Monday, February 28, 2011

Shoot with Jina 2/20

I already posted these pictures to my Facebook page, but I should start mentioning my shoots on my blog as well. I had the fortunate opportunity to work with a new model, Jina D (MM #1679133). I borrowed some guns from a friend and set up the shoot down at the Inscape Arts building. Like every single shoot I do, after I go through the pictures I get ideas for shots I may have missed. But I've done three shoots now in that same space so I think it's time to explore other parts of that building.

FYI, Inscape Arts used to be the Immigration building. There's a lot of history there as well as some dirty spaces -- which adds a lot of character in a shoot. After they finish renovations, there is a plan to make this building a historic landmark.

Check out the photostream for more.

Friday, February 4, 2011

Exposure Triangle

The key to properly exposing a photo is evenly balancing the three points of the exposure triangle: ISO, shutter speed, and aperture.

  • Bump up the ISO and you can use a smaller the aperture or faster shutter speed.  But the downside of a faster ISO is the introduction of noise. 
  • Slow down the shutter and you can use a lower ISO or smaller aperture. Again, there's a downside. Slower shutters require both the subject and the camera to be stable.
  • Use a larger aperture and you can use a lower ISO or faster shutter speed. Wider apertures is dependent upon the lens. There's a direct correlation between wide apertures and cost.
Fortunately technology is making it easier to balance the triangle:
  • Manufactures are constantly trying to out do each other with higher ISO capabilities combined with better noise reduction.
  • Image stabilization makes it easier to handhold a camera through longer exposures.
  • Well, glass is still expensive. But lenses are getting sharper and sharper with each generation.