Photography Magazine

Have you ever heard of the technique called ‘Painting With Light’ ? It is a classic photo technique, and you will be happy to know – requires little other than a camera and a prop. The word ‘photography’ literally means ‘a writing in light’ (photos + graph in Latin). The technique you are about to learn will show you exactly how this is so true. You will only need a camera capable of taking time exposures (the B setting). In fact the compact camera that we used to make this image is a Olympus C5000Z, which in fact does not support time exposures, but does however feature a slow shutter speed of 16 sec, which is adequate to at least learn this effect and use it to get some exciting results. Lets begin!

You will need a camera, a sturdy tripod, a still life subject to photograph, and a hand-held battery operated torch. The torch could simply be the ordinary flash lights (as in the UK usage) you probably already own…we used a miniature torch powered by a single cell. In fact it was a key chain light, and the light is emitted by a single bright LED (Light Emitting Diode). What you REALLY need to understand is something basic about photography – the areas where there is light are ‘exposed’ on the image, and those that do not receive light remain unexposed or underexposed. If you were to leave your camera shutter ‘open’ in a totally darkened room, the sensor (or film) wouldn’t register a thing on it, even if you used a time exposure of 8sec, 16 sec or even a minute or more. However, if you use a torch to expose certain areas of the subject during this time frame, ONLY those areas would appear in the photograph, since everything else would remain underexposed or not exposed at all!

Set up your camera on a tripod, and totally darken the room. We used a model of an engine for our shoot, as is evident from the image. We wanted the front of the engine lit up, and a gradual fade out towards the lower and rear regions. For this, we first shone the torch for a few seconds from the front of the engine, making sure the light source remained outside the frame of composition at all times…then, we quickly moved the torch around the top of the engine to create a unique effect. The torch was aimed directly at the camera during this stage , BUT COVERED WITH A FINGER, so as not to allow flare. The redness that you see on the light trail is thanks to the glow of the blood in the fingertip as the light shines through!

We used f/8, ISO80 and a shutter speed (not really affecting exposure) of 16 seconds, for this image. Experiment with different light sources, and incident (the light source within the composed frame) and reflected (the torch focused on the subject from outside the composition area) to get unique results every time!

Now that you’ve learnt what sound photography is all about (PART I), you are ready to take your first few sound photographs. You will need -

1. A Camera with the capability of long exposures, preferably a T option.
2. 2. The sound switch mentioned in the first article in this series
3. A flash unit with connector cable
4. The props – in this case, a glass of water and a few ice cubes

The most important stage in all studio photographs is the initial set-up stage. You get the set-up wrong, and theres no chance you will get a decent photograph at the end of the day. To set up the sound trigerred splash photo, lets start with the lighting. Keep the glass of water stationary with a black background. Make sure there is enough distance between the glass and the background, to get a totally dark black background on your image.

Now, place a light behind the glass, in between the glass and background. Place it so that it is lower than the table on which you’ve kept the glass, to avoid lens flare. Focus the flash towards the glass so no light falls on the background, fire a test shot to see if the lighting is ok – and if it is, you are ready to go to the next step.

You will be dropping an ice cube into the water, to let off the sound switch with the ‘plonk’ sound made by the ice as it hits the water/glass edges. Since this really isn’t a loud sound, you will need to ensure the microphone gets all the sound it can from the glass. It is great to connect the mike to a longer cable, to the circuit. That way you can place it next to or even under the glass, if the glass doesn’t topple over…now the switch should get triggered by the slightest sound in the glass. Try it out by gently tapping the glass with a fork. If it fires, you are ready to roll. If it doesn’t, check the position of the microphone and all the connections (flash to circuit and mike to circuit). Make sure the flash is ON!

Next, we set the camera to time exposure, and use the same aperture that you had for the trial shot. Remember, the shutter speed wont matter since you are going to darken the room. Go ahead and darken the room now. Fire the shutter. Drop the ice cube in the water. The flash should fire with the sound of the ice striking the surface of water. Once this is done, close the shutter. Now, check out the results! You may need to shoot a few images before you get the right splash effect…

We’ve just learnt a technique that allows you to shoot splash images with a cost-effective set-up, without an expensive strobe unit..

Did you know that you can synchronize your photography with a sound operated switch? This has many applications – some that are fun, some that are for scientific uses and some that find their applications in advertising photography. It is very interesting, and at the very least – something that you would like to try your hand at, just for the sake of the challenge. This project however, requires you to have at least a basic understanding of electronics if you would like to construct the apparatus required your self. On the other hand, you could always have it made at an electronics outlet or even but a ready made sound switch from something like Radio Shack (which would obviously cost you a bit more). Do keep in mind that this project is harder than anything we’ve covered so far, and is aimed at the advanced amateurs and professional photographers.

The Principle Behind Sound Photography

Have you ever considered the factors that influence your lighting when using a flash unit? Well, the main light source is of course the flash unit itself. It is true that when you use a slowish shutter speed to get a ‘mixed lighting effect’, ambient light does come into the picture. But, when you use a high shutter speed, say for example the flash sync speed of the camera, it is nothing but the flash that has a major effect on your photograph. If you are shooting in a darkened environment, or at night in the outdoors, it is solely the flash that will effect your lighting and nothing else, whatever the shutter speed, even if it is something as slow as 4 seconds or above. When you consider the fact that the duration of flash is much much shorter than the highest shutter speed on most cameras, it becomes quite obvious that this short burst of light can freeze a high speed action quite effectively. If the high speed action is accompanied with a burst of sound (for example, a firecracker exploding, a balloon bursting or an ice cube falling into a glass), the flash can be triggered using a sound switch; to capture the ‘decisive moment’ when the action is at its peak.  Let us look at the construction of the switch…

The Sound Switch

This trigger was constructed using a DIY ‘clap switch’ circuit (readily available with hobbyists). If you are making it your self, do mention at the hobby store that you intend to use it as a trigger and not as a power output circuit. Alternatively, you can get readily available sound triggers dedicate to photographic use, but they would cost you a bit more. In any case, the apparatus would have a microphone one one ‘end’, and a flash connection socket at the other. If your flash unit does not provide an output cable, you will need to invest in a hot shoe adapter and a connecting cable. Connect the flash to the circuit and test it by clapping your hands. If everything is as it should be, the flash should fire when you clap your hands!

Thinking of getting your self a professional camera? Well, you are reading the right article if you are, and you do not know much about the different kinds of professional cameras available on the market. Most people who are looking out for professional cameras would already have a fair amount of knowledge of them. On the other hand, you may have enrolled in a professional photography course, and want a camera you can learn the craft with as well as use it for your first assignments.

The most common professional cameras today, and the most widely-used are the Digital Single Lens Reflex (D-SLR) models. They are basically similar in design to the much-appreciate SLRs of the 70s and 80s. The basic difference between today’s D-SLRs and the SLRs of yester year is that today we use digital sensors instead of film. An SLR allows you to ‘see’ through the lens, thereby getting a first hand insight into the depth of field and composition. The most sought after D-SLRs include the Nikon and canon models. Nikon and Canon top the list of digital SLRs. In fact, Nikon’s D-700, recently launched, and also the D-90 are the talk of the town today. Canon’s EOS series is on par with Nikon, and Nikon therefore no longer can be called the sole market leader. Pentax, Olympus, Fuji and Konica Minolta are the other makers of digital SLRs. It is interesting to note that Fuji makes SLR bodies that are compatible with Nikon lenses, so if you are looking for an affordable switch from film to digital, and have a series of Nikon lenses, go for the Fuji S-Pro models (which are based on Nikon film bodies in part). Do keep your requirement in mind before you spend a lot of money on a new camera – if you are a hobbyist, you may never use some of the features such as extremely high shutter speeds, offered in the pro models. For instance, the Nikon D-40x, a 12 megapixel camera, is moderately priced, and more than adequate to learn photography with, as well as shoot your basic assignments with.

Did you know that film cameras are still not out of the race? In fact some professionals still swear by film. Digital cameras have more than matched the quality of 35mm SLRs. But what about the medium and large format films used for advertising etc? Fuji recently launched a film camera (photokina ’08), much to everyone’s surprise. This just goes to show there is still a niche market for its users. However, the users are largely made up of advertising photographers who need to make giant-size blow-ups of their images. Mamiya and Hasselblad medium format cameras have remained the favorite with such photographers, to this day. Finally, the large format – 4 by 5 inch sheet film is still the ultimate in resolution, that humanity is able to offer! Sinar rail cameras, coupled with 4 by 5 inch backs and Schneider lenses – an advertising photographer’s dream come true.