Focus, focus, focus!

Focus is one of the most important elements in photography, it's main point is to communicate what the photographer is trying to show to the viewer. 

If the subject is a couple and the background is in focus and the couple out of focus then this contradicts the photographers intention to photograph the couple. 

Sometimes, focus is used artistically with a small amount of detail in focus within an image but should always be used to communicate what the photographer is trying to show you.

There are basic rules in portrait photography. If shooting a head shot and the subject is looking at the camera their eyes must always be in focus. There's no point in composing an image perfectly if you are going to focus on something intended to be in the background. When photographing full body shots of people you have more opportunity to get the focus right as you are likely to be further away from the subject and it is easier to get them in focus as a whole than to go close in and pick out smaller focusing points such as the eyes. 

The aperture used when the photograph is taken will determine the depth of field (the area in an image that will be in focus) the wider the aperture, the more will be in focus. 

Photographers who have been trained and understand the equipment they use will be able to manipulate the focus by using the aperture creatively therefore producing precisely focused images with a real artistic quality to them. 

Generally, if you have hired a photographer who shoots with the Auto Mode and nothing else this is an indication that they do not truly understand how to use their camera. It does not matter how much money they have spent on a camera, if they do not understand how to use it then they cannot give you the best results the equipment is designed to give. A good photographer could take a stunning photograph using a point and shoot camera. 

Watch out for photographers who may fall under the category of 'all gear and no idea.'

Passionate photographers who love what they do will have undertaken the relevant training (even if self taught) to take the best photographs they can and should have a good portfolio to show off the skills they have learnt.

Here are a few things to look out for when looking through a portfolio to help you choose a skilled photographer:

1. Variety. Are there a few images that look like the same picture but just edited differently or is one a cropped version of the other? - a good portfolio should have variety throughout, images from the same shoot are fine with a different pose, styling, lighting etc. There's no need for the same picture 6 times in different shades of black and white or a slightly different expression. Look for quality rather than quantity.

2. Lighting. Has the lighting been well thought out? Are there strong black shadows outlining people where they have just been blasted with a flash or has the photographer carefully placed their lighting source to make sure the lighting is not too harsh for the subject?  Has the photographer got photographs that show they understand how to light images differently to get varied lighting effects? For example, below is a photograph set up with low key lighting to create a moody atmosphere that just shows the model as my focus.

This low key effect is good for serious portraits. The lighting should be precise so that the models eyes are lit and there is usually a triangle of light on the side of the face with the least amount of light. This triangle of light should fall on the models eye and cheek. If the eyes are dark and have no catchlight (the white reflection of light on the iris) then a portrait can seem lifeless. 

Here is another photograph from the same photoshoot but with a different lighting set up to add variety to my models final portfolio prints.

By repositioning the lighting source to light more of the subject or adding another light in you get a completely different image. This shot is lit from slightly above the model and to the front of her to light her evenly and give a high key effect.

Another lighting set up that photographers may use in their portfolios is 'separation of light' This is where the light used to light the model is from a different source to that of the light used to light the background and the two are separated so not to over lap each other. Below is another image from the same shoot where separation of light has been used to add variety.

Often this lighting set up is obvious because the background light is a stop or two more than the light used to light the model. There will often be a vignette around the corners of the image on the backdrop as the light is often close to the background. A vignette is where the corners and edges darken/lighten or blur within an image as if framed with a sort of oval of light or blur. (sorry for the crap explanation!) Here's another image from a different shoot with a vignette to help explain:

3. Removed distractions. This one goes hand in hand with focus and composition. If, for example, I was photographing a couple on the beach and there was a person walking behind my subjects with a dog for example, I would wait for that person to get out of the shot before taking the photograph. Sometimes you can be cheeky and hide the distraction behind your subjects if they are far enough away to be hidden. Photographers should never just take the photo anyway as unwanted elements in a photograph are distracting and detract the focus from the subjects. 
I'll rummage through my archives for an example... Ok so I have found an example, its not people in the background its another unwanted object within the frame which should be removed either at post processing or when taking the photograph.

Obviously, the distraction and unwanted element in this photo is the light switch. The obvious way to avoid capturing this is to notice it when shooting, zoom in or change your positioning. If its not noticed until after the shoot has taken place it can easily be cropped or cloned in Photoshop. Leaving something like this in the shot, unless it is essential to show the setting, is usually a no no.

I hope this entry has been helpful. I will continue this post next time. Thanks for reading :D

Are you looking for a photographer to photograph the most important family moments of your life but aren't sure what to look for? This guide will be a professional insight into what to look for in a portfolio to make sure you book the perfect photographer for your wedding, portraits and family photo's.
Their are some key factors that you should know about to judge whether a photograph is of a high quality and professional. These key factors include, but are not limited to, Composition, Lighting, Focus, Posing, Attention to Detail, Variety and Perspective. 

Composition.
Composition is the way in which an image is composed. There are many rules which outline what constitutes good composition and I will try and describe them as best I can with examples. 

The above image is an example of good composition as the subject is looking to the side of her where there is negative space within the image, this helps communicate that this is where she is looking giving a connection to the negative space and the model. Whereas if the model was placed to the left of the frame and there was negative space behind her which she had her back too there wouldn't be any connection between the space and her making the two elements fit uncomfortably, creating bad composition.

The above image has a couple of points that need discussing, firstly, when I photographed this little lad under the sheet he was happy and crawling away as fast as we got him into position which is why his fingers and hands aren't in the frame as he was too quick for me! This would usually really bother me and I did take quite a few but this expression makes the image for me. So, compositionally, having any limbs cut off by the framing of a full body image such as this is always a no no in my opinion. To really make an image complete it is always good to include everything that you want to display this photo being the baby. The second point I wanted to make is that, forgetting the lack of limbs shown, the rest of the composition, mostly babies face and body in the frame are placed well to show the subject well. The rule of thirds says that when you place a grid over an image the composition of your photograph will be good if you place your focal point over where the lines cross within the grid. See below for and example:

Obviously, baby Cobi's face is the main focus in this image and as you can see it is placed on the crossing of the two lines in the grid, the rest of cobi's body covers two more crossing points which means he fills the frame well and is the obvious subject of the photograph.

Another element to take into consideration with composition are leading lines within the image. Some leading lines are good ones, pointing to the focal point and adding impact to the subject within an image. In contrast, some leading lines are detrimental to an image, they take away focus from the subject or split an image in two making an image difficult to flow compositionally. Lines can be of any type, straight wiggly, diagonal, anything that the eye can follow through the image. Depending on the image content lines can frame a subject within the frame of the photograph itself see below where the lines of the sofa frame Mia:

Usually photographs that use leading lines will have the subject smack bang in the middle of the photograph and the lines lead to behind the subject, the viewers eye follows the line into the image and stops moving when it gets to the subject. This means that the lines reinforce the subject as the focal point. The image below shows the meaning of this with the head board leading the eye into the subject in the middle of the frame.

Some photographers will use cropping after taking the photograph to get the desired composition but I strongly urge people to take the time to frame what they are photographing, zoom in if needed, move around to get the best angle on your subject and then take the photo with the composition sorted in the view finder rather than on the computer screen. This will save you time and improve your photographic technique.
Below is an example of bad composition, there is negative space behind baby's head, the crop is too close to the right of his little face and he is looking out of shot which stumps the flow of the image as the viewers eye imagines what he is looking at and realises there is nothing to look at not even negative space.

Simply shifting the composition to allow some negative space for your subject to look at allows the photograph to be viewed more comfortably by the viewer.

The crop is important when taking/editing your photographs, you need to establish which elements of your image you want to keep in the frame and decide which elements will be distracting. Another guideline for cropping is making sure that you have even spaces on either side of the subject on at least two sides of the frame. This will help keep your composition balanced and focus on the subject.

Lighting
Lighting is one of the most important elements in photography, if you can get your lighting spot on every time you can practice all of the other creative elements of photography and always have a perfectly exposed photograph.
Photographs are easy to overexpose especially because over exposure tends to make skin look clearer as it bleaches out any impurities. This is not the way to smooth out skin. Good photographers will be able to spot heal any blemished and skin tone should be as natural as it is in real life. You should always be able to see the different skin tones and pores if the picture is a close up. Here is an example of an over exposed image:

Notice how there are bleached out areas in her neck face and arm where they are simply too bright for any detail. The shadows and stronger colours are still visible but are too bright to be correctly exposed. The colour does stand out more and if that is the effect a photographer wants to go for they should have the right exposure and boost the saturation in post processing not just nuke the model with flash or upping the brightness as it destroys all detail in the highlights. 
Below is an example of the same photograph that has been under exposed.

Notice how the colours are murky and the skin tone is grey. usually you can tell an image is under exposed by looking at any white areas within the image, you should be able to see the detail in the white and you should also have white, not grey or an area too bright to focus on.
Below is the photograph correctly exposed.

You can see the pink skin tones and there is detail in her skin. The colours are strong and correctly exposed with no murky grey areas.

One of the most common mistakes and tell tale signs of an amateur photographer is the use of flash and the positioning of shadows within a photograph. The flash when used without a diffuser or without being bounced before lighting the subject is often very harsh creating strong shadows which outline the subject against a wall. I regularly see this in wedding photographs and am shocked because of the importance of the photographs. If you are given the privilege of being hired to photograph the most important day of a couple's lives then you should make sure you are qualified to do so. Especially if you consider yourself to be professional and charge professional prices. The lighting should be even and natural or set up specifically to studio standards not done half arsed with horrible dark shadows and bleached out portraits.
 
I will write about the other topics in my next post. 
Thanks for reading :D

If you haven't heard of Pinterest of have but don't really know what it is about you are missing out! Pinterest is a valuable resource for creatives such as designers, people organizing their own wedding, photographers, architects and people interested in home and lifestyle etc. The list goes on which is why Pinterest's popularity has shot through the roof since it was created in 2010 by Paul Sciarra, Evan Sharp, and Ben Silbermann. 

This weekend I had a photo session in wales. We found a beautiful ruined priory which I have noted for a possible fashion shoot location. Here's a picture.
I've also designed a website for another photographer and helped to upload and edit the photographs from the weekend. The website can be found at www.redyetiphotography.com.