Focus on You

So many wonderful examples of backlighting in the Flickr gallery that you all made it very hard to choose one to focus on this week! But being partial to cats as well as the way the backlighting shows off the beautiful fur of this one made this image a favorite.  This was taken by Nikki Agnew of her mother's cat and I hope she frames it! You can see more of Nikki's beautiful images on her Photostream.  Thanks, Nikki, for sharing this with us!

Shoot What It Feels Like

by Judy

"Don't shoot what it looks like.  Shoot what it feels like." I try to keep this quote from photographer David Alan Harvey in mind when I'm shooting, but like many things, it is easier said than done.  

As photographers, we spend so much time learning the technical aspects of photography and perfecting these techniques.  I believe this to be a necessary step to good photography, but there comes a time when we must push some of the rules of photography aside to truly shoot what it feels like. 

Some times when I shoot, I'm unhappy with the way my photos come out.  They are usually technically correct, but they haven't captured the moment the way I had envisioned it.  I have found that one area of photography that I am usually able to capture "what it feels like," is through back lighting.  I was delighted when Kelly chose this to be our theme for June since back lit photos can be so magical.

Do you remember the old rule to always shoot with the sun at your  back?  (And do you have many an old photo, probably from your childhood, where everyone is squinting horribly into the sun as they pose for a photo?)  That rule needs to be thrown out when shooting backlit photos!

The backlit photo up top is far from technically perfect, yet it does capture "what it felt like." I love how back lighting can create an ethereal feel.

Back lighting can help you shoot what it feels like by bringing out the tiny details of your subject.

Back lighting can create magical silhouettes.

And, if paired with the golden hour, back lighting can create a magical golden glow over the most mundane field of weeds.  

I know that this monthly theme is almost over, but with summer's longer days and good weather to get outside and practice, I hope that you continue to capture some magic all summer long by back lighting your subjects and shooting what it feels like!

FOY Back Lighting

Our theme for this month is backlighting....what could be more perfect than the image of this beautiful setting/rising sun throwing its rays of light into this lovely scene. I especially like that it is b&w which seems to enhance those radiant beams. This beautiful image was created by "hiddendoorfour" on flickr.  To see more of her lovely images click on the following link https://www.flickr.com/photos/hiddendoorfour/.  Once again we thank you all for contributing to our flickr group, we so appreciate your interest and contributions.

Focus on You

Just look at this golden backlighting! How could I possibly resist sharing this stunning photo from our longtime friend, Leanne Strilchuk? It captures the beauty of summer light as well as the theme for June. Be sure to take a stroll through Leanne's Flickr stream.

Thank you, Leanne, for not only being a faithful reader but for sharing the beauty of your life and photography with us on Flickr and Instagram.

By the way, as of a few minutes ago, we have 17,869 photos in the Focusing on Life Flickr group! Thank you all for sharing with us through the years.

Everyday Magic

by Kelly

In the right light, at the right time, everything is extraordinary. ~Aaron Rose

They don’t call it the magic hour for nothing.

It’s that special, fleeting sixty minutes before the sun sinks down below the horizon.  The light is soft and golden. And it transforms even the most ordinary moments and humble of subjects into something extraordinary.

Wandering the neighborhood, camera in hand, that’s where you can often find me during the golden hour… on my quest to try to capture a little bit of this magic to bring home with me.

During the golden hour, my favorite lighting technique to use is backlight. Turning my lens towards the general direction of the sun, the light fills frame and bathes the whole scene in a soft, hazy glow.

But, if I adjust my position just slightly, rather a having the entire scene evenly lit... now I have a little more shadow but with a thin outline of light, right along the edges of my subject.

Pure magic.

This effect is known as rim light for the way it wraps around and illuminates the edges of the subject with a glowing thread of light.  I love the way it sort traces the outline of a subject and lifts it right off the background. I find it easiest to achieve this look by positioning myself so that the light is coming in from the side of my frame.  Then I will underexpose my shot by one to two stops so as to keep the features of the subject somewhat in the shadows.

The thing to remember with rim lighting is that it’s more about capturing an overall effect rather than capturing the details of the scene.  And because of the high contrast, it's a great technique for adding some drama and mood into your images.

Playing with light.  It inspires me and fills me up in a way that nothing else does.  As always, I thank you for letting me share that with all of you.


Until next time,

Kelly

Capturing the Magic of Summer

by Kelly

The month of June plays host to the summer solstice and the longest days of the year.  And as photographers, that means more daylight hours for enjoying all that summer goodness.  One of my favorite ways of capturing the magic of summer is by shooting with backlight.

It can be a bit tricky though, so today I thought I might share with you a couple of examples of how I manage my camera settings to help me achieve the look I'm going for.

As the name suggests, backlighting means shooting in the general direction of the light source - in the examples I will share with you today, that would be the sun.  The light source is behind the subject so there is a considerable amount of light coming in to the camera's sensor.  And therefore the camera's 'correct' exposure will often read a little dark.

Here is SOOC shot I took of my lavender blooms in the morning sun.

My camera was set to use 'Evaluative Metering' which reads all the light from the entire frame and adjusts the exposure accordingly.  This shot is what the camera thinks is the 'correct' exposure...and to be honest, I'm not really all that unhappy with it.  In fact I quite like the delicate rim light around the individual lavender petals.

But this shot doesn't convey my delight with seeing the sun this morning for the first time in days.  It was so light and bright and I wanted my photo to reflect that.  So I overexposed my shot by two stops with the following results.

Now this is more like what I saw in my mind's eye....soft and dreamy.  Bright and airy.  This shot more accurately reflects how the morning felt to me.  And so this is the shot I chose to use.

So the next thing I did was open the Develop Module in Lightroom to give it a few subtle tweaks.

I reduced the highlights and boosted the presence a slight bit.  Then I played with the tone curve to give it a nice matte finish.  Then as a final touch I sharpened it slightly and added a bit of a vignette. Here's the final image.

Of course, keep in mind that there is not 'right' or 'wrong' exposure....the question to ask is, does this shot tell the story that you are trying to tell.  So let your heart lead you and then adjust your camera accordingly.

We are so excited to see your wonderful Golden Hour goodness this month.  Share with us all your magic moments in our Flickr pool or on Instagram with the hashtag #focusingonlife.

Until next time,

Kelly