The depiction of Easter may seem like a very complex photographic exercise: very unfavorable light conditions (especially at night), movements and agitation, too many unforeseen ones, today I intend to show you that it is not so difficult, because by following certain guidelines, you can get interesting images of Easter.It’s an easy, fun and rewarding learning experience.
Let’s go over the recommended settings one by one, then the recommended settings.
- It’s not worth anywhere.
- You want to find a place from which to take photos comfortably.
- Look forward and try to find out where there will be stops along the way.
- It is convenient that you settle in one of these points because this way you will have a reasonable time to take some photos while the fraternity is resting.
- If it’s night.
- Look for a moderately lit area near a lamppost or public light source.
- This will allow you to play with the camera settings to your liking without fearing a dark photo.
Don’t just photograph Only Brotherhoods or Nazarene.Look for subjects in the audience, turn your neighbors into protagonists, look for small details, focus on symbols, represent rosaries or candles, photograph from unusual perspectives.Photograph the procession from the ground and label it “The Procession Seen by a Cockroach,” for example.I don’t know, play with the camera settings to take a photo at a slow shutter speed on purpose; you’ll end up with an unusually vibrant and reflective photo.Get out of the ordinary.
Have you ever thought about making an image of the Easter procession with a wide-angle lens?How about a fisheye? Or maybe a telephoto lens that will give you the convenience of zooming in and reaching small details from afar.The lens you’re using will certainly determine the final photo, keep that in mind.If you need a goal you don’t have, think about the possibility of a friend lending it to you.There are even places and shops where they rent them for a day or two, for a very affordable price.
Not sure which settings to use? Read
Of course, large aperture lenses make the photographer’s task much easier, especially if the procession is done in the afternoon/night.A large aperture lens lets in more light and therefore helps a lot to avoid blurring.My recommendation is to place the lens, up to the maximum aperture it allows (f/small value).For example, if you use a 35mm f/1.4 lens, you must shoot af/1.4 of/1.8.
If you shoot by day you won’t have many complications, if you do it at night the recommended parameters will depend on many factors, as a general rule I advise you to choose a shooting speed greater than 1/100 and, from there, refine according to the result.If you get a shaky photo, you need to speed it up even more.Try 1/150 to see what you get, that the photo comes out sharp but dark?You reduce the speed by reducing it to 1/60, for example, and so on.
The ISO value, I recommend leaving it low and not increasing it more than strictly necessary.Of course, if necessary, download it. Do it without fear.Imagine that with the above settings I just mentioned, you get a dark photo.You cannot reduce the shooting speed because you will get an unstable photo.You also can’t open the diaphragm as you have it to the fullest.What remedy do you have? Increase the ISO value of course. Don’t hesitate.Start up very little, write 400 or more, and try.Some cameras like the fabulous Nikon D7000 allow you to set it up to 1000 without virtually any noise.What if you end up getting a cool photo full of ISO noise?Well, it’s okay. Then, you can process it with an editing program like Photoshop that will help you reduce the amount of noise.Even if this isn’t possible, don’t worry. A photo with a little noise is better than a blurry photo where subjects don’t stand out.
It’s dark, there’s a lot of movement and too many guys. It’s normal for the camera to go crazy trying to focus something.Help her by switching to manual focus mode. By focusing manually, you can directly decide who or what you want to focus on, otherwise you’ll waste a lot of time and nerves waiting for the camera to focus on what you want.Cameras don’t read your thoughts. Still.
The flash has its moment and its usefulness. But not in a Easter procession, especially if it’s night, if you shoot with the flash you run the risk of taking a very ugly photo, with too much flash contrast and shadow areas, besides, the flash in such contexts produces too aggressive light. The exception I see here is if you have a diffuser screen. The diffuser display is a small accessory that filters the light emitted by the flash and softens it, causing it to fall on the subject(s) in a smoother and more homogeneous way.If you have one of these screens, you may want to use it, although in the external context of a procession, you will need a very powerful flash.
Some Nikon and Canon lenses have an image stabilization button (place VR in Nikkors, IS on Canon lenses).It’s time to turn it on. This will help you gain stability and reduce hand movements.At Sony and Pentax (and another brand), the image stabilizer is integrated into the camera itself.
Darkness is the photographer’s worst enemy. Anything you can use against him will do you good.Ideally, place a tripod, mount the camera on top and take pictures.Given the difficulty of using a tripod in the circumstances of a procession, a monopod can be a great idea, as it is the compromise between the stability offered by the tripod and the agility of being able to move the monopod and run with it on the other side.
I have already told you many times about the benefits of shooting in RAW mode, it allows you to take the photo quickly and stress-free, knowing that then in front of the computer you will be able to edit and play with many elements (white balance, exposure, brightness and darkness, etc.).
Shooting in RAW is not essential, but it is very useful.I always photograph raw whenever I can. That’s extremely useful to me.
It’s more of a “mental adjustment” to use. It’s not about stressing, it’s about having fun, remember that.
And finally, I leave you with a video of Alex Camara photographing The Holy Week of Granada.
I hope these tips will help you achieve that beautiful image you expect from Easter.Remember that the most important thing is the experience you’re going to have chasing this photo.The learning you get when taking photos this Easter will make you a better photographer.I promise you.