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!!!

I want to share with you. I have been absent for a few days. I have been in the Mom Trenches, meaning I’ve been dealing with a bunch of sick kids and then I got sick too. But we are on the upswing now. Yay!

How was your Valentine’s Day? Did you get any good photos?

I had a really fun opportunity to do a photo shoot with my sister and her husband. They were celebrating their 5th wedding anniversary and I asked them if I could take some shots of them. It was so different to shoot adults than children - and especially these two who have had lots of time in front of the camera so they did a great job of posing and just looking adorable. Here’s a small sampling of the shots I got.

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Ok, so it’s not pictures of kids and that is really the primary objective of this site but I do want to share something I learned. Because learning photography is the second thing that this site is about.

The biggest lesson is that I need to use my flash to fill in my subject, especially when the background is bright. We went up into the Provo canyon to try to capture some images of them in front of the beautiful mountains. However I was frustrated because they were too dark and the background was so light. I kept thinking that if I had a reflector stuck in the snow the shots would be perfect. Silly me! I didn’t even think to use my flash until about two days later and I was editing some images.

Hello?!? Fill Flash!!!

I think that if I would have used my flash to fill in the foreground light on their faces, the shots in the mountains would have been great.

I am kind of kicking myself about forgetting that. I try so hard to use natural light and avoid using my flash that I completely forgot that it is OK to use in some situations. This would have been one of those situations.

Here’s one of the better lit shots. It sure could have used a bit of fill flash love!

You can bet I will be trying hard not to make that mistake again!

I will now be the crazy lady walking down the street chanting to myself, “It is OK to use my flash. It’s OK to use my flash. It’s OK to use my flash.” So if you see me, be sure to stop me and say hi!

Also speaking of saying hi, don’t forget about Photocamp Utah, on March 14th. If you register before the 1st your price is only $10. It’s such a screaming deal I can hardly believe it. It is for photographers of all levels so don’t be intimidated if you don’t feel like you can call yourself a “photographer”. If you have a camera and want to learn more you should come. It’s going to be great.

I am trying to figure out exactly what I am gong to talk about (suggestions are welcome!!!) but I am super excited. If you go, I really hope you will say hi to me. I’d love to meet you!

I have been thinking about a basic concept of photography. The concept is that we are taking photographs of light, not necessarily of objects. This makes sense when you think about basic biology of the eye and how we see; we are not actually seeing an object but the light reflected off of an object. I know, it sounds crazy, huh?

So when I use my camera to capture the light that is bouncing off of my kids, I need to think about HOW it is bouncing off of them. Where is the light source? Is it bright? Is it muted? Where does the light bounce off of their face? Are there any body parts that are hidden in shadows?

If you take a look at any clothing catalog or magazine, you will see a ton of photographs where the subject has no visible shadows. Now if you look at your stash of Momshots, if you’re anything like me, you’ll have a whole bunch that have shadows all over the place. Shadows in the eyes, around the nose, mottled leaf shadows, you name it.

I think that people who have had some artistic training may be more used to looking at the shadows and light areas of what they are photographing. I think learning to look at the light is a trait that most artists use. It is a trait that I must learn how to use if I want to progress.

You can see, on the Momshot above, that there are shadows all over the place. My son’s nose is in the sun, his eyes are in the dark and there are crazy shadows all over his jeans. It is really distracting. My eyes can’t focus on his cute face, they dart all over the photo. That’s part of the problem with harsh shadows.

This Momshot is a lot better. In fact, I really like the bits of sunlight that are on the edge of his arm and in his hair. I think having his face in the large shadow and not in little shadows, helps my eyes to look at his face better.

As I look at this photos, i realize this would have been a great opportunity to practice using my flash to fill in the shadows.

I take a lot of photos in the mid afternoon. Everyone I talk to and everywhere I read says that this is the worst time of day to take pictures. The sun is bright over head and this creates harsh shadows, as you can see on my Momshots here. The problem is that this seems to be the best time of the day to go outside and play. It is after naps and everyone is feeling happy and can usually tolerate mom chasing them around with a camera.

So what are you gonna do? I guess that’s where you have to learn how to really watch the light and shadows. Be ready to snap a Momshot when your child runs into the shade of the house. You can also try using your flash to fill in any shadows caused by harsh sun. I think I am going to try this tomorrow afternoon on my daily “Chase the Kids with the Camera Time.”

You can see in the Momshot below that I took it when my son was sitting in the shade. He does not have any harsh shadows on his face. You can kind of see that there is a light source to the right of the pictures, but it is muted. The light source is just the sun, but it is hidden behind part of the train engine that Mag is sitting on.

I just wanted to share some of my thoughts about using the light better. I have so much to learn in this area. I have just become aware of looking for the light. It is a skill that I really want to develop. It is a huge basic concept that, I believe, can transform anyone’s photography. This is a concept that needs to be understood no matter what kind of camera you use. It translates into all sorts of areas of photography.

I am trying to make it a habit to look for the light so I try to remind myself to look for light and shadows on every object I see. The toaster, the ottoman, my purse, the cat… You name it and there is light bouncing off and shadows playing around. I have to teach myself to see them.

I would like to issue a challenge to you, to start paying more attention to the light on objects and especially on the children as you take your Momshots.