Who says you can’t have fun in the rain? Tired of being rained in so often these past few weeks, we took out an umbrella and said what the heck. I mean, c’mon it’s Southern California right?… it’s not supposed to rain this often. Anyways, even though it was a bit big on her, Kay picked up my sister-in-law’s red coat because… well, it’s bright red. We figured the red would provide a good contrast to the gray gloomy day. I think this idea stems back to my grade school days where we’d watch films on rainy days. One such film that I loved was a 30min 1956 short french film “The Red Balloon” by Albert Lamorisse. It was such a wonderful story about a boy and his red balloon. (I bet this timeless story inspired Disney’s “Up” movie) Do you remember watching this in grade school? Watch it again… it’ll be a nice trip down memory lane. Never seen this short? You must, the story transcends time, language and culture. Here’s the whole short film. *sigh*.. I digress.
Back to photography =) The photos below were all taken under natural light; we didn’t want to wreck our lighting gear under the rain obviously. How did I protect my camera? Punched a whole on one side of a plastic grocery bag from the local market… instant camera rain coat =). So what is it that amazes me about these photos? They were taken around 5pm… which under a rainy overcast sky is pretty dim lighting conditions. This is where a lens capable of a wide aperture (f1.4 here) and an advanced DSLR body with great high ISO performance will help a lot (translation: low / pleasing camera noise in dim lit conditions). Take any photos near sunset time and you’ll realize how quickly it gets dark on you. The pictures below were taken at ISO 640, then 1100, then 1400 and finally 1600. Even with 1600 ISO, the photos are still at a very acceptable quality. Generally, the higher your ISO setting is, the more sensitive it is to light (meaning you can use it in lower light conditions). However, as you go up in ISO, more grainy camera noise is also introduced. The better gear will preserve the quality of your photos better in dimmer light. If you’ve been thinking about upgrading your camera or lenses, these are the differences you’ll notice. Feel free to ask if you have any gear related questions. I’m more than willing to dump a 2 page email on ya. =)
Hope you guys enjoy the photos below, even if there are just a few. I hope they motivate you to not let a rainy day spoil your picture whoring plans. =p Theme of the last few weeks: Get inspired, get out there and shoot, no matter what the conditions are.
prettygeekyphotos
prettygeekyphot
LOL Kay looks beautiful as always :3 Although she must have had an impressive wet spot after sitting down XD
These photos should be used for the cover of a korean drama!
They turned out great even with the rain and I loved the theme behind the shoot.
Wow, the red looks so beautiful! I love the clear umbrella, this whole style looks retro chic, I love it!
how cute! love the umbrella!! and very cute theme…. u should’ve gotten rain boots!!! =)
That jacket looks familiar. Very bright and pretty jacket. Need to get me one.
cute! and I lovvve the umbrella!
OMG Kay! I was thinking about this umbrella/rain idea for my self portrait!! You stole my idea!!! haha jk i loove love love the photos. Nice jacket too! =]
Oh by the way Ty, I have a question. Looking at all your pictures the backgrounds are always so soft and blurred out, but the picture isn’t too zoomed in. How do you get that? I know that the more zoomed up you are, the background will naturally blur out, but the first photo…the background is so blurred out. Give me some tips buddy! I have to do my self portrait photos this weekend for my photography class and the tip/advice would be nice to know. Get back to me. =D
@ Panhia
The first photo above was taken at: 85mm @ f2.0 ISO 1400. At an f2.0 aperture everything in the background will be blurry. Getting the background soft and blurred can be achieved in a few ways however.
1) The easiest (but most expensive) way to get it is to narrow your depth of field (lowest f-stop number). This will get your subject (main focal plane) in focus… the rest in front and behind is blurred. I say this is the most expensive path because lenses that have fixed f-stops from 1.4 – 2.8 are more expensive than the general variable aperture lenses (usually f3.5 – 5.6).
2) Get closer to the subject and then zoom in some more. This will create a similar blurred background affect, but not nearly as effective as having a lens capable of large apertures (f 1.4 – 2.8). The wider your aperture can open, the less zooming, moving in is required to create that desired affect.
Note: You need not buy lenses, you can always rent then. Try these places http://www.borrowlenses.com/ or http://www.lensrental.com .. this will usually run you $100/week for pro grade lenses though.
Good luck and have fun taking photos!
Thanks Ty. I will have to do your tip #2, cos as of right now..I have no mulahs to buy or rent any lenses. but yay, I’m excited! Keep posting up photography tips. I like ‘em! =D You guys should have a category of just photography tips.
I LOVE the vibrant colors in this shoot guys! Great job picking the red coat, the contrast is beautiful as expected!