MomShots

I love checking my email and finding a question from a reader. It really makes my day! This morning I received this wonderful question:

I took an awesome picture of my daughter the other day while she was outside and when I got in the house I noticed there were big shadows on the side of her face. I don’t really mind in this particular picture, because it is so good, but my question is how do you not get shadow on a sunny day? Do they have to look straight into the direction of the sun or what? Thanks for your help!

Thanks Julie. Your daughter is adorable and looks like she has such a fun personality! So cute!!!

What a great question! We have all dealt with this issue. I know I have, for sure!!!

This is my reply to Julie’s email:

For shadows, there are a few options but they all start with being aware of the shadows in the first place. I find that it takes a while of intentionally noticing the shadows to get used to looking for them.

Once you are aware that there are shadows the next thing you usually want to do is get rid of them. One option is called “Fill Flash”. That basically means that you use your flash to fill in the shadows with light. Some photographers always use their flash when shooting outside, just as a standard rule. I don’t do that but then, I also have had a lot of great shots “ruined” by shadows so maybe I should start doing that more often.

The next option is to position your subject so that the sunlight is shining at the front of them. This can cause problems too. There may still be shadows (like under the nose) depending on how they are standing. Plus, no one really enjoys looking straight at the sun!
But it is an option and can help you achieve the desired result.

Another option is to get a reflector. This is a silver or gold disk that you can hold and reflect or bounce light into your subject’s face to eliminate the shadows. Many professional photographers use this method. It is very nice because you can direct the light to shine on their face exactly how you would like. The downside to this is that it can be cumbersome to try to hold a reflector and take the shot at the same time. It can be done and may require practice. It is also helpful to have an assistant when using this; not always practical for the regular mom out shooting her kids…

The last option that I can think of is probably the least helpful; move to a shady area or shoot later in the afternoon. As a mom, I get tired of hearing photographers say this. Yes, the light is better during the “Golden Hour” (the space of time right before sunset and right after sunrise), but that time doesn’t always coincide with when our children are feeling up to the task of being photographed. One of my goals in photography is to learn how to take good photos in any light situation whether ideal or not.

That being said, if you want to avoid shadows completely, one of the easiest ways to do that is to place your subject in a large shadow. The shadow of a building or large tree can often dissipate all the harsh shadows from the sun and you can easily take the shot you are looking for.

I hope this advice is helpful to Julie and others. Thanks for the opportunity to think about this great subject. I love it!!!

So my friend Scott is in Mexico right now. He is an amazing photographer and just wrote up cool little post about using a point and shoot with underwater houseing while on his trip. I thought some of you might be interested in reading his post. He has some cool photos and some interesting points.

Check out his post here.

One another note…

I have been feeling kind of sentimental lately about photography. This is October 2009 and that marks the two year anniversary since my initial decision to start to learn this crazy art form of photography. My husband was out of town for a business trip and I had my children all dressed up in their adorable Halloween costumes, we had just carved a super cute pumpkin and when I went to take a photo with my trusty little point and shoot camera, I realized it was broke beyond repair. I then mustered up my courage and searched for and found my husbands big scary DSLR (the Nikon D100) and tried to take some photos to remember that day. The problem was that his camera doesn’t have an Auto mode and I could not figure out how to make it work for me. Each shot that I took was too dark and nothing I did was making a difference.

I called my husband to try to get his long distance help but all I got was his voice mail. I was upset and frustrated.

Other than what you see above, I did not get any usable shots from that day. I was disappointed with myself, the camera and anyone else I could blame (I’m sure I tried to blame my husband but that didn’t go over well). I decided right then and there that I would not be held captive by my lack of knowledge with a camera ever again. I vowed to learn how to use an SLR.

I started my quest by looking at the user manual. I am always telling people that if you want to learn how to use your camera you need to start with the user manual. I stand by this. However, starting with the user manual can lead to some frustration if you don’t understand what certain terms mean like “shutter speed” or the ever elusive word, “aperture”. Then there are words that seemed even more strange to me like “white balance”, “autoexposure lock” and “shutter-priority mode”. I found it difficult to start with my user manual because I wasn’t understanding what I was reading and how it related to me.

Instead of throwing in the towel I decided to keep searching, and not giving up on my user manual. I kept it in my camera bag and took it out and read a little bit here and there whenever I learned a new concept or word and then I was more able to relate it to my situation and therefore my little brain was able to process it more thoroughly.

My search took me to the Internet and to the library. I started talking to strangers I would see holding a camera and I was talking to anyone I knew who knew how to use their camera. I was a researching fool!

It was a slow process and I am aware of the vast amount of information I have yet to learn. But I feel that I have learned a so much in these short two years. I have really enjoyed sharing my milestones and thoughts with you, here on MomShots.

I love that photography is an art form that I can incorporate into my daily life. I love the portability of a camera. I love hearing the sound of my shutter closing and opening. I love that photography gives me a chance to explore design, concept and execution in a visual medium as that is something that I always shied away from since I didn’t feel like I had any talent with drawing or painting. I enjoy learning how to be an artist and learning how to find ideas, thoughts and emotions that I can express visually.

I <3 photography!