Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Prom Never Looked So Good

Saturday night, I had the awesome opportunity to photograph some teens who were off to their prom. This photo shoot was so fun for so many reasons . . . 1) It's not a typical job I get and out of the ordinary is always good for a photographer. 2) The time for the photo shoot was at my favorite time of day to take pictures because of the pretty light a setting sun gives. 3) These teens were just really fun to be around. It just doesn't get much better than this. And if you're into photography and still contemplating about whether or not you should get a polarizer for your lenses, take a look below and see what awesome things it can do for you. I know I've bragged on my polarizer before, and I'm sure it won't be the last time. When you can pull pictures like this straight out of the camera, it's a piece of equipment worth bragging about! And so you can tell the difference with and without a polarizer, the group shot in front of the fence was taken at an angel that is ineffective for the polarizer and therefore, it had to have it's color bumped up in photoshop to still be pretty. Interesting, huh?

On to the pictures . . . I had to burn my prom pictures because they were so hideous. I hope these don't meet the same fate some day! Ha!










6 comments:

Cassie said...

Brings me back. How fun, but scary how long ago that was ahhhhh!!!!

Anonymous said...

I am very impressed with these pics! I don't even know what a polarizer is but I want one now...LOL!! The lighhting is fabulous! I love the group shot. I'm sure the parents will LUV you girl...so tasteful yet youthful!
:-) I think this is some of your best work yet.

Robyn said...

Hey, Allison! Thanks for the high praise!!! As for what a polarizer is . . . you probably have a UV filter for your lens and a polarizer is the same type of filter in that it threads onto your lens, but the output is completely different than the UV filter which is primarily there to soften the hard sun a little and protect your lens from the outdoor elements. And, while a UV lens is fine to use at all times and in all situations, a polarizer isn't meant to be used indoors. The polarizer brings more depth, more texture and deeper color to the outdoor photograph . . . the three things I want to capture most in my pictures. Have you ever looked through polarized sunglasses? They are the greatest kind of sunglasses ever! It's the same kind of thing for your camera . . . your putting sunglasses on your camera! But rather than putting sunglasses that give a brown or gray tint, you give it sunglasses that see color more brilliantly all while keeping the sun from blinding you and smoothing out some of the really harsh highlights. Polarizers are definitely not full proof and have to be worked with and used correctly to achieve the desired outcome. There are definitely angles that don't work well with the polarizer, like shooting straight into the sun or at a slight angle away from the sun. Shooting with sun at a 90 degree angle or directly behind you gives you the best results. Polarizers are also circular, meaning they rotate, allowing you to turn the polarizer and be more in charge of the results you get - sometimes highlighting the sky or sometimes highlighting the ground or making them more even in appearance. (Taking full advantage of the circular part is still something I'm learning and working on!) So many great sky shots are taken with a polarizer because of the color and texture you can achieve with a polarizer. Even in black and white shots, a polarizer is a beautiful piece of equipment to own. As with everything in photography, it's all a matter of opinion as well. I've worked with excellent photographers who don't care to use them at all, and I've known photographers who loved them. While I do work with my photographs in Photoshop, I really don't like to and avoid it when at all possible. I love the satisfaction that comes when I produce a picture that didn't need any kind of touch up. My polarizer helps me achieve that and I think that's why I'm one of it's biggest fans.

Anonymous said...

Wow, Robyn thanks for the great description, I will keep that in mind!! I definitely noticed the color in these pics.

It seems like we always need to add to our collection of equipment, huh!! As for me, it's a fun hobby...so I can take it a little more slowly. Have a great week!!

Alison said...

Hey Robyn, These are great! Makes me even more certain that I want Cait's senior portraits outside. Hoping my life settles back down so we can work on a date, though!

I can't wait.

Shannon said...

It is not our fault our prom pictures were so hideous. It was those tea-lenght dresses and the hair-do's. Who WOULD look good with a perm and bangs that stand up 6 inches off your head?

Love you!