What are the foreground, middle ground, and background?

• The foreground refers to the part of the image that is closest to the camera.
• The middle ground is intermediary layer that connects the foreground to the background. It is often where the primary subject of the photo resides.
• The background is the furthest section from the camera. It helps to provide context and can either be in sharp focus or blurred, depending on the desired effect.

The Effect of compositions with all three layers

Utilizing the foreground, middle ground, and background can add depth and dimension to your images. This three-layered approach ensures your photographs are rich and captivating, engaging the viewer’s eye from the front to the back of the image. Furthermore, the layers can assist in directing the viewer’s attention to the primary subject or focal point.

How to Use Foreground, Middle Ground, and Background in an Image?

For beautiful, interesting imagery, capture a  foreground, middle ground, and background in conjunction with other composition techniques.

Use The 3 Layers With the Rule of Thirds

By positioning your foreground, middle ground, and background along the lines and intersections of the grid in the rule of thirds, you can create a harmonious composition. For instance, place a rock formation in the foreground on the left third line, your main subject in the middle ground on the central intersection, and a distant mountain in the background on the right third line.   In the example below, notice how the foreground elements are in the bottom third, the middle ground elements are in the middle third and the background is in the top third of the photograph.

Use The 3 Layers With Leading Lines

Leading lines draw the viewer’s attention directly to the subject. An example would be a winding road in the foreground leading to a car in the middle ground, with the horizon visible in the background.  In the example below, see how the railing in the foreground creates a line that draws and viewer’s attention to the couple in the middle ground.  Then, right above the couple, is the line of the bridge that leads the eyes away and off into the distance of the background.

Use The 3 Layers With Negative Space

Negative space offers a serene and uncluttered look to your images. You can emphasize a subject in the middle ground by using a vast empty sky as the background and a simple, clean foreground like a stretch of sand. The negative space amplifies the significance of the subject.

Use The 3 Layers With the Symmetry

Symmetry can bring a sense of balance and harmony to an image. The foreground can mirror elements in the background, while the middle ground acts as the focal point or bridge between the symmetrical elements. For example, a reflection of a couple in a lake can act as the foreground and background, with the horizon in the middle ground.

Use The 3 Layers with Frames Within Frames

Foreground elements can act as natural frames for your main subject. Overhanging branches, archways, or windows can encapsulate your middle ground, with the background providing additional context.

Settings for Foreground, Background, and Middle Ground Photography

When composing your photo with a foreground, middle ground and a background, the main setting to focus on is the aperture.  Of course ISO, shutter speed and white balance are always important in any photograph, but aperture is the setting that most directly impacts the three layers.

Wide Apertures

Use a wide aperture (like f/2.8 or lower) to isolate the middle ground subject and blur the foreground and background.  This is more common in portrait photography, when you want your subjects to stand out, with the foreground and background out of focus.

Narrow Apertures

Utilize a narrow aperture (like f/16) if you want all three layers are in sharp focus.  This is a common setting for landscape photography and real estate photography.

Photo Editing Tips When Using The 3 Layers

Post-production tools like Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop allow you to emphasize the layered effect.  For example, you can adjust the sharpness and clarity for each layer separately. For example, you could add additional blur or sharpness to any of the layers.  You could also use gradient filters to modify exposure levels across the foreground, middle ground, and background.  Or you can dodge and burn to spotlight or hide specific parts of the image.

Conclusion

Mastering the use of foreground, middle ground, and background layers in photography is vital for producing compelling and depth-rich images. It not only adds aesthetic appeal but can also guide the viewer’s attention. Take your time to experiment, practice, and remember: the more layers you effectively use, the deeper your story becomes.

Use a Fast Shutter Speed for Moving Subjects

Shutter speed is probably the first thing most of us think about when considering how to take sharp photos. Ensure that your shutter speed is fast enough to capture the motion and action.  The exact number will depend on the speed of movement, but in general, start with at least 1/250 for moving subjects and increase from there.  For fast moving objects, like flying birds or athletes running at full speed, try shutter speeds at 1/1000 and up.

Eliminate Camera Shake

Camera shake  is one of the biggest culprits for a lack of sharpness. This is when movement of the camera causes blur in the photo. A good general rule to adhere to the the reciprocal rule.  This means maintaining a shutter speed of at least the reciprocal of the focal length of your lens. For example, if you are shooting with a 400mm lens, then your shutter speed should be no slower than 1/400.

If you’re handholding your camera, make sure you switch on any vibration reduction that your lens may have built-in. Not all lenses come with this, but if you have it, use it when hand holding your camera.  See more in the video below:

Use a High Lens Quality

The quality of the “glass” (lens) contributes to image sharpness, contrast and saturation. The lens is what your camera is looking through to take the image after all. If you look through a dirty window, then the scene outside is less clear.

For the most part, professional series Nikon and Canon lenses produce sharper images than cheaper lens models or third party lens manufacturers. However, this generalization does not apply to all lenses, and some tests for select lenses have claimed better overall sharpness from third party manufacturers than their Nikon or Canon counterparts. Does this mean you should buy third party glass? Usage and budget are important factors; but keep in mind that cheap glass, in general, will put you at a disadvantage when trying to create tack-sharp images. You should almost always be prioritizing your lens over the camera. A flagship DSLR camera won’t take better quality images through a poor quality lens, but even an entry level camera will record higher quality images through a better lens.

Find the Ideal Aperture For Your Lens

Aperture is probably the last thing you would think of when it comes to obtaining tack-sharp images. However, it is one of the largest determining factors of shooting tack-sharp images. We all know that aperture controls your depth of field. However, did you know that shooting the exact same shot with the exact same focal point will yield different levels of sharpness at different apertures? For example, if you focus on the nose of a face at F1.4 and with the exact same exposure value and composition, shoot the same face at F4.0, the nose will actually be sharper in the image shot at F4.0. This is simply because each lens has a “sweet spot.”

Shooting at your lenses sweet spot will improve sharpness, contrast and saturation. Now you may be thinking, “well how do I find the sweet spot on my lens?” There are several rules of thumb, but the most prevalent is that your sweet spot is around 2 full stops above your lens’ minimum (widest) aperture. Depending on the lens, this will be in the range of F4-F11 or so. Keep in mind though, raising your aperture too high (small) will result in aperture diffraction, another phenomenon that will reduce overall clarity.

Find The Ideal Area of The Image

In composing your shots, keep in mind that different areas of the image will be softer (less sharp) than others. The center of your frame will almost always be your sharpest point, while the image will only get softer as you continue to the edge of the frame. While shooting your subject off-center for composition purposes is often necessary, it isn’t in your best interest to compose shots carelessly because you are relying on cropping the image down in post production. In general, areas away from the center will be less sharp relative to the center at wider apertures (F1.4, F2.8, etc), while areas away from the center will have similar sharpness as the center at smaller apertures (F8, F11, etc).

Ensure Proper Lens Calibration

Did you know that you can calibrate and fine-tune your lens, so the focus performs more accurately? For Nikon users, this will be under ‘AF Fine-Tune’ in your menu. This is particularly useful if you find that your photos are always just a little out of focus, but you are convinced that your technique is not flawed. There are pieces of equipment for calibration, such as the Spyder LensCal, which can help you to accurately fine-tune your lens.  For more information, see our article on how to calibrate your lenses.

Use a Tripod or Monopod If Necessary

If you don’t absolutely need to handhold your camera, then use a tripod. Not only does it eliminate camera shake, it helps you to compose your shots better. If you’re handholding (especially with heavy lenses), you may well find that you sway slightly.

Avoid The Focus Recompose Technique

When working with a shallow depth of field, you may have a very small amount actually in focus. Depending on the focal length of your lens, distance to your subject, and the aperture you have chosen, you may have anything from a few inches to a couple of millimeters in focus.

Focus recompose is a technique made popular by cameras that possess some focus points that, putting it kindly, are best avoided (think Canon 5D Mark II). When using cameras like that, photographers often stick to using the center focus point (normally the best) and then recomposing the frame once they have gained focus. The key point here is that by doing so, they have to move the camera. If your depth of field is only as wide as an eyelash, then you could very easily shift that focus with your movement.

Instead, try to select the focus point as near as possible to the point in your scene that you are focusing on, thereby reducing or removing altogether the possibility of losing your focus as you recompose your shot.

Choose Your Focus Points

When you’re focusing, make sure that you are using single-point focus. Cameras using multiple focus points to select the focus often choose the focus incorrectly. This is particularly true of modes like AF-area (Nikon cameras) and photographers often find the camera focusing in the wrong area. For example, when photographing an animal you want the focus to be on the eyes. But cameras often choose the largest area of the subject, and land the focus on the body. This leaves the head slightly out of focus in comparison to the focus point, and it can ruin a photo in an instant.

Try to Manual Focus (If needed)

Manual focus is not always appropriate, but it is mostly the friend of landscape photographers. Use the live view on your camera and zoom in digitally to achieve proper focus. Make sure that you have set the lens to manual focus mode, or when you press the shutter, you’ll just alter the focus automatically again.

Sharpen in Post Production (As Needed)

All those super sharp photos you see online will definitely have had some sharpening work done to them during post processing. This is completely normal in the industry and, in fact, it is necessary, especially for showing photos off-online. When you reduce the size of a photo from 1000s of pixels wide, to, say, 800px wide to show online, the sharpness of the photo is reduced due to the compression. Image Sharpening is required just to bring it back to normal.  But the same goes for the high-resolution files, too – sharpening is necessary in most cases. Learn how to properly sharpen your photos in your editing software and watch your photos come to life. You can also try AI Sharpening software like Topaz Labs to sharpen blurry photos.

Watch for Graininess Caused by High ISO

While ISO speeds up the process in which your film/sensor absorbs light, it also adds grain to your image. Too much grain destroys detail/sharpness in the image. The higher your ISO setting, the more detail is destroyed. New professional DSLR cameras can shoot at much higher ISO settings while retaining much of the image detail. However, with the proper lighting, it is usually best practice to shoot at the lowest ISO setting possible.

Conclusion

We’re always aiming for an image that is as sharp as possible, but is it the end of the world if we’re a little off? The answer to this question will depend on what you are shooting. With product photography, yes it matters. Whereas, a portrait of a couple, family photo, and many other instances are a little less crucial. If you are already working with a very shallow depth of field, then your images will have a very soft quality to them anyhow. In my opinion (and some of you may disagree), we can extend our range of what we call “acceptably in focus.” In terms of what is acceptable, you must use your own judgement. But don’t simply discard an image if the focus is a little off.

What are Diagonal Lines in Photography?

Diagonal lines are lines that slant across the frame, connecting two points in a non-horizontal or non-vertical manner. They can be found naturally in the environment or introduced deliberately through various elements.

Use Diagonal Lines to Create Visual Energy

Diagonal lines possess an inherent dynamic quality that injects energy into photographs. They have the power to convey a sense of movement, leading the viewer’s eye through the image. By incorporating lines strategically, photographers can transform an ordinary composition into a visually captivating photo.  In the image below, notice how the lines, combined with the subject in movement create visual energy and a dynamic composition.

Use Diagonal Lines to Guide the Viewer

One of the significant roles that diagonal lines play in photography is guiding the viewer’s gaze. The inherent directional nature of lines can be harnessed to lead the viewer’s eye through the frame, ensuring a deliberate visual journey. This aspect is particularly valuable in storytelling and creating a visual narrative. With careful placement and use of lines, photographers can establish a visual flow and direct the viewer’s attention to specific points of interest.

In the image below, notice how the leading lines on the ceiling lead the viewer’s gaze right into the model.

Use Diagonal Lines to Create Frames

Diagonal lines in photography not only add dynamism and movement to an image but can also be cleverly employed to create frames for subjects. By positioning lines strategically within the frame, photographers can effectively enclose their subjects and draw attention to them.

When diagonal lines intersect or converge, they form a natural frame that can emphasize the main subject and provide a sense of containment. These lines guide the viewer’s eye towards the subject, creating a visual pathway that leads to the focal point of the image. The frame created by lines helps to isolate the subject from the surrounding elements, reducing distractions and allowing it to stand out more prominently.

Use Diagonal Lines to Convey Depth and Perspective

Diagonal lines have a unique ability to convey depth and perspective in two-dimensional photographs. By carefully aligning lines with vanishing points or utilizing them as converging lines, photographers can create an illusion of three-dimensionality, making the image appear more immersive and engaging. See an example in the image below.

Use Diagonal Lines for Symbolism and Emotional Impact

In addition to their visual significance, diagonal lines hold symbolic meaning and have the power to evoke emotions within the viewer. Different angles and orientations of lines can elicit varying emotional responses, conveying a sense of stability, movement, or tension. Photographers can leverage this emotional impact to add layers of meaning and communicate their intended message effectively.

Try an Aerial Perspective to Find Lines

Incorporating an aerial perspective can offer a fresh and captivating approach to utilizing lines in photography. By considering drones or elevated positions, photographers can gain a unique vantage point from above, unlocking a whole new realm of possibilities. This perspective opens up opportunities to explore architectural structures, expansive landscapes, or vibrant urban environments where diagonal lines are prominently visible.

When photographing from above, look for lines created by roads, rivers, bridges, or rooftops that form striking diagonals across the frame. These lines can serve as powerful compositional elements that add depth and a sense of scale to the image. Experimenting with different angles and orientations allows for emphasizing the diagonal lines and creating visually dynamic compositions.

Architectural marvels such as skyscrapers, stadiums, or bridges often exhibit strong lines when viewed from an aerial perspective. Play with the angles of these structures to accentuate their lines and create compelling compositions that highlight their grandeur and elegance.

Find Patterns of Diagonal Lines

Look for repeating patterns and geometric elements. Keep an eye out for patterns or geometrical elements in your surroundings that create a series of lines. These could be anything from textured surfaces, rows of objects, or even natural formations. By identifying these patterns and incorporating them into your compositions, you can create a visually dynamic image that draws the viewer’s attention along the diagonal lines.

Use Diagonal Lines to Lead the Viewer to the Subject

To establish a sense of visual flow and guide the viewer’s eye, consider placing your subject along a diagonal line within the frame. This technique adds a dynamic element to your composition and draws attention to your subject. By aligning the subject with the diagonal line, you create a harmonious connection that enhances the overall impact of the image.

Another effective approach is to align the diagonal line in such a way that it intersects or leads directly to your subject. This alignment creates a strong visual connection between the diagonal line and the subject, emphasizing its importance within the composition. This technique helps to highlight your subject and ensures that it becomes a focal point for viewers.  See a good example of this in the screenshot below from the Disney classic, Lion King.

Find Naturally Occurring Lines

Diagonal lines are all around us and even in nature.  Explore landscapes, seascapes, or mountain ranges to discover natural elements that form lines, such as tree branches, cliffs, or waves.  But also pay attention to the small details in nature such as patterns on leaves and insects.

Conclusion

Diagonal lines are a wonderful tool in the photographer’s arsenal, enhancing composition, creating visual energy, guiding the viewer’s eye, conveying depth, and evoking emotions. By understanding the power and purpose of diagonal lines, photographers can elevate their work and captivate viewers with visually compelling images. So, embrace the dynamic potential of diagonal lines and experiment with their incorporation in your photography, as they hold the key to unlocking new dimensions of artistic expression and visual storytelling.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

• The Basics – The Setup for Firework Photography
• Creative Ideas with Firework Photography
• Creating Portraits with Fireworks

This article was originally written in 2013 and updated in 2023.

The Basics – The Setup for Firework Photography

Taking photos of fireworks is not very difficult, and you don’t need the nicest gear to create great photos. All you need to take photos of fireworks is a camera and a tripod. (Or anything else that is stable to set the camera on) Since we will be taking long exposures that can sometimes be 10 seconds or more, there is no hope of handholding and getting clear images.

Location & Composition for Fireworks Photography

Get to the location early to set up your camera in a good location where it won’t get bumped, and people will be out of the way. You should also be deciding on whether your photos are going to have just the fireworks bursts in them, or if you are going to include a foreground or background.

Sometimes adding the extra dimension of having the ground, water, trees or buildings can really make your photos spectacular. This is where it’s great to have a zoom lens so you can change your field of view easier. Plan your composition, but be prepared: once the fireworks begin, often they are higher or larger than you expect, and you will need to adjust to accommodate it. I usually frame wider and plan to crop some later to improve the composition.

Canon Rebel T2i, 18mm,  f7.1, 8 sec, ISO 200

Focusing on the Fireworks

Switch your Lens to Manual Focus. Cameras will rarely be able to find focus on fireworks itself. To focus, use your camera’s live view if it has it, and zoom in to where the fireworks are. You can then manually adjust to see when your focus is correct. If you don’t have live view, just set your lens focus right at infinity and take some test images to make sure they are sharp. After you have the focus set, you shouldn’t have to change it as long as you don’t bump the lens.

White Balance for Fireworks Photography

Shoot in RAW format so you can really play with the white balance and saturation of your photos when you are at your computer. If you want to shoot in Jpeg, you will need to try different white balances to see which one you like best. Sometimes Tungsten is a good place to start for fireworks.

Canon 5D mkII, 28mm, f8, 4 sec, ISO 200

Exposure for Fireworks Photography

In Manual Mode, Set your camera to f8, and a 5-second shutter speed. Start at ISO 200 and see if the fireworks are exposing correctly. If you need to go brighter or darker, adjust your ISO accordingly. If you expose too bright, the colors of the fireworks will start clipping. You can use your camera’s histogram to make sure the data is not hitting the right side of the graph.

Since Fireworks are a fast light source that is moving, it’s similar to a flash where changing the shutter speed doesn’t change the brightness of the bursts. So here’s where your personal preference comes in. Adjust the shutter speed to match how many bursts you want in the photo.

• A longer speed, like 10 seconds, will have lots of fireworks
• A shorter speed, like 2-5 seconds will have less.

Be careful not to have too many, as they can overlap and be too bright for the sensor to capture causing the colors will blow out. You can also do even shorter speeds for a different look. Shooting under a second will capture less of the bursts, and the fireworks will not trace the same patterns across the photo. Have fun with it and experiment to see what you like!

Balancing the fireworks with the surroundings is a little more difficult, but it can be done with some tweaking of the settings, usually the shutter speed. The panorama at the top was done by having a higher ISO so the ambient light could contribute to the photo as well.

Canon Rebel T2i, 21mm, f8, 4 sec, ISO 800

Pressing the Button for Fireworks Photography

If your lens has it: turn off Image Stabilization (IS) or Vibration Reduction (VR). (On a tripod it actually will make photos blurry) If you have a cable or remote control button for your camera, use it so you don’t shake the camera by pressing the shutter button. If you don’t have it, just set your camera on the delay timer (many have a 2-second version) so that any shake from you pressing the button will be gone before the shutter opens.

And that should get you on your way! Most of the photos in this article were shot with a T2i and the kit lens, just to show that you don’t have to have the best gear to get nice photos of fireworks. Do you have any helpful tips/tricks? Share them in the comments below!

One final note: Don’t get so involved taking photos that you miss the firework show! I was pretty bad with this so now I usually get set up, take some photos for a few minutes, then turn the camera off to relax and watch the last half of the show with the family.

Creative Ideas with Firework Photography

After you have the basics down, explore some of these creative ideas!

Creating Silhouettes

Here’s how to capture an image, and preferably video or timelapse footage, of fireworks on the horizon with the silhouette of viewers in the foreground.

Get Experimental – Try Photographing Fireworks with Bokeh

While we normally will seek to get a perfectly focused and exposed image, sometimes it’s fun to think a little outside of the box. Don’t be afraid to get a little experimental with these HDR, Prop, and Bokeh/focus pulling shots to get some truly unique looking Firework Photographs

Creating Portraits with Fireworks

When everyone else is out there shooting just the sky, you can follow along with Pye in this post and video to learn how to setup your shot and capture incredible portraits with the added bonus of fireworks to completely up the ante this holiday weekend!

• How To Capture Stunning Fireworks Portraits

Conclusion

From just the fireworks explosion to creating stunning portraits with the fireworks in the background, in this article we’ve covered nearly everything you could want when learning about photographing fireworks on the 4th of July.

Understanding Camera Angles and Perspective

Camera angles refer to the position of the camera in relation to the subject of the photo. The position of the camera can significantly impact the perspective and mood of the photo.  Different genres of photography require different camera angles to achieve the desired effect. Let’s review how the camera angle impacts photos for different genres of photography.

Camera Angles in Portrait Photography

When taking a portrait, the angle of the camera can affect the perceived size and shape of the subject’s face and body. A common preferred camera angle is from slightly above eye level.  This angle can help to elongate the neck and create a more flattering jawline.  This helps prevent double chins and makes the eyes look larger and fully open. Shooting from a higher angle also places the face closest to the camera, making the body seem smaller relative to the face, which can be a desired look for some.  However, shooting from too high of an angle can cause unflattering distortions in the subject’s face and look unnatural.

High Camera Angle Example

Direct or Lower Angle Example

Shooting from eye level or slightly below eye level can also be interesting and impactful.

How Camera Angles Affect Strength and Dominance

The other consideration to factor in your portraits is how the camera angle affects the mood, feel and story of the image. Shooting from a low angle, with the camera tilted upwards towards the subject, can create the impression of strength and dominance. This is because it can make the subject appear taller and more imposing. Conversely, shooting from a high angle, with the camera tilted downwards towards the subject, can make the subject appear smaller and more vulnerable. For more information, see our article on head angles.

Camera Angles in Photojournalism and Storytelling

A photographer’s choice of angle can affect the mood, tone, and overall message in photojournalism and storytelling. For example, a low angle shot of a protest march can convey a sense of power and strength, while a high angle shot can emphasize the size of the crowd.

In photojournalism, the angle can also help to tell the story by highlighting important details or conveying a sense of urgency or emotion. The right angle can also help to add depth and interest to the composition, drawing the viewer’s eye and creating a sense of narrative.

Camera Angles in Kids Photography

When photographing children, the action and storytelling can take priority over capturing flattering, posed portraits.  Of course, there’s a time and place for both, but with fun, lifestyle kids photography, consider getting in close at a low angle to capture more dynamic, action, in-the-moment photos.  Here is an example:

How Camera Angles Affect architectural photography

Camera angles are an essential element of architectural and real estate photography, as they can significantly impact how a building or structure is perceived. Shooting from a low angle can make the building appear larger and more imposing, emphasizing its height and grandeur.

Conversely, shooting from a high angle can provide a broader view of the structure, showing its context within its surroundings, and emphasizing its shape and form. The angle of the camera can also help to create symmetry and balance in the composition, drawing the viewer’s eye and highlighting key features of the building.

The use of perspective correction techniques such as tilt-shift lenses can help to correct any distortions caused by converging lines, resulting in a more accurate representation of the building’s geometry. Overall, the angle of the camera is a critical aspect of architectural photography, as it can greatly influence the way a building or structure is perceived and represented in a photograph.

How Camera Angles Affect Landscape Photography

In landscape photography, shooting from a low angle can emphasize the foreground and create a sense of depth and dimensionality, while shooting from a higher angle can provide a broader view of the landscape and emphasize the overall scale and majesty of the scene.

Technical Considerations for Camera Angles

Technical considerations such as focal length and lens choice can significantly impact camera angles and perspective. Using a wide-angle lens can enhance the sense of depth and add visual interest to a photo, while using a telephoto lens can compress the scene and isolate the subject from the background. Adjusting aperture and shutter speed can also help photographers achieve specific camera angles.

How to Experiment with Camera Angles

Experimenting with different camera angles is essential for mastering the art of perspective. By exploring and experimenting with different angles and techniques, photographers can create truly unique and impactful compositions.  After you’ve taken a photo, consider taking the same photo from a lower angle and then another photo from a higher angle.  You then have multiple options to choose from, and you’ll often be surprised at how the initial idea was improved with small shift in the camera angles.

Studying opposing colors helps you better understand which colors work together in a scene that can help train your eye to see them in elements you are shooting it. Understanding the color wheel can also help dictate what colors your clients should wear in order to pop in certain scenes rather than blend in. Seeing color in everyday scenes starts by studying images training your eye to notice how color is being used, once you’ve trained your eye you can even start adding color into scenes to make them more complex and elevated.

Let’s discuss a couple of ways of how to capture vibrant colors in photography with the help of some of our insanely talented community of photographers from our Lightroom Education & Lightroom Presets Facebook group:

1. Colored Gels – Off-Camera Flash

Part of using colored gels with flash means discerning the difference between using gels for corrective or creative purposes. Most wedding and event photographers are used to having a CTO gel on hand for indoor shoots to match the ambient light from overhead ceiling lights in order to correctly portray skin tones with accurate color. However, colored gels can be added to bland & boring scenes to make for a more interesting image. You can even combine in-camera white balance shifts with colored gels to enhance or alter the colors of your skies.

Amber Henry – Website | Instagram

“For this image of my client Alyssa, I wanted to make it look like she was under the bright stadium lights instead of standing in my portrait studio. I decided to create the colors of her team using two MagMod MagGels to achieve these beautiful bright pops of color behind her and sprayed atmosphere aerosol in front of them to really help the color spread. The colors make the image more personal to her because they are the same as her team and highschool. We took several variations of this image in different stances and kept the color pallet the same to look killer in her album spreads.”

Joe Baker – Website | Instagram

“I have always wanted to do a boxing session with a female boxer, but I wanted to use someone that actually knew how to box and not just a model wearing gloves.  Searching Instagram, I found this model via a local boxing club and she was very much down to do it. As soon as she brought out her gloves, I knew that I wanted to do a color or gelled shot.  I wanted to make sure that it was more than just a “boxing” pic and the red color just helped up the “intensity” of the shot. To give the background some more interest, I used a red gel behind her with smoke (aerosol atmosphere).  Selecting a wide-angle lens to create some distortion, I gave her the nod to just work the bag and I just fired away and ended up catching my favorite shot of 2019!  This is a three-light setup; gridded beauty dish from above, gridded strip box from camera left and the third light with a gel and just a standard reflector.”

David J Crewe – Website | Instagram

“Shot on a Nikon D800 with 50mm f/1.4G and Lit with 3 Profoto B2 lights. 1 in a large soft box (white) behind the deep red paper from savage universal shooting through the circle cutout. 1 camera left with a blue gel and 1 camera right with a red gel.”

“2. Color Temperature – In-Camera White Balance

Color temperature is a numerical system for measuring color on a warm-to-cool spectrum. Often times we shift to Auto White Balance to save time and have one less menu item to worry about but there is so much creative potential that lies in varying your color temperature in-camera. To help you better understand how to shift your white balance in-camera, we made a quick one-minute tutorial!

Traci J. Arney‎ – Website | Instagram

“When you are shooting in the Caribbean, the color of the water is absolutely everything but sometimes, you need to break up that expanse of blue with some other color to help tell the story. As we were exploring the island, we came across this incredible little graffitied boat sitting in the waves. The power of that intense yellow color playing against the complimentary teal and blue waves gives warmth and emotional impact to the image that stopped me in my tracks.”

Angie Nelson – Website | Instagram

“This photo was taken 15 minutes post-sunset on an extraordinarily cloudy day. The color you see here is real! Sometimes our Blue hour turns into a purple hour. I’ve only ever seen it a couple of times in the decade I’ve lived here, and I was so happy to be shooting on a day when it was happening!”

3. Color Toning – Post Production

A great way of how to capture vibrant colors in photography that may or may not have existed in your natural scene is to edit or enhance in post. While some disagree in altering the natural state of a photograph, it can be argued that editing is all part of the creative process. There are three ways to edit color in Lightroom and endless possibilities with Photoshop.

Shivani Reddy – Website | Instagram

“Instead of implementing colored gels to add color to my frame, I decided to work with the colors and tones of this image to emphasize the warmth of the sunset. Even though it’s such a small part of this frame, the orange glow from that rectangle ended up being the inspiration to make this image have a strong warmth. I used the Visual Flow Preset System to dial in the right tones and used the Dark Mode preset specifically to underexpose the image. I then cooled down the couples’ skin tones to make sure they weren’t looking like oompa loompas and this was the final result!”

4. Colorful Scenes

Don’t want to use color or add it in post? Another way of how to capture vibrant colors in photography is to simply look for it within your scenes. Often times we look for neutral backgrounds to not overpower our subjects but try straying out of your comfort zone and seeing how color can be part of your storytelling. These image examples either used a colored product or found scenes where color exists to help balance out the image:

Devon McCabe – Website | Instagram

“My partner Hector Vazquez and I executed this shot for our LGBTQ couple after they expressed how they wanted to incorporate smoke bombs into their wedding. We knew this had to be executed after dark, as their ceremony was closer to sunset. We decided to incorporate their entire bridal party, each person holding 2 colored smoke bombs, to essentially make a rainbow. We placed a MagSphere behind the group to light up the smoke bombs, and a MagGrid on an AD200, camera left to illuminate the couple. Our couple fell in love with this shot, and it has now become one of our staple display images. We love working with LGBTQ couples, and love to show diversity in our imagery.”

Jess Bell – Website | Instagram

“There are few dog breeds that look more dynamic in photos than a Dalmatian. Their striking and instantly recognizable black spots on a white background are a joy for many artists. The dogs’ owner and I opted to photograph the dogs with brightly colored powder applied to their bodies, which poured off them as they ran and jumped in my studio. The powder amplifies the action, the color draws the eye, and the strobes freeze everything with crisp detail. These factors make this image one of my favorite and most successful photos.”

Pye Jirsa – Website | Instagram

“This image was from our smoke bomb photography tutorial. It took some time to mess around with the position of the smoke bombs so that you could still see Shiv, but ultimately it ended up working out!” Smoke bombs are a great way to add color to your image while also adding a whimsical or mystical element to your scene.

Alexsandra Wiciel – Website | Instagram

“If you take a look at my work I am constantly using and adding color into my images. I saw a piece of crazy shiny wrapping paper at Hilary & Katie’s wedding and thought “I wonder what would happen if I photographed through it?” And this was the result!”

Marissa Joy Daly‎ – Website | Instagram

“I used the colorful painting behind the bride as a vibrant, geometrical background to make the photo more unique than most “hairspray” photos. The color in this photo is what makes it so good!”

David Mendoza III – Website | Instagram

“Vibrant colors routinely find their way into my work. This sculpture is only of my town’s only public art pieces and had been something I wanted to incorporate into a photo when the opportunity presented itself. The bride had met her partner in Peru while traveling and for a while, her family had no idea who this person was…only that they brought out the vibrancy in her. With that in mind, I wanted to highlight her while keeping them a mystery. It could be a person of any gender, race or color and that mystery contrasted with her joy and the color is what pulled together a strong and fun image.”

Lissette & Orlando Suarez‎ – Website | Instagram

“When I first met up with this couple for their engagement session they were both dressed in black. It was also cold and rainy outside so we were forced to come indoors for the shoot. So right from the start, I knew I wanted to bring in lots of colors to brighten up the look and feel of the session. No better way to feature and contrast their black outfits than placing them against vibrant colored walls. Previously, before the couple arrived I scouted our location. I came across the entrance to the bathrooms which had bright blue and orange walls with extra-large gender restroom emblems. I knew immediately I was going to use that for the shoot but I wasn’t exactly sure how I would do this. It’s in a dark area of the venue and management does not permit tripods or light stands on the property. They are not fond of big flashy lights either. Nonetheless, when I saw the couple’s dark outfits I went straight to the bathrooms with them. You could imagine the look on their faces when I told them I wanted to shoot there. Anyway, when we arrived I had to figure out a way to use just one handheld speedlight so I wouldn’t get in trouble with management. I posed the couple by each emblem but with their backs to the colored walls illuminated by the light fixtures. These lights created even more contrast between the wall and their dark outfits. The colors were brighter and the couple almost had a silhouette feel to their bodies. I then had my wife hold the light from camera left with a MagSphere and MagGrid. I had her feather the light so it could reach both of them without casting on the wall too much. In a perfect world, I would have preferred more than one light but if I was going to get this shot we had to go with what was possible at the moment. We had to take several shots because we kept getting interrupted by customers wanting to use the bathroom. Honestly, it’s a miracle they didn’t call the security guard on us.”

Tanya Parada – Website | Instagram

“Incorporating color for this couple was a must! I wanted to show off their fun, youthful, goofy sides! Venice Beach area is full of murals and art that are unique and colorful. I knew it was the perfect place to do a morning session with this couple. For this photo, I saw the colorful lines and knew that it would be a great photo to try a reflection shot with. The laughs were all them! Just a super fun-loving couple!”

This article was originally written in 2014 and updated in 2023 by the editorial staff.

Valentine’s Day Photoshoot Ideas for Couples

Working through any one of the following projects will score more points than that box of chocolates you were thinking of picking up. Still, go ahead and grab the chocolates for extra points. Nothing wrong with that.

1. Recreate Your First Date

Maybe you just started dating, or maybe you get asked at every family function why you’re not married yet. Perhaps you are married and you’re looking to rekindle the flame. Whatever the case, the odds are that your first date holds a special place in the hearts of you and your significant other. Why not capitalize on that and recreate your first date? It’s a solid go-to for engagement photography sessions and will work well to get your Valentine’s Day going in the right direction. You can either capture it with mobile selfies or instant cameras, or drop a little cash to take along a single photographer (likely the only one who can take the gig).

2. Take a Candid Selfie Doing What You Love to Do

Taking a selfie without looking like you’re taking a selfie is easier than ever today, and doing so will allow you to capture candid portraits that look like they were taken by a pro (because they were, by you)! You’ll need to plan this one in advance, and it can go a couple different ways. You can go into the shoot secretly, planning your activity of choice in advance and setting up your camera gear in advance, which is really only do-able in private spaces, or you can plan the shoot with your “other” and make it happen on the spot. To snap the selfie, you’re going to need a tripod and a camera with either a timer function or a remote shutter that you can trigger once you’re in position. Whatever you choose to do, have fun! The great times will reveal themselves in your expressions. This portrait will look great as wall art or a social post that sure to get plenty of hearts.

3. Put the Boudoir into Your Valentine’s Day Photoshoot

Let down your guard and take your Valentine’s Day photoshoot into the bedroom (or bathtub, as illustrated above) with a romantic boudoir session. If both of you can get on board with this, you can make it a couples portrait session with tasteful yet risqué poses, or let the winner of a heated paper, rock, scissors match choose who poses for the occasion. You can also take Valentine’s boudoir photos of yourself (like a boudoir selfie session) and surprise your significant other with the photos, perhaps in a small album that you can tuck away in a dresser drawer. While boudoir sessions usually involve capturing intimate photos, you can also add a twist and make them fun (or funny), depending on your mood or sense of humor.

4. Capture Product Photography Shots to Immortalize Your Valentine’s Day Gifts

If you do go the traditional gift-giving route, you can still throw in a Valentine’s Day photography. Break out your macro lens or take some time to compose a few product photography shots. We recommend doing this for sure if you’ve purchased or received jewelry (such as a new ring) or any other items of monetary or sentimental value.

5. Print Your Photos as Gifts

Sometimes, you can use photographs you’ve already capture as a Valentine’s Day photography gift. Printers like Bay Photo offer a ton of photo gift options that you can use to create unique gifts with photos you already cherish.

Valentine’s Day Photoshoot Ideas for the Family & Kids

1. Bring in Valentine’s Day Props for Heart-Happy Vibes

With a quick trip to Michael’s or any local craft store, you can pick up some affordable signs, balloons, and other props to use in your kid-friendly Valentine’s Day photoshoot. Some are great for wearing while others can be used to quickly makeover the background.

Balloons (Works Well for Couples Portraits, Too)

Of all the prop options for Valentine’s Day photoshoots, balloons rank near the top. Use your knowledge of color theory and fill the scene with a monochromatic array of balloons, which you can then contrast with complementary colors using your subject’s clothes.

Flowers

Like balloons, flowers also make great props for Valentine’s Day photography. Let your kids choose their favorites and build a color scheme around them, or set it up yourself. A popular option for Valentine’s, of course, involves picking out a plethora of lovely red roses. They can get pricey, so look for creative ways to use them in your scene without having to purchase a hundred flowers. One option could be to take the petals off of a flower (or two) and arrange them in a heart shape around your adorable little subject(s). Otherwise, you could capture close-up shots of your subjects holding just a few flowers.

2. Create Your Own Valentine’s Day Cards

We all loved those Valentine’s Day cards growing up (right?), so we don’t have to ditch them completely. Instead, we can make our own! It’s a great way to sneak in some quality portraits of the kids as well.

The Set Up

Set up a little seamless white backdrop in your living room. You don’t need an expensive backdrop stand for this (although they are nice to have!) For the shoot below, we used a little masking tape to secure a small roll of paper to the mantle of the fireplace and, voilà! Instant backdrop.

We had a large window on camera left and used a small LED Video Light inside a Westcott 43 inch Apollo Orb light modifier as a fill light. A reflector or off-camera flash would also work. These were shot using a Canon 85mm f/1.8 lens on a Canon 5D Mark III. We spent no more than 10 minutes with each kid and we had a fun time goofing around with all the little props and toys.

Post-Processing for Valentine’s Day Photoshoot Cards

After our mini photo shoot, we imported the photos into Adobe Lightroom and applied the Standard Color preset from the SLR Lounge Lightroom Presets System, similar in style to the Modern Pack from Visual Flow. Then, we opened our favorite shots in Photoshop and added text. We had to extend the background on a few, which is easy to do with the plain white background. You can set these up as 4×6 prints and let the kids stuff these DYI Valentine’s Day photoshoot cards into colored A6 Envelopes after signing the back. Maybe include a bit of candy for old times sake. Maybe not…

Valentine, You’re a Doll!

You Rock My World, Valentine

I Only Have Eyes for You, Valentine!

You’re a Dino-Mite Valentine!

I Dig You, Valentine

Which of the above Valentine’s Day photoshoot ideas and tips is your favorite? Are you planning to combine any of the above ideas? What additional props and sayings would you use for making your own Valentine’s Day cards? Do your kids even exchange Valentine’s at school anymore?

Video: How to Set Your Exposure Artistically Using Manual Mode

Before we dive in, be sure to give Sabrina a follow on Instagram. For today’s tutorial, I’ll be using the Canon EOS R5 with the RF 28-70mm f/2L lens.

The Exposure Triangle

The exposure triangle consists of the Aperture, ISO, and Shutter Speed. Each of these directly controls the overall exposure, however, they also have an artistic side. Within this framework, all we have to do is think of the artistic side first. Let’s see how each setting affects the photo.

Related Reading: How to Get the Correct Exposure | The Exposure Triangle

Shutter Speed

This is the speed at which the shutter of the camera opens and closes. A faster shutter speed will let less light in. The slower the shutter speed, the more light. Simple, right? The artistic side of the shutter speed is whether we want to freeze or show motion.

If we want to show motion, we use a slow shutter speed. To freeze motion, we use a higher shutter speed.

Aperture

The aperture is the size of the iris in the lens. The smaller the iris, the less light gets through. The larger the iris, the more light. In your camera settings, the higher numbers (f/22, f/16) correspond to a smaller iris, and the lower number (f/1.4, f/2.8) indicates a larger iris.

The aperture affects the depth of field. A wide open aperture captures a shallow depth of field, leaving much of the background and foreground blurred. A closed aperture captures a deep depth of field, meaning more of the image will be sharp.

ISO

Same thing with the ISO. The higher the ISO, the more light the sensor will capture. The lower the ISO, the less light. However, there is also an artistic side to this.

A high ISO will capture less quality in the color and detail. You’ll also begin see grain and noise. A lower ISO will capture a cleaner image.

Setting Your Exposure Settings

Let’s see this in action. I framed Sabrina so that she’s right in the highlight of the sun behind her.

1. Think of the most important setting to capturing your specific look. In this case, the background is pretty busy. To draw more focus to Sabrina, I’ll need to create depth and blur out the background. This means that I’ll have to start with the aperture by setting it as wide as it can to f/2.
2. Then, let’s look at the shutter speed. There’s hardly any motion in this simple portrait shot but I do want to make sure things are sharp. A shutter speed of 1/250 will do the trick.
3. At this point, my ISO is at 100, but the exposure indicates that it’s still a touch too bright. My options are to either lower the ISO or raise the shutter speed. I opted for the latter, and set my shutter speed to 1/320.

Lastly, I used the histogram to make sure I was capturing all the highlight detail while avoiding clipping the shadows.

Here’s the final exposure at 1/320 sec, f/2, ISO 100.

Conclusion

Let’s review with what to ask in each step of setting your exposure.

1. What is the most artistically significant setting?
2. What is the second most artistically significant setting?
3. Use ISO as the last piece to get the right exposure.

If you enjoyed this tutorial, check out SLR Lounge Premium where you can find everything you need to build your dream photography business. You’ll find courses such as Mastering Lightroom, Photography Business Training Course, Flash Photography Training System, and more.

You can also visit Visual Flow for our entire library of Lightroom presets and retouching tools, designed to make your editing workflow simple and seamless.

Don’t miss our next episode of Mastering Your Craft on Adorama’s YouTube channel next week! If you want to catch up on all the episodes, make sure you check out our playlist!