Outdoor Portrait Photography: Sharing My Shooting Style

Last month, I organised a group outdoor shoot for my photography kakis (friends) who rarely shoots portraits. It was a great learning session for everyone, including myself. While others have opportunities to practice portrait shoots, I have the chance to actually see how my style makes a difference to normal portrait photos.

So in this post, I shall share with you how I capture some of the shots using techniques and tips to create the look that I did for many of my portrait photos.

Backlight
This is one of my commonly-used lighting to create a dramatic effect. Some higher-skilled photographers would be able to control the flare effects but I like my way of shooting against the light.

The above shot cast rather unusual rings of flare, a result of the Nikkor 24-70mm shot at f4.

Here's one below where the flash is completely covered by the model. It might not look different from a shot without backlight, but notice the model's arms have a glow.

Here's an example of a shot without backlight and one with. Notice that the camera auto-adjusts the white balance to give a warmer tone with backlight. Of course, if you shoot in RAW, you could fix the left photo, but you certainly can't fake the glow.

As for the flash output, I always keep it at 1/8 power, and I don't factor it into my shooting exposure. Take a shot, evaluate the flash power, and adjust accordingly. You can trigger the rear flash using whatever methods you know that supports your camera system. For my case, I enabled SU-4 slave flash mode on my SB-600 flash and used my Nikon D300 internal flash set to minimum power (1/128) to trigger the rear flash. You could also purchase radio trigger but I want my shooting pals to also try the backlight shooting by triggering my rear flash using their individual built-in flash units.


Wide-Angle Framing
Surprisingly, most of my kakis were shooting close up on the model. During the shoot, I recommended them to pull back and shoot wide, but one of the commented that "there are too many elements when shooting wide, don't know how to frame".

The technique is simple: find a background that you would shoot with a wide-angle lens. Then place the model in the middle at about 2 feet. To make the subject large in a wide-angle shot, the subject has to be close enough. Finally, add a dramatic pose. In the above shot, I added another light source to the left of the camera - yep, that's not from a real sunlight but from my external flash.

Nikon D300, Tokina 12-24mm at 12mm, f11 1/250s ISO200

Here's another shot to show how wide angle lens can work on portrait shots. I framed the background structure into the photo. For this shot, I underexposed the background by several stops to give a more dramatic effect, then set my external flash to full power (1/1) to light up my model.

Close Panning
When trying to shoot a model with flying hair, you would either need a wind machine or a very windy day. Even so, you might not capture the right poses when the model is stationary.

What I do in this shoot is to ask the model to take a walk, let the wind blow in her face, and ask her to look into the camera at times. As she walks, you walk and pan with her. After dozens of shots, you might get a few good images with sharp focus on the subject's face or eyes.

Nikkor 85mm f1.8 1/1600s ISO200

Here's another shot, with all the random elements perfectly come together.

Nikkor 85mm f1.8 1/1600s ISO200

Conclusion
The above shots may not demonstrate perfect framing or lighting or posing examples because I took the shots really quickly in order not to hold up my kakis shooting enjoyment. Try these in your next portrait shoot and add some variety and emotional impact to your portrait images.

Visit my facebook page for more of my photos at http://facebook.com/chesterphoto . And if you need more information on the above techniques, please leave a comment below.

The Samsung i-Function: How It Helps Beginners to be More Creative

In my earlier post on the NX100 first look review, I briefly mentioned that the Samsung i-Function does not provide added efficiency for me, as all the settings offered by the i-Function can already be accessed easily from the NX100 itself.

That was from an advanced user's perspective. Actually, the i-Function does benefit budding photographers and offers creative assistance in image control.

In almost every digital camera targeted at beginners, there are always some form of assisted shooting modes to help users in capturing images without worrying about the controls. Samsung already has the Smart Auto and SCENE modes in their existing camera models. With NX100, Samsung introduced this new feature called i-Function (symbolised by iFn) that allows advanced beginners more control in capturing images.

The concept behind iFn is about offering a higher level of image control instead of just using the usual "idiot-proof" modes, yet not to the extent of a full-manual expert control. Samsung implements this by centering the shooting experience around the lenses, one of the critical elements in creative photography. With iFn lenses, the user can make the most elemental shooting adjustments by pressing the iFn button on the lens.

Although all the settings via the iFn can be adjusted on the NX100 body, the user using the iFn will not have to remember what settings are important to make an image and to look for the buttons on the NX100 to make the necessary changes. Neither would the settings parameters obstruct the display from the scene that the user is shooting. Using iFn, and depending on the shooting modes, the user can adjust the aperture, shutter speed, exposure compensation, ISO speed, and white balance. The settings parameters will appear at the bottom part of the screen, unobtrusive from what you are shooting. As the parameters are modified, the screen updates instantly to show the result of the change.

So, does the iFn provides skilled photographers like me with any real gain in shooting? No it doesn't, as I still find it quicker to make exposure changes via the NX100 body (that's just my preference). But I am elated to recommend this feature to the learning shooters. In fact, the iFn will encourage users to move on from the "idiot-proof" modes to be more adventurous in controlling the images and experimenting with photography.

With the new iFn feature, Samsung is giving empowerment to the NX100 user. The result of their slogan "Why Capture? Create!" is materialised with NX100, the latest hybrid mirrorless still camera that is equally usable to the beginners, the advanced shooters, and now the learning but adventuring image creators.

To find out more on the NX100 and try out with the i-Function simulator, visit the the NX100 microsite

Understanding Lens Focal Length and Aperture for New DSLR and Hybrid Camera Users

New Digital SLR and Hybrid Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Camera owners take note: you are possessing a precision-engineered optical imaging device that gives you sharp focus on any object that you so choose. To master the use of these optical devices, you need to understand what the numbers on the lenses stand for and what they mean to you. After all, the purpose of owning these cameras is to be able to change lenses, but if you don't know what kind of lenses do what, then you wouldn't know what lenses you need to buy.

This article will not go into the technical details, but it should allow the novice to have a flavour of lenses. And if that triggers your curiosity, you can do more detailed research over the Internet or attend photography courses.

The 2 important attributes that make a lens are focal length and maximum aperture.

1. Focal Length
If you are a point-and-shoot compact camera user, you would probably just be concerned about the zoom factor (3x/5x/10x zoom). More camera makers also try to market the wide-angle lens feature like 24mm. With a wider-angle lens, you are able to see wider view without having to move too far back.

On the other extreme, when the focal length is very long, like 200mm, you can zoom-in to the subject without having to go too close-in. Great for shooting wildlife, or become a paparazzi. A handful of compact cameras have powerful zooms, to like 400mm. That would cost thousands of dollars on an equivalent DSLR lens.

The below is a table to describe the common uses for lenses of different focal lengths.

Do take note that the focal length described in all interchangeable lenses are the 35mm full-frame equivalent. On a Four-thirds system, you need to multiply by 2. On cameras using APS-C sensor, you need to multiply by 1.5. Therefore, an Olympus or Lumix lens with 20mm focal length will give you 40mm field of view, while the Samsung lens with 30mm focal length will give you 45mm field of view.

2. Aperture
Aperture determines the "brightness" of the lens, or commonly used to refer to the "speed" of the lens. The smaller the f-number, the brighter the lens. Here's a diagram to explain it all.

To determine what the biggest aperture size, look for the value next to "F" (e.g. F2.8), or next to "1:" (e.g. 1:2.8). If there are 2 values separated by a dash (e.g. 1:3.5-5.6), it means the aperture varies from the minimum focal length to the maximum focal length for zoom lenses. This varying aperture characteristic happens to most low-end lenses and compact cameras, simply because when the lens zooms in, the lens barrel extends and less light reaches the sensor.

From a price point, a large aperture size (i.e. small f-number) instantly translates to an expensive lens, with the exception of 50mm f/1.8, easily the cheapest lens for the aperture size. Even so, prices may vary for the same lens type among brands due to the lens quality.

Here's a simplified table showing the common aperture sizes you might find in different types of lenses.

Other lens information that are just as important:

- lens diamater (front): denoted by a letter o with a stroke  (⌀) followed by the number. This information is useful when you want to purchase lens filters. Buy the correct size so that you can screw the filter to the lens.

- lens mount (back): each lens is built with a lens mount for a specific camera brand or range of models. If in doubt, ask before buying. Third-party lens brands like Tokina or Tamron often manufactures different lens mounts for the same lens model (e.g. 28-70mm f/2.8), so be sure to buy the correct lens mount. Some mounts are specified by the type instead of the brand because the mount is used by several brands. For instance, Four-thirds, Micro Four-thirds, K-mount.

- choosing and testing lens (quality control during production): even with the same lens model, the sharpness may vary during factory assembly. As I mentioned, lens is a precision optic, so any misalignment will result in a less-than-stellar outcome. Some customers would test several lenses to select the sharpest. If you want to do the same, please go to those popular camera shops that lets you do that without qualms.

- lens care: you are recommended to at least buy a neutral filter (e.g. UV filter) to protect the front lens element so that the special lens coating would not get scratched by abrasions. Do not drop the lens, especially if the lens has a built-in image-stabilizer function, because the mechanism is highly sensitive. Do not get so uptight when you spot dust inside the lens, and there is no way to prevent this from happening over time, because the lens is not sealed (unless you never remove the lens from the camera body, which then defeats the purpose of an interchangeable lens system). Dust will NOT affect overall image quality.

Take heart that while you may upgrade your camera body to higher megapixels or improved high ISO quality, the function of the lens remains unchanged. Getting great lenses will last your for decades (and may even cost more than the camera body), so treat your lenses well. A word of caution: hybrid camera lenses are generally less durable than DSLR lenses, cost less, and are made of lighter plastic materials, so try not to man-handle them during shooting.


I hope this write-up provides you some useful info when determining what lenses you should get for what purpose (generally), why there are price differences among lenses, and how to take care of your lenses.

Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Camera System

Last Saturday, I was invited by Samsung to conduct a workshop at Courts Megastore (Tampines).Over the next few weeks, I will publish excerpts of the workshop materials in this blog.

Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Camera System: Do We Really Need Another New Format?

Photography, as we know decades ago, requires expensive and specialised optical devices called the camera, that only the trained can operate and afford. Single Reflex Lens (SLR) camera systems are the most portable imaging system that offers the best quality and versatility. Till today, digital SLR is the choice for professional imaging.

Featues of the DSLR:

• Interchangeable lenses
• Fast shooting performance
• Large image sensor
• Professional image quality
• Clean high-ISO images

Decades ago, compact film cameras began to popularise photography, thanks to its lightweight and ease-of-use. Naturally, the compact format evolves into the digital form and today, almost everyone carries an imaging device. While the compact camera can never replace the DSLR on the image quality, there are other features that consumers are willing to trade-off for.

Features of the Point-and-Shoot Compact Camera:

• Compact
• Easy to Operate
• Live View Display
• Video Recording

I've included the last 2 points here because while many DSLRs have these functions, it is still not considered a "de-facto" feature.

Now, where does this new hybrid camera come into place?



The mirrorless interchangeable lens camera has the best of both worlds!

Compact
Thanks to the mirrorless design, the hybrid camera can be smaller yet contains the same image sensor as a DSLR.

Easy to Operate
The hybrid camera comes with user interface that is as easy to use as a compact camera. It also has shooting modes to help the user capture the images automatically, and plenty of hardware buttons to allow advanced users to control the settings quickly.

Live View Display
Just like compact camera, the hybrid camera's live view display shows what you are about to capture. The NX10 also comes with the electronic view finder (EVF) to mimic the DSLR. On-screen display shows important shooting information. The screen sharpness is important for the user to do manual focus. Good thing NX10 uses 3" AMOLED screen.

Interchangeable Lens
Nothing more to say about the ability to interchange lens. This has got to be the most important feature to the consumers. Previously, compact cam users do not worry about the lens attributes. Maybe they would be concerned about the no. of times of zoom factor. Now with hybrid cameras, users need to understand the 2 important attributes: focal length and aperture. I will explain these 2 attributes in future.

Fast Shooting Performance
Indeed, one major drawback of a compact camera is laggy shooting performance, and it's not just the shutter lag. With the hybrid camera, the start-up speed is very fast, the focus speed is zippy, and the shot-to-shot is also speedy. Now, in no way will hybrid camera be as fast as DSLR, but I dare say no compact camera comes close.

Image Sensor
Again, no compact camera's image sensor comes close to a hybrid camera. With a large image sensor means hybrid cameras are capable of producing professional quality images. The high ISO images are also cleaner than any compact cameras in the market.

Video Recording
Video recording on a hybrid camera presents more filming controls than most compact cameras, and matching only the top-end DSLRs with video capability. On a hybrid camera, you can certainly zoom around with a zoom lens, perform manual focusing. Some models like NX10 also allows manual exposure override and aperture setting.

Final Word
Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens Camera is a long-awaited next generation imaging solution, offering the compactness and easy of use of a compact camera as well as the image versatility and quality of a digital SLR. I'd say that any consumer who is intending to getting a low-end DSLR should seriously consider the hybrid camera, because it is smaller and its operation is closer to a compact camera. Price is very competitive, and you will be spoilt for choice below $1200.