Wedding Photographer Lighting Tips

There are still many traditional photography techniques that allow you to create special effects without the aid of computer software. In a previous article, I talked about panning, here's a tip for creating great photos with a zooming effect.

Zooming is an old school technique that's easy to use and gives you interesting results in the right situations. For starters, you'll need an SLR and zoom lens of any focal length. You'll then need to sync your aperture with a very slow shutter speed, let's say one full second. If you're using a digital camera, make sure your exposure is on the money since over exposed digital files are very unforgiving.

If you are indoors, choose a location or composition that has some ambient light or ceiling lights. Center your subject so the lights are off to the sides or top and bottom of the subject, otherwise, the light will bleed into the subject. When you press the shutter release, spin your lens zooming ring so that the frame zooms in or out. This will create an interesting lighting effect where the background lights create streaks shooting in or out of the frame. If the subject is centered properly, the light should not block or bleed into them. If the light is too low, use a strobe and rear curtain sync, if your camera has this function. The rear curtain, or shutter sync, allows the strobe to fire at the end of the shutter's exposure. This will ensure that the light and subject appear to move in their true direction.

This technique helped me become a popular wedding photographer Chicago brides count on for great photos. You can apply the same technique if you're working as a corporate photographer who's trying to give a company's web page a fresh look. Regardless of your passion or field of photography, creative images will keep people interested in your work.