Researching Photographic Techniques & Lighting

With regard to photographic techniques, I am going to need to explore full use of my SLR, building on skills acquired in my AS portfolio. Taking a 'sharp' image, which stands out and grabs my audience's attention is important for the success of my magazine. By setting my camera up correctly it will allow me to do this. When shooting with an 18mm lens for example, a smaller aperture such as f/16 can be used alongside a shutter speed of something about 1/30sec - this will ensure a tripod isn't needed. Furthermore, I need to make sure I don't increase the ISO above 200-400, as this will mean that my images will increase in noise and therefore decrease in image quality. 

In order to take quality photographs which will grab my audience's attention and also represent the same ideas as that of current regional magazines, I need to research and explore the different types of lighting and techniques when it comes to outdoor photography. It's important to get the lighting to a professional standard, and catch the sky at specific times of day to ensure that the final images have that professional edge. Without use of lighting kits and a studio set up, I am going to need to explore how I can do this effectively. 

Outdoor Lighting:

When exploring outdoor lighting I need to take into account the quantity, colour and quality of the light at my disposal. Due to sunlight not being a constant source of natural lighting - it can change hourly, and even seasonally we see differentiations - shapes and toning on the landscape can fluctuate. The colour of lighting that we see at different time of day and during different weather is one of the most important factors I am going to need to take into consideration. From a range of hazy colours to strong, vibrant colours and darker, wintery colours, I will need to understand how these affect my photographs.  

I am also going to have to explore how shadows will change the mood of my photographs. To starters, direct sunlight will give me 'hard' light due to the heavy, dark shadows and good highlights - I will see this kind of light clearest at mid day in the summer. In contrast, weaker light with appear as if it's 'directionless', and will lead to nicely saturated images. External elements such as haze, air pollution and mist will all detract from a strong 'hard' light.

Front Lighting:

Regarding the position of the main light source (the sun), when shooting outdoors is something which will effect the mood and styling of an image. Front lighting is the lighting style when the main light source is behind the back of the photographer. An issue when using this type of lighting is that it creates a 'flat' image, where detail isn't 'brought out' and no shadows are visible. In order to add depth to an image, making it stand out, and in my case grabbing my audience's eye, it's important to use techniques such as 'side lighting'.

Side Lighting:
By choosing to shoot with use of side lighting, it can allow for a three dimensional effect to be caused, allowing for certain aspects to stand out. When changing the camera's view point, from a 'front lighting' stance, the light will fall slightly to one side, allowing texture and depth. As the light depth increases, more of a 3D effect is created and extra details in the image are accentuated. One particular photography style where this benefits dramatically is black and white photography. Tones are highlighted more dramatically when the angle of light is changed, allowing for striking photographs. Beach images should also benefit as textures show through and ripples are further highlighted. 

Back Lighting:
Back lighting is when the sun is in front of the photographer and also the subject of the image. Here, the subject in the image is back-lit because the sum is coming straight towards the camera. When shooting with a subject, a model for instance, backlighting is more effective than front lighting because the model doesn't have to squint to see the camera. However, artificial lighting is required here in the form of a flash due to backlighting creating a silhouette effect. A lens hood is a good tool to use to ensure that an undesired lens flare isn't created.

reference: http://photoinf.com/General/NAVY/Basic_lighting_techniques-_Outdoor_and_Existing_ligt_photography.htm