You have probably heard this a million times, but the secret behind great photographers is that htey have developed an eye for lighting.  Watching the sun at different times of the day and how it reflects form walls, on plants, on someone’s face etc.

This also rings very true when trying to take photos of silhouettes.  A photo with a bright background and only an outline of a person or subject matter.  The key is to make sure your subject is in front of a bright background and then using your camera and setting the exposure to expose for the brightest part of the photo.

This will ensure that your subject matter is dark and only shows the outline with a well exposed background.  This can make for very eye catching, dramatic photos.  The kind which will make you look twice.

Don’t you just love this photo!   Roedean private girls school in South Africa commissioned us to do these silhouette photographs for them as part of redoing the image of the school as well as for their new marketing campaign for 2010.  Our aim was to capture girls silhouetted indifferent parts of the school so as to signify that it could be any girl at this magnificent school.

Roedean school os full of heritage, this school has existed for more than 100 years and they just have a historical tale for just about everything in this school.  It is such a privilege for Louise and I to be part of this heritage and share in everything they stand for.

In photography you will always be really good at some area or another, be it photographing people, cars or food.  The others you will just have to work that little bit harder.  So my advice to anyone trying to capture great silhouette photos is to never stop experimenting.  PS-Time of day is also a very important factor.  The sun needs to be very low in the sky (early morning or late afternoon) to help make your photographic journey a little bit easier!

Riani

Journey Through Java (Click to Learn More)

This new eBook offers a peek into the work and techniques of Mitchell Kanashkevich. Journey Through Java is the fifth in Craft & Vision’s series: The Print & The Process. Mitchell Kanashkevich is a curious world wanderer and a travel/documentary photographer who works passionately and skillfully to create exceptional images of some of the most amazing places in the world.

Journey Through Java is now available through the award-winning Craft & Vision website. Click Here to Get the Book Now

The eBook is built around a series of images from his journey around East Java, predominantly Ijen Crater, Mount Bromo and the Island of Madura. By exploring the idea of photographing in iconic/famous places Mitchell delves into the heart of what it takes to find your own voice and story. He’ll unpack the processes behind his creative decisions and he doesn’t shy away from practical topics; such as, types of light, off-camera flash in a softbox, and choosing the right angles. Mitchell doesn’t stop there. He goes beyond surface level impressions and shares his insights into how to create deep and meaningful photographs.

Mitchell Kanashkevich is a freelance travel and documentary photographer. He travels the world and shoots personal projects as well as travel related stories and stock photos for Getty and Corbis Images. Mitchell’s main passion lies in capturing disappearing ancient cultures and the human condition in unique, challenging situations. His work has appeared in some of the world’s top photography magazines, on book covers, in ad campaigns and has made its way into private photo collections around the world.

Journey Through Java – Print & Process eBook (Click to Learn More)

In this book, Mitchell explains his approach to documentary photography and  breaks down the photographic process and everything that it involves—from the philosophical side of things, to the gear used, to the practical considerations that make it possible to be in a position to capture the images.

Special Limited Time Discount:

For the first four days only, if you use the promotional code JAVA4 when you checkout, you can have the PDF version of Journey Through Java – The Print & The Process for only $ 4 OR use the code JAVA20 to get 20% off when you buy 5 or more PDF ebooks from the Craft & Vision collection. These codes start at 1:00am PST, September 30, 2010 and expire at 11:59pm PST October 3, 2010.

Journey Through Java is now available through the award-winning Craft & Vision website. Click Here to Get the Book Now

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PictureCorrect Photography Tips

It’s Christmas Day! – Merry Christmas!!

Well, it’s finally Christmas!No more sleeps until we leave! It’s been a crazy day opening presents from Father Christmas, pack, quick visit to Uncle Tom, Tameryn and Yin and then rushing to do some last minute packing and then the wait – waiting to get dropped off at the airport, waiting to board the plane and then waiting for the plane to get there!

What a journey it has been so far! We left home at 3:30pm on Christmas day and waited 3 hours at the airport. The boys were so excited at the airport and were really hyperactive – I was so worried about the flight and got so worked up before we even got on the plane. We then flew for 20 hours to Atlanta. It is a damn long flight! But the boys were absolute angels – we hardly knew they were there!

Demi-Leigh on the other hand was quite a handful. She got really overtired and then couldn’t sleep and just cried for about an hour and a half which felt like half the night. She eventually fell asleep and then we all slept. The plane was only 50% full so we all had lots of space to stretch out and sleep.

We arrived at Atlanta airport at 8am in the morning (their time which was about 2pm SA time) we then flew to Orlando at 11am but by then the children were exhausted and really irritable. So were we by then. Once we arrived at Orlando, we had to wait 2 hours to get a car from Alamo – what a nightmare!! After all that traveling, we just wanted to get to the hotel and had to wait!

Anyway, we finally got a car and then had a hair-raising trip to the hotel. Try driving in a new country after 30 hours of travelling and hardly any sleep and on the wrong side of the road!!!

We arrived at our hotel and it was fantastic! Driving in just brought back all the memories of when we were here 14 years ago with my family! It was so special! We are staying at Orange Lake which is one of the biggest  resorts in the world now!

It really is a wonderful place especially for families! We quickly unpacked and then went shopping for some groceries – by this time we were exhausted but were trying to stay awake as it was only 4pm. We went to bed at 7pm and woke up at 4am – guess the body clocks are still adjusting….

Can you believe I have reached the point where I need someone to help me with my photography? I am getting busier and busier (which btw I absolutely love and am very grateful for…) and so we are looking for a photographer / designer to join our business.

As fate would have it, I decided that I need some help and within a week, we were approached by a professional photographer who is currently working at another studio and is looking to move on and grow now. This remarkable young woman has tons of experience as well as all the qualifications.

So it looks like we are about to take the next step in this exciting journey of ours – just goes to show that when you are inspired and you love what you do and you do what you love, synchronous events occur and powerful visions manifest… I am so excited!!!

Watch this space!!!