For most people, and especially women, your wedding day is the most important day of your life. You want it to be perfect. Every detail has to be just right and everything has to go off without a hitch (despite of course the ‘hitch’ you’re there for!).
However it can also be very stressful, and many things can go wrong. Above all else though, the wedding photographer isn’t something you want to go wrong. The pictures from your wedding are what last, capturing those enduring memories of your special day. They’ll stay with you for what should be a long and successful marriage, so you’ll want to make sure you have the best photographs you can.
In order to do this, and have wedding photos that will look good enough to be printed on canvas, you’ll need to make sure you choose the right wedding photographer. Make sure you see their portfolio first, and get an accurate quote on the prices they charge so that you know how many photos you’ll get and what sort of album you’ll be presented with.
Then you should consult with the people that matter, such as the bride and groom’s parents, on what sort of photos they’ll want. Be sure not take too much input though as it’s your day, and the photographer is the expert.
When you come to choose a photograph for printing on canvas you should pick one that shows the happy couple in close up, as the canvas texture always look great on skin tones.
Above all, enjoy the day. If you’re stressed and worrying about things, it will show in the pictures.
Taking photos of people outside is a great way of combining nature with portrait shots, and often brings the best out of your subjects. However when lighting your portrait photos outside you should rely on natural sunlight to light your pictures, even Mother Nature needs a helping hand sometimes. When you rely on sunlight you’ll often get light that is too harsh, or too flat, or creates dark areas on the subject’s face. To rectify this you should use something called a ‘fill flash’, or the ‘mode’ setting as it is sometimes known on digital cameras.
This will ensure that you don’t lose any of the details on your subject’s face.
The Fill Flash will create a subtle flash that throws a little light onto your subject’s face. It’s often used by professional wedding photographers to ensure that the bride and groom get the best possible pictures of their special day; particularly when faced by the strong sunlight every bride wants for her wedding day.
The Fill Flash on a digital camera takes a reading of the amount of light in the background of your image, and adjusts the level of the flash to compensate. This ensures that you’re not left with a strong backlight causing a dark effect on your subject’s face, silhouetting your subject.
Be sure not to stand too fare away from your subject though as the effective range of the flash is usually no more than 10 feet.
With the Fill Flash you can experiment using different natural lighting techniques. For example, you could position your subject with the sun behind them, or to the side of them, creating what is often known as ‘rim lighting’. This creates a slight halo effect behind them, highlighting their outline.
When you’re composing your photos, one of the things you’ll need to decide on is just what parts of the picture do you want to be in focus. For example, you might want your subject to be in sharp focus at the front of the frame, while having the background out of focus. This will draw attention to your subject.
Alternatively you might want your entire photo to be in focus. You can change the focus of the photograph with the aperture of the camera, to alter the depth of field.
If you’re photographing a landscape shot you’ll want the entire picture in focus.
You can increase the depth of field by reducing the aperture, allowing you to get more of the shot in focus. If however you increase the focal length you’ll have a small depth of field, which will mean you will only have one small part of your composition in focus, for example your subject.
A wide-angle lens has a very high depth of field, allowing you to have objects very close to the camera in focus, and objects as far away as the horizon.
One of the things you’ll need to decide when you want to take up photography as a hobby is whether to opt for a classic 35ml camera or to go for a new digital camera. Purists will say that nothing beats film; in much the same way they vinyl lovers will say they’re better than CDs.
There is a lot to be said for 35ml film. It’s the way photography was supposed to be, with pictures crafted as an art form. However to take it seriously you’ll need your own darkroom, which for developing the film itself has to be completely dark. Then you’ll need all of the chemicals, and the projector. It’s a very expensive, time consuming hobby.
Of course you could always have your films developed in a shop, or by sending them away. But when you do that you’re putting your trust in someone else and you have no control over the outcome.
Then the film itself isn’t cheap. Every picture you take costs you to develop. Whereas with a digital camera you can take as many photos as you want without any extra cost. You don’t need to pay to develop any film, because there isn’t any, and the camera’s themselves, with the aid of SD cards, can store hundreds of photos.
Digital cameras are easier to use, and the results are instant. When you use a film camera you have to wait to get the pictures back. With a digital camera you can see the photos straight away, so you know if you have the shot you want or not.
Also with a digital camera you can choose which photos you want to print, you don’t have to get them all developed.
If you’re looking to get into photography for the first time, you’re probably better off with a digital camera rather than a 35ml film camera.
Taking photos is fun and shouldn’t be something that you take too seriously, but by the same token you don’t want to waste time snapping away if you’re going to get bad results back. You want your pictures to be of a high standard, pictures that you’ll be proud to show your friends and family. Pictures that may even be good enough to be printed on canvas.
With that in mind there are a few things you should avoid when taking photos to make sure you don’t fall into any common pitfalls.
- Don’t stand your subjects in front a strong light source
A common problem with many people’s photos is that they position their subjects in front of a strong light source, such as a window or the sun. This creates backlight, and means that the subject of the photos is too dark. This results in very little details being visible on the subject’s face.
- Don’t turn your camera off and put it away at social gatherings
A good photographer always has their camera with them. If your camera is switched off and has the lens cap on, you’re not ready to capture those moments of magic that happen when your friends and family get together. Be sure to have your camera with you, to hand, and ready to snap at a second’s notice or you’ll miss the best moments.
- Don’t hesitate when taking photos
Taking pictures should be second nature. If you take too long and try to compose the perfect shot you’ll miss the best moments. Take more pictures not less, particularly if you have a digital camera. You can always delete them later.
As the human face is so interesting, so fascinating, it’s obvious then that close up portraits of faces make for some of the best photography. Taking a good quality close up portrait means to photograph your subject from their shoulders upwards, or closer. Therefore you are framing your subject around the face, so that the face takes up the majority of picture.
This is the best sort of framing to fully capture the range of expressions available on your subject. When photographing a close up portrait shot you need to ensure that your lighting is right for your subject. For example, you wish to accentuate the character in a face and highlight curves and wrinkles then you have your subject lit from the side or from above.
If however you want to take a more flattering photograph you would light your subject with diffused light and eliminate any shadows. For outdoor close up portraits a cloudy day would be best to avoid any harsh lighting.
Your photos will look better as well of your subject is lighter than your background so that they dominate the final image. It is best to use a wide aperture and make the subject in sharp focus while the background is slightly out of focus. Using a 90mm or higher telephoto lens will allow you to take the emphasis off your subjects nose by taking the picture from further away; therefore their nose will not appear to be closer to the camera.
Night photos, when taken correctly, look absolutely stunning. The start contrast of the blacks against the lights, such as the moon, stars and city lights make for beautiful shots; certainly beautiful enough to print on canvas. There are a few things you need to consider though in order to take amazing night time photographs.
Firstly, you will need a tripod. You cannot take night time photos without one. In order to get a clear exposure that truly captures the scene you’ll need to mount your camera on a tripod and using a timer to avoid any camera shake from touching the tripod as you open the shutter.
Often when people when take photos of scenery such as night time locals or sunsets they’ll just centre the scene and shoot the picture. This isn’t the best way to do it at all!
When shooting a scene such as a night shot try to get some items in the foreground to add depth of field into the frame. Creating depth within your photo will greatly enrich your photograph.
You should also try to use the rule of thirds, which means to split your frame into a grid of thirds, both horizontally and vertically. For example, when taking a photo of a sunset over the sea, place the sun itself on one side of the frame, and have the vertical thirds separated so that they are two thirds horizon with one third sea, or vice versa.
Portraits make the best canvas prints as they’re more engaging for the viewer. A beautiful photo of your children, parents or family member, when taken right, would make an excellent print on canvas. But how do you take great portrait shots?
Great portraits photos are natural and don’t look forced. If you push the issue and insist that your subject remains still and smiles on cue you’ll get a poor, obviously fake outcome. You need to relax your subject and make them forget that the camera is there, snapping them when they’re not even looking at the camera for example.
Then you’ll get a photo that represents and embodies them and their essence, rather than a forced image.
One thing that many professional photographers do is to orchestrate a moment when the subject thinks you are going to take a photo, and catch them unawares just before or just after. So tell them to smile, do a countdown and take the photo before they are ready, or when they are relaxing thinking you’ve finished.
Another trick is to genuinely make your subject smile by telling a joke, or by waving a toy around if you are photographing small children or babies. Catching them off guard is always the best way.
As the summer approaches you might be thinking that it’s the perfect time to get outside and start taking some great photos that might look good printed on canvas. Well you’d actually be wrong. Strong summer sunlight isn’t the best light in which to take photos. Bright sun washes out your subject and can cause problems with your lens.
For better, richer photos that show off your subject’s skin tone and colourisation you’re better off taking your photographs in the shade, or even on an overcast day. This makes Britain a great country in which to practise your photography!
One thing some professional photographers do is to take their photos with a subtle flash, on a very low setting, and use it to slightly brighten the image. Using a low flash will create ‘catch lights’ in your subject’s eyes, adding to the life and dynamism of the photo.
You can also add a subtle yellow filter to your flash will compliment the natural light from the sun.
You should also avoid posing your subjects so that they are directly facing the sun. This will cause them to squint, creating wrinkles in their face. Don’t however do the opposite and have the sun directly behind your subject, as this will cause heavy backlight. Instead it is best to position the subject with the sun to the side of them.
The late afternoon is the best time of day to take your photos as the deep yellows created by the setting sun add a degree of warmth to your photos.
Do you consider whether to hold your camera horizontally or vertically before you take a photo? Some people always hold their camera the same way, never changing the angle of their composition. This leads to badly framed photos and ones that certainly wouldn’t look good framed, enlarged or as canvas prints.
When taking your photos, the way in which you hold your camera should be the most basic of composition choices, but it is one that is often over-looked.
Making this decision will also help you to move closer to your subject, which improves the quality of your image.
If you’re able to frame your subject vertically within the viewfinder (portrait format) then you should always take the photo that way. If you can’t, rather than move backwards, move the camera to take a horizontal (landscape) photograph.
As a rule of thumb, if you are photographing just one or two people you should use a portrait composition, but if there are more people in the picture you should take a landscape photo.
There obviously times when you may want to deviate from this rule, such as when you take a photo of a single subject with a spectacular landscape behind them. Then you may want to take a horizontal photo, but obviously it is the background that dominates this decision.
The important thing to remember when choosing your ration however is to move the camera before you move your subject or yourself. If you can frame the shot without moving further away you should do that because it means you’ll be closer to your subject, and that makes for better photographs.
