Newsletter December 2009

Welcome to this month's newsletter.

Your newsletter will be focussing on the practical issues of photography for the community photographer.

This month we discuss the do's and don'ts of summer photography.

First Workshop for 2010

will be on Sunday afternoon

14th February

2-6pm Brisbane city environs

Make your booking soon as numbers are limited

enrol now!

Summer Photos - Do's and Dont's

Summer is a great time for outdoor photography. There's lots going on around town, you're not weighed down by bulky winter gear, you don't have to worry about protecting your camera in the rain, and you've got a lot more daylight to work with.

But as the weather heats up and you take your camera outdoors, summer presents its own challenges -- like bright, intense light that can be tricky to expose properly.

Here are a few summertime do's and don'ts to help guarantee excellent shots:

** DON'T take photos at midday if you can help it. Or, if you have no choice, try to find some open shade or diffused daylight. Avoid “dabbled” light -- or partially shaded with bright spots -- this will only cause problems.

** DO use a fill-flash if you can't find even shade. One way to do this right is to backlight your subject with the sun (the sun will be at your subject's back, and their front will be in the shadow) and set your exposure for the background scene. Then, set your flash to fire so it fills in and evens out your subject. This will take some practice, but the results can be very dramatic. Fill-flashes are especially helpful for sunset portraits.

** DO bring a reflector when you photograph people. You can use it to fill in deep, hard shadows that show up on your subject's face and even out the lighting overall. (If you're using a gold or silver reflector, it can be extra bright, so be careful not to blind the person or people you're photographing.)

** DO adjust your ISO. Your ISO is your digital camera's sensitivity to light. You can change it to be more sensitive in lower-light situations or less sensitive in bright light. With the bright summer sun, you generally will have plenty of light, and you won't need to use higher ISO's (those above 200). In bright sunny conditions, be sure to always shoot with the lowest ISO possible (while still stopping action or eliminating camera shake). Not all point-and-shoots will let you change the ISO, but some will. If you're not sure how to change it, check your camera manual.

** DO fill your photo with action, and freeze it with a fast shutter speed. When there's plenty of available light, you don't have to worry about using a slow shutter speed, so summertime is prime time for sports and action shots. Make sure you're using a shutter speed that's fast enough to catch the action... and not just a blur. Probably in the range of 1/250 to 1/2000 sec.

** DON'T forget to get in close. Fill the frame with your subject, while maintaining good composition.

** DO look at everything in your photo frame before you snap the shutter. Landscapes should be clear of clutter, and people should not have poles, tree branches, or other objects protruding from their heads.

We will discuss this and any other questions in more detail at Thursday's Seminar

Bookings are ESSENTIAL. Call the Everton Park Library on 07 3403 7400 to reserve your place.

Local Photographers' Email Network

Are you currently a member of our email network receiving these Newsletters each month and advice of library seminars and discussion groups? If you would like to be included please

email