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Katr

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I love this time of year! It’s

filled with so many photo

opportunities. And yes, there

is ONE simple thing you

can do to get photos you’ll

cherish!

Looking At Light

So what is that one thing that

will change your photos, no

matter what camera you have?

Light. Yes. Light.

Morning light and later

afternoon light give the most

even, beautiful light to shoot

in. When the sun is at an angle,

rather than overhead, you get

a more indirect, diffused light.

You can’t always shoot at those

perfect times though.

YOUR HOLIDAYS: CAPTURED THROUGH THE LENS

looking for light

Capture Your Holidays with Katrina Kennedy

BONUS

LESSON

BONUS LESSON : Looking For Light 2

Where Can You Find Light In December?

Near a window

North facing windows are preferred for the indirect light they

provide, but any window can work if the light is indirect.

Place your back to the window and put your subject in front of

you, be careful not to shadow your subject. Turn your subject to

see the different ways the light falls. If you can’t find a window,

try opening your door and grabbing that light.

Open shade

Find a tree outside with even shade. Make sure you move out

of dappled spots which will create uneven patches on your

subject and cause you frustration in post processing. During

December, this may not be an issue!

Open your garage door

Shoot just inside the door. The light will bounce off the

driveway onto your subject.

You don’t need an

ABUNDANT amount of

light to create photos.

A small amount of light

directed on your subject

can create compelling

images. Use your tripod

and work the exposure

triangle to make the most

of low light situations. .

USE WHAT YOU FIND

OH LIGHT!

Your eye always sees

more light in a room

than your camera! Your

camera sees more color!

BONUS LESSON : Looking For Light 3

Overcast days

White overcast days act as a huge

diffuser for the sun. The light is

even and not too bright. Add a nice

blanket of snow to the overcast day

and you have an instant reflector

to bounce light back onto your

subject.

Alleys/sides of buildings

Alleys are great spots for light as

they tend to block direct sunlight

and then bounce it off of the walls.

Look for sides of buildings where

light is bouncing off of the ground

or adjoining walls.

Work The Light

Sometimes finding the light means

moving yourself just a few inches

to change the angle. Watch for

shadows that distract from your

subject, creating dead space. Move

around your subject before you

shoot. See where the light looks

best.

When you can see the catch lights

in your subjects eyes - those little

white reflective spots - you know

you’ve found the light. Catch lights

make your subject come alive.

BONUS LESSON : Looking For Light 4

Look At The Color Of Light

Take a walk around your house.

Look at the light. What color

is it? If you do this at different

times during the day you will

notice different colors and

light intensities as the lights’

temperature changes.

While natural light is always

considered ambient light, not all

ambient light is natural. Ambient

light from a lamp, overhead

light or other man-made light

source can play tricks with your

exposure.

With most ambient lighting, a

color cast is produced on our

subject. Even completely natural light from the sun can produce a color cast as it reflects off

of our wall and clothes. Tungsten lighting, typical in many homes, lacks color in the blue and

green spectrum, causing it to look yellow when photographed.

Getting Rid of That Ugly Yellow Color Cast

If you are shooting in your auto modes, the modes will adjust for some, but not all color cast.

For these photos, editing software can correct the color cast. If you are shooting in Program or

semi- manual modes, you can adjust your white balance setting.

You will find white balance settings in your camera’s menu or activated with a button on the

outside of your camera, typically labeled WB. There are many different settings to choose

from including: AWB (auto white balance), a house with sun rays beside it (for photos in the

shade), and a light bulb (for artificial indoor light). As a rule of thumb, you want to select the

symbol that matches your light source.

BONUS LESSON : Looking For Light 5

One (or Two) Last Thoughts

Avoid using your flash if you can! It

creates a frighteningly bright, deer in the

headlights look. If you must add flash to

your holiday photos, try placing a tissue

paper over the flash to diffuse it some.

You’ll be pleasantly surprised!

Enjoy!

Whatever camera you have and however

you celebrate, remember to set your

camera down from time to time and just

soak in all of the goodness!

For daily photo inspiration in 2015, stop

by CaptureYour365 where you can join

our FREE daily inspiration mailing to get

an idea straight to your mailbox.

http://www.captureyour365.com