Image by smokingmonkey

One camera function that can be a lot of fun to play with (and that can get you some interesting results) is slow sync flash.

Low Light Photography Options

When shooting with a subject in low light situations you generally have two options; either to shoot with a flash or to shoot with a slow shutter speed.

1. Flash – When shooting in low light with a flash in auto mode your camera will choose a relatively fast shutter speed. This means that your subject will be well lit and that if it is moving it will be frozen and as a result will be sharp. The problem with this is that it can also leave your subject lit up too brightly and can leave it’s background looking very dark as there is not enough time for the camera to collect any ambient light.

2. Slow Shutter Speed – The other option is to turn your flash off and shoot with a longer shutter speed in order to collect enough available light from the image to get a well exposed shot. This can be an effective technique if you’re shooting landscape or environmental shots where everything is nice and still – however if you’re shooting a moving subject it means you’ll get motion blur which could ruin your shot.

Both of the above options are legitimate technique but both have their weaknesses. Another options to consider is slow sync flash.

What is Slow Sync Flash?

Image by yo_ashnish

On the weekend I tend to take a break from posting at DPS – however the forums just keep ticking over with great content, fun and discussions. Here’s some of what’s been going on.

• The latest assignment is Symmetry – there’s some nice shots already submitted.
• Painful Photographs – I felt a little itchy while reading this one
• Vivid Night Vision – playing around with a little post production
• B is for… - this alphabetical project is one of the most popular in the forums at the moment
• Qualities for a Landscape Pic – an older threat that just keeps on going
• Tulips – must be Spring somewhere up north – PS: yes, Spring has Sprung
• Folded Picture – a fun photoshop technique –

…

Candid styles of photography are increasingly becoming popular both in general day to day photography but also in formal photographic situations. Last time I was asked to photograph a wedding the couple actually hired me purely to take paparazzi style shows of them and their guests throughout the day. They had another photographer for the formal shots and gave me the brief of getting a behind the scenes look of the day.

The results, when they put together my shots with the formal ones were a wonderful blend of photos that told a fuller story than if they’d gone for one or the other.

Below are a number of tips to help photographers improve their ‘candid’ photography. Please note that these tips are not about taking sneaky, voyeuristic or true paparazzi shots (ie photographing people without their permission) but rather about how to add a more candid feel to the shots you take of people that you know.

1. Take your Camera Everywhere

Probably the best way to take spontaneous photographs is to always be ready to do so. I have a DSLR which I take out when I’m on a shoot but between shoots like to cary with a quality point and shoot camera that I can whip out at a moments notice to capture the many opportunities for a good photo that life presents us with. Taking your camera with you everywhere also helps people to be more at ease with you taking their photo. I find that my friends and family just expect me to have my camera out so when I do fire it up it’s not a signal to them to pose but it’s a normal part of our interaction – this means that they are relaxed and the photos are natural.

2. Use a Long Zoom

Obviously the further you are away from your subject the less likely they will be to know that you’re photographing them and the more natural and relaxed they’ll act. Using a telephoto lens or long zoom enables you to shoot from outside their personal space but keep the feeling of intimacy in the shot you’re taking.

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3. Kill the Flash

Image by jen clix

Perhaps the most obvious way that you can signal to another person that you’re photographing them is to use a flash. There’s nothing like a blinding flash of light in the eyes to kill a moment. If possible (and it’s not always) attempt to photograph without the flash if you’re aiming for candid shots. When in lower light situations increase your ISO setting, use a faster lens, open up your aperture or if your camera has a ‘natural light mode’ turn it on. Hopefully one or a combination of these approaches will help you blend into the background a little more.

It’s been a few weeks since our last Photoblog of the week – but today’s is a great one and should make up for it. Today’s Photoblog is Decoys Like Curves – a photoblog by Lee Gribbon. Lee currently lives in Japan (which is reflected in many of his shots) and takes a variety of types of photography from portraits to landscape. I particularly like some of his longer exposure shots like this).

Lee has been kind enough to submit two photographs, a description of his digital camera gear and a quick tip for DPS readers to keep in mind as they shoot.

Lee’s Digital Photography Gear

I use a Canon EOS 30D. I use a Canon EF-S 10-22mm lens for all the landscape shots I take, and quite a few others too! It’s an addictive perspective; I’ve always loved wide angle. I have a Sigma 30mm f/1.4 which I take with my when I’m walking around towns and cities; it’s fast aperture, near ‘normal’ perspective, and compact size make it perfect for shooting candids.

I also have a Canon EF 50mm f1.4, and a Canon EF 85mm f/1.8. I like primes. They really encourage you to walk around and explore perspective. If you’re starting out in photography, I really recommend buying a single prime in the 30-50mm range, and just taking hundreds and hundreds of photos. This will help you find your particular style, and also where your future lens purchases may lie – e.g., if you find yourself wishing for something longer, it’s time to invest in a telephoto.

Other than that, I’m frequently using my tripod and my cable release. These are helpful for taking multiple shots of the same scene to combine later in post-processing.

Finally, I use a Fujifilm FinePix F30 when I don’t want to lug around my SLR.

Image by tripu

“How do I take a photograph of my TV screen without getting the black stripe across the shot?” – Brad

Thanks for the question Brad. Taking photographs of your television while it’s on isn’t too difficult and because you’re shooting in digital it should be something that you can get right with a little experimentation (keep taking shots until you get it right – it won’t cost you anything but a little time).

The major factor that you’ll need to consider is what type of TV screen that you have. If you have an older CRT screen it’s a slightly different ball game to if you have a newer flat panel screen.

CRT Televisions

All televisions have what is called a ‘refresh rate’ (or the rate at which the screen replaces images on the screen pixel by pixel each second to make it a moving image). With older CRT screens this refresh rate is 24 times per second (on newer screens this rate is faster). As a result you’ll need to choose a slower shutter speed when photographing a CRV TV. Otherwise you’ll get a shot with a black band across the TV (as pictured) – something that is often referred to as ‘banding’.

With a CRT TV you’ll probably need a shutter speed of 1/25 second or slower. As a result of this you’ll also need to have a tripod to keep your camera secure and you’ll want the image on the screen to be a fairly still or slow moving one (or you’ll get movement blur). To select this slower shutter speed switch your camera to shutter priority mode and the camera will select an appropriate aperture to get a well exposed shot.