Summer Freedom
A warm summers day at the Princeton Battlefield State Park.
A warm summers day at the Princeton Battlefield State Park.
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Jul, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo at Princeton Battlefield State Park. Well, it's called a 'state park', but it's really not too much more than two fields with a road in the middle, a giant stone pillar-thingy, and a LOT of flags. I think there was a battle fought there in the Revolutionary War. It's very patriotic. I live in a small town outside of Princeton, but attend the high school there, so I'm always wandering around the area looking for interesting places to go shoot. I'm drawn to places with great colors and beautiful light, and this was perfect.Time
This was taken around 4:00 in the afternoon. It probably would have been easier to take this if I had waited at least another hour until the light was very soft and golden. But there was some constriction or another, and this is what I had to work with. Besides, I think that while time of day does have a huge impact on the photos you take, a skilled photographer can get something decent at many different times and in all types of lighting conditions. You just have to learn how and when to adapt your technique a little bit. For example, since this photo was taken a few hours before sunset, the light was still coming from a relatively high, but angled, position in the sky. But it wasn't as harsh as it would have been in the middle of the day. A very thin partial cloud cover helped soften everything, yet there was still contrast between the shadows and the highlights. In this situation it was most important to get the model positioned at just the right angle, so her face and hair would be slightly backlit, but everything else would be even with no distracting shadows. Had I been on the opposite side of her, I would have lost the airy, summery look that the slight backlighting brings. A wide aperture, the nice trees, and a little bit of editing also helped compensate for the annoyingly bright sky in the background. Don't be afraid to go out of your comfort zone with what time of day you shoot at. Even harsh light can be useful for things like accentuating colors and creating a crisp effect. Experiment and be ready to try a new approach.Lighting
When I'm taking photos, I always keep in mind where the light is going. Soft natural light has a wonderful habit of wrapping around subjects that artificial light just can't replicate. Even the sides of the subject facing away from the sun will be lit up a bit in the right position. Natural light is also either reflected off or absorbed by every surface it reaches. Dark pavement won't bounce any light back on to your subject, but water, any light colored surfaces, or even a commercially made reflector will. Use the awareness of these things to your advantage, and create good lighting for your photo rather than waiting for it.Equipment
I use pretty basic equipment for almost all the photos I take. A Nikon D3200 with a 50mm f/1.8 prime lens typically, that is what I shot this photo with. Rarely do I use any sort of artificially lighting, just a reflector every now and then. But I didn't even use that for this photo. I've found that I prefer using a prime lens for portraits, because it forces me to move around and get creative to find the composition I like. My legs have to be my zoom, since the lens doesn't have one. Also, prime lenses tend to blur backgrounds nicer and have better bokeh than zoom lenses, unless you are comparing a really expensive zoom lens with a really cheap prime lens. An average focal length like 50mm allows me to be close to my model, so I can direct them and make the shoot more social. That way their facial expressions come out looking more natural. I definitely prefer this to shooting portraits with a telephoto lens, which many people do, because the lack of communication makes everything more difficult.Inspiration
The shoot that this photo was taken in was a very casual thing- just me and a friend at this park saying 'lets see what we can do'. We walked around a bit, looking for spots with beautiful light, and this happened to be one of them. She is standing on the first rung of an old wood fence that had flags on it, which I thought would be great for a composition showing a little depth. Off to the right there is this big road that cuts that park in half, and on this particular day there was some kind of construction going on. As a result, a very slow-moving line of about 50 cars and their aggravated drivers got front row seats to the 'Brenna and Serena take cute photos!' show. So my model, Serena, has a funny little apologetic smile on her face as she poses and stares directly at these very judgmental drivers. It was a really hot summer day, slightly windy, and I just thought that this moment captured the mood of it so well.Editing
For this shot, I used a couple presets to make it warmer and brighter, then set the highlights to have a more yellow hue, and balanced the contrast ratio. I was really just looking to enhance, since there wasn't much that needed 'fixing'.In my camera bag
As far as photographers go, I am really not gear oriented. I always have my Nikon D3200 body, the 50mm f/1.8 prime lens I shot this with, and a 55-200mm zoom. I also carry a remote shutter release, as well as a tripod and reflector if I think I will need them.Feedback
When you are out taking photos, look for light before anything else. Even the most beautiful model in the best location can result in a bad photo if the light isn't so great. For portraits, especially not in a studio, do not expect or attempt to control every aspect of your model's pose. Give them a vague idea of how you want them to be positioned, and then make them relax. If they feel comfortable, the results will be good. Also, don't have them stay in the same position for too long. Let them move around a bit, look in different directions, anything to give you a lot of chances to get a good shot without them looking stiff and posed. From a composition standpoint, I rarely take portraits straight on, because those kind of shots require impeccable lighting and a really good facial expression to be good. Things that add depth or visual interest are always good, but often less is more. Above all, remember that you are photographing light. That should always, always be on your mind when you are shooting.
