FXHome PhotoKey 3

Recently I was given the opportunity to do a review on some green screen software. I had never done any green screen work before but it was a real enjoyment. Here is the link to the review...

www.photographycorner.com/product-reviews/software/fxhome-photokey-3

Thanks to FXHome and the PhotographyCorner.

Morgan & Little O

While doing todays shoot with Payton I wanted to photograph my friend and her son. It has been awhile since they have had a photo done together so I wanted to be able to help.

Payton

Today I had a wonderful shoot my a friends child, Payton. She is adorable and extremely photogenic.

Absence...

I would like to apologize for my absence lately. My busy schedule has taken me away from updating my blog like I should be. I promise more will be posted soon.

Tiffany again...

Megan & Mike's wedding

Saturday May 1st 2010 I had the honor to photograph good friends wedding. I was a beautiful ceremony and was a thrill to attend. Huge congratulations Mike & Megan and God bless!

Understanding ISO and using it creatively

I honestly think too many people are caught up on the "must shoot with the lowest ISO possible" scenario. Instead of being caught up in the technical mumbo jumbo everyone needs to remember that a photograph is art and the photographer is a painter.

Each photographer has their own style, some you may like and some you may not. I hear people complaining all the time about an image being too noisy and using noise reduction software to fix it. Don't get me wrong, its not that I dont agree with it because I used one myself but when someone runs across an image that is "too noisy" they trash it.

Having noise in your image to me gives the feeling of a timeless moment and depending on the subject and look your going for don't be afraid to crank up the ISO and see how creative you can get.

I just recently picked up a 50D and it's capable of ISO 12800.. I decided to play around with it and see what I could come up with. As I said, get creative and create art that you are happy with, not everyone else (excluding clients).

All of these shots were taken at ISO 12800 on the 50D...

Here is an explanation of ISO perhttp://digital-photography-school.com/iso-settings#ixzz0lPSCstur

In traditional (film) photographyISO (or ASA) was the indication of how sensitive a film was to light. It was measured in numbers (you’ve probably seen them on films – 100, 200, 400, 800 etc). The lower the number the lower the sensitivity of the film and the finer the grain in the shots you’re taking.

Digital Photography ISO measures the sensitivity of the image sensor. The same principles apply as in film photography – the lower the number the less sensitive your camera is to light and the finer the grain. Higher ISO settings are generally used in darker situations to get faster shutter speeds (for example an indoor sports event when you want to freeze the action in lower light) – however the cost is noisier shots.

100 ISO is generally accepted as ‘normal’ and will give you lovely crisp shots (little noise/grain).

Most people tend to keep their digital cameras in ‘Auto Mode’ where the camera selects the appropriate ISO setting depending upon the conditions you’re shooting in (it will try to keep it as low as possible) but most cameras also give you the opportunity to select your own ISO also.

When you do override your camera and choose a specific ISO you’ll notice that it impacts the aperture and shutter speed needed for a well exposed shot. For example – if you bumped your ISO up from 100 to 400 you’ll notice that you can shoot at higher shutter speeds and/or smaller apertures.

When choosing the ISO setting I generally ask myself the following four questions:

1. Light – Is the subject well lit?
2. 
   
3. Grain – Do I want a grainy shot or one without noise?
4. 
   
5. Tripod – Am I using a tripod?
6. 
   
7. Moving Subject – Is my subject moving or stationary?
8. 
   

If there is plenty of light, I want little grain, I’m using a tripod and my subject is stationary I will generally use a pretty low ISO rating.

However if it’s dark, I purposely want grain, I don’t have a tripod and/or my subject is moving I might consider increasing the ISO as it will enable me to shoot with a faster shutter speed and still expose the shot well. Of course the trade off of this increase in ISO will be noisier shots.

Situations where you might need to push ISO to higher settings include:

• Indoor Sports Events – where your subject is moving fast yet you may have limited light available.
• 
  
• Concerts – also low in light and often ‘no-flash’ zones
• 
  
• Art Galleries, Churches etc - many galleries have rules against using a flash and of course being indoors are not well lit.
• 
  
• Birthday Parties – blowing out the candles in a dark room can give you a nice moody shot which would be ruined by a bright flash. Increasing the ISO can help capture the scene.
• 
  

ISO is an important aspect of digital photography to have an understanding of if you want to gain more control of your digital camera. Experiment with different settings and how they impact your images today.

My friends son Alex...

Just a few snaps in the backyard the other day...

New 50D...

Just wanted to share with everyone that I picked up a new body and its a big upgrade from my 30D's.

Last nights shoot with Tiffany...

I've been pretty busy with shoots lately and enjoying every minute of it. Last night Tiffany (MM# 1407365) stopped by for some shots for her portfolio.

Tiffany was a pleasure to work with, laid back and relaxed. I enjoy shoots like that, don't rush it, just have fun and be creative. All in all she is very pleased with the images I was able to provide for her and we're planning on another shoot already.

Here are some of the shots...

Danielle & Lowell

What a fun shoot! Thanks to Danielle (MM# 1550924)...

Model Mayhem

I've recently started being more active on Model Mayhem, here is the link to my page...

http://www.modelmayhem.com/1258848

New ad...

Just wanted to share the new ad I created and would love to hear some thoughts about it.

Portrait special!

From now until March 1st I have an almost half off special on solo and couple portraits! If anyone has wanted shots done than now is the time to jump on this deal because the dates are filling up quickly!

Check out the prices on my site at scott-halford.com and as always, thanks for looking.

Finally made it home!

After a busy past few weeks I am set up and ready to start doing shoots again.

I can honestly say it feels good to be back in Texas, North Carolina never really grew on me. Now that I am in the Harker Heights area and ready to shoot just hit me up and set up an appointment. You can see my prices on my site here, scott-halford.com.

Thanks for stopping by and looking forward to my upcoming shoots.