Search Results for: blog shooting in black and white

Shooting in the Dark

R.E.M.’s Nightswimming—-best song EVER! I stole the song title and used it on a scrapbook layout I created to document my daughter’s first twilight pool party. Unfortunately, the page doesn’t look as good as the song sounds. The concept was there, but the photos weren’t. Which is not to say that I didn’t snap a ton of pictures of my daughter and her friends swimming in the dark during an especially hot July night; rather, the images simply didn’t turn out as well as I would have liked. If you are planning to feature a nighttime event in your scrapbook, … Continue reading →

Embracing Black and White

I’m a huge fan of black and white photos; however, I struggle to get my monochromatic images to look as sophisticated as ones taken by professionals. Still, I am not abandoning the dream. Recently, I converted a dozen or so beach photos to black and white in hopes of highlighting the different textures within the shots. Some photos turned out better than others, which proves that black and white photography is not always as easy as it appears. I think a lot of amateur photographers figure they can’t go wrong converting random color images to black and white. While pointing … Continue reading →

Shooting Manual: Spot Metering

Posted on by

In some situations, traditional matrix metering will give you great results. Matrix metering tends to be the default mode for most cameras. As long as your scene is evenly lit, it will work great. The camera’s light meter will look at the whole picture and determine what the correct exposure should be. The exposure will be incorrect, however, when there are areas of intense white or black in the photo. For example, if you take a picture in front of a window or other bright light source, your picture will end up underexposed. If you take a picture in front … Continue reading →

Shooting Silhouettes

With Halloween right around the corner, now is the time to perfect your silhouette shooting techniques. Ghosts, goblins and mini monsters look even spookier in silhouette. Fortunately, you don’t have to be a professional photographer to capture scary shots. Simply follow these simple tips: Vary angles: Don’t be afraid to move around to get a unique angle. Squat down and shoot up at a scarecrow in a cornfield or a dead tree against a darkened sky. You could also move your costumed kids to a high point in your neighborhood, such as a hill or perched on a fence and … Continue reading →

More Tips to Consider When Shooting Outdoors

It’s summer and there is no better time than now to take as many outdoor shots as possible. Whether you are capturing your daughter’s first swim lesson or your son’s first t-ball game you want to make sure you get the best photos possible. And since these summer activities take place in the great outdoors it’s important to learn how to use the sun to your advantage. For example: FLASH Turn off your flash. This is especially important if you have a moderate priced point and shoot digital camera off. Most cameras in this category have overpowering flashes that turn … Continue reading →

Black and White Photography—What’s Old is New Again

Black and white photos have long been popular with couples planning a wedding and first time parents trying to capture the emotion of a particular moment. But these days you see more and more amateur photographers shooting in black and white to add a different perspective to their shots. If you are thinking of going black and white consider these tips to ensure your photos are as frameworthy as possible: BACKGROUND When shooting in black and white it’s critical that the background does not distract from your subject. In most cases you can eliminate distractions by moving your subject a … Continue reading →

Black and White Photography Basics

Everything is new again and such is the case with black and white photography. A few short decades ago black and white photos were considered old and unpopular, but in recent years the power of classic black and white stills has returned and now many avid photographers are embracing the purity of these beautiful photographs. But before you run to the store to purchase black and white film or click on every digital image to mute its color there are some factors you should consider: SUBJECT It’s important to choose your subjects carefully when you are shooting in black and … Continue reading →

Creating Black-and-White Masterpieces

Green and red—-they are the traditional colors of the holiday season. However, in my last few blogs I have been encouraging you to think in black-and-white. With their timeless and classic look, black-and-white pictures can add a new dimension to your holiday photo sessions. With that said here are a few ways you can create your own black-and-white masterpieces: Processing. This is probably the easiest way to see what a particular shot would look like as a black-and-white print. Most professional photo processors can create a black-and-white print from any of the following sources—-a color or black-and-white negative, a color … Continue reading →

Tips for Shooting in Black-and-White

I was this close to using a black-and-white photo of my daughter as our Christmas card picture. The photo’s muted tones complemented the card’s red border perfectly. But, at the last minute I decided to go with a double image card and stuck with colored shots. I don’t know about you, but I have a weakness for black-and-white photography. In my opinion it is timeless, simple and lends a touch of class to the décor. If you don’t shoot in black-and-white I urge you to break out of your color rut and give it a shot. As I continue my … Continue reading →

Shooting in Black-and-White

One of my most cherished pictures of my daughter is a black-and-white shot taken when she was 6 months old. I had a professional photographer come in shortly after my daughter started to show interest in crawling. The prized picture features my daughter on her tummy looking straight into the camera with both eyebrows arched perfectly in little peaks. It is pure and genuine and the fact that it was captured in black-and-white further enhances the simplicity of the shot. Think about your favorite black-and-white photograph. It could be one taken of your grandparents decades ago or a winter landscape … Continue reading →