Archimedia Studios

Using your Camera Flash at Night

A night-time photo shoot often presents a problem or two, especially when including an element of interest in the background such as architecture. In most cases a tripod or some other method of stabilizing the camera will be necessary due to the slow shutter speeds used with low-light photography. But even with a tripod, our subject needs to remain somewhat statuesque to prevent blurring. If you’ve ever tried portraits at night, you’ll know that getting clean sharp shots is almost impossible when there’s any kind of movement.

We often end up turning on our flash to get around this issue. But this leads us into another problem. Using frontal flash at night will certainly capture your subject, but everything that’s outside of your flash range, everything in the background will disappear into blackness. The resulting shot will be simply your bright subject, in a sea of blackness.

So in low light, how do we include the subject AND the background?

The answer is slow-sync flash.

It’s a pretty simple concept that combines long exposure with flash photography. There are two types of slow-sync flash available to us, and they will each produce their own unique results. The two types are “front curtain” or “rear curtain”. Either method can be used in an environment where everything is still with little difference in the outcome, not forgetting that a tripod would still be necessary in most cases. However, if you’re trying to capture any kind of movement within the scene, it’s important to choose the technique that will provide you with the desired result.

Front-curtain: The flash is fired at the start of the shot – right when the shutter opens. The flash will illuminate the subject and foreground, and the shutter will remain open for the remainder of the shot – long enough to capture everything else in the background.

Rear-curtain: Basically the opposite of the above. The shutter is opened for as long as necessary – long enough to capture the background, and then at the very last minute, the flash will fire to illuminate the subject and foreground.

As an example, try to imagine a scene where there is a little bit of frontal lighting. There’s a building or a large sculpture in the background that has been up-lit, and we want to capture both our subject, who is close-by AND the background architecture. We decide to use the rear-curtain technique and an exposure of around 10 seconds. As we press the shutter button our subject begins to walk through the frame from the left-hand side – and we time it so that the flash fires just as they are about to exit to the right. The resulting shot will show our subject about to exit the frame, but with light trails behind them – perhaps giving the feeling of a speedy exit.

What results do you think the front curtain method would produce? If you were to have the flash fire as the subject enters the scene, then leave the shutter open as they walk through the frame. What effect do you think that would have on the resulting photo?

Photographing a Sunset

photography by Ira Weinschel

The reason why sunset has been one of the most interesting subject for photography is because

  • Every sunset is unique with the unique set of clouds or things in foreground.
  • It gives you infinite variations of colors in one evening itself.

So, here are the things you need to keep in mind while doing sunset photography so that your sunsets become memorable for time to come.

Composition

The most important part of a sunset is the sun. But sun alone can not make your pictures wonderful. You need to take care of the complete view – the composition; like the clouds, when light passes from them you get various shades and as the clouds move and sun goes further down, you get different patterns. Make sure you take a longer shot to capture the whole view. It doesn’t mean you can not zoom into sun and get the frame filled with the big ball of fire. That can be interesting too. Make sure you know how you want to capture your sunset. No place is bad, be it a beach or a mountain or even in the middle of the city. What matters is how you decide on your composition and how you capture it.

Exposure

Thumb rule says, if you are clicking the sun with the whole sky, go down on the exposure. One or two stops down on exposure. It works. It can help in putting all the things in foreground to look dark and you have a perfect back lit picture. Also a slight underexposure will result in more saturated colors. But be creative. There are no hard and fast rules.

Equipment

A digital camera or a DSLR (depending on what you want) with a normal lens will do. Also make sure you carry a tripod, if in case you need to use low shutter speed. I generally don’t go so slow on shutter speed that I need a tripod. But tripod is a good option. A good estimate is anything slower than 1/20sec can use a tripod.

You as a photographer

“Patience is a virtue” makes absolute sense in photography. You need to wait for the right moment and be ready to click. If you are new click every five minutes because you don’t want to miss that special moment that only occurs once a day. At times you might have to hold the camera for several minutes in order to get the perfect picture you are looking for. Sunset is a like a process. It takes a little time for the sun to set completely. But throughout the process you get huge variations and good chances to take a good picture. You get various shades in the sky during sunset. But you need to keep in mind that one shade combination will stay for a few minutes. Once gone, it will not come back. So, as a photographer you need to by ready for the right picture.

The Top Ten Designer Portfolio Faux Pas

A well-crafted portfolio can open doors to new jobs and clients. But if you submit a sub-par book, you’ll likely find “no entry” signs at just about every door you knock on. Following are some mistakes that can drive hiring managers a little crazy, especially when they need to find a talented designer quickly. These 10 portfolio faux pas can cause employers to pass on your book and move onto the next one. Avoid these errors, and you’ll have an immediate advantage over the competition.

Faux Pas #10: Providing “over the hill” examples. Don’t include dated items in your portfolio, unless they’re from a particularly high-profile assignment. No hiring manager wants to see a logo from a college project you created 15 years ago. Instead, include only pieces from within the last three years.

Faux Pas #9: Not bringing a leave-behind. Sixty-four percent of executives surveyed by The Creative Group said it’s important to leave a work sample behind after an employment interview. You might want to develop a piece to use specifically for this purpose, such as a stand-out postcard that contains all of your contact information.

Faux Pas #8: Only having an online portfolio. The good news is that you have a visually stunning and well-organized online portfolio. The bad news is that this is the only way a hiring manager can see your work. Most design firms want evidence of your ability to produce excellent work online—in addition to a book you can show them in person. How you present that portfolio is important, too: In a survey by our firm, 65 percent of advertising and marketing executives said they preferred a bound book or separate container with loose pieces inside.

Faux Pas #7: Not customizing your portfolio to the client’s needs. When preparing your book, make the samples specific to the project type, industry and client. If you’ll be working on direct-mail pieces, for instance, be sure to provide samples of that type of work at the beginning of your portfolio. There are three common ways to organize your book: by industry, media specialty or chronologically. Most corporate clients will be interested in an industry-specific portfolio with examples that relate to their lines of business. If you’re just beginning your career, however, arranging it chronologically may be preferable so you can highlight your career growth.

Faux Pas #6: Not telling a “story.” The way you arrange your portfolio and present it is just as important as the pieces you include. Your samples should spark conversation about your contributions to previous employers. Ultimately, your book should tell a story about the value you provided clients over the years. Always be sure to strike a balance between showing any challenges you overcame and not coming across as a prima donna. When describing a piece in an interview, for example, you might talk about how a redesigned website increased traffic by 20 percent or how an award you won helped improve the firm’s brand recognition. Essentially, you want to demonstrate what changed as a result of your work on a project. Companies want to know that they’ll make a good investment in hiring you.

Faux Pas #5: An online portfolio that takes forever to download. David Langton, a principal graphic designer at Langton Cherubino Group, says it best: “Don’t make me wait for your portfolio to download. I won’t.” Hiring managers are short on time and none of them wants to waste it waiting to see your work. Likewise, skip the musical introductions. Depending on your musical tastes, it can be jarring to go to a website and be greeted by Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony or Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” If you must have a fancy introduction for your site, be sure to include a prominent “skip introduction” button.

Faux Pas #4: Creating an unsolved mystery. Be sure to clearly identify each piece in your book by including the name of the client for which you produced the piece, your role in the project, the software you used and a sentence or two describing why it’s important.

Faux Pas #3: Leaving no piece behind. You might be able to assemble enough material in your book to rival “War and Peace,” but resist the temptation to show the hiring manager all your work. When it comes to portfolios, less is definitely more. A survey by The Creative Group shows that prospective employers feel the ideal portfolio should include about a dozen items.

Faux Pas #2: A sloppy book. Thirty-one percent of advertising and marketing executives polled by The Creative Group said unorganized samples bothered them most when reviewing portfolios. Your book should be neat and clean. If you’re including bulky items, carry them separately. Along these same lines, don’t give too much information about a particular example. Displaying numerous versions of the same piece, for instance, can be confusing to the person reviewing it. Generally, it’s best to include only one final version.

Faux Pas #1: Not having an online portfolio. You must have an online portfolio; because all companies have a web presence today, few hiring managers will consider you for a job if you don’t. And keep in mind that 22 percent of advertising and marketing executives surveyed by our firm said they preferred an online portfolio when viewing a creative’s book. Cover all of your bases and have both an online and hard-copy portfolio available for hiring managers to review.

The “New Look” Advertising Professional?

As advertising strives to stay on the cutting edge of creativity, agencies have started to look beyond the typical skill sets to decipher whether or not someone can fulfill their creative needs. As a result, many creatives have found themselves on the answering end of the ambiguous question, “So, what else do you do?” It’s a question that often comes off as an insignificant conversation filler. You’re a copywriter who spends your spare time entertaining the masses with your witty Facebook statuses—isn’t that enough?

In a world where everyone who reads thinks they can write, every creative needs to be able to differentiate themselves. Hence the question: what else do you do? This question isn’t meant to diminish your ability to create good advertising. It’s a way for an agency to gauge your range as a creative individual. Creative directors realize that a person who hasn’t created a groundbreaking campaign is not necessarily incapable of doing so.

Advertising continues to adapt its messages to live in various mediums as communication evolves. As a result, traditional campaigns have been stretched thin across non-traditional mediums in hopes that the digital components will do the heavy lifting. The strain on conventional messaging has created a need for concepts that go beyond the formulaic structure of strategically sound campaigns and tap into ideas that are strong enough to thrive within traditional and non-traditional mediums. That being said, agencies aren’t looking for just another person who can execute the requirements of a creative brief. A good amount of agency time is spent on the hunt for creatives who can do more than just make advertising. In other words, they(we) want a creative person first and an ad person second.

How does Image and Brand Affect your Bottom Line?

We hear a lot about image and brand so let’s define the two words. These definitions will provide us with a foundation from which to enhance. Image is a mental conception, vivid or graphic representation or description of a person or thing. For example, you drive up to a restaurant and immediately you see the image. That image will either be positive, negative, or neutral and will affect your decision to dine there or not to dine. If the decision is to dine then the continued experience that you encounter gives you insight into the restaurant’s brand. I always like to say it is what you see, hear and experience with a person, company, product or service.

What are attributes or drivers of choice? These are a brand’s visual and sensory descriptions, both positive and negative. We choose brands based on a whole host of complex attributes, both physical and emotional. They create meaning, help you stand out from competitors, create value which in turn gives you loyalty, customer retention and hopefully gives you cheerleaders. How are these attributes or drivers of choice being supported by your employees? Are their behaviors and attitudes supportive of your vision and mission? Remember that your employees are your greatest marketers.

Make sure there is a connection between your marketing tools and their use by your employees. Every marketing piece that you utilize whether it is traditional (print, media) or social media (Internet based such as LinkedIn, Facebook, My Space, website, blogs, podcasts etc.) must help to establish and support the brand and culture.  The goal of any communication for a company/organization is to create perception and brand reality. We want to create “affection” with our brand.

In summary, the answer to the question we began with seemed quite simple. How much does image and brand affect the bottom line? Through the answer is complex, intriguing, challenging and exciting.

Delivering Customer Experience Excellence

Let's give em' something to talk about!

Contact Us