SLR Snapshots to Great Shots Week: Day I - See the Light

This week's blog is devoted to SLR tips - in honor of the Wiley DVD that I am currently shooting on the new Canon Rebel T1i (available this fall). All the photos were and will be taken with that camera.

See the Light

Compare these two pictures. I took the top image of our videographer/sound person/creative director David Leveen (the dude won an Emmy) with my camera set on the Green mode. Notice how the background is washed out and the lamps are overexposed.

Now look at the light in the bottom image. Nice and even. What's more, one of the lamps on the wall behind our friend, Paula, acted like a hair light. (Click on the images to enlarge.) That was no accident. I set my camera on the Av mode and added just a bit of flash – for what's called fill flash photography.


Take the time to see the light - and work with the light - and you'll get more professional looking pictures – turning your SLR Snapshots in Great Shots.

You can read more about exploring the light is my book, Exploring the Light.

I also have an extensive range of SLR classes on kelbytraining. The latest classes are on the Canon 5D, 5D Mark II, 40D and 50D.

Okay, I have to go. We're shooting in an hour.

If you have an SLR question, I'll try to answer it here.

See the light,
Rick