Lesson 7 Assignment

[John Boccanfuso]

These two images were taken on different days but at around the same time, so the sun is at about the same angle.

The first image (5018) was shot with just natural light. The angle at which the light is hitting the subject created hard shadows on their faces.

The second (6706) was taken with the sun at about the same angle but I used a speed-light with a silver bounce reflector attached to it. The light from the flash filled in the shadows that would have been made by the sun.

-John

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[Duncan Rawlinson]

Hi John,

Both of your images are perfect examples of what the assignment asked of you, both soft light and hard light. Well done!

Here is the exif data of your images:

http://photographyicon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/IMG_6706.jpg
Date Time Original: 2014:08:22 18:33:08
Exposure Time: 1/2000
F Number: f / 4
Exposure Program: Manual
ISO Speed Ratings: 250
Metering Mode: Pattern
Flash: Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode
Focal Length: 51mm
White Balance: Auto white balance
Make: Canon
Model: Canon EOS 6D
LensInfo: 24/1 70/1 0/0 0/0
LensModel: EF24-70mm f/2.8L USM
LensSerialNumber: 0000000000
Lens: EF24-70mm f/2.8L USM
Exif Version:
Color Space: 1
Date Time Digitized: 2014:08:22 18:33:08
Subsec Time Original: 77
Subsec Time Digitized: 77
Shutter Speed Value: 10.97
Aperture Value: 4
Max Aperture Value: 3
Focal Plane X Resolution: 1520
Focal Plane Y Resolution: 1520
Focal Plane Resolution Unit: 3
Custom Rendered: Normal process
Exposure Mode: 1
Scene Capture Type: Standard
Saturation: Normal
ExifIFDPointer: 234
X Resolution: 240
Y Resolution: 240
Resolution Unit: 2
Date Time: 2014:08:24 20:22:19
Software: Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 5.6 (Windows)
Artist: John Boccanfuso
DateCreated: 2014-08-22T18:33:08.77

http://photographyicon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/IMG_5018.jpg
Date Time Original: 2014:06:27 19:43:26
Exposure Time: 1/800
F Number: f / 3.20
Exposure Program: Manual
ISO Speed Ratings: 400
Metering Mode: Pattern
Flash: Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode
Focal Length: 200mm
White Balance: Auto white balance
Make: Canon
Model: Canon EOS 6D
LensInfo: 70/1 200/1 0/0 0/0
LensModel: EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM
LensSerialNumber: 0000000000
Lens: EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM
Exif Version:
Color Space: 1
Pixel X Dimension: 4500
Pixel Y Dimension: 3128
Date Time Digitized: 2014:06:27 19:43:26
Subsec Time Original: 00
Subsec Time Digitized: 00
Shutter Speed Value: 9.64
Aperture Value: 3.36
Max Aperture Value: 3
Focal Plane X Resolution: 1520
Focal Plane Y Resolution: 1520
Focal Plane Resolution Unit: 3
Custom Rendered: Normal process
Exposure Mode: 1
Scene Capture Type: Standard
Saturation: Normal
Image Width: 5472px
Image Height: 3648px
ExifIFDPointer: 300
BitsPerSample: 3
PhotometricInterpretation: 2
Orientation: 1
SamplesPerPixel: 3
X Resolution: 240
Y Resolution: 240
Resolution Unit: 2
Date Time: 2014:10:06 09:13:55
Software: Adobe Photoshop CS5 Windows
Artist: John Boccanfuso
DateCreated: 2014-06-27T19:43:26

Did you notice how much nicer looking a soft or relatively soft light situation is for portraits like these? The image of the children on the beach is 100x better than the other image and that’s just because the light was better. Well, to be fair almost everything about the beach image is superior.

This is a lesson about light and soft vs harsh light and you’ve aced that part. You’ve shown you certainly understand the difference and you’ve taken the initiative to experiment and learn about adding artificial light sources which is great. Adding light and modifying light is awesome!

I should note that you need to always be careful with composition though. In the case of the beach image your horizon is a bit crooked and you’ve cropped the young girls foot a little oddly.

Remember, fill the frame with your subject where possible. I have attached a possible better composition for this image to show you what i mean. Ideally this would be done in camera, not by cropping after the fact like I did. Notice how almost nothing is lost here, it’s still a lovely photo of two cute kids on a beach. It’s just more compelling IMHO…

For the other image the composition feels a bit awkward and your camera’s automatic white balance really couldn’t figure out what to do. I recommend manually setting your white balance.

Overall you’ve done quite well here with the core assignment.

Try to remember to set your white balance manually, keep your horizons straight, and fill the frame with whatever is interesing.

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[John Boccanfuso]

Thanks, Duncan! Your feedback is very helpful.

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