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Alternative
Lighting
This project is designed for you to practice using an
alternative light source. This means you can use any light source
that is NOT Daylight Sunlight.
Even though long exposures utilize sunlight that is reflected
in the atmosphere, it is permissible to take night photos.
Other types of alternate lighting can include flashlights, lamps,
fluorescent lights, on or off camera flashes, candle light, camp
fire light, city lights, tungsten lights, neon lights, black lights,
etc.
WHILE YOU ARE SHOOTING:
Think of the Quality of the light in relation
to the Quantity of the light.
(just because there is enough light doesn't necessarily make
it photo-worthy)
Remember that flash usually looks like flash when it becomes the
primary light. Using it as the primary light will always give you
unpredictable shadows and can make your backgrounds go completely
black. It can also give your subjects more pronounced wrinkles
and even outline them like a cartoon. Flash is best used as an
additional light source or accent light source.
Try using your night shot settings or long exposure settings. Most
of these allow for flash, but also allow for a longer shutter speed.
This allows the background to expose longer while freezing motion
in the foreground with the flash.
If you have the option of 1st curtain and 2nd
curtain, try playing with it. This determines if the flash
fires as the shutter opens, or right before the shutter closes,
which in turn controls the direction of motion blur.
Utilize your "B" setting (Bulb).
This keeps the shutter open for as long as the shutter release
button is depressed. Get a cable release to really take advantage
of this function.
Set the camera down or use a tripod.
Remember that everything is relative in long exposures, so with
a long enough exposure, celestial bodies or trees in the distance
might move or leave trails.
On cameras that have manual settings, try making the aperture smaller
to lengthen the shutter speeds.
Turn OFF Vibration reduction and Turn ON noise
reduction.
Vibration reduction has motors that actually cause blur during
really long exposures. |
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