Chase the light. Do not chase the subject.
Beginners do this every time. They find an interesting person, take the photo, get home, and realize the subject was cool but the light sucks. That is why your images do not look like the ones online. It was never about the subject. It was always about the light.
Find the light. Shoot the light. Sit on the light. Learn the light. Adjust for the light. If you are patient, the subject will eventually walk into it. Then you have light plus color or black and white plus subject. Throw in a couple of weirdos and you are golden.
Bright pixels equal sharp pixels. With good light, the camera drinks in that light and does the work for you.
There is the 180 degree rule. Arms out, all the light in front of you, and you get dimension and depth. But backlit shots work too. Foreground highlights work too. Rules are starting points.
Stop spraying and praying. Practice makes imperfect. You are never going to be perfect, but if you like the work, what else matters?
On bright days, the settings that matter are shutter speed and aperture, not ISO. Lock your shutter speed. Set your aperture for depth of field. Then use the EV button, which adjusts ISO, the least of your concerns on a bright day.
Chase the light, reduce the light in the camera, crush the shadows in the camera. Get it right in camera and post becomes easy.
Like Janet Jackson said. Moth to the flame.
Leave a Reply