I love shooting candles.
At almost every wedding, you can see me hunched over tables shooting them. Why do I do this? Because it's fun. And, because it looks cool. No... I don't look cool shooting it! The picture looks cool. :)
Check out the shot of this lonely candle... cool, huh? Sometimes the best images are the simple ones.
What makes it cool is the lighting. I don't use flash for these shots. A flash would just wipe out the glow of the light from the flame. And, it would probably leave a reflection on the glass bowl as well. Better to shoot it "au natural."
While you're looking over the photo, check out the shallow depth of field too. Parts of the image are in focus, but other parts aren't. The green glow in the background was probably light bouncing off from some object in the back. If it was in focus, it would take away from the main subject, the candle. I could have Photoshopped it out, but decided it was ok to leave it. Besides, it helps balance the upper part of the photo and adds a little more color to the image too. Maybe you like that, maybe you don't. But regardless, it's there because that's reality. Taking too much out using computers sometimes isn't a good thing.
4 comments:
Cool shot! By the way, we think you look cool too with your camera belt and jet black shirt and pants! Someone commented it was like a Ninja taking photos at our wedding.
Ha! Good one!
Actually, that's a good analogy because if I were a Ninja, I could move around without being noticed and I'd be the best Photojournalist out there!
Black seems to be the universal color for photographers. We are actually less noticed when we blend into the background.
I just started wearing the black shirt and black pants with a tie instead of a full suit jacket. This year was SO HOT that having a full jacket on all day was next to impossible and still work quickly. I think the black shirt, tie and black pants was the best solution for everyone concerned. I'll probably make that my normal wedding attire moving forward. People don't seem to mind as long as I have a tie on. :)
Thanks for your comment.
How do you blur the background and keep the candle in focus?
Creating a shallow depth of field can be accomplished in several ways... open the lens up to a wide aperture, use a telephoto lens or get really close to your subject and use a macro lens.
I'll discuss this more on another entry later!
Post a Comment