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Related posts:

1. Image Of The Moment – Country Sunset
2. Image Of The Moment – SNOW!
3. Image Of The Moment – Winter Heath

Related posts:

1. Image Of The Moment – Cold Morning Walk
2. Image Of The Moment – Blue And White
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By Ariste

Amazing collection of skyscrapers poking through the cloud canopy on EnvironmentalGraffiti.

All photographs from VII

Incredibly moving photography from Afghanistan from the Readers Digest

By Goddard Photo and Video Blog

Incredibly detailed photograph of the Earth and a link to an animation of the image.

By chris.pietsch

Superb image and a once in a lifetime shot by Chris Pietsch.

Credit: National Geographic

Stunning photograph, I would comment further but I am lost for words!

This was an image featured in the  newspapers a while back, I am sorry I have not put a credit on it but if you know of the photographer please let me know and I will add it.

Credit: Peter Funch

Love this shot, very original and great vision!

Rediculous photo of Hong Kong night cityscape, you NEED to click on the image to truly appreciate the photograph!!!

Another photo from an unknown (to me) photographer, great shot, full of character and emotion!

Credit: www.denverpost.com/americansoldier

This is one of the most original, moving and inspirational pieces of photo journalism I have ever seen, please read and have a think about what some people do for their country!!

From: .fotodispalle.com

Love this shot for the ‘didn’t expect to see that on the way home’ element of the shot!

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3. Candid Photography Explained With Great gallery

By Anna Bartolini

“Last year travelling around Siena’s “ocre senesi” area, I have been with my husband in Montalcino, the land of the famous Italian vine Brunello. Walking around that ancient  village we found a church with a strange floor lighting and I made this ghost picture of myself. Have I scared you?”

By Jeff Byrnes

“I spend 98% of my time behind the lens photographing clients and people, only stepping out from behind the lens to see beyond the lens. When asked to shoot a self portrait, naturally I thought, why not photograph myself, photographing myself. So, here is me posing for myself.”

By Iva Pelcová

By Marcin Retecki

“Taking original and creative self-portraits on regular basic is a challenge. Challenging myself is way to develop and improve. And improvement is one of the serious reasons to live and stay happy.

Maybe it’s a bit deep for just a series of auto-portraits but I like to think that it is a part of something bigger.”

By Simon Fielder

By Victor Bezrukov

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Related posts:

1. FPR Self Portrait Competition
2. Self Portrait Photography Guide
3. Outdoor Portrait Photography Explained

Related posts:

1. Image Of The Moment – Forest
2. Image Of The Moment – Urban
3. Image Of The Moment – Misty Evening

Preview image by Jay PH

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2. Cityscape, Urban and Architecture Photography Showcase
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Before you even set out

Make sure you have the following ready prior to the shoot, it may sound obvious that you need the following but it is the obvious things that are often overlooked!!

• Large memory card
• Spare batteries for the camera AND flash
• Grey card
• Tripod
• Flash diffuser
• Suitable clothes -- as silly as it sounds, if your uncomfortable then this will effect your work!
• Set your Camera to shoot in RAW
• Pack a 70mm+ lens

A check list is a good idea that you simply keep in your camera bag, every time you go on a shoot of a certain type, run through the check list to make sure you have everything (imagine turning up to do a shoot and having to explain to a client why you have forgotten your flash!!).

Preparation is key!

Discuss the location of the shoot with your client prior to the day of the shoot.  Ask them if there is anywhere in particular that they enjoy visiting (a couple of places is best to give you a choice). Visit the location prior to the day and carry out a ‘recky’ to gauge the best spots, factors to consider are;

• The position of the sun throughout the day
• Made made objects, such as power lines, signs etc
• Quiet spots
• Natural light reflectors such as white buildings etc
• Repeating lines to ‘frame’ the photo.
• Objects that you can use during the shoot such as benches, fallen tress etc

Explain to your client what they can expect from the day and ask them if there is anything in particular that they are looking for or have seen elsewhere that they would like to try and replicate.  If it is cold outdoors then make sure they wear appropriate clothes………

Warm clothes are obvious but they also should be of dark colours and avoid patterns such as checks, polka dots etc.  If you are shooting photos of multiple people then they should wear similar clothes, I am not saying that they should turn up all wearing the exact same thing (however funny that may be!), but if one is wearing jeans then they all should….you get the idea.

Treat everyone in the photo as your client (even if they are children).  Respect will go along way in getting recommendations and if you upset a child then you’ll probably upset their parent/s and make the rest of the shoot a nightmare.  If you have fun with everyone then this will put people at ease and this will come out in the final photos.  Don’t try and tell people how to pose, instead actually show them, this will make it easier for them to understand, which, in turn will save you and the subject time and also make them feel more comfortable about getting in to position.

Techniques and Settings

2 things to always bear in mind are the ‘Sunny 16 Rule’ and the ‘Rule Of Thirds’;

Sunny 16 Rule

The Sunny 16 rule  is a method of estimating correct daylight exposures when you don’t have a light meter a light meter. The rule can also aid in achieving correct exposure of difficult subjects. Based on incident light, rather than reflected light as with most camera light meters, very bright or very dark subjects are compensated for.

From Wikipedia

Rule Of Thirds

An image is broken up into thirds both hoizontally and vertically. Where the lines cross (known as the ‘power points’ by some photographers) is where you should aim to place the focal point of the shot to get a more intersting shot.  This rule can obviously be broken sometimes, such as when the subject is in the centre of the photo but in these instances a feature on the subject can be lines up with a power point to improve composition.  Try and move the focal point around within the grid to avoid repetitive photographs.

Most DSLR’s offer the grid as an overlay on the LCD screen like the one below

Technique

Firstly set your camera to ‘Continuous shooting’ mode.  Taking one photo at a time is a waste of time and using continuous shooting may help you to capture slightly more ‘candid’ expressions from your subject!  As you are taking multiple shots, a large format memory card is a must.

Next turn OFF Auto White Balance and use manual settings, a table of which settings are best for which lighting conditions is below (from DPhotoJournal);

Temperature………..Typical Sources

1000K…………………Candlelight

2400K…………………Early morning sunrise

3200K…………………Tungsten light bulbs

4000K…………………Fluorescent

5200K…………………Typical daylight; electronic flash

6000K…………………Cloudy Day

7000K…………………Shade

Making your subject stand out from the background is key to a great portrait photo and this can be achieved by using a shallow depth of field (high F-Stop).  This will keep the subject in focus and blur the background, creating a ‘Bokeh’ effect.  At this point it is worth mentioning that manual focus should be used, your camera does a great job of choosing what to focus on and getting it in focus but, YOU may not want to focus on that point in the photo!

Focusing on the eyes will portray the emotion of the subject and create an atmosphere in the scene that gives the photo ‘a little extra something’.  Try and evoke passion and expression in your subject to create different overall moods, with kids this is easy as they laugh at anything, with adults this is a bit more difficult.  If you can make an adult laugh on command then your a comedian and probably in the wrong job, however even getting a natural smile form the subject, rather than a posed one will make a difference.

Avoid direct sunlight, this will not only cause your subject to quint but will also wash out the colours from the photo and may cause lens flare.  Look for shade and stand with your back to the sun (even on a cloudy day!).  You will find that any photos that contain sky will be less likely to be over exposed.

Try and keep the scene simple as you don’t want to lose your subject in amongst numerous other objects and invoke a game of ‘Where’s Wally’!

Cloudy days off a natural sun diffuser and help to enhance colours and shadows.  If you look outside on the day of the shoot  hoping for sun and it is cloudy, DO NOT cancel or postpone the shoot, get out there and use the clouds to your advantage.

Early morning or late afternoon are great times to conduct the shoot as they offer an ever changing level and tone of light and in turn create shadows which can be used to add depth to the photo’s.  Where ever possible avoid midday sun as this is when it is at it’s strongest, not only will this wash the photos out but you might get sunburn!! ;0)

To Flash Or Not To Flash

I have read numerous articles regarding the use of a flash (internal or external).  Some say to use the natural light only and that flash should not be needed and other say that a fill in flash should always be used.  I would say to use your judgement depending on the conditions.  On a lovely sunny afternoon where the light is just right you probably won’t need a flash, however, if like me you live in the UK then these conditions are few and far between then a flash is needed!

Tutorial Videos

Below is a collection of great video tutorials regarding different aspects of Outdoor Portrait Photography;

Outdoor Portraits

Portrait Photography In Sunny Weather Using A Flash

Cross Flash Effects, Outdoor Flash Photography

Analysing A Natural Light Portrait

By Alva Chien

By Hans-Photography

By Alva Chien

By Alva Chien

By d. jones photo

By Jchetan

By James Jordan

By Muriel215

By Brainsonic

By MarkLeo

Related posts:

1. Self Portrait Photography Guide
2. Moody Self Portrait Photography On A Budget
3. Aperture Explained

Preparation

• Equipment
• Camera (obviously)
• Tripod
• Flash gun (not essential but adds the choice if needed)
• Change (for the car park if used)
• Cleaning cloth (birds WILL aim for your car on the way, sod’s law!!!)
• Sheet/Mat – if your going to get low then you need something to sit/lay on!

Before you go out to take the photo consider the following;

Are you going to take a photo of your car or a friends? If it is yours then great, you can choose when and where to go and how to take the photo, if however you are going to take a photo of a friends car then they will obviously need to make themselves (and their car) available at the time and location of your choice.  You will also need to ask them to clean their car (unless you are going for that ‘just driven through a bog’ look!).

Time of day? – when do you want to take the photo, remember the golden hours (late afternoon or early morning), this will help with the light and give a nice soft hue to the photo, you can also play with the changing colours and shadows as the sun either goes down or comes up.  If you are using a location with artificial light then the time of day is less of a consideration but should be remembered as natural light will still factor in the overall effect.

What overall effect are you looking for? – I went for a grungy, moody (as always!) look and feel and so was prepared for a little HDR.  You may be going for an entirely different feel such as action shots, if this is the case then you may require a faster lens, flash and an extra driver (unless you own Knight Rider!).

Locations to consider which add a bit of atmosphere include;

Multi storey car parks – as in my example multi storey car parks are great for bright coloured cars (see colour section below for more details).  They are under cover (so weather not a factor), self lit and also off a wealth of textures, angles and shadows that add drama to the shot. Remember to get there either early or late to avoid over crowding, I went at 8am on a Sunday and had the choice of 3 floors with no other cars!  Long distance shots are great from a low position as these add a great depth of field to the photo.  When shooting in artificially lit conditions always remember to adjust your white balance accordingly and not to use AWB.

Office building forecourt – Great for reflections using the glass and also adds a bit of ‘class’ to the shot, remember to ask permission if on private property (usually the security guard is fine if you ask the politely first).  This location works well for both brightly coloured cars and silvers/whites as you can convert the image to black and white and you usually also get colours from the surrounding objects reflected in the glass.  Whenever using glass in your images it is wise to invest in a Polarizing Filter, this will enable you to control the strength of the reflections to your taste.

Woodland – A bit more tricky to get a car actually into woodland (not many woods are accessible and those that are will usually cover your car in mud!) but if you can and it’s legal then the colours from the trees (especially in Autumn) reflecting of the car’s bodywork add a great dimension to the photograph.  The trees also provide shadows and highlights that you can experiment with.

Industrial Estates – Loads of contours, lines, textures and interesting buildings all add to a great photo.  Be careful not to include too much in the background though as you will lose the car in amongst the other objects in the frame.  If you live near a large factory that has those steam chimneys then these are great for adding a grungy feel!

High Street (at night) – When everyone has finished shopping and it’s quieter, why not try the high street after dark.  The numerous different coloured shop lights reflecting off of your car will really look striking.  It also adds an ‘urban’ feel to the shot.

Fairground – For the reasons above this location is brilliant due to the sheer number of lights and the option to slow the shutter speed down for that blurred effect on the rides etc.  Just be careful for obvious reasons though!!

Colours

What colour is the car that you are going to photograph?  If it is a bright, non metallic car, red like mine for instance, then choosing a location with neutral colours that do not clash with either each other or the car, will make your car ‘pop’ out from the background (there is another trick for this which I will explain during the tutorial below).

White/grey cars will reflect colour better and so you can choose locations with more colour in the background.  Coloured lights also work well as they reflect off of the car.

Black cars reflect light well but it is difficult to capture the contours of the bodywork.  Try and position the car so that the light helps to show the lines of the bodywork, angle the car diagonally in front of a street light for instance so that the light reflects down the side of the doors.

Metallic – Any metallic paint comes out brilliantly if you bracket your shots and process them as an HDR image (detailed below).  Be careful not to overdo it though (no one likes an overdone HDR photo!).

Car Position

I like to take photos of a car from an off centre angle and low down.  This adds a ‘menacing’ appearance to the car and usually helps to capture more of the atmosphere from the location.  Angles and positions are up to you really and the only way to get to know what works well for different locations/cars is to experiment.  If the car has alloys then turning the wheels so that the one on the side of the car you are taking photos from is pointing inwards will make sure you get the full wheel in shot.

Tutorial – My car in a multi storey

OK, I chose a multi storey car park for the shot in this tutorial, I went on my own and had previously cleaned the car.  Time of shoot was 8am on a Sunday.

Tools used;

• Canon 50d
• Sigma 17-70mm lens
• Tripod
• Photomatix
• Photoshop
• Car! hehe

OK, so I chose the car park for the neutral colours (as my car is bright red) and the ‘urban’ look and feel (and because it is close by and it was raining!).  I went to the upper most floor that was not outside (in case people started arriving and filling up the lower floors).

Next I chose the spot on the floor that contained a bit of colour on the floor, the pillars etc, but not so much as to draw attention from the car itself.  I reversed the car in (for obvious reasons) and deliberately didn’t park in a space as this looks a bit weird and boring.  I also left the wheel on the side of the car I was shooting from turned into the car, to capture the alloy wheel fully.

Next I took three bracketed shots of the car in Aperture priority (F12) and using the camera’s self timer to avoid camera shake….

I took loads of photos from all different angles and this was my personal favourite from the shoot.  I deliberately included the two pillars on either side of the car to frame the shot.

Post Processing

In Photomatix I processed the 3 images after exporting them from the camera’s PC software as 16 bit TIFF files.   I chose to ‘Align Images’ but if you have used a tripod then this is not necessary (I do it by habit more than anything!).  Once processed the first preview looks like the one below…

This is nothing like the photo that will be produced so do not worry at this point, click on the @Tone Mapping’ button to begin the fun!

OK, I used the settings below on the ‘Details Enhancer‘ tab (I don’t use the ‘Tone Compressor’ tab!);

• Strength – 100
• Colour Saturation – 50
• Light Smoothing – second check box from the right
• Luminosity – 10

‘Tone’ tab

• White Point – 1.517%
• Black Point – 5%
• Gamma – 0.93

‘Colour’ tab – all left at ‘0′

‘Micro’ tab

• Micro Contrast – 10
• Micro Smooting –  1

‘S/H’ tab

• Highlight Smoothing – 0
• Shadow Smoothing – 0
• Shadow Clipping – 50

‘360 degree image’ check box left un-ticked

I then Processed the image…

As you can see the image looks a bit grainy and the car does not really stand out from the background yet.  Do get the car to ‘pop’ out from the background I did the following in Photoshop;

1. Sharpen the image (Filter/Sharpen/Sharpen).
2. Sharpen the edges (Filter/Sharpen/Sharpen Edges)
3. Add a layer (CTRL+J)
4. Select ‘Blur’/'Gaussion Blur’ from the filter drop down and set the ‘Opacity’ of the layer to 50%.
5. Create a ‘Layer Mask’ by clicking on the icon on the layers palette that looks like a square with a circle in it.
6. Select the brush tool and choose a brush with a soft edge, make sure the colour of the brush is set to black.
7. Now, when you paint on a layer mask with black it actually removes that part of the layer, so what we are doing here is painting the car and any other areas of the photo that you wish to sharpen up (pre ‘Gaussion Blur’).  In my example I painted the car and the signs behind it and to the right (by the door).
8. I then Added another layer and in the layer style drop down I selected ‘Soft Light’, I then set the opacity of the layer to about 45%, this darkens the image and increases the contrast so be careful not to overdo it!

That’s it……..

Related posts:

1. Self Portrait Photography Guide
2. Outdoor Portrait Photography Explained
3. Moody Self Portrait Photography On A Budget

Camera Raw Tutorial

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Dave Hill effect for portraits

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Lucis Art tutorials

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Photoshop filters

Motion blur filter

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Extract filter

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Topaz Photoshop plugin

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Related posts:

1. Video Tutorials with Matt Kloskowski
2. Photoshop Tutorial Roundup – Landscapes
3. Mastering Slow Shutter Speed Photography Effects (part 1)

• MUST be a self portrait
• Originality is king
• Closing Date 28th February 2010
• 1 entry per person
• Email me your photo, your details and thoughts behind it
• Winning Photo will be chosen by a vote of readers
• ALL photos will be included in a post on FPR and voted for by Twitter followers and FPR (and friends) websites

Winner will receive a ‘Spudz’ lens cleaning cloth and and have their work featured on FPR!

COME ON! – email me on admin@freephotoresources.com or DM on Twitter

To get your creative juices flowing….

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Related posts:

1. FPR Self Portrait Competition Finalists – Vote NOW!
2. Self Portrait Photography Guide
3. Ron Dubin’s Fantastic New Book – Do You See What I See?