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First of all SO SORRY I don't have pictures for this- I fully intended to but my picture computer got a virus so it is in the shop! I will post pictures as soon as I get my computer, with all of my pictures on it, back.
So this week I am going to tell you all about how to find good lighting in your house or really anywhere you go and how to set your camera, if you have a DSLR, to use that light.
First of all there is natural light or God's light (sunlight.) Then there is man-made light which includes any light that comes from a light bulb. I am going to focus on natural light which I think is always best. When you start dealing with man-made light you get a lot of wierd coloring like florescent bulbs cast an orange color, incandescent bulbs- blue color and so forth. So when looking for good natural light you of course want a semi-large window or a door to be your main source preferably north facing (it's the least harsh of all the directions). If you don't have a north facing window south would be the next best option then of course east and west but remember the light will be pretty harsh with east and west. A great source of light would be like a front door. You know when you open up the front door and all that beautiful light pours in. That would be best especially again north or south facing. When getting ready to shoot in my house I usually turn off all man-made lights also because again if you don't you might get some color casting from them. You want to place your subject facing the light and then you are going to shoot with your back facing the light so the light will "light" the subjects face. You can also put the subject to the side of the light to "light" the side of the face but remember you will have shadows on the opposite side of the face, this will be a more dramatic look. To create a neat effect you can get either a reflector or a piece of foil to create "fill" light on the opposite side of the face. However, don't place the foil too close to the subject or you will get really harsh light because it really reflects. You would most likely have to have an assistant for this technique also, so keep that in mind.
Ok, now for camera settings. If you own a DSLR then first of all you want to start with setting your ISO. By the way, I will not go into detail about how to set your camera for these settings because I don't know what kind of camera you have so go get your camera manual and look it up. Your manual is a highly useful tool in learning your settings so use it! When shooting indoors I usually set my ISO to around 400. This should be a good setting if you have adequate light. I also usually shoot on aperture priority so I next set my aperture to 1.8. That is because I usually shoot a 50mm fixed f1.8 lens. However I recommend you setting your apeture as low as it will go if only shooting one subject and you want your background to be a bit out of focus. If you want everything in focus then you will want to set your apeture much higher. But also remember the lower your aperture the more light the camera is taking in. Ok, so now since I shoot on aperture priority my camera will then take my ISO setting, my aperture setting and meter the light to find the shutter speed all on it's own. I don't have to set that, it will do it for me. Now we are ready to shoot. I know this sounds like a lot to do but once you get the hang of it, it goes pretty fast. So, now that you have found a good spot and have set your camera have your subject face the light and with your back to the light shoot away!!
Hope this will help you to take better pictures of your kiddos, family or even pets! Photos preserve a specific time that you can't go back to. You have no idea how many opportunities I have missed that I wish I had photos. So go get your camera and carry it around with you everywhere you go and shoot, shoot!!
