Contemplating the Cross

I wanted to introduce you to this photo that I took recently at Mars Hill Church in Portland. I was privileged to photograph the Easter services this year and loved the atmosphere of the Castle. Yes, our church is in a castle, kind of strange but that is the way Portland is I suppose. The light coming in through the large stain glass windows is perfect for getting excellent photos. Not only was the light perfect for the scene, this woman was really interesting to me; she had a very contemplative, stoic look about her that required my photographic attention.

One technical point I want to bring your attention to is that this photograph proves the inverse relationship between focal length and shutter speed rule wrong (if not wrong at least not obligatory). This was shot with a 200 mm lens at a 1/125 shutter speed (1600 ISO). As photographers, we are taught to accompany a 200 mm lens with at least a 1/200 shutter speed. Anything slower than this usually produces blur. This photograph shows that there is an overriding rule to the one previously mentioned; good technique. This photo was taken while I was in the sitting position with my elbows firmly wedged in the side of my knees, always keeping in mind to breath slow and to press the shutter release button upon exhalation. Most of the time great photos can be taken with the equipment you already own. I didn't need vibration reduction, I needed steady positioning with good breathing techniques. Who knew the rifle positioning techniques I learned in the Marine Corps would come in handy as a photographer. For questions on how to obtain sharp images feel free to email me at info@wickliffephotography.com.

I wanted to share these photos with you. As you know I have been working with lighting techniques lately. These images were all about seeing the light. The day was overcast but there were a few rays escaping the clouds. They happened to be illuminating the leaves. Most people let these moments pass them by, not noticing the subtleties of beauty in nature. This is why I love photography. It slows me down enough to see God's artwork and to use mine to capture it.

So, I'm continuing the light theme here. I posted several images that focus on back-lighting. This can be a hazard for cameras that only have automatic settings. You will likely have a completely dark subject when you try to pull this off. With a few tricks in manual mode, it can add some life to your photos. The idea is to place your subject's back to the light-source. The hair will pick up the highlights and the rest of the subject will be evenly exposed (well lit) if done correctly.

A note on camera exposure: Every camera has a light meter. Most cameras utilize a kind of matrix metering where the camera tries to balance between the light and dark portions of the image to create an accurate exposure. The result is a best guess to what you envision when making the photograph. Because the camera can only see a certain range of light, the result doesn't always represent what you saw in real life. Often the camera compensates for back-lit images by making the entire image darker. It does this because it thinks the back-lit portion is too bright. I say, it is ok if some of the highlights are a little "too" bright. For the most part, what you want to worry about is the face of your subjects. Make sure they are not too bright or not too dark and don't worry about the rest of the photo as much. Of course once you have this technique down, you can start to be more concerned with the rest of the image. One thing at a time. Make sure your subject looks great.

In the above images, I am working with two different lighting concepts. Both concepts are concerned with how dark or light the background is, and whether the subject is in the light or in the shadow when the photo is taken. On the top image, I chose a dark backdrop, and chose to stick the subject in the sun. In the bottom image, I reversed the scenario with a bright backdrop and shadowed subject. At first this may seem counter-intuitive; however, it begins to make sense when you explore the topic from the camera’s point of view.

Top image:

Concept: dark backdrop/subject in light

I chose a dark backdrop so I could have an overall evenly exposed image. The background is close to the same exposure (when read by the camera’s meter) as the subject’s faces. The subject is in the light, so there is a halo-like effect in their hair and on the rim of their bodies. If I chose a light background in this situation, then it would be completely blown out (too bright to see detail in the highlights). See dynamic range in the previous post to understand why this might occur.

Bottom Image:

Concept: light backdrop/subject in shadow

For this image, I chose a fairly light background and placed my subject in the shade. To get an accurate exposure of the subjects, while not blowing out the highlights or the brighter areas of the sky and building, I had to use a flash. This was perfect for me because I didn’t want the harsh ambient light of the noonday sun to create ugly shadows on my subject’s faces. All of the light on the subjects is coming from a flash and not from the surrounding environment. In this way, I can create a softer look, while creating an evenly exposed image.

My overall goal with these experiments is to increase my confidence while shooting under any lighting conditions. Not all weddings and receptions take place from six to nine in the morning or after seven o’clock at night where the lighting is phenomenal. People don’t cease to function when the lighting isn’t perfect. A photographer needs to be skilled enough to adapt to whatever is thrown his or her way. Working with light can be one of the trickiest challenges in the profession, but it is also one of the most important (from the standpoint of image quality).

This photograph represents a new (at least to me) technique I like to call “framing with light”. The idea is to find pockets or streaks of light that are framed by unique patterns of shadows. Here, I placed this person’s face directly in the sun’s rays (without the subject staring straight at the sun) and shot for a natural skin tone for the highlights, not caring whether the darks were too dark. Most of the time, this situation might be better off avoided due to the dynamic range of the camera; however, strategically done, it can produce some interesting results. In case you are having trouble visualizing it, the technique is what is happening with the lights and shadows on the subject and on the tree. I picked the backdrop (the sky) to lighten the overall feel of the photograph and to enhance the overall technique.

A note on dynamic range: as you may know, the camera’s dynamic range (range from lightest lights to darkest darks) is smaller than what the human eye can capture even without dilating or constricting the pupils. Because of this, a photographer will often times shoot for the highlights or for the shadows and let the rest of the photo go where it may. When shooting for the highlights (in high contrast situations), the shadows are often darker than what the eyes see and when shooting for the shadows, the highlights are often brighter than what the eyes see.

Flamingo war zone