Tablet Tip: Improve Your Workflow

   

Happy Thanksgiving! We're all very busy right now with the holidays upon us, and then add work and keeping up with clients, something has to be sacrificed and in the end it'll be time. So today I thought I would share a quick tip that Will help improve your work flow. 

If you own a Wacom Tablet such as the Intuos 5 like I do then you already know how much of a life saver it is. But did you know to speed up your work flow even more tilt the tablet on about a 45 degree angle. Artist do this all the time because it's the natural way to draw and write.

I use a photo album and place the Intuos 5 right on the edge so it is balanced as seen in the image below. Whether using Manga Studio 5 or PS/LR5 this setup works well in all situations. And I know it'll help you too.   

Don't worry if this setup feels unnatural at first it will take no time to get use to the change, just make sure your comfortable. 

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Use Zoom to Tell the Story

This image was taken toward the end of the game during a foul shot attempt. Notice each player and coach scooted to the edge of thier seats, the game was close and just seconds remained. This allowed me to capture the image I needed. 

About halfway through the game I noticed the colorful choice of footwear, so I knew I wanted this particular shot but I had to have the right moment to capture the image. Patience along with thinking ahead helped me to capture the moment. I had positioned myself at the end of the team bench, and just before the free throw was attempted I edged out on the court and pressed the shutter button. 

Notice the footwear choices by the opposing team in the distance of the image, even that simple comparison adds to the power of presence. Increases the interest and adds an element of depth to the story in this image.

A telephoto zoom lens was used to capture the shoes, compressing the detail over a distance of fifty feet or so, this same story and information could have never been gathered or told with a wide angle lens. 

Better Flash Photography

Simplify the 

...and Learn to Take More Consistent Photographs

I don't know how much the Inverse square Law comes up in the everyday Photographers conversations, but I hear Professionals talk about it and even though many pros understand what the law means to them and the way they take photo's; it still seems to bug down there own ability to explain what the purpose of this law does and how it translates to us the everyday photo guy's and doll's.

I'm going to attempt to simplify this for all of us, Pro and non-pro alike. Most of us just want to be able to create simple images with good results with little need to think about things like aperture, ISO and Shutter speed, then add in a flash and Ugggh....

 "Wait can you make another wish grandpa I need you to blow out the candles again because I didn't..." 

I didn't, those words haunt many a photographers, all because of that evil 'f'' word. 

FLASH

Let's make it simple, below are a couple of charts that I created to help me keep a more consistent image and I decided to share them with you in a .Jpeg format that can be easily downloaded.

Anyone who understands the Inverse Square Law is going to find my simplified thought quite annoying. But it may help you to explain the Law to someone else.

Here are two definitions... 

Science—when a light source is moved further from a subject,  or a subject from its light source its intensity reduces by the square of its inverse. Meaning the amount of light on a subject will be the square of its inverse of 2².

Simple—Light falloff is relevant to Light distance.

This first chart is a quick reference guide I have memorize. It makes understanding the science on a little bit simpler terms; BUT ITS STILL BORING, so if you don't want boring skip ahead to the next section now, unless you are looking for a good nap, and this should be where you keep reading on. 

Just about anyone can tell the difference between two, four, eight feet and so on. Using this simple diagram has helped me to understand and quickly reference how to set up my flash to change the shadow effects of the image. It helps to avoid the ratio battle and confusion that comes from using flash and multiple flashes. 

Let's suppose I place my flash on any power level I want to and place it 2' from my subject, well we all know that it is going to be very harsh and quite unpleasant to look at in most cases: so I move it back to 4', now the same flash on the same power level with twice the distance only about 25% or 1/4 of the light will reach my subject, lets move it back even further to 8', now the same flash has only 1/16 of the light or about 6.25% of the light will fall across my subject, and even further to 16', now that's a mear 1/64 or 1.5% of the light that I had at the original 2' distance where I started. 

Using this method, which is the Inverse Square Law, any distance can be plugged in: feet, inches, yards meters, whatever your comfortable with or whatever the situation you find yourself in this will remain constant. Something so simple as moving the flash distance can change the effect of shadows in your image. Foreground or Background. 

The Easier Setup...

What I've done with this chart, based on Speedlight's (or speedlite if your a Canon photographer) manual settings I've developed a very simple chart for what Power setting to put my flash on based on how far I am from my subject. 

Camera is set at ISO 100 or 200 and shutter speed is set at 100 or 125th on shutter priority mode this lets the camera adjust the aperture. It's a great starting point and its based on doubling the distance. Helps to avoid chimping (looking at the histogram and LCD screen after every photo capture) and is much quicker than those methods. 

I do recommend that a light meter be used when possible, but that's not always the case when we don't have our gear or photographing something like Christmas, birthdays and family reunions and other holidays and such. 

My recent self portrait was done on 1/32 power at about hands distance away and in a lit room, this image acutally ended up being my last one, once I got the shot then I was done then I did what I wanted to well actually I spent more time writting my blog...

Keep shooting and as always Happy Shooting!