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- #POCKET SIZE REFLECTOR PHOTOGRAPHY MANUAL#
- #POCKET SIZE REFLECTOR PHOTOGRAPHY ISO#
- #POCKET SIZE REFLECTOR PHOTOGRAPHY PROFESSIONAL#
#POCKET SIZE REFLECTOR PHOTOGRAPHY PROFESSIONAL#
They are fairly robust and ideal for stowing away safely in a camera bag.Ĭolleen Slater is a professional photographer and macro specialist with an interest in the smaller things in life. Mirror Simple 30x30cm mirror tiles can be bought in DIY shops.Illuminate your subject by angling the reflector to bounce light onto the subject, moving it nearer or further away to change the intensity. Reflector These 5-in-1, collapsible, lightweight reflectors come in various sizes.It will scatter the harsh light with a softening effect that will greatly enhance your images. Lastolite umbrella This translucent, white umbrella is placed so that sunlight shines through the fabric.This provides modelling light rather than the flat light you get from a ring flash. Canon Macro Twin Lite MT24EX You can adjust the flash ratio of each flash or fire only one of them.Experiment and you’ll soon learn which techniques and pieces of kit work best.Ĭolleen’s top tips for lighting macro subjects Mastering lighting techniques is key to producing great macro shots.
#POCKET SIZE REFLECTOR PHOTOGRAPHY MANUAL#
Manual exposure must also be used otherwise, the camera will attempt to correctly expose the background using a shutter speed that’s much too slow.
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#POCKET SIZE REFLECTOR PHOTOGRAPHY ISO#
I usually set a shutter speed of 1/160sec and an aperture between f/8-f/16, at ISO 100. The downside is that the flash will correctly expose the subject, but the background will be underexposed and may look dark and artificial.Īvoid this by keeping the background very close to the subject. The short duration of the flash freezes subject movement, allowing a smaller aperture to be used with the optimum ISO setting for image quality. Having a flash as the only light source can be especially useful when shooting handheld. Credit: Colleen Slater Consider the background Use a diffuser to filter harsh light and even out tones and colours. I find this gives the best results, making the subject stand out from the background. I usually use minus 1 or 2 stops of flash exposure compensation and set the camera to underexpose the background slightly. The trick to achieving a natural look is to balance the ambient light with the flash, and if done well, its use should be almost undetectable.įirst, take a shot to correctly expose the background, then introduce flash to expose the subject and alter the settings until it looks right. Fill lightįlash can be used as fill light to bring out the details, colours and textures of your subject, especially in the shadows. This offers a lot of control and more modelled light than that from using a ring flash. You can adjust the flash ratio and angle of each flash head or fire only one of them. The flash heads of the Canon Macro Twin Lite MT-24EX flash system I use are attached to the end of the lens, which helps to avoid this problem. The built-in flash on some cameras is best avoided as the light is harsh and doesn’t allow enough control over the power of the flash or its direction.Īlso, the flash may be obscured by the lens owing to the short working distance. Credit: Colleen Slater Using flashįlash allows a smaller aperture to be used, giving greater depth of field. Make use of shallow depth of field and selective focus for creative results.
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