You can take great photos today, with the camera you own right now.

Photography literally means, “writing with light.” The quality of the light dictates the quality of your photograph more than the camera you are using. Finding great light will improve the quality of your photographs more than buying a new camera.

Finding the Light

One of the best locations for a photograph is next to a window, preferably one facing the north. Professional photographers spend hundreds, even thousands of dollars on specialized lighting equipment to duplicate this quality of light in the studio. You can have it for free.

I am a big fan of using flash creatively, but knowing how to find great light is just as important as knowing how to create it. Besides, if you know how to find good light, you can use any camera.

What Settings Do I Use?

The best part about using window light is, you can fire away in PhD Mode, or “Push Here Dummy.” Just be sure to turn off the flash. You’re trying to avoid the harsh, unflattering look of direct flash here. There may be enough ambient light for the camera to decide flash isn’t necessary. Consult your camera’s manual to find out how to turn it off.

During the day, the light outside your house is several times brighter than the light inside. Don’t put your subject between the window and the camera, unless of course, you want a silhouette. Your camera may also have a “backlight” setting that helps you out in a situation like this.

I used my point-and-shoot camera in auto mode to take the photos you see here. I did a little tweaking in Photoshop, but with a little practice, you can get great images right out of the camera. You don’t have to plant your child right in front of the window. Open up those drapes or blinds and let the light come in. You’ll end up with a large and directional source of light that gives shape and definition.

A Few More Tips

Your toddler is a fast little bugger. How many times have you missed the shot due to that darn shutter lag that point-and-shoot cameras still have? It’s gotten better, but there’s still a little lag time. It feels even longer if you’ve ever had the pleasure of using a DSLR.

• A tried-and-true method is to do a half-press of the shutter to let the camera’s auto-focus lock on. This will take a half a second or so. When your little one is in the frame, press the shutter all the way down. This should increase the number of keepers you get. Don’t worry about perfect focus. Your point-and-shoot camera has some fudge factor here.
• You can Google “the rule of thirds,” for the long explanation. The short version goes like this: don’t put your subject dead-center in the frame. A slightly off-center composition makes for a more compelling photograph.
• Get down on the floor! People and children look their best when the film plane (or sensor plane) is perpendicular to the floor. This works for pet pictures too. Standing up and shooting down distors perspective and makes heads loom large. Full body length portraits are actually taken with the camera at waist level.

Subscribe in a reader
Subscribe to 21st Century Dad by Email

Renee posted about Twilli reaching the 9 month mark today. We acknowledge this milestone on the 7th of each month.

Every expectant couple hears, “it goes by so fast.” Sometimes it’s followed by, “take lots of pictures.”

To commemorate the milestone, I used to set up the whole Strobist rig and dress her in a nice outfit. I haven’t done that this month… or last month. The number of photos I take of Twilli is on a downward trend. Maybe I just get a higher percentage of “keepers.”

Our video coverage has been spotty. It will have to step up soon. Twilli is quickly approaching the day she will take her first real steps. Just like we were ready with the “baby bag” during the last month of pregnancy, we must keep a video camera in a high state of readiness.

Sometimes I feel like I’ve neglected my family duty by not taking more photos. I have more digital imaging horsepower at my disposal than most of my peers. Now I realize I’d rather have a few great photos of my children than a bunch of mediocre ones.

Subscribe to my RSS Feed!

Subscribe in a reader

Subscribe to 21st Century Dad by Email

Digital Photography Has Revolutionized the Way We Preserve Family Memories

Within a week of getting your first digital camera, you already know why it’s so awesome to have one. It takes a little longer to realize the bad that comes with the good. You have a hard drive full of photos and they’re all disorganized.

My method of organizing photos requires no special software and works on any operating system. What’s even more amazing is, my method is free and easy.
Read the rest of this entry »

Just caught wind of some great deals on Amazon. I normally pimp the ‘zon on Fridays, but this deal is too good to wait another day. Your tax refund is on its way, maybe it’s already here.

Amazon is giving $100 instant rebates if you buy any of the following cameras:

• Nikon D40 with the 18-55mm kit lens
• Nikon D40x with the 18-55mm kit lens
• Nikon D80 with the 18-135mm kit lens

The savings are deducted separately during checkout so take a short hop of faith and add the items to your cart. You will need to do that to see the discount applied. Select Amazon as the seller (if the option is available) otherwise, you’ll miss out.

The instant rebate on the D40 will bring its price down to point and shoot territory. If you’ve been thinking about getting a DSLR, now is the time. After showing off the photos you take with your new Nikon DSLR, people will tell you “What kind of camera do you have? Your camera takes great pictures!” You can smile and say, “My children love Harry Potter, Ms. Rowling! What version of Microsoft Word do you use?”

But wait. There’s more! Amazon is also offering rebates on select lenses too! Extend your reach with some of these telephoto zooms:

• 55-200mm
• 55-200mm VR
• 70-300mm VR

The 55-200 paired with the kit lens will give you just about every focal length you’ll need for general shooting. I’d spring for the VR version. VR (”Vibration Reduction”) is Nikonese for image stabilization. You need faster shutter speeds at longer focal lengths. VR is like having a virtual tripod. My point-and-shoot has image stabilization and it’s addicting.

They’re not pro-grade lenses, but they are a HUGE step up from the mega-zoom point-and-shoot you were duped into buying. Those silly 10x zoom cameras are totally worthless for sports photography. As long as your kid’s soccer game is during daylight hours, these lenses will be fine.

Now that I’ve convinced you (and hopefully your wife) that you need a DSLR, it’s time to take your lighting to the next level. A well-lit 6 megapixel image will trump a poorly lit 12 megapixel image any day. The word photography literally means “writing with light.” You will still take the same crappy photos with a $2000 camera if you don’t increase your knowledge base.

Increase your knowledge base through one of my favorite blogs of all-time - Strobist.

The winky little flash on your digital camera is responsible for more red-eye than every instance of demonic possession ever documented by paranormal experts. Its location near the lens axis provides the most unflattering light ever known to mankind (think of your driver’s license or passport photo). When you have an external flash unit (or multiple flash units) positioned away from the camera, it makes your photographs come to life with a 3D-like quality. Strobist teaches you how to do it.

I debated whether or not to really pimp Strobist here on 21st Century Dad, but I have to admit it. I am a pathetic Strobist fanboy! David Hobby is the MacGuyver of lighting. I’m doing more with two small flashes, some free sample gels, and stuff lying around the house than I ever did with an entire professional studio strobe setup. The studio strobes are now sitting in someone else’s closet gathering dust. Now my wallet weighs more and my lighting bag weighs less.

I’m so grateful that I had the chance to learn how to use off-camera lighting. My daughter’s first year is being documented in a much more satisfying way. I’m getting professional results from a pretty minimal rig that’s easy to use. We’ll never have to drag her to JC Penney. With some more tools in my toolbox, I’m also able to get some the most elusive photos of all - photos of angst-ridden teenage boys.

Just as it was when you made the jump from point-and-shoot to DSLR, you can run on a sort of a semi-automatic mode until your comfort level and knowledge increase. The most basic Strobist techniques already improve your photos dramatically. As your ambition and budget grow, your creativity does too. It doesn’t have to cost much at all. For around $200, you can get a complete starter kit.

When you buy your Strobist kit, you might want to pick up a battery charger and some rechargeable AA’s too. I recommend the La Crosse Technology BC-900 AlphaPower Battery Charger and Sanyo Eneloop NiMH AA batteries. Standard NiMH batteries lose their charge over time, even when unused. The Eneloops don’t. Strobists are among the most demanding and critical users of AA batteries. You can get an 8-pack on Amazon for a little more than the 4-pack at your local discount store.

David started the blog in February of 2006 as a way to store his notes. It has since grown to get over 1 million page views a month. He took a leave of absence from his job in June of 2007 to focus on the blog full-time. David is an inspiration photographically, but he’s also one of the reasons I started blogging. He made the right decision for his family and for 200,000 daily readers. The blogger’s lifestyle allows David to spend more time with his favorite Hobbys - Susan, Emily, and Ben.

Buy your Strobist kit on Amazon