All Dressed Up with Somewhere to Go!

Please indulge me, as I share with you a personal post, and a few photos.

Recently, my husband's law school held a ball, where we got to get all fancy and pretend to have some class. I didn't want to end up taking photos all evening, so I didn't take my camera to the ball, but we attended a pre-party before hand and I did take a few photos there.

Isn't my hubby a cutie? :)...

Kevin took this photo of me. Not bad, huh?  I'm going to turn him into a photographer yet...

And a (very out of focus) photo of both of us, but I like that you can see all of my dress in it...

I did take photos of the other people at the party, but I decided not to post photos of anyone else without their permission.  However, I did post them in a password protected gallery on my website.  So if you were at the pre-party and want to see the photos, you can email me for the password.

Every time I take personal event photos, I swear I am going to invest in a decent flash, yet I never do.  Once again, as I was editing these images I was cursing the funky lighting and crazy shadows, and promising myself that I will buy a flash soon!  Since I don't shoot events for clients, and prefer to shoot all of my portraits in natural lighting, it's just never been a big priority. I think that is about to change!

As always, thanks for stopping by!

Michele Whitacre is a portrait photographer serving Phoenix, Arizona and the surrounding area. Visit Michele's website at michelewhitacrephotography.com. Become a fan of Michele's work on Facebook. Follow Michele's updates on Twitter.

Photography 101 | Exposure Meter

Just joining in? Here's what you've missed:
Photography 101 | Coming Soon!
Photography 101 | Aperture
Photography 101 | Shutter Speed
Photography 101 | ISO

Welcome back to my Photography 101 series! I'm so glad that you have decided to join me. Today I will be talking about how to use your camera's exposure meter.

If you want to learn how to take properly exposed photos while shooting is manual mode, you are going to want to make your camera's exposure meter your new BFF. This handy little instrument is going to help you determine which settings to choose for each and every one of your photos. (Please keep in mind that I'm using the word "proper" to mean that the photograph shouldn't be too light or too dark in exposure.  A lot of photography is personal preference, and I don't believe that there is only one right way to create images.  Each photographer develops their own style as they master the craft.)

Every camera's exposure meter display is going to be different, so you are going to have to dig out your instruction manual and read up on yours.  I shoot with a Canon, so the exposure meter on my camera looks very similar to the one in the photo below.  I have outlined the exposure meter in red. Underneath the 0, there is a small black bar, indicating that the current settings for aperture, shutter speed, and ISO combine to create a properly exposed photo.  If the settings weren’t set for a properly exposed photo, that small black bar would be on one side or the other of the 0.  The farther the bar moves from the center point, the more the settings need to be altered to create a proper exposure.  As the bar moves into the minus, it is indicating that there isn't enough light and the photo will probably be too dark (underexposed).  As the bar moves into the plus, it is indicating that there is too much light, and the photo will probably be too light (overexposed).

One important thing to keep in mind is that there isn't ONE combination of settings that will lead to a proper exposure.  Instead, there are several different options you can pick from, all of which will result in a good quality photo.  To demonstrate this, I laid my iPhone on my desk and snapped a few quick shots of it using different combinations of settings, which I included with each image (with a typo - the bottom right photo was shot using a shutter speed of 1/80, not 1/20).  I picked the different settings at random, and simply dialed in different combinations of Aperture, Shutter Speed, and ISO settings until the exposure meter showed a reading at the 0 mark. As you can clearly see, the exposure is the same in each image; therefore, they are called equivalent exposures.

This must mean that there are reasons other than exposure for selecting different settings, right?  That's the fun part of photography (which will we start exploring in coming weeks)!  The important thing to realize right now is that you can use your exposure meter to help you pick different combinations of settings to properly expose your photos.  See, it's not as hard as you thought!

OK, now hang in there with me as I get a bit more technical and talk about the different types of light metering options.

First, there are two different ways to take a reading of the available light for your photo: using reflected light and using incident light. A meter reading using reflected light measures the light coming off of your subject back towards your camera. Most built in camera meters measure reflected light. A meter reading using incident light measures the light falling on your subject from the light source. Most meters that measure incident light are hand-held meters that are separate from your camera.

Second, there are different ways that your camera can measure the amount of light reflecting off of your subject by changing which part of the scene it uses to take the light reading. The options available on my camera are Evaluative Metering, Partial Metering, Spot Metering, and Center Weighted Metering. Again I shoot using a Canon, so my options may be different than yours.  Your instruction manual should explain your options and detail how each one of them works.

Third, the light meter in your camera is designed to measure the amount of light reflecting off of your subject and to calculate the exposure that will result in an overall level of light in the resulting image that is equivalent to 18% grey. This assumes that each scene is made up of a combination of very bright, very dark, and everything in between, which can all be averaged out to 18% grey. Most of the time this will work out just fine, but there are circumstances where this assumption will result in your photos not being properly exposed. As you gain experience with manual mode, you will slowly start to realize the circumstances where this happens, and learn to compensate to get a proper exposure.

This week, start practicing using your camera's exposure meter to help you select different combinations of settings that will result in properly exposed photos. The more you get used to doing this, the easier it will be for you to shoot in manual mode all the time.

You have now learned the 4 most important things you need to know to shoot in manual mode.  Now the fun begins.  Next week we will talk about how to control the Depth of Field in your photos, which is the absolute best thing about shooting in manual mode, in my opinion!

Michele Whitacre is a portrait photographer serving Phoenix, Arizona and the surrounding area. Visit Michele's website at michelewhitacrephotography.com. Become a fan of Michele's work on Facebook. Follow Michele's updates on Twitter.

And I'm Back in the Game {MWP is Open for Business!!}

I am so excited to announce that MWP is officially open for business in Phoenix!  This announcement is long over due, and I can't wait to start booking new clients.  If you are interested in scheduling a session, options and pricing can be found here.

I have decided that there are going to be a few changes for MWP as I once again begin shooting:

• First and foremost, Michele Whitacre Photography is getting a new look!  I am still in the process of working with the designer to put the finishing touches on many of the branding materials, but I just couldn't resist sharing a peek at my new logo along with my big announcement.
• In celebration of my grand re-opening, I will be hosting some fun contests, giveaways, and specials for the next few months.  I will be announcing many of these only on facebook, so if you aren't already a fan, swing on by and "like" my page to stay up to date on all the happenings.

I cannot wait to get back into shooting again, and I am so thrilled and excited to once again starting taking portraits.  I love being able to capture special moments for clients! :)

As always, thank you for stopping by, reading my blog, and viewing my photos.

Michele Whitacre is a portrait photographer serving Phoenix, Arizona and the surrounding area. Visit Michele's website at michelewhitacrephotography.com. Become a fan of Michele's work on Facebook. Follow Michele's updates on Twitter.

Photography 101 | ISO

Just joining in? Here's what you've missed:
Photography 101 | Coming Soon!
Photography 101 | Aperture
Photography 101 | Shutter Speed

Welcome back to my Photography 101 series! Are you ready to learn all about ISO (International Standards Organization)?

Depending on how old you are, you may remember the days of pre-digital photography when you had to purchase rolls of film. You may even remember that the film came in different speeds (100, 200, 400, 800, etc). Basically, film speed is a measure of how sensitive the film is to light. The lower the number the less sensitive to light the film; therefore, you have to have a lot more light or the photos will be too dark. The higher the number the more sensitive to light the film; therefore, you don't need as much light to expose your photos.

The ISO setting on your digital camera controls the camera's sensitivity to light, and it works exactly the same way as film speeds do.  The lower the ISO setting, the less sensitive your camera will be and the more light you will need to take photos.  The higher the ISO setting, the more sensitive your camera will be and the less light you will need to take your photos.

To demonstrate this, I took a few photos of Zoe laying on the couch in our living room. For each image, I had my aperture set at f/1.2 and my shutter speed set at 1/640.  I picked these setting simply because they would allow me to demonstrate the change to the exposure as I changed the ISO settings. The ISO settings from top to bottom are 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, and 6400, which are options available on my camera.  Yours may be different.

By now, I'm guessing that you've probably realized that the series of photos I took while changing the aperture, while changing the shutter speed, and while changing the ISO, all look about the same. As I went through the range of options available, the resulting images went through a range from light to dark. This means that there are multiple combinations of settings that will allow enough light to enter the camera to properly expose each photograph, and it's going to be your job as the photographer to decide which combination you are going to use. We will be talking about this in depth in future posts, but first we need to learn how to know if our photo is going to be properly exposed or not.

This week, I encourage you to experiment with your camera's ISO settings and become familiar with the effect of changing ISO on your photos.  Now that you know a little bit about aperture and shutter speed, you can experiment with different combinations and see what happens to the photos.

Then join me back next week, to learn about using your camera's exposure meter!

Michele Whitacre is a portrait photographer serving Phoenix, Arizona and the surrounding area. Visit Michele's website at michelewhitacrephotography.com. Become a fan of Michele's work on Facebook. Follow Michele's updates on Twitter.

Elle's Sneak Peek {Part 2}

Before we get started... if you missed Part 1 of Elle's Sneak Peek, you can find it here.

I wanted to do something different for the second half of Elle's session, so I contacted the manager of a mansion here in Phoenix to find out if they allowed photos to be taken there.  I was expecting him to tell me no, but was stunned to learn that they do allow photos as long as it doesn't interrupt their business.  So we scheduled the session on a day they are closed to the public, and the manager opened the mansion for two hours and allowed us to wander through it and take photos!

If you've been a reader for a while, then I'm sure you've realized by now that I always take my photos outside.  I do this because I prefer natural light photography, meaning I do not use a flash.  So, the light in my photos comes from the environment I am shooting in.  Outside the light is "predictable" meaning, I know what to expect.  However, shooting inside is an entirely different story!  So, I was excited but nervous to try my hand at some inside shots, using my new lens.  I really wanted to give it a good test to see how it did, and overall I was pleasantly surprised.

Since this session was full of firsts for me, starting with the fact that I've never photographed a two part session, and cruising right on through to the inside photos that I rarely take.  I decided to keep with the theme, and post Elle's entire Sneak Peek in black and white.  So many of these images were just crying out to be in black and white, and I couldn't resist.  Normally I would never do this since I know clients want to see color photos, too! But since Elle already saw lots of color photos from the first half, and since she already got a peek at a few of these in color on facebook, I decided to indulge myself a little.

So, I once again give to you the stunning, Elle...

I am seriously IN LOVE with these first two photos!...

Elle bought this hat with our session in mind and I couldn't be more thrilled with how much it added to the photos. Such a great idea!...

Adorable...

I heart Elle's expression here.  She looks like she's got a really good secret, doesn't she?...

This is another of my favs...

So many of these photos of her in the grass turned out amazing, and I couldn't pick just one to post...

Again, I couldn't pick a favorite and had to post both of these, too...

Elle was an absolute dream to work with! Not only did she agree to model for me, she agreed to everything I wanted to do for both parts of our session.

Elle, I cannot thank you enough for allowing me to take your photos. It's a good thing you're moving soon or I'd have you in front of my camera every other week. :) Good luck with your new job, and I hope the future brings you a lifetime of wonderful things!

Michele Whitacre is a portrait photographer serving Phoenix, Arizona and the surrounding area. Visit Michele's website at michelewhitacrephotography.com. Become a fan of Michele's work on Facebook. Follow Michele's updates on Twitter.

Self-Portrait | March 2012

I live in one of the top ten largest cities in the country, yet I only have to travel a few short miles and it feels like I am in the middle of nowhere.  This came in quite handy, as March's self-portrait was taken with me standing in the middle of an intersection.  I wanted to find a time where there would be as little traffic as possible to take this photo, so I got up at 5:45 AM on a Sunday morning to do it, which either makes me dedicated or nuts!

Remember back in January, when I talked about the rough road I have been on?  And how I'd finally realized that the time had come to make some major life changes?  Well, it took a while to set the wheels in motion, but the time has finally come for those changes to happen.  I couldn't be more ready to embrace the new things that life has in store for me and start traveling down a new path.  So, here I am standing at the crossroads of my life, with my arms up in victory for everything I have struggled through and in excitement for where I am headed.

I started taking my self-portraits because I felt like it was something that I should do.  I thought it would be good for me, and that I could learn a lot from it.  You know - one of those tough love kinda things, where I was going to force myself to do something I really didn't want to do for my own good. However, as the months go by I find myself enjoying taking them more and more.  If you are a photographer, I would encourage you to consider doing a self-portrait project for yourself!  I think you might be surprised at how much you can learn and grow from it.

Did you miss some of my past self-portraits?  Clicking here will take you to all of my self-portrait blog posts. Clicking here will take you to my self-portrait Facebook album.

Michele Whitacre is a portrait photographer serving Phoenix, Arizona and the surrounding area. Visit Michele's website at michelewhitacrephotography.com. Become a fan of Michele's work on Facebook. Follow Michele's updates on Twitter.

Photography 101 | Shutter Speed

Just joining in? Here is what you've missed:
Photography 101 | Coming Soon!
Photography 101 | Aperture

Welcome back to my Photography 101 series! I'm so happy that you've decided to join me.

I would once again like to begin by asking you to do a little experiment. For this one you will need two large containers that are the same size, a stop watch, and a sink. Place one of your containers under the faucet, turn it on all the way, and allow the water to run for 5 seconds. Set the container aside, and repeat with the second container, allowing the water to run for 10 seconds.  Now compare the amount of water in the two containers. If you were accurate with your timing, you should have approximately double the amount of water in the second container as you do in the first container. Why? Because the longer you leave the faucet running, the more water you allow to pass through it into your containers.

Applying this same idea to photography, we need a certain amount of light to enter the camera to create a photograph.  One way that we can control the amount of light that enters the camera is by altering the shutter speed of the camera. The shutter speed is the setting that regulates the amount of time that the aperture is left open. The longer it is open, the more light you allow to enter the camera, and the shorter it is open, the less light you allow to enter the camera.

To demonstrate this, I once again took a series of photographs of a single subject. All of these images were taken with my EF-S 18-55mm IS Zoom Lens, with my aperture set to to f/8 and my ISO set to 200. (I chose this lens because it is the stock lens that came with my camera, and is probably similar to the lens that most of you are using. Don't worry too much about the aperture and ISO settings for now.  We will cover how to choose these settings in future posts.) For each consecutive photo, I then changed my shutter speed by one step to show the effect on the image. The first shot was taken with a shutter speed of 1/50 and the last image was taken with an aperture of 1/2500. (I picked this range of settings because I felt like it was a good range to demonstrate the effect of changing shutter speed on an image.)

Just like with aperture settings, shutter speed is measured in FRACTIONS of a second.  So, again, you have to keep in mind how fractions work when you are making adjustments to the shutter speed setting on your camera.  A shutter speed setting of 1/50 of a second is a much slower setting (resulting in the aperture being left open for a much longer time period which will allow more light to enter the camera) than 1/2500 of a second (resulting in the aperture being left open for a much shorter time period which will allow less light to enter the camera).

If you look at the above series of photos, you can see that the first photo was taken with a shutter speed of 1/50 and allows too much light to enter the camera, resulting in a photo that looks a bit "washed out." The last photo was taken with a shutter speed of 1/2500 and doesn't allow enough light to enter, resulting in a photo that is much too dark.

I encourage you to experiment with your camera's shutter speed settings this week and become familiar with how changing it affects your images. To do this, set your camera on manual mode, pick an aperture setting, and set your ISO setting to 200. (Again, there is no particular reason for this setting. It is basically just a "middle of the road" settings that should work for this experiment.) Then take a series of images like the ones I took above, changing the shutter speed setting one step between each exposure. I suggest experimenting with different aperture settings, and taking a series of photos for each one to begin to get a feel for how the two work together to create an exposure. I also suggest taking a series of photos for several different subjects in different environments to see what results you get.

Then join me back here next Friday and get ready to learn all about ISO!

Michele Whitacre is a portrait photographer serving Phoenix, Arizona and the surrounding area. Visit Michele's website at michelewhitacrephotography.com. Become a fan of Michele's work on Facebook. Follow Michele's updates on Twitter.