By Ian Magnuson
Executive Photo Editor
As the photographer of the Prospector, I will be posting photos each Wednesday night and explaining exactly how I captured the photograph for the aspiring photographer.
(Note) I will try to water down the technical aspects, but this blog is directed towards people who have a basic understanding of cameras and how to compose a picture.
‘Feeling the Music’
This photograph was taken with a 50mm prime lens. Prime lenses are generally sharper than zoom lenses, at the price of only having one focal length. Some people do not like prime lenses because they have to use their feet and not just a twist of their hand to get a tighter shot. I say these people are just lazy.
I use manual settings, not that the automatic setting is bad, it is just not as good as me (kidding). But really, I use manual because I can control the bokah (the blur in the background) and make the photo look exactly the way I see it in my mind.
Photo Stats:
shutter speed of 1/30 seconds, F-Stop of f/1.8, ISO speed of 100, and no flash.
The Camera:
Nikon D7000. Now don’t worry Canon shooters, I have nothing against any other camera brands, as long as you shoot well with what you have, you have chosen the correct camera.
The Lens:
Nikor 50mm prime. This piece of glass was made way before our seniors were born, back when dinosaurs roamed the earth and photographers had to use film (this is also before HD TVs, WiFi, cell phones, etc.).
The reason I chose this lens is because I knew I wanted the picture to have a very tight focal length and a lot of bokah. So, translated in English, I really wanted just Jillian’s finger in focus and the rest of the portrait out of focus.
Pre Shooting:
When shooting, it is up to you the photographer to show a side of life that most people do not see everyday. If you want to raise the bar, you should also be educated about what you are shooting (granted I had an unfair advantage, as I play violin).
Light:
Light is like one of those formulas in math that you must master early because it is the basis of the next fifteen chapters.
In the orchestra room there is already a decent amount of light so I did not need to use a flash but I could not go crazy and shoot at f/22.
I wanted the picture to be very clear where it is clear and soft where it is soft, so I put my ISO to 100 which is the slowest. And then put my F-Stop to 1.8 so I get the contrast between sharp and soft. To make sure I still get motion in Jillian’s hand, I set my shutter speed 1/30 sec.
Shooting:
When shooting, you want to look for the perfect angle that is both original and tells the full story. You should make sure the subject is completely in the photo.
Shoot often, but shoot smart.
Post Shooting:
I ran this photo through Photoshop. I made two layers, the bottom one full color the top black and white and then made it transparent so you could see a bit of the color.
I made this decision because it makes the photo have a special old feel to it.
