Silhouettes are striking and dramatic.  They are also fairly easy to create if you have the right conditions.  A good first try would be around dusk like the image below or by a window.  To make it simple for your first try, look for a situation where the sky behind the subject is brighter than the foreground. The background and foreground need to have dramatically different light values for you to easily create a silhouette. If you have this kind of difference in the foreground and the background, you will not need to do much more than point to the camera at the scene and click.



In a scene is like the one below, you may need to use your camera's built in spot meter. If you have never used the spot meter, the first step would be to pull out the scary manual and look up metering or metering modes in the index or table of contents. What the spot meter does is choose an exposure for you based on a single spot in the frame (the center) and not multiple points like your default meter will do. If you can point the spot at the background (which should be brighter than your subject) it will keep your subject dark thus creating a silhouette.


 

This image is not a full silhouette but it could have been depending on how my camera controls were set. If I had wanted him to be darker and the background to be even darker, I would have had to let less light into the camera by speeding up my shutter or opening up my aperture.

If the cameras auto settings are getting you close but not exactly where you want to be, you can always take the exposure that your meter gives you in the auto mode and switch to the manual mode and then adjust from there. Just move your f-stop or shutter speed up or down and experiment until you get it just right. The joy of digital is that you can shoot to your heart's content and just delete the ones that you don't like.

Some other tips for getting a good silhouette:
1. Choose something dramatic with a recognizable outline and shape for your silhouetted subject.
2. If your camera keeps trying to pop up the flash because of the low light in the scene, just turn it off. You may need to check with your manual to find how to turn off the flash.
3. Learn about the metering modes on your camera.
4. Bracket your exposure. This means shooting exposures on either side of the one that your camera gives you. In other words, if it gives you an exposure of (just an example) f8 at a shutter speed of 1/125, try adjusting the f-stop or shutter speed (choose one- not both) by one stop higher and one stop lower than the original exposure. You will end up with three images this way.

So, go play with your controls and see what you can come up with!  Remember to post  links to your examples in the comments below or on the Monday lesson Flickr Group.

I'd love to hear some ideas, suggestions, questions...what do you guys want to learn next?

Silhouettes are striking and dramatic.  They are also fairly easy to create if you have the right conditions.  A good first try would be around dusk like the image below or by a window.  To make it simple for your first try, look for a situation where the sky behind the subject is brighter than the foreground. The background and foreground need to have dramatically different light values for you to easily create a silhouette. If you have this kind of difference in the foreground and the background, you will not need to do much more than point to the camera at the scene and click.



In a scene is like the one below, you may need to use your camera's built in spot meter. If you have never used the spot meter, the first step would be to pull out the scary manual and look up metering or metering modes in the index or table of contents. What the spot meter does is choose an exposure for you based on a single spot in the frame (the center) and not multiple points like your default meter will do. If you can point the spot at the background (which should be brighter than your subject) it will keep your subject dark thus creating a silhouette.


 

This image is not a full silhouette but it could have been depending on how my camera controls were set. If I had wanted him to be darker and the background to be even darker, I would have had to let less light into the camera by speeding up my shutter or opening up my aperture.

If the cameras auto settings are getting you close but not exactly where you want to be, you can always take the exposure that your meter gives you in the auto mode and switch to the manual mode and then adjust from there. Just move your f-stop or shutter speed up or down and experiment until you get it just right. The joy of digital is that you can shoot to your heart's content and just delete the ones that you don't like.

Some other tips for getting a good silhouette:
1. Choose something dramatic with a recognizable outline and shape for your silhouetted subject.
2. If your camera keeps trying to pop up the flash because of the low light in the scene, just turn it off. You may need to check with your manual to find how to turn off the flash.
3. Learn about the metering modes on your camera.
4. Bracket your exposure. This means shooting exposures on either side of the one that your camera gives you. In other words, if it gives you an exposure of (just an example) f8 at a shutter speed of 1/125, try adjusting the f-stop or shutter speed (choose one- not both) by one stop higher and one stop lower than the original exposure. You will end up with three images this way.

So, go play with your controls and see what you can come up with!  Remember to post  links to your examples in the comments below or on the Monday lesson Flickr Group.

I'd love to hear some ideas, suggestions, questions...what do you guys want to learn next?

For the past couple of posts, we've been talking about getting closer. For our lesson today, we are going to talk about getting close and being bold and creative in our cropping (specifically with portraits). Today's lesson comes with an assignment too but we'll get to that a little bit later.

Getting closer can be a challenge, especially when you are photographing people. I think it makes both parties a little nervous if the photographer is right up in the subject's face clicking away. I want you to fight through that anxiety, though, because getting close can make such a radical difference in your photography. This is why I have been focusing on it so intently for the last few weeks. If you feel nervous getting really close to your subject, a zoom lens can be a life saver. Feel free to back up but make sure you zoom back in, way in. Zooming in is also flattering for the face. When I say I want you to be close, I mean I want you to be this close...

As you can see in the copyright stamp, this amazing image was taken by Abby Braman. I saw this on Abby's Flickr stream and asked her if she would mind sharing it with all of you. What this image perfectly illustrates is how wonderful it can look when you get close and crop creatively. What makes this image work is how irreverently it was cropped. It allows you to really see that amazing eye! I also think the crop shows off her expression too (kind of a sweet smirk). You can even see the photographer in the reflection of her eye. I want you to see this example and feel confident that it's absolutely okay to crop off the side of someone's face or the top of their head or whatever. Just be experimental and try it out. You may surprise yourself and end up with a jewel like this!

This next image was taken by Betty Schueter. I found this amazing image example on Betty's Flickr stream. The best part? This image was taken with an iPhone! People always ask me about cameras and which one is best or which one should they buy. The real trick is knowing how to use the camera that you have to its fullest potential. Always remember, the camera isn't taking the picture, you are.

Not to digress too much but, speaking of iphones, you might check this site out. I love how he says that "the best camera is the one that's with you". 

So, back to the images and on to your assignment! I want you to try and emulate these crops. Here's my opinion, copying is not always bad. In fact, when you are learning something new, copying (for lack of a better word) can be incredibly helpful. It's the first step. When I used to teach photography at The High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and Episcopal High School (both in Houston, Texas), one of the assignments that I gave my intro class was to pick a photographer whose work you love and emulate it. Once you have experimented with replicating what someone else has done (tried it on for size so to speak) you can then personalize it and make it your own. It's a liberating way to try some new techniques. Enjoy!

Please post links to your images in the comments section below or in the Monday Lesson Flickr pool. I'd love to see what you come up with!

I'm very excited to share today's lesson with you guys! Today we have a guest photographer named Corey. I found Corey while browsing galleries on Flickr. I had wanted to include an image of hers for the last lesson on getting close. The more I looked through her images on Flickr, the more that I felt like she had a lot of great images to choose from and, in particular, a lot of close up images that really illustrate the point of the lesson. So, today I'm going to share some of Corey's images with you and address a few questions that I received after posting the last lesson. Corey has also answered a few interview questions for you guys.

The first image that I want to share is the one that originally caught me eye. I love how you can look at this image and know exactly what that nose feels like! I always talk about the idea of telling a story with your images. The story doesn't need to be long or complex and can be as simple as a soft, fuzzy nose.

I love, love, LOVE this little series. This is a great example of how getting close can add impact, draw your eyes right to your subject and remove distracting background elements. I also love how she framed these up a little crooked (for lack of a better term). I think it adds some energy to an already spirited series.

I asked Corey a few questions about getting close:

You have a real knack for getting up close and personal with your images, do you have any advice for new photographers on training yourself to get closer?

Thank you! One of the first things I discovered early on in my personal photography journey is to GET CLOSER. GET A LOT CLOSER. I find that most people stand a good distance from their subject, lift the camera to their face and start snapping. In my opinion, these photos capture the scene, but fail to really capture the moment. I like to move in close, get down at their level, and step right into their world. It's up to you whether you want to move with your feet, or with your zoom, but just move in closer. Fill your frame with the subject of your desire. 

When I was starting out, I'd snap a few shots the way I normally would, then I'd walk my feet closer. A whole lot closer....and then snap a few from that distance. It took some time, but as soon as I started to notice that the ones I had taken up close were my favorites it became easier and easier to  remember to move in close.

Do you use any special equipment for your close up images? 

Nope. Which ever lens I have on my camera at the time works just fine for the close up. I either zoom with my feet or the lens. Really doesn't matter how I do it...I just do. I do have a 100mm macro lens I like to use, but I don't tend to use it anymore than the others for my close up shots.

What kind of camera do you shoot and what is your favorite lens?

From June 2007- January 2010 I used my Canon XTi. Just recently, I purchased the Canon T1i, because I have worn my poor little Xti out. :) 

As for lenses, I love love love prime lenses. My favorite would be a toss up between the Canon 100mm 2.8 macro, and the Canon 50mm 1.4. They both give me the sharp focus in low light that I really enjoy.

Do you have any tips and tricks regarding keeping your focus sharp when you get up close?

First, I always select my focal point, rather than leave it up to the camera to decide which part of the photo I want in focus. This is very important. I typically set my focus on one of the subjects eyes. Also be careful of your Aperture setting when you move in close. You have to practice a lot with apertures to understand what you can get away with regarding the different sized focal plains. 

Corey brings up some really key points. Here's my hit list for things you need to know when getting close:

1. One of the first things to keep in mind and determine is how close up your particular lens can focus. To test this out, just grab an object (anything will do) and see how close up you can get while maintaining focus.

2. In Corey's last response, she talks about knowing how to set your focus point. This is HUGE. Take a moment and figure out how your camera is set to auto focus. Most cameras take readings from multiple places within your frame and make a decision about the focus. If you are having a hard time getting your camera to focus on what you want you may look into manually setting the auto focus point. To find the setting for this, grab your manual and look up AF points or AF area mode.

3. If you are having trouble getting up close and being in focus, you might also try backing up and then zooming in on your subject. Zooming in has the added benefit of helping blur out your background a little. Like Corey said, you can come in closer with your feet or your zoom lens.

4. In Corey's last answer she talks about experimenting with your f-stop or aperture to know how much of your image will be in focus. This concept is called depth of field. This is a definite photography fundamental but it can be confusing at first.

Many thanks to Corey for sharing herr images and your insights! To see more of Corey's work, you can visit her Flickr page or her blog.

As always, I would love to see your experiments! Please post links in the comments section or in the new Monday Lesson Flickr pool. Now, go have fun and GET CLOSE!

Today we're going to talk about a few simple, non technical ways to make a huge improvement in your photos. The famous photojournalist and war photographer, Robert Capa, once said "if your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough". So,with that as your new mantra, one of the easiest ways that you can improve your photographs is to just get closer to your subject. I want you to fill your frame with your subject. This does a couple of things that will improve your images. First, it gives the viewer a simple, easy to define subject that has big impact. Secondly, it helps remove distracting elements from the background and foreground that take away from your subject.

The other nice thing that happens when you get closer is that your background walls more out of focus, which helps add further emphasis. If you really want to create an out of focus background you need to study up controlling depth-of-field. If you don't feel ready to bite off the technical lesson on depth-of-field, just get closer and you'll see that your backgrounds get softer.

This amazing and simple image is by Julie Lackey. I found Julie's work when she contributed an image for the Favorite Shot Friday flickr pool. Isn't she amazing? I love the simplicity of the first image. If you have a small child, I imagine that you have marveled at their little hands and feet. This is the shot that would remind you, 20 years later, exactly how small they really were.

and I just love this simple composition...

Here are a few of mine from our trip to Carmel last summer.

The image of my feet in the sand brings me to our next tip. I want you to start playing with different angles and more creative cropping. I always like to say that your image is telling a story. Often times when snap a photo, we include more information than we need to really tell the story. This next image is by a friend of mine, Brene Brown. I think it tells the "soccer girl" story perfectly without a single face being shown. So you guys know, Brene was one of my main inspirations for doing these Monday Lessons in the first place. I helped her out with a few tips and tricks and she suggested I do the same for others on my blog. So, here we are! Thanks Brene!

The next time you go to take the picture, look up, down, sideways and tilt your camera in a new way. You may be surprised to find the shot looks even better from a whole new angle. Here's a shot of mine from Cabo San Lucas. It's on a fishing boat looking up a fishing rod towards the sky.

My friend, Danny Clark, sent me this one to show how looking up can be great too. Danny has this signature way of shooting some of his images that's kind of tilted and crooked and looks great!

Here's a couple more by Julie Lackey that show how getting low and close up can lend so much impact to an image. Maybe it's because I have 2 little boys but this image just reminds me how little boys play with their cars - lining them up and creating elaborate scenarios with them.

And who hasn't found their child looking up at them with a proud smile and saying, "Look Mom, I put on my own shoes!".

And I personally just think little baby feet are one of the best things in the world! How they turn into regular, not so cute, grown up feet I'll just never know. This next shot is mine ut in the same spirit as Julie's image. One of Finnian's favorite things to do is play in the yard with a hose and a watering can. I just love how his little toes look and how the water droplets are partially frozen in their fall.

and one more image from Julie that will hopefully inspire you to not worry about cutting off parts or pieces of your image. Getting creative with your cropping might just lead to some of your most interesting pictures. I like to think about it this way, sometimes the heart of the story lies within the things that you choose to leave out. When you do this, you also allow the viewer to fill in the blanks with some of their own personal imagination, which allows them a place of their own inside the story.

OK, now it's your turn, go get close! I'd love to see what you come up with. Post links to your images in the comments section below or post them to our Monday Lesson Flickr Pool.