The Digital Photography Companion

GAINING SPEED

TAKE PICTURES FROM THE STANDS AT SPORTING EVENTS

109

Of course, sometimes you’ll have no choice but to use your camera’s flash indoors. It’s

very convenient, and you do get a recognizable picture. But when you have the luxury

of setting up an artistic portrait in a window-lit room, try existing light only.

First, position the model near a window and study the scene. You can’t depend solely on

your visual perception, because your eyes and brain will read the lighting a little differ-

ently than the camera will, especially in the shadow areas. You will see detail in the dark

areas that the camera can’t record.

is is why you’ll probably want to use a reflector to bounce some light into the shadow

areas. Many photographers swear by collapsible light discs, but a large piece of white

cardboard or foam core will work just as well. Place your reflector opposite the window

and use it to bounce the light onto the dark side of the model’s face. is will help to fill

in the shadow area so that you can see some detail.

Now put your camera on a tripod and slowly squeeze the shutter button. Review the

image on the LCD monitor. If the shadow area is too dark, you may want to add another

reflector. If the overall image is too dark, turn on exposure compensation, set it to +1, and

try another picture. If the color balance of the image is too cool (bluish), you may want to

set the white ...