that didn't end up being edited due to small mistakes, errors and movement. It was the first time that I looked at over 700 photos and didn't feel like it was going to be a nightmare to go through the editing phase. The editing phase ended up being far more enjoyable than usual simply because the photographs came out so well and I was so pleased with them.

The photos above are just some of the ones taken on the day. If you would like to see more, please visit my website or click here.

Another Flash Tutorial

I do not own a flash. It is one of the items on my wishlist for this year and I do intend to get one sooner or later. For the moment though, when I need to use one, I need to borrow it. Thankfully, my boss is also a fan of photography, and has one on hand that she has lent to me before (for the last wedding that I had to shoot). With another wedding around the corner, I needed to borrow it again and needed to get used to using it again.

The flash in question is a very very nice one, but the exact specifications are not actually all that important for this blog. What is important to know is that the flash fits into the hotshoe of the camera and has the ability to tilt upwards by 90 degrees and 45 degrees to either side. It is something that I absolutely love about the flash and something that I am definitely going to try to find in whichever flash I end up buying.

Why is this so important then? First of all, having a flash that fits into your hotshoe is very useful when doing photo shoots outside of a studio. When you are in a studio, you can arrange the lighting in any way that you like through the use of umbrellas, reflectors and more powerful lights than a flash can provide. When you are out and shooting, however, you do not always have these available to you. The on-camera flash is too harsh for most situations and, since you cannot adjust where it points, it often ends up only illuminating what is in front of you and not providing sufficient ambient light. This can, of course, be made up for by adjusting the shutter speed and exposure, but when the images are being taken with a hand-held camera rather than a tripod, it can be difficult to perfect. This is why having a flash that fits onto your hotshoe can be useful. Of course, being able to use it off-camera (which this one can do) would also be useful, I imagine, but I have yet to experiment with that, and for the moment will only be talking about using it on a hotshoe. Having a stronger flash on your hotshoe, which can be adjusted in terms of brightness, can have diffusers attached to it and can tilt gives you a lot more flexibility in the images that you can take and make.

The tilt is the other big advantage to having a hotshoe flash. This flexibility is less important when using a flash off-camera, since you can point the flash in any direction that you choose. But, when the flash is attached to your camera, you cannot point the flash in a different direction to the one that the camera is facing unless it has a tilt function. And the tilt function makes a huge difference. By tilting the flash, you can bounce the light that the flash provides to illuminate your subject in the best possible way. I have taken some images to illustrate the point.

In the above image, the first two shots were taken with the flash, a shutter speed of 1/50, an aperture of f/8 and had an ISO of 400. The final image was taken without flash. It was taken with a shutter speed of 1/25, a fairly low one and good for handheld photography, the lowest aperture that my lens would allow for (f/4.5) and an ISO of 3200. All shots are directly from the camera and have not been edited except to put them together in this "collage".

The first image was taken with the flash pointing directly at the guitar. You will notice that the shadows in the centre are dark, the light in the centre is very stark compared to the shadows, the light reflecting off the string and the left side of the guitar is very bright, and you can see the shadows underneath the strings because of the angle that the photo was taken at. If you look to the upper right corner, you will also notice that it is completely in shadow.

In the second image, I had tilted the flash 45 degrees to the left. You will notice that the shadows in the centre are a lot more muted. There are still shadows, but they are less obtrusive and the light in the centre is less bright and less stark because of it. The strings are brighter, but not as reflective and there are no longer any shadows underneath them. The light itself is better distributed throughout the image and if you look at the upper right hand corner of this image, you will notice that it is white (as it should be).

In the third image, you will notice that the photo is not well lit in general, even at a fairly low aperture and shutter speed. However, there are noticable details. The colouring is a lot yellower in the image and the shadows are also distinct, especially when compared to the second image. There are no stark contrasts, however, and everything is fairly muted. 

The third image clearly needs more or better lighting, which the flash provided in both of the photos to the left of it. The second image might be a little too well lit. Shadows do provide interest to images, and there are hardly any in this image. Adding a little contrast would take it a long way. The first image is better in terms of the interest that the shadows provide, but may be a bit too stark and is far from ideal for most situations. I would likely end up brightening it to some extent in post-editing.

The same can be seen in the next images.

None of these are perfect photos, none of them were meant to be perfect. But they do show the usefulness of tilting your flash and bouncing light on a subject. It can have great results if you know how to use it, and it is something that I am still learning how to use. But I can already see a big difference in the photographs that have been taken while I used it. It is something that I look forward to learning more about!

What area of photography do you want to learn more about?

How To Act

I was reading a post yesterday from one of the blogs that I follow, and it was talking about people who don't want to have their photos taken. Now, I can understand that to a point. I really can. I am sometimes really not in the mood to have my photo taken at all. But there are times and places where it should be acceptable, and there are ways to handle it without offending the photographer or making them angry.

I commented on Kimberly Gauthier's post yesterday with one of the experiences that I'd had with a person who did not want to have their photo taken who I thought had reacted very very badly. But I experienced worse today, and I thought that I would share the experience.

I tend to take photos of anything I see. I understand that people don't particularly like to have their photographs taken, and I tend not to take too many of other people unless they are at events or doing something exceptional. I am not a big street photographer, because I understand that people don't like to have their photos taken, and I am shy and tend to avoid confrontation.

Tonight I was at a game of bowls. I was playing this week, so I did not have much time to find a subject for a photo. Not wanting to take of the people playing, I saw a drink lying in the grass. So I lay down in the grass and took a photo of it. Next thing I know, the owner of the drink has approached me and starts shouting at me for taking a photo of his drink. Now, I would understand perfectly if this was a photo of  him that he was concerned about. That would make perfect sense to me. I can equally understand if I was in the way of his game or was somehow distracting him. I ensured that I was not on the pitch, not in the way and, aside from taking a quick snap, was not being a nuisance. And yet he was so rude about it, that I almost burst into tears. I was horrified. I hate confrontation, but particularly so when I feel it is undeserved.

Now, had the guy approached me and spoken to me nicely, told me that I was distracting or that I was in the way somehow, I would have understood slightly better. Not much, because I don't think taking a photograph of a bottle in the grass when  you are 100m away on the other side of the green is cause for panic. It was not like I touched the drink or anything. I just saw it, saw that the light was good and decided to go for it. But I still would not have walked away feeling angry and hurt.

There are ways to react to not wanting a photograph taken and there are ways not to. Being rude is not going to get you anywhere. Shouting is only going to cause anger and resentment. Understanding and explaining, those help a lot. If you are kind about it and ask nicely, you are more likely to get a positive response from the photographer rather than a defensive one.

Childhood

Alexia Geldenhuys van Zyl
3
Grahamstown

I do not have any children, and at this stage of my life that is a very good thing. I am not even 24 years old and the closest thing that I have to a child is my cat, Puddims. But I do have a goddaughter, and there is little that I love more in the world than spoiling her rotten.

Yesterday was Alexia's third birthday, so Grant and I headed over to the Geldenhuys/Van Zyl house with our hands filled with the presents that we had found (and made) for her. The look on her face when we walked in was priceless as she saw the giant frog that could not be wrapped surrounded by Hello Kitty covered gifts. Not being old enough to open them herself, I had to help her by making the first tear and then watching her pull it and exclaim "BABY!" as she unwrapped each individually wrapped fluffy toy, followed by her other gifts which she was less excited about naming, but more excited about playing with. Grant and I always get Alexia fluffy toys, possibly because I want to get them but cannot possibly justify keeping them for myself, so end up giving them to someone who I know will appreciate them as much as I do. But this birthday, we decided that she was getting old enough to start learning as well. So we got building blocks with the alphabet and numbers and pictures on them so that she can start getting some learning in while she plays. We also got her bath gel that we know will cause her hours of joy and her parents hours of cleaning up - a toy that no parent would get their own child, but that others feel no guilt in buying.

Watching Alexia play with her toys always makes me feel young. She plays with such abandon, with such vigour as though this is the best thing in the whole wide world. I miss being that age, when every new toy is the best thing in the world and disappointments are short lived. It's certainly a good mindset to have, but one that we, as adults, have some trouble getting to grips with. But for now, I am more than happy to watch from the sidelines as Alexia grows and hope that I will be there for her when the frivolities of life start to fade and seriousness starts taking over.

Finally!!

Ladies and gentlemen! The moment you have been waiting for has arrived! Well, maybe you haven't been waiting for it. But I know that I have! Please all draw your attention to the following page:

www.evanescent.co.za

Obviously it is still a work in progress, but I want to hear what everyone thinks. Please leave a comment letting me know what can be improved.

PS. I already know about the cropping of the thumbnails. I am trying to find a way of fixing that.

Location! Location! Location!

Now that I am doing a 365 project, I am finding myself getting very bored and taking photographs around my house, and am starting to think of more exciting places in the Grahamstown district that I can venture to. What this has led to is me putting together a hitlist in my mind of places to shoot from. This is what I have come up with so far (and bear in mind that I am writing them down as I think of them). Let me know if you can think of somewhere that I have missed!

1. Botantical gardens. Who doesn't love the bot gardens? Of course, this would mean more plants and flowers, but it would certainly be more interesting ones than what I can find in my backyard.
2. Grey Dam. It is a wonderful feature in Grahamstown, and if I can get someone to come with me who is willing to take a swing into the dam as well, it would certainly make for some good action shots. But even on my own, it would make for a great landscape if I am willing to take a bit of a walk.
3. Toposcope. Though I have heard that this is not the ideal spot for star gazing (thanks to the city lights), it would be a great place to get some scenic shots of the town, during the day and at night. What would be even better is getting the sunrise or sunset from the Toposcope, but that would take advance planning, a skill that I am not particularly good at.
4. Monument. Both inside and out. I imagine that the tiles in the monument, though not allowing for particularly good lighting, could provide a good backdrop for portraits. I also know that there are some pretty views from the monument that I would like to capture.
5. High Street. And by this I do not necessarily mean the activity of High street, that that should also be something that I should consider. What I mean is the highlights of High street - the statues, the cathedral, the High Street that is often forgotten in the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
6. The hill above the sports department. This is something that was recommended to me this afternoon, and it sounds gorgeous. Apparently there was a fire there that has led to greenery growing from the ashes so to speak, and it certainly sounds like an interesting photo opportunity.
7. The golf course. More action shots, more greenery, more scenery. Hopefully these pictures would also involve either sunrises and sunsets or a Piddle on a walk. We will have to see.
8. Studio. One of the places that I am most looking forward to shooting in. I intend to put a large portion of my salary towards this next month. Grant, if you are reading, you can't say I didn't warn you!

Projects and How They Can Help!

Something to celebrate!

 I don't think I have written a blog about this subject before, and if I have, I sincerely apologise for repeating myself. The new year has begun and it is always at this time that people make resolutions - about their lives, about their photography, about anything and everything. I already posted a list of my resolutions, and you can breathe a sigh of relief that I'm not going to be talking about that today. But what I am going to be talking about is projects.

Whether you are a beginner having bought your first camera, a professional doing shoots for a profit or just someone who is on a big trip and wanting to document every moment of it, projects are your friend. As a beginner, projects help you to get to know your camera for its strengths and weaknesses and learn how to use them to your advantage. As a professional, projects can help you remember why it is that you chose photography in the first place - being on scene all day every day and dealing with difficult clients and stressful situations can often make you forget. And as a traveler, a project can help you capture the new places that you are experiencing and can help you capture them in such a way that you can look back at those photographs years later and remember a moment. Sure, other people may look at them and be like "What the hell is that?" But you will know and remember why it was that you took that specific photograph and the feeling that you felt at the time will be returned to you.

You don't have to have a good camera to do a project. You can use your point and shoot, your DSLR or even your cellphone camera if you like. But the point is that taking photos on a daily or weekly basis, taking photos according to topics that are set out in advance, can help photographers of any level with their photography.

The kind of project that you end up doing is up to you. You might want to start following a blog like the Digital Photography School and taking part in their weekly challenges. Posting a photo each week to match their challenge could be the project that you set for yourself. Some people like to do a 52 challenge - a photo a week for a year. That way they are not bound to bringing their fancy camera with them wherever they go and they have time in between to continue with their everyday lives. Others like to do a 365 challenge - a photo a day for a year. This can be the most challenging or the most relaxed of the projects depending on how you look at it. No one expects you to take amazing photos or to have amazing photo opportunities every day. It almost seems like quantity over quality. And you could see it that way. Or you could see it as a chance to look around you and take more interesting photographs. If you don't think that you have the stamina to last a full 365 and feel like 52 is a little too lax, you may want to try a 31 challenge - taking a photo a day for a month. Whatever you do though, do try to challenge yourself. Try not to become too comfortable with your camera. And by that I do not mean becoming comfortable as in knowing how to use it. What I mean is that you shouldn't become comfortable with it as a fixture in your home that never gets used. Take it out, play with it, experiment and see what comes out!

I tried to do a 365 project before and got to day 203 before failing. There were a number of reasons for this, but I am back and ready to try again. You can find the photos from it here. I figured that the new year was the best time to start. After all, it's a new year with new opportunities and I hope to be there to take advantage of them.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!