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Just as everyone is dusting off their beach towels and cleaning sunglasses in preparation for the summer ahead, RMSP is gearing up for 2010. For everyone who thinks this school goes on summer vacation there’s a whole lot that happens behind the scene. Besides the full season of Workshops and Career Training we are in the process of writing and designing the new catalog and web for next year. Never a dull moment!
Neil, whose life very rarely includes downtime has, yet again come up with a great article for the newsletter. For those of you who have heard of Sunny 16 but never used it, Neil has done a excellent job of explaining how it works and why its such a useful technique to know.
Travel Photography on a Budget. With the term “staycation” taking off like wild fire in these economic times, here are some quick, easy ways to photograph like you’re on a vacation while only miles from your house.
Our first student exhibition in the RMSP Gallery was incredible! We had an amazing turn out from the community and tons of press. See the installation photos, read articles about the show, see the work and More.
Night Photography was the May newsletter assignment. It's so fascinating to see all the different techniques people used!
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Sunny 16: Exposing Without a Meter
Following my most recent workshop (Texas Hill Country), my assistant and I spent three days after the students left revisiting many of the spots where we had shot as a group. The weather was dynamic, which meant that our choices around composition and exposure had to be, too. On more than one occasion, this meant working under bright blue skies. Knowing Sunny 16, I used this technique as the surest and quickest way to take the mental wrangling (or at least some of it) out of shooting when my scene was in the bright sun. For those unfamiliar with the term, Sunny 16 refers to a manual exposure technique in which you set your camera to use an f stop of 16 and a shutter speed set at the same number as your ISO. Under the right light conditions this technique will result in the correct exposure every time. But more on the “how” later…
After my 35 years of teaching photography, exposure has become one of my favorite topics to teach. Yet, because of the degree of automation most modern digital cameras offer, the average amateur and professional photographer feel that learning exposure is far less essential than it was in the olden days—the days of film cameras. Of course, much of this shift has to do with instant gratification. We can now see the image nearly as fast as we capture it. As such, we immediately get a sense of whether or not our exposure is on or off (and for those who know how to use a histogram, this is even easier to tell). Call me old school, but I firmly believe that understanding exposure should be an essential aspect of learning photography—the more you know about it, the easier it is to shoot because such considerations become second nature; and by “second nature” I mean automatic to us, not the camera!
When it comes to exposure, I only ever use four methods. The method I choose, of course, varies depending on light conditions and the amount of time I have to capture my image. On a completely clear, blue-sky day or on a partly cloudy day when the sun is shining on my subject, I usually ignore my camera meter and shoot Sunny 16, as I recently did in Texas. For those who never have or swear that they never will use this method of exposure, I promise you that by simply knowing how and why it works, the entire topic of exposure will make more sense. For one thing, if you use Sunny 16 your exposure MUST be on manual so that you are in control of both the aperture and the shutter speed. Remember, we always have these two exposure controls that need to be set, whether we set them or the camera does. Sunny 16 refers to an f stop of 16 and a shutter speed set the same number as your ISO. For instance, at an ISO of 100, your exposure is 1/100 at F16; for an ISO of 400, your exposure is 1/400 at F16.
You may now wonder how Sunny 16 works. Well, since the sun is always approximately 93 million miles from earth, the amount of light hitting earth never varies enough to actually change our exposure. Simple, right? Well, there’s a little bit more to think about, but that nugget of knowledge is essentially why Sunny 16 is effective. Now, onto the other contributing factors.
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First, for Sunny 16 to be effective, the sun must be high enough in the sky and unobstructed by clouds to achieve what we in the business call “full brightness.” Here in Missoula, on the longest day of the year (Summer Solstice), the sun rises at 5:41 a.m. and sets at 9:33 p.m., which gives us almost 16 hours of daylight. This means that for at least 12 hours we are in “full brightness” and can use Sunny 16 to get a correct exposure. Obviously in winter, the “full brightness” window is considerably smaller. |
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Next, the subject in the photo must actually be in the sun, not the shade. Soon after learning Sunny 16, I was shooting for my first time out West. I took an hour walk around 10 a.m. on a clear sunny day in a stand of giant redwoods. Being “smart” and knowing Sunny 16, I used this technique for all 36 exposures on my roll of film. When I got the film back, the Kodak processor left them uncut with the dreaded “note of death” to photographers, saying that the film had not been exposed. I was set to throw the strip away when I noticed a tiny spot on my light board. After examining it with a loop, I saw that the tops of all the trees (the only part of each frame that was in the bright sun) were exposed perfectly in every picture. And though the rest was almost completely black, Sunny 16 had worked! The part of the composition in the sun was exposed perfectly. I like to think that I learned the hard way so you won’t have to. If I were in this situation today, I would expose for the deep shade and let the tippy tops of the trees in the bright sun wash out. |
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Finally, conditions must be “average,” which means that your subject is not surrounded by snow or white sand. In such conditions, you are likely to have more light reflecting on your subject than you actually think because surroundings are acting like a giant fill card. (This will be covered in detail in the next newsletter.)
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| Once you have identified that the conditions are right and set your camera correctly you are ready to shoot. Before you start photographing make sure you consider your scene. Even on a sunny days, there is usually some shade in our photographs. Shade is usually about 3 stops (8 times darker than sun); therefore, if part of your photo is in bright sun then the area in the shade will be eight times darker than that in the sun. What do we do? Well, this is one reason that shooting in the bright sun does not usually make great photographs –there is just too much contrast for our sensor to handle. While you may not be able to capture both areas perfectly in one image there are ways to minimize the shadow. Here are three ways you can adjust your camera settings in Sunny 16 to adjust for varied lighting conditions.
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90 percent bright sun, 10 percent shade. I would use Sunny 16 as my correct exposure and then take a second exposure opening up 1/3 to 2/3 of a stop. By doing this I am favoring the 90 percent in the sun; however, when I open a little bit, the 90 percent will become a little lighter yet still contain detail, especially if there aren’t any large areas of white in the sunny section. By opening up, the 10 percent in the shade will have detail and not be pure black. |
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Example: ISO 100
Exposure One: 1/100, F 16
Exposure Two: 1/100, F 11-16 |
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Half sun, half shade. First, to be practical, I would probably change my composition so that the scene was not half in the sun, half in the shade. But, for argument’s sake, let’s say that isn’t possible. I would shoot one photo at Sunny 16, a second photo opening up one half stop, and a third opening up one full stop. |
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Example: ISO 100
Exposure One: 1/100, F16
Exposure Two: 1/100, F 11-16
Exposure Three: 1/100, F11 |
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Why? The sunny half will be more overexposed, and unless there is a lot of white in this section, it will probably still contain detail. The shady half of the photograph will contain more detail as we open. Then we would look at both the sunny and shady parts and see which of the three exposures handles both of these conditions the best. |
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10 percent bright sun, 90 percent shade. This is a hard one. If I used Sunny 16 and do not open, 90 percent of my photo is almost pure black. If I open up three stops to expose for the shade, the 10 percent in the sun will probably be washed out. Ideally, I would recompose my photograph to put 100 percent in the shade. If this isn’t possible, I just wouldn’t take the picture. Most likely, this is a lose-lose situation. |
Now some of you may be wondering this, “When shooting Sunny 16, do you always need to keep your aperture, as the name implies, on 16?” Of course not! Below is a EV Chart; these were used for years before we had sophisticated cameras that do too much work for us— we had to know what we were doing ourselves (which, in the long run, makes anyone a stronger, more versatile photographer). If you look at the technical specifications in the back of your manual, you will see that EVs are used with such things as your metering range and autofocus limits, among others.
Looking at the chart above, notice that one second at F 1 equals an EV of 0. Then every time you stop down one shutter speed or one F stop, the EV number increases by 1. For example, at 1/125 at F16 you have stopped down 7 shutter speeds from 1 second and 8 F stops from F1, which gives you an EV of 15. As such, 1/125 at F 16 gives an EV 15. Notice that there is an entire diagonal row of EV 15s that all have equal exposure. Now let’s say you want to open up your aperture to decrease your depth of field, so you decide to go F4. Look for the F4 along the top, then drop down and you’ll find an EV of 15; now look left and you will find your shutter speed to be 1/8 second. Confusing? It shouldn’t be. It is just a matter of thinking about what your camera does automatically for you every time you take a shot. And even if you never use Sunny 16 or EVs, this article should help demystify exposure.
To summarize, I really do use Sunny 16 on bright days when my subject is in the sun. And it really does work! Most of the time, however, I end up shooting with an exposure that is 2/3-1 stop open from the original Sunny 16 exposure. This helps lessen the shadows a little without washing out the section of the scene in the sun. If the subject in the sun is white, I would go with straight Sunny 16.
Visit my gallery of Sunny 16 examples.
Next month, I will look at using Sunny 16 exposure in a variety of conditions. And if you are anything like me, you’ll actually find this fun. Again, learning tricks like these will improve your versatility and confidence as a photographer—whether you are just starting or have been taking photos your entire life. | |
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Travel Photography in Your Backyard - Page Orb Pedde
Just about every thing I do has been limited by the economic times in one way, shape or form. I am a diligent price checker at the grocery store. I pack a lunch for work instead of eating out. I even cancelled my gym membership and started running and doing push ups in my living room. As tight as things get in my wallet, I am still trying to focus on my photography and doing the best I can to get out and produce images.
It’s not always easy to photograph on a budget. After a few shoots in my kitchen or backyard I tend to contract photographer’s cabin fever. I feel like I need to get out and change my scenery to jumpstart my creative eye. This has generally pushed me to travel. While international travel is definitely not in the budget right now, I have been forced to look a little closer to home. I am amazed at just how much is within driving distance. Lately I’ve been known to hop in my car, and drive 40 or 50 miles to another town and photograph it as if I’m in another country. I don’t mean that I have to go out and find a translator or tour guide. Of course everyone speaks English and although I might be near the Canadian boarder I’m still in the U.S. I am referring more to my state of mind. When I am traveling in a foreign country I tend to be very aware of everything. I spend more time taking in all the element of my surroundings. It doesn’t matter if I see a cat or a cathedral my mind immediately gives it a different level of attention than if it were in my hometown of Missoula. If I get in my car and drive with the super-aware photographer mode turned to on, I don’t have to jump on a jet to capture great photographs that tell a story of place. Here are a few ways to channel your inner traveler a few miles from your own house.
There are three types of photographs that I look for when I’m traveling, the quintessential elements, the essence or character, and the details. When I look for the quintessential, I’m searching for the elements that speak about the place, the broader views, and the landmarks that people associate with the place, etc. A couple of examples of this would be the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, or for those of you that know Missoula, the huge M on the side of Mount Sentinel directly above the University of Montana. These are unique to each of these cities. Once I have determined the iconic elements I am going to capture I determine the “how” and the “when.” How do I capture images of these icons in ways that are new and unique but also still say San Francisco or Missoula? “When” refers to the light condition and time of day I want to photograph the subject. When is the best time, best light to create a successful image of the quintessential element?
The icons are pretty easy to spot. You’ve generally seen them on postcards or in logos around town. Finding the candid character of a town takes a little more time. If I am concentrating on the character I am looking for the moments that speak to the sub-stories, the happenings of the area, the subtle character that makes this spot unique. These are made up of candid moments, people interacting with each other or their surroundings in ways that seem to speak to the larger place.
The detail shots are more about the close up views, the things most people notice on a subconscious level but may not take the time to really study. These small elements help distinguish this place from any other town, city or area. The details are some of my favorite things to shoot. After I’ve captured the overall feel, the details feel like the finishing touches to my vision of this place.
It’s so easy to feeling constricted by your budget and end up putting your camera down as a result. Instead, redefine your idea of travel, and rework the way you perceive your surroundings. Go ahead explore!
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The May newsletter assignment was to step out into the night and photograph. The images I received are both iconic and ethereal. Its always great to see how differently people see things in the dark! Visit the Gallery.
June Assignment.
Travel photography in your town, county, state. It’s important to keep your skills sharp and your creativity flowing. This assignment asks you go to an area that is familiar to you and photograph it as if you were creating a travel documentary. Look for the quintessential elements, the essence or character, and the details. See the assignment details. |
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What a night! Last Friday was our opening for the first student show in the Rocky Mountain School of Photography Gallery. It was so much fun. Everything from the installation to the opening was exciting. It started for Steve Stockin and Jeffrey Scott French on their cross country road trip from the Southeastern, United States to Missoula, Montana. Jeffery’s blog maps out the trip and his twitter account tells the story of the journey as he tweeted his way diagonally across the country, through at least ten states.
Watch the installation of the exhibit below. |
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Summer Workshops
Light Studies: The Light and Atmosphere of Place with David H. Wells. As a photographer, light can be both friend and foe. It can make an ordinary scene extraordinary. Light can also change without warning, and take the mood of the moment with it. David teaches you to manage and manipulate light so you can use it to your advantage in any situation. More….
The Art of Macro with Doug Johnson. Big life in the smallest of subjects, Macro photography is a chance to look at the world from a perspective not often considered. Learn how to use light, compose a macro shot and what specialized equipment you may need. More…. 2 spots left!
Powwow: A Native American Tradition with William Albert Allard. Led by longtime National Geographic staff photographer Bill Allard, this workshop is going to be a special week. Tapping into decades of his photojournalist experience, capturing the power of the moment is just one of the topics he will cover. More… 1 spot left!
Fall Workshops
Northern California’s Wine Country with Tony Rizzuto. A workshop for your senses! Not only is this workshop a feast for your eyes, but the sights and smells of wine country are as distinct as the taste of the wines that come from this area. Vineyards, casks rooms, and colorful farmer’s markets make this workshop a bountiful week of shooting. More…
Wildlife Up Close with Neil Chaput de Saintonge. This is a wonderful workshop that takes place at the Triple D game farm in Kalispell, MT. Photograph the same animals you have seen in Disney movies, National Geographic, and the BBC. This is a chance to advance you wildlife photography skills and build your portfolio. More….
Basic Photography with Doug Johnson. Here’s where it all begins. If you are a beginning photographer or have been self taught and never felt sure switching your camera into manual mode, this workshop is for you! Doug’s open and engaging teaching style contributes to a week of learning, sharing and fun. Go home with the skills for the beginning of a life-long love of photography. More…. 4 spots left!
Advanced Photography in Victoria, British Columbia with Tony Rizzuto. This workshop is always a favorite of participants both for the location and the instructor. The physical beauty of Victoria is unsurpassable. Castles, harbor happenings, historic Chinatown and the colorful blooms of world renown Butchart Gardens all contribute to this extraordinary week of photography. More…
The Coast of Maine and Acadia National Park with Doug Johnson. Fall colors in the Northeast. We probably don’t need to say a lot more but that is just one element making this a week to remember. Doug takes you on a journey along the rugged coast featuring historic lighthouses, colorful jammers sailing in and out of the harbor, stunning sunsets and the birch forests native to the area. One of our most popular workshops- for good reason. More…
Start Your Planning Now!
Career Training 2010- Dates now available!
Session I: Summer Intensive
A Foundation in Photography- June 1- August 12, 2010
Session II: Professional Studies
Focus on Your Career Path- August 16- September 3, 2010
Session III: Advanced Intensive
Digital and Professional Development- September 7– October, 15, 2010
Sallie Mae loans and Veterans Benefits available.
Please contact Bob McGowan at bobm@rmsp.com for more information.
Gift certificates and RMSP wearable gear make simple and memorable gifts. Contact Bob McGowan at bobm@rmsp.com or 800-394-7677 or go online.
Comments or Questions about our Newsletter? Email Marketing@rmsp.com.
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