Poolside
Great question on how to photograph a subject and photography lighting. The lighting can be very tricky and will vary depending on if the pool itself becomes a light source in your photo or if it is more of a background. In terms of exposure, if your child fills most of your frame when you compose your photo, your auto exposure should perform fine. Your Canon 50d may have a setting which will allow you to use a center-weighted metering, which will look at mostly your child in the center of your photo to evaluate for the best exposure. Use your camera's fill flash if there is strong back lighting when you make your exposure. I have done family portraits where my group was across the pool from me in the shade, but my subjects were lighted by the blue water in front of them. This has a big effect on the color balance, which is why I always shoot in raw mode so that I can adjust my color when I do my photo editing later. Direct sunlight hitting your subject's face may cause squinting and harsh unattractive shadows on their faces. I am a big fan of having my subjects in the shade for posed portraits. I often shooting pool scenes near sunset if no shade is available during the mid-day. If you are shooting more candid, action type of shots with your children playing then use a sports setting to freeze the action. You can shoot during the day and you'll have plenty of light to get sharp, well-focused photographs. Learning how to photograph people takes some experimenting, so vary your approach and evaluate what results you got in each situation. Happy Shooting! Photo TipMan p.s. If you want more information on color balance, you might enjoy reading this: What is Color Temperature? |