​Shoot special light and shadow works

During the shooting process, canvas prints we often encounter more special light and shadows, such as Jesus light, rainbow, and reflection. In addition, through reasonable use of light characteristics or control of exposure, we can also shoot more special light and shadow images, such as candlelight, light painting, silhouettes, etc. No matter what type of special light and shadow picture, it will bring us a special visual experience. In order to be able to shoot more ideal special light and shadow works, photographers are advised to learn more about the characteristics of these special light and shadows and the issues that should be paid attention to during the shooting process.

Silhouette

Silhouette is a special way of tonal composition, canvas online which means that the scene image in the photo appears completely in the form of black, without volume and layer expression, but the outline is clear, and the effect of the picture is quite similar to China's traditional paper-cut art works. . The light of the silhouette picture is relatively large, the biggest feature is that the outline of the subject image is very clear. In the silhouette picture, although the texture of the subject is completely lost, the simple and clear outline can bring out the form and charm of the subject. Through the strong contrast of the tone, the modeling effect is summarized and vivid. Backlit silhouettes are a more common form of expression in landscape photography.

Silhouette is one of the most important skills in photography performance. To be in place, you need to pay attention to the following points.

Shoot with backlit light and choose a bright scene as the background.

When metering, large canvas prints a bright background is generally used as the metering object. If necessary, you can do 1 or 2 stops of negative exposure compensation, or use the M-stop full manual exposure mode to make the subject completely black. The difficulty in taking silhouette-effect photos is accurate metering and exposure. The photographer can switch the metering mode to spot metering or center-weighted metering. After metering the brighter part of the screen, press the exposure lock button, or record At this time, the exposure value is then switched to the M-stop manual exposure mode, and the exposure value is set to the value just recorded, and then recompose the shot; you can also use zone metering directly, and then make negative exposure compensation of about 2 stops. At this time, the subject in the frame appears as a black outline due to underexposure. It is not recommended to use F22 or even smaller aperture, because too small aperture will affect the image quality.

The beauty of silhouettes is mainly reflected in the morphological contours of the subject, so choose a good shooting angle when composing the picture and show its beautiful lines as much as possible. At the same time, you need to carefully observe the contrast between the subject and the background so that the two complement each other.

Reflection

Reflections are formed by specular reflection on the surface of an object, and can only be seen on surfaces that are relatively smooth and have a significant reflection effect. This is different from the shadows caused by obstacles encountered in the linear propagation of light. Reflection can reflect many characteristics of an object, such as color, three-dimensionality, etc. This is very different from a shadow that can only reflect the outline characteristics of an object.

The reflections of trees and sky clouds are dotted with dotted duckweed on the water surface, creating a fresh and romantic atmosphere.

The reflections in the water will change with the turbulence of the water waves, differentiating into charming shapes of different shapes. These interesting reflections not only form a dynamic and straightforward contrast with the real scene, but also give the real scene vitality.

The reflection of the trees in the water and the flowers on both sides make up a very comfortable picture.

Shaky, distorted, distorted reflections can form the effect of abstract paintings. For viewers, seeing such pictures will have various associations. Therefore, in landscape photography, many photographers like to make the reflection fill the entire picture in order to present an abstract artistic effect. Sometimes in order to express the tranquil beauty of the scene, there are only a few real scenes or no real scenes in the overall picture, but the audience can feel the quiet world from the reflection, which is the charm of the reflection.

Beautiful reflections can be seen everywhere. The water surface of rivers or lakes, standing water after rain, mirror-like floors, ice surfaces, etc. can all show reflections. Regardless of direct or scattered light, reflections can be produced even at night. Therefore, as long as you pay more attention, you can shoot a very special reflection film.

Pay attention to the following aspects when shooting reflections:

From the perspective of composition, the symmetry of reflection and real scene is more common. Many photographs with reflections fully reflect the beauty of symmetry, allowing the reflection and the entity to live side by side. The various parts of the scene, the color tone, and even some small plots are completely consistent, making people feel that the composition is balanced, harmonious, and full. At the same time, it also provides a rich imagination space, so that the contrast between the virtual and the real picture has a strong appeal. In order to avoid dullness of the picture, it is recommended that the ratio of virtual to real is different. For example, let the reflection occupy most of the area and the real scene only show a small part; the reverse is also possible, that is, the reflection takes up a small area and the real scene occupies a larger area. Add some wonderful meaning.

When using the reflection under the calm water surface as an important part of the picture, it is recommended to choose a smaller aperture, so that the reflection part can obtain a larger depth of field to clearly show the clearness of the water, plus appropriate hue, the overall picture will give people a very vivid visual experience.

To take different beautiful reflections, you need to master the shutter speed. Reflections in the breeze are often divided into subtle stripes or illusory forms. When there is no wind, the still water surface will be like a mirror, making the reflections look particularly clear and clear. When shooting, whether to choose a higher shutter speed to freeze the water surface, so that the reflection presents a real world, or choose a slower shutter speed to blur the details of the reflection, to create a special dynamic mood, need to be based on the specific situation. Sometimes these fascinating reflections will appear in the standing water of the road after the rain. At this time, the reflections are like colorful scrolls. They are extremely beautiful and must not be missed.

To ensure successful shooting, a polarizer is essential. This is because reflections are mostly generated on the water surface, and bright reflections will "deceive" us, causing the illusion that the light level is higher than the actual state. The polarizer can adjust the contrast of the water surface reflection, and strengthen or weaken the reflection effect as required. If you are shooting reflections in stagnant water, because the reflections are usually dark, you need to use a large aperture and high sensitivity, so that you can get a suitable exposure combination. For insurance, you can take a few exposures by taking a graded exposure and then pick the ones you like.

In order to obtain a long and strong reflection effect, it is recommended that the camera be as close to the water surface as possible. This is because the amount of near reflection is inversely proportional to the height of the viewpoint. If the site conditions do not allow it at the time, then a lens with a longer focal length may be used to compress the reflection in the water to fill the entire picture.

In the morning or evening, especially at sunset, the water surface is more colorful. The photographer needs to determine the foreground and theme in advance. At this time, the water surface echoed with the sky. The color of the water surface changed from light to dark, from orange to dark red, and from dark red to purple red. In this change process, you can use rocks in the water or trees on the shore as the foreground, and use the changing color patches on the water surface to set the foreground and theme. If it is a sunny water surface, you may wish to use the passing white clouds to reflect the distant and tranquility of the scene against the surrounding dark blue or green water surface when shooting the reflection. The most unexpected and wonderful reflection effect will appear after the sun goes down, and the surrounding objects will be blue due to the reflection of the cold sky light, and the color of the warm color object will change at this time. At this time, the warm colors of the remaining glow on the horizon reflected in the water can be used to form a contrast of warm and cold with the cool colors of the object, so that the entire picture is full of drama.

3. Mottled light and shadow

Most of the time, photographers are reluctant to incorporate mottled light and shadow into the picture because of the fear of making the picture messy. However, sometimes the mottled light and shadow in the picture will not only destroy the purity of the picture, but will add some to the picture or elegant, or smart, or distant atmosphere, make the picture more vivid and more interesting. If mottled light and shadow can be incorporated into the main body of the picture and become an integral part of the main body, then the meaning of the painting will be stronger.

When using mottled light and shadow as the main object of the picture, you should choose a dense and mottled part. Otherwise, the whole picture is likely to give people a messy feeling. At the same time, it is necessary to include the solid part in the picture. Don't just let the shadow of the object appear on the ground or the wall. Such a picture will be extraordinarily flat due to the loss of the sense of space.

If you are shooting a portrait in mottled light, you need to pay more attention when composing the picture. At this time, taking a half-length or seven-point portrait is more appropriate. It is not suitable to take close-ups, especially head shots. When shooting, choose mottled light and shadow as the background of the person or directly fall on the person in order to obtain the overall atmosphere of the picture. Placing the main character in this atmosphere can bring a special visual experience to the audience. Therefore, at this time, the environment is important; don't limit your performance too much. If the entity is used as the foreground, when shooting mottled light and shadow images with people as the main body, it can be selected according to the actual situation, that is, the shooting angle and composition must be adjusted.

It is recommended to use manual exposure mode, because the camera's metering may not be accurate for large areas of light and dark interlaced scenes, and it is prone to over or under exposure. It is best to use the RAW file format, so that the details in the dark parts can be retained, the gradation changes can be easily retrieved during post-processing, and the hue can be adjusted as needed. The image quality effect provided by the RAW format will be much higher than the JPEG format, and of course it will take up more memory card space.

5. Wreath of smoke

The lingering smoke is rich in change and mysterious, especially the smoke in the natural environment, which can bring people a sense of realism and reality. Against the background of the dark background, it is even more sluggish and smart. Its form is often not reproducible, floating frame canvas and it is not easy to capture its beautiful figure. However, for outdoor smoke, it is rarely taken as the main body of the picture, and more often it serves to create the atmosphere of the picture.