Dudeldorf had a community recognized as early as the 800s. Lord Dudel had a wall and towers built around the town in the 1400s. This historic little town gave us a great opportunity to try our photographic skills. Once again, we had a gray, rainy day. 
We ate lunch in a restaurant in one of the original standing towers. 
The church in the center of town was open, but no lights on. It was a challenge to take photos.
Our study for this day was on lighting. We talked a lot about taking indoor photos without flash. In the church and the restaurant we had a good chance to practice. We had a nice day together.Photography Club
It’s all about the light
November 13, 2007
When I first took an interest in cameras, I asked a school yearbook photographer for advice. “It’s all about the light,” he said. “How much or how little you get, and how you manipulate it, makes the difference in the photo.”
A couple of things to know:
The Gray Card
It’s all about the light
November 13, 2007
When I first took an interest in cameras, I asked a school yearbook photographer for advice. “It’s all about the light,” he said. “How much or how little you get, and how you manipulate it, makes the difference in the photo.”
A couple of things to know:
The Gray Card
The camera is a machine. It sees basic gray and adjusts accordingly.
“The Gray Card” is the standard your camera shoots for. Bright subjects need the light decreased and dark subjects need it increased. It’s good to know the exposure button. Play with it. Taking 3 or 4 photos at a different exposure is called “bracketing.” After you see them, pick the best one that works.
Backlight
Backlight is when you have a bright background, like the sun behind them, or bright snow. Your subject will be dull unless you use flash, even outside. This is called “fill in flash.” Or at sunrise/sunset we call a darkened subject a silhouette.
Best outdoor light for photos of people
A gray day (or better yet, a gray day using flash)
Early morning sun or sunset. Warm light gives a rosy glow, softens wrinkles/flaws
Sunny noon is the worst. Also be wary of shadows and side lighting, sunglasses, hats…
Best outdoor light for scenery
Early morning or late evening. Shadows are good. Warm light is good. Interesting.
Don’t be afraid of moods… snowy day, fog, stormy clouds, steam on the lake...
Best night photos is twilight. The sky looks darkening blue, but the photo will look night.
Indoor light with flash
Typical flash distance is about 6-8 feet. Too close and the subject is washed out. Too
far and the subject is dark. Better to be 6 feet away and zoom if you use flash.
Indoor light without flash
Subject must be still and camera still to use existing light. If action – get a posed photo.
Use a tripod or monopod to stabilize. If you have none, use a bench, table, chair, the
floor to stabilize… and set on timer if you really want no jiggle.
You can use light from a window, but must experiment to get it right.
Digital NOISE and ISOs
Night or dark digital photos sometimes have pinpricks of color. This is called noise. The digital camera has no idea what to do with the exposure. ISO determines how fast the light is let in (higher is faster – less light needed), but higher ISOs can sometimes be grainy or have more noise, too.
“The Gray Card” is the standard your camera shoots for. Bright subjects need the light decreased and dark subjects need it increased. It’s good to know the exposure button. Play with it. Taking 3 or 4 photos at a different exposure is called “bracketing.” After you see them, pick the best one that works.
Backlight
Backlight is when you have a bright background, like the sun behind them, or bright snow. Your subject will be dull unless you use flash, even outside. This is called “fill in flash.” Or at sunrise/sunset we call a darkened subject a silhouette.
Best outdoor light for photos of people
A gray day (or better yet, a gray day using flash)
Early morning sun or sunset. Warm light gives a rosy glow, softens wrinkles/flaws
Sunny noon is the worst. Also be wary of shadows and side lighting, sunglasses, hats…
Best outdoor light for scenery
Early morning or late evening. Shadows are good. Warm light is good. Interesting.
Don’t be afraid of moods… snowy day, fog, stormy clouds, steam on the lake...
Best night photos is twilight. The sky looks darkening blue, but the photo will look night.
Indoor light with flash
Typical flash distance is about 6-8 feet. Too close and the subject is washed out. Too
far and the subject is dark. Better to be 6 feet away and zoom if you use flash.
Indoor light without flash
Subject must be still and camera still to use existing light. If action – get a posed photo.
Use a tripod or monopod to stabilize. If you have none, use a bench, table, chair, the
floor to stabilize… and set on timer if you really want no jiggle.
You can use light from a window, but must experiment to get it right.
Digital NOISE and ISOs
Night or dark digital photos sometimes have pinpricks of color. This is called noise. The digital camera has no idea what to do with the exposure. ISO determines how fast the light is let in (higher is faster – less light needed), but higher ISOs can sometimes be grainy or have more noise, too.
Most of our members use digital. We will learn more about digital photography another month.
