Mark answers several questions about street photography, with urban street portraiture as a focus. Watch as Mark walks through the process of capturing images while out and about in the city.
Gear used in this video
Category Archives: Digital Photography 1 on 1
The 60 Minute Challenge
Mark explains how to get outside and shoot a self-assignment in order to expand your photographic skills. He gives himself two assignments and spends an hour taking pictures and SEEING things that most people would just walk by.
Gear used in this video
Setting your camera correctly
If you’re new to photography, two of the most important things to learn are aperture and shutter speed settings as these will give you a lot of creative control. If you’re not sure what settings to use Mark has an easy to follow spreadsheet to help you determine the right settings. A lot of people have been asking where they can find the spreadsheet in today’s Digital Photography One on One video. You can download the spreadsheet by clicking here.
Gear used in this video
On Location Flash
I know, it’s been a while since we last updated the blog. We’ve been busy creating lots and lots of content for AdoramaTV. We’ve created 44 new videos. Ten of those have been new Digital Photography One on One episodes. We’ve been getting a lot of feedback and we’re working hard to keep the videos fresh and useful.
Last week we released Episode 20: On Location Flash and have seen more activity on this episode than most, so I thought I’d post it here as well as a few of the photos we shot for the video.
Model Katherine Lee. In this shot I overexposed the background and used a medium softbox to add some fill light on Katherine.
This image was shot using strong backlight. I used the softbox to balance the light. I adjusted colors in Lightroom before exporting.
This is an example of a balanced fill flash. Katherine was standing in the shade and without the fill flash she would have been almost completely underexposed. By matching the flash exposure to the ambient light I was able to create an image that looks like 100% natural light event though I used a flash.
Gear used in this video
- Profoto Acute-B 600R w/ lamphead
- Photoflex Litedome Platinum, Large 36″ x 48″ Softbox
- Sekonic L-758DR DigitalMaster, Programmable Digital Flash & Ambient Exposure Meter
- Canon EOS-5D Mark II Digital SLR Camera Body
- Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM AutoFocus Telephoto Zoom Lens with Case & Hood
- Manfrotto 055XPROB Black Tripod Legs
- Manfrotto Midi Ball Head 498 with RC2 Rapid Connect Plate
- PocketWizard MultiMAX Transceiver, Remote Control Radio Slave.
Depth of Field
In this episode I’m talking all about Depth of Field. Three things impact Depth of Field:
- Aperture
- Focal Length
- Distance from subject
After posting this video to YouTube a few people commented that I left out sensor size. Well the truth is that sensor size does not determine depth of field… but it does influence it. Let me explain.
If you have a smaller sensor and a full frame sensor both shooting at the same distance with the same aperture and focal length the DOF will be the same for both. Therefore, sensor size does not determine DOF. The problem is that with a small sensor you’ll need to use a wider angle lens or shoot farther from the subject to get the same scene as a larger sensor – and that will impact DOF because you’ve changed one of the three deciding factors.
So does sensor size impact DOF? No. But it does change how you have to shoot and that in turn does impact DOF. So yes, sensor size ultimately impacts DOF.
Gear used in this video
- Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II Digital SLR Camera Kit
- Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM AutoFocus Telephoto Lens
- Canon Speedlite 580EX II, Shoe Mount Flash
- Canon EF 16 – 35mm f/2.8L II USM Ultra Wide Angle Zoom Lens
- Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L USM AutoFocus Telephoto Zoom Lens with Case & Hood
- Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM AutoFocus Wide Angle Telephoto Zoom Lens with Case & Hood
7 lighting setups
As promised, Episode 11 is finally here. In this episode Mark demonstrates 7 basic lighting setups.
Light ratios
Bonus Material
- More information on Lighting Ratios (article)
- Understanding Key and fill light (video)
- F Stops (article with charts)
- Using a light meter (video)
Equipment used in this video:
- Profoto Softbox 4×6 RF
- Profoto Compact 1200R
- Profoto Softgrid
- Sekonic L-758DR light meter
- Pocket Wizard Plus II
- Canon 1Ds Mark II
- Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 L lens
- Manfrotto Tripod
Model: Megan Accordino
Choosing a great camera bag
In this episode Mark recommends a few camera bags.
Balancing flash and ambient light
The latest episode of DP 1on1 is finally here. In this episode Mark shows you how to use your Sekonic light meter to balance flash and ambient light. More are on the way soon!
Choosing a portrait lens
In this episode I talk about how our lens choices affect the outcome of portrait photographs. I’ll show you a little about wide angle lenses and how you can take a very cute picture of your dog. 