129
votes
How can I create this 'medieval look' using an entry-level camera like the Nikon D3300?
I can see three very clear aspects that all three photos share, so let's concentrate on those.
Two can be done in camera, the third is a software process.
I didn't have time to costume a collection of ...
- 23.2k
41
votes
How to create the type of lighting that is used in many of Elena Shumilova's pictures?
Directly with regards to the lighting:
Much of her recent work has strong light sources from behind the main subject(s). About 45° (either to the side or a combination of to the side and above) from ...
- 175k
36
votes
How to avoid objects casting shadows when taking pictures of products?
I'm chiming in to introduce you to: the tub trick.
Tubs are great:
they're white
they're shiny
Combined, you get a place to set things that'll bounce around the light and provide for a mostly ...
- 20.5k
35
votes
How was this interior room photo lit? Window...Strobes...Both?
1. Some theory
The first thing you need to understand is the inverse square law.
This is that the light intensity decays quadratically (1/x^2) when you are further apart from the light source.
I ...
- 24.1k
34
votes
Accepted
How do they capture these images where the ground and background blend together seamlessly?
It's known as Infinite Coving or an Infinity Cove* - basically a constant smooth curve from floor to wall.
From How To Build An Infinity Cove For Photography
All you need to do then is light it ...
- 23.2k
31
votes
Does using long exposure together with ND filter make the scene look more evenly lit?
No, changing the exposure or using an ND filter will not help you with this, since both will only brighten or darken everything by a certain factor.
Your problem is the large relative difference ...
- 4,634
30
votes
Lighting up a subject during sunset without a flash?
That's a nice silhouette!
You're running into the same problem that anyone runs into when photographing a very backlit subject: a lot of light is coming from the background and creating a drastic ...
- 20.5k
30
votes
What are some tips to improve this product photo?
Beyond the photographic subject, there are deep problems in terms of composition. My ten recommendations:
Get rid of the blanket. The sensation of touch between the soap and the furry blanket ...
- 1,769
24
votes
How can I best take photos of people in front of a Christmas tree using only available lighting?
Are you open to the possibility of getting yourself a flash as a quick before-Christmas gift to yourself? In my experience — and especially back when I had young, enthusiastic children not interested ...
- 143k
22
votes
Accepted
Does it make sense for me, as a beginner, to buy a speedlight?
Does it make sense to buy [a] Speedlight?
Absolutely if what you want to learn and achieve is good on-camera bounce flash. That is exactly what a speedlight with a head that tilts and swivels is ...
- 51.4k
20
votes
Accepted
What's the best way to light up a subject that's far away?
The idea is I will be down below, looking up at them to take the photo, so a flash would be useless.
Only if you limit yourself to a camera mounted flash.
The key to such a shot is to get the ...
- 175k
20
votes
Accepted
What are physical causes of clipping?
What exactly limits modern digital camera sensors in capturing light intensity beyond certain point?
In terms of the physical properties of the sensor itself:
The number of photon strikes and the ...
- 175k
20
votes
Red LED not red but white after I take the photo
The iPhone is handling this better because of its automatic HDR.
The LED is white (really, a very, very light pink, to my eye) because it's so bright your camera's sensor overloads and "bleeds&...
- 7,113
19
votes
Accepted
What exactly is causing the quality difference between these two photographs?
While both shots were taken in daylight, the left shot was lit directly by sunlight, whereas the right shot looks like it was under shade. The direct lighting produces hard shadow lines, and more ...
- 32.3k
18
votes
Accepted
Best ways of photographing at a concert/festival
Theatrical/concert photography is about the most challenging there is, both in terms of pushing the equipment you use to the absolute edge of their capabilities and in terms of requiring every bit of ...
- 175k
18
votes
Why are my pictures showing a dark band on one edge?
The shutter speed now is 250
From what I can tell from the Google, the Nikon D3100 has a flash sync speed of 1/200. So, you're setting your shutter speed too fast and the curtain is already starting ...
- 20.5k
18
votes
Are mirrors viable as replacement for light sources?
Since you plan to take macro shots, a folded piece of paper just outside the frame might be a huge, soft light source compared to the object in the picture.
Here's an example:
And the resulting shot:
...
- 2,273
17
votes
Portrait Lighting - why are my fill and rim lights overpowered?
Nothing at all against LightBender's calculations and advice, but the OP's question is about balancing flash and ambient light, which is a valuable concept to tackle.
Check out this great how-to on ...
- 181
16
votes
Accepted
How can I take a photo of a laser beam?
How to shoot a photo of such experiment with lights off so that the actual laser beam is visible?
The thing about a laser beam is that all the light is traveling in the same direction, so none of it ...
- 31.7k
16
votes
How can I get all of the text on a reflective surface (DVD case) in focus?
Any flatbed scanner, such as that in a $75 all-in-one printer, will do a better job photographing DVD cases than a D5 or a Hasselblad.
- 659
16
votes
Are mirrors viable as replacement for light sources?
Mirrors are going to make the light more of a point-source, as it's 'twice' as far away, therefore more parallel. You'd also have to be quite precise in their placement.
It would probably be cheaper, ...
- 23.2k
14
votes
What can I do to take better/more interesting photographs of tabletop games?
I'm not a photography expert at all, but I have spent my whole life playing, buying, and most importantly looking at pictures of games of various kinds. I also have painted many miniatures and ...
- 241
14
votes
How can I make these winter real estate photos look like summer photos?
You aren't going to be able to make your yard look like summer, in winter. What you can do is slow down (you said you were rushed), properly frame and compose the images, shoot in RAW, and shoot at a ...
- 46.5k
14
votes
Accepted
Is it ok to place my DSLR in a box and just cut a hole for the lens?
Your DSLR (and most DSLRs, for that matter) performs light metering and autofocus detections through the lens. If your lens can see it, your camera will meter it and try to autofocus on it.
The only ...
- 32.3k
14
votes
How to avoid objects casting shadows when taking pictures of products?
Let's assume you have no equipment at all & are not going to be able to get any right now - then a cloudy day is the best you can hope for.
A sunny day will make hard shadows, cloudy days don't.
...
- 23.2k
13
votes
What are some tips to improve this product photo?
Everything is a matter of personal taste or local culture, but:
The background is much too present (the holly's berries are hardly visible). It can also throw off an automatic color balance, and the ...
- 20.6k
12
votes
What can I do to take better/more interesting photographs of tabletop games?
Get a polarizer filter. You'd typically want the "circular" ones, though in this day and age you'd be hard-pressed to find one that's not. I noticed that your first and third shots show some ...
- 549
12
votes
How can I get all of the text on a reflective surface (DVD case) in focus?
To avoid the flash obscuring the text on the case, I would take the photo at a angle to the surface on which the DVD rests.
Sounds like you're probably using the built-in flash on your camera. A ...
- 31.7k
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