Spring Photography Tips

Now that "spring has sprung" for most of us, we're all going to spend as much time outside as possible.

And of course that means taking the camera with you to capture those family moments of kids, friends, neighbors, co-workers, etc.

Even in the age of very sophisticated and "intelligent" digital cameras, primarily the "point and shoot" cameras, some basics skills of photography will come in handy for you to make sure you get the images you want.

I have been a professional photographer for more than 25 years www.erickleimanphotography.com and when our family goes on vacation, I leave the cameras behind and my wife and son do all the shooting. Everything you see here is what i tell them and of course sometimes they listen and sometimes they don't.

The sun

Here comes the sun and it's our friend, but for photography, it can also be a challenge too. Understanding and controlling light for portraits and other types of photography is one of the biggest challenges that people face, including many professional photographers.

Bright light behind your subject

The biggest mistake we see is people taking pictures with the sun, or any other bright light source behind the subject. You trust that your camera in "auto" or "program" mode will accommodate for the light. Unfortunately, many of the cameras systems are fooled by the dominant light in the background and will expose for that light. Result - your subject is dark, now maybe that is the look you were hoping for, but probably not.

Don't be afraid to flash fill. You should be familair enough with your camera to know how to activate a flash fill feature. Try it a few times and you will see a huge difference.

Face the Sun

Okay, if you're not comfortable flash filling when there is a dominate light source behind your subject, just shoot from the opposite direction, right? Well, maybe not. Now you have your subject looking into the sun and squinting and you'll also have shadows galore. Again, flash fill can help with some of the shadows, but you might not be pleased with the results.

Cloudy Days

For relatively even light, a nice cloudy day will work well for you. Or, if it is sunny, try and shoot either earlier in the day, or later in the day - that's when you'll have your best light and best results for what most people are looking for.

Enjoy

Familiarize yourself with your camera and it's features and play iwht various settings and most importantly.......... have fun and enjoy.