15 Projectsv 1

15 Photo Projects
That Will Boost

Your Creativity
inside cover
EDWARD VEROSKY
Copyright 2012 Edward Verosky

All images copyright of their respective owners. No part of this book may be copied or
distributed in paper, digital, or any form without written permission from Edward Verosky.
Contents
Introduction...............................................................................IV
Try Film Photography with a Holga.........................................1
What youll need..................................................................................................... 2
Project Instructions................................................................................................. 3
Create Smoke Abstracts...........................................................8

Project Instructions................................................................................................. 9
Use Noise & Grain for Effect...................................................14

What Youll Need.................................................................................................... 15
Project Instructions................................................................................................ 15
Fruit and Vegetable Portraiture...............................................18

Do a 365 Project in One Day....................................................22

Add Texture to Your Photos....................................................24

What Youll Need.................................................................................................... 25
Shoot a Band in a Small Venue...............................................32

Create a Classic Portrait..........................................................37

Create an Ethereal High Key Portrait.....................................43

50mm for One Week.................................................................49

B&W for One Week...................................................................51

Tell a Story with Multiple Images............................................54

Window Light Photography.....................................................58

Found Objects..........................................................................63
Create (and Break) Symmetry.................................................66

Introduction
As a professional photographer its been my pleasure to share my
knowledge and experience with so many novices and professionals alike.
Ive written books and eBooks that cover basic and advanced techniques,
and the philosophy of being a photographer/artist. I also love to share any
advice I can with my on-line photography group and through my blog at
http://www.edverosky.net/blog. And its through my on-line interactions and
emails that Im able to get an idea of what many photographers from all
over might find helpful. My eBooks provide me with a vehicle to gather and
present detailed content in an organized and cohesive way.
15 Photo Projects That Will Boost Your Creativity was created as the
antidote for the occasional creative rut, and a set of exercises and
challenges that should help you see your photography from a different
perspective. My hope is that you will use what Ive presented here as
a starting point to open your mind up to new ways of working with your
camera and subjects. Some of these projects may ignite your creativity
and some may simply prompt you to learn a valuable new skill.
Youll find that many of the projects are indeed quite challenging and will
take a great deal of commitment to complete. Others are relatively easy
and can be explored quickly and casually. You can take on these challenges in any order, so feel free to flip through the projects and pick and
choose the ones that strike a chord with you on any given week. I encourage you to go deeper into any of the subjects that really interest you. Use
the internet and other resources to further explore the techniques and ideas
that we touch on here.
Above all, have fun! Keep experimenting, take risks, and find something
completely new to explore when you find yourself in a creative funk.
Changing your perspective and learning something new are great ways to
get back into your groove.
Ed Verosky
Project 1
Try Film
Photography
with a Holga
Anytime you photograph without a safety net it encourages you to really
consider what youre shooting. Taking photos with a toy film camera can
be liberating, fun, and dubious all at the same time. Compared to digital,
its also relatively expensive on a per photo basis, which it turns out, is part
of the reason this exercise can be so effective. Purchasing a toy medium
format camera, the film it requires, and taking on the cost of processing,
invites a commitment that will motivate you to learn something about how
you approach photography.
Figure 1.2 Holga images shot at Central Park, NYC.
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I recommend you start with a basic camera like the Holga 120N and a
couple rolls of film. Just learning to load the camera will be fun, and the
photos you get from using it will be eye-opening. Enjoy the process, hold
the negatives in your hands, and tack the small square prints (often 5x5)
you get from the lab up on the wall. This is going to be exciting!
What youll need

The materials needed for this project can be purcashed at your local
photography shop or online. Youll also need a lab that can process your
photos unless you plan on doing that yourself.
Medium-format toy film camera. Theres nothing like shooting
with an imperfect and potentially light-leaking plastic toy camera.
One of the best for a project like this is the basic Holga 120N.
120 Rolls of B&W and Color Negative Film. Get a couple of
each. Id suggest going with film rated at ISO 400 or 800 for out-
Figure 1.2 Central Park, NYC.
Project 1
door photography. The B&W photos on these pages were shot
with Kodak 400 T-MAX B&W film.
A Photo Lab. That means the real deal; someone who can develop your roll of film and give you prints (and possibly a matching
set of digital images) back. Look for a local photo lab that will do
this, or find a lab that does processing by mail. Prices vary, so
make sure you shop around to get the best deal.
Project Instructions
There are a few key things youll need to learn and do in order to start using your Holga. This is a big part of the fun, so take your time and be proud
of what youre learning to do as you go along. If youve never worked with
a film camera, or a Holga, youre going to love this part. One of the first
things to consider is how youre going to set your camera up to expose the
Figure 1.3 Back view of a Holga (right). When the cameras

back cover is removed for loading film, you can extract the spool
so that it can be used as a take-up spool for the new roll of film
Project 1
Figure 1.4 After the new roll of film is removed from its packaging, it is inserted into the left chamber of
the camera. The leader is inserted into the take-up spool which is then inserted into the right chamber.
film. Some Holgas come with plastic masks that allow you to take 4.5x6cm
shots (up to 16 shots on the roll of film). However, Id recommend you
shoot the square format which you can do with a square mask, or no mask
at all. This allows for 12 shots per 120 roll. Set the film counter slider on
the back of the camera to 12 if you decide on going square, or 16 if youre
going with the rectangular mask.
Load the Film

This isnt as easy at it sounds. Loading film into a Holga can be frustrating
the first couple of times. Theres no motorized take-up spool, its all done
by hand. Youll also have to be careful not to inadvertently expose the film
to light. Since theres no lightproof canister protecting the film, youll want
to do this in subdued lighting conditions.
Project 1
Heres what youll do each time you load a roll of film:
1. Remove the new roll of film from its packaging. You might
have to tear off the leader from the roll in order to free it.
2. Place the roll of film inside the left chamber of the camera.
You will have to angle it in order for it to slip in place.
3. Slip the film rolls leader into the take-up spool. The spool has
an opening in the center. Fit the leader into the opening and start
tightening some of the leader paper around the spool.
4. Place the take-up spool into the right chamber of the camera.
Again, this will require that you angle it in. Once you do that, wind
the film advance a few times to make sure the film is wound snugly
around the spool.
5. Secure the back cover. Place the back cover onto the camera
and secure it with the side fasteners and optionally some black
tape. Wind the film advance some more until you see a number
(1) in the red window. The numbers in this window indicate the
frame youre currently exposing on the roll.
Advance The Film

Each time you take a shot, the film stays right where it is; theres no automatic mechanism to more it to the next frame. After each shot, remember
to advance the film until you see the next number in the red window.
Shoot And Develop Some Holga Photos

Now its time to take the camera outside and snap some pictures. There
are some important features on the camera that you should be aware of:
Bulb & Normal. A switch located on the bottom of the camera allows you to trip the shutter normally (about 1/125 sec.) or you can
switch to B (bulb) which keeps the shutter open as long as you
hold down the shutter release. Use N for most photography.
Project 1
Sunny/Cloudy. Use this to switch from a sunny day aperture of
approximately f/8-f/13 to a partly sunny day aperture of approximately f/11-f/20. Dont worry about the lack of technical accuracy
with the aperture settings. Just figure on a sunny day, youll be
fine with ISO 400 film.
Focusing. Its all manual; no autofocus, and youll have no real
indication through the viewfinder if the lens is actually in focus or
not. Again, precision is not important here, but there are little icons
on the lens which indicate appoximate distances for focusing. The
small working aperture will insure that focus is adaquate most of
the time. Holga images will never be super crisp, but thats not the
point. Focus icons and distances are listed here:
Single figure: For subjects about 1 m away.
Small group: For subjects about 2 m away.
Large group: For subjects about 3 m away.
Mountains: This is the same as infinity on a regular lens.
Figure 1.5 Holga focusing icons. The lens in this figure is set to
the large group setting which is a focusing distance of approximately 3 m.
Each time you take a shot, be sure to check your focus indicators for the
correct approximate distance youre working with, click the shutter relase,
and advance the film to the next frame.
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Project 1
Remove The Film
When youve gotten to the last frame on the roll, its time to advance the
rest of the roll onto the take-up spool and carefully remove it from the camera. Heres how that is done:
1. Wind the entire roll onto the take-up spool. Turn the film advance/winder knob until you feel no more resistance on the film
winding. The red frame counter window on the back of the camera
should go dark because the paper backing on the film wont be visible any longer.
2. Remove the camera back cover. You should make sure you
are working in subdued light so as not to exposure the film to light
when removing it from the camera. Slide the fasteners open, and
remove tape, if any, in order to release the camera back, and carefully pop the back off.
3. Remove the film/spool. Carefully and securely remove the takeup spool with the film on it. Make sure the film does not come
unraveled off the spool (tighten it some more around the spool if
possible). Secure the film roll with tape or moisten the included
adhesive strip so it will stick to the roll and keep it from unravelling.
Figure 1.6 The roll of film is unloaded and secured with

adhesive tape, ready for the lab.
Once the film is out of the camera and secured, you can store it in some
light-protected place while waiting to send it off to the lab. Place the spool
that the film was originally on (still located in the camera) on the other side
of the camera. It will now become the take-up spool for the next roll of film!
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Project 2
Create
Smoke
Abstracts
In this project, the randomness of smoke is turned into beautiful abstract
art. The camera captures the ethereal quality of incense smoke and the
rest of the magic is performed in the digital darkroom. The images you create will elicit all kinds of reactions as each viewer sees something unique
and telling in the patterns you ultimately create from the original exposures.
Although youll have limited control over the shapes and forms created as
the smoke rises from the incense, youll have a great deal of control over
the final mirrored patterns and colors. Images like these are not only fun to
create, but they can also result in surprisingly impressive wall art!
Figure 2.1 (top) and Figure 2.2 (bottom) Smoke abstracts allow you to experiment with shapes, tones,
and colors to create truely unique works of art.
Project 2
What Youll Need
Here are some of the items youll need for this project:

Incense
Match (or lighter)
Small table and incense holder
External flash
Tripod
Dark background material (poster board, cloth)
Gather your materials and follow these instructions for setting up and
shooting the images for this project.
Take precautions when working with matches, lighters, and burning incense so that you
dont start a fire. You dont want to work with these items around flammable materials.
As soon as youre finished, make sure you douse the incense in water. Dont leave it
out or and dont throw it in the trash.
Setting Up
Before shooting your smoke abstracts, youll have to setup your incense on
a support, put up a background, and position your camera and lighting (see
Figure 2.3).
1. Setup the table or other support for the incense. You can
use a dark material in the background to help visually isolate the
smoke in the shot. Make sure there will be enough distance between the incense (and light) and the background so that the background fades to black in the exposures. For my setup, a black
cloth was used and positioned about 4 feet behind the incense.
2. Setup a camera on a tripod. Youll want this positioned in line
with the smoke as it rises off the incense. I shot the images shown
here with a 50mm lens about 3 ft from where the smoke was ris-
Project 2
Figure 2.3 Smoke photography setup. Black poster board is held by two A clamps on a background
stand, flash illuminates the rising smoke off the incense. Distances are approximate.
ing. My camera settings were ISO 100, f/16, with a shutter speed
of 1/250 (flash sync).
3. Setup the external flash (off-camera). I positioned my flash
about 2 ft to the left of the incense and slightly behind it. I did this
so that it pointed slightly away from the background. You dont
want to illuminate the background with spill-off light from the flash,
so you can also modify it with a flag or snoot. I used mine without
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Project 2
any modifiers. You can trigger the flash any way you like (PC
cord, TTL, radio trigger, etc.). How you setup and use the flash
isnt as important as simply getting it to illuminate the smoke. If
you want more information on setting up off-camera flash, please
see my eBook, 100% Reliable Flash Photography.
Photography
Once your project is setup and ready to go, its time to take some photos of
the rising smoke.
1. Focus for the smoke. If your camera is configured to autofocus
whenever you press the shutter button, youll have to set it up for
manual focus, or use an alternate focus button. It can be hard to
focus on the smoke each time you take a shot. Hold an object just
above the incense stick, where the smoke will be, and focus on
that. Remove it but leave the focus there for your actual shots.
Figure 2.4 Colors add excitement to smoke images, but even black and white versions can contain an
alluring array of tones that create visual interest.
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Project 2
Figure 2.5 Images can be colored and toned in various ways, or even inverted as shown here on the bottom right. The original (non-inverted) mirrored image is bottom left.
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Project 2
2. Take some shots. Light the incense and wait for some interesting smoke to rise into the frame. Experiment by disturbing the
air around the smoke with your hand or your breath. The idea is
to create interesting smoke patterns and get some shots to work
with. When youve gotten several shots, preview them on your
cameras LCD. If youre happy with them, import them into your
computer.
Post-Processing
There are several things you can do to enhance the smoke patterns including mirroring and colorizing. Heres what you can do to create the effects
shown in these images:
1. Open an image in Photoshop. Adjust contrast by using Curves
or Levels in order to make sure the background is very dark or
black and the smoke has the look you want.
2. Create a Duplicate Layer of the image. Then flip the duplicate
layer with Edit > Transform > Flip Horizontal.
3. Change the blending type of that layer to Lighten or Screen.
4. Add a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer above the other layers.
Check the Colorize box and adjust the color of the smoke.
5. Slide the top smoke layer, left or right, over the original layer
until you see a mirrored pattern you like. Crop to your taste
and save the image.
Again, this is only one way to approach this type of project. For example,
you might use natural light coming in from a window on one side of the
setup. If the background is dark enough, you should be able to isolate the
smoke in the image. Also, post-processing can involve different coloring
methods (you can use multiple colors and blending types). Ive seen some
beautiful inverted images, where the background can be turned white. And
you can mirror the original image with vertical flips and other variations.
Some original smoke patterns are so beautiful that they dont need to be
mirrored or colored at all.
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Project 3
Use Noise &

Grain for Effect
Noise seems to be one of those things that some people really try to avoid
with their DSLRs. Many photographers shy away from the higher ISO settings on their cameras because, on some cameras, anything above 1600
or 3200 will tend to produce very noticeable noise (similar to the look of film
grain, for those who can remember what that looks like). When we do get
a little noise in our images, we often resort to the noise reduction features
in our photo editing software to hide it. But is noise always a bad thing?
In the days of film, that grainy
texture was just a feature of the
medium. It was accepted just
as we accept paint strokes over
canvass. But when digital hit
its stride, and we could virtually
eliminate the look of grain (digital
noise) many thought it was
the answer to a problem. But
eventually, there was a backlash.
Many of us longed for the look of
analog images, even if we had to
use our digital cameras and special
techniques to achieve it.
Actually, the texture and nostalgia
of grain is so popular, a grain
effect is available with many digital
processing software packages.
The most popular camera and
photo sharing apps have all kinds
Figure 3.1 For this vintage film look, grain was

added via the Lightroom Grain effect.
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Project 3
Figure 3.2 A view of the Brooklyn Bridge with a black and white film grain effect. A noise layer was added
in Photoshop with a Linear Light blend at an opacity of 50%.
of noise, grain, and texture effects that essentially bring the high-resolution
images from a phone camera down to lo-fi texture-laden mini works of art.
In this project, youll create some effects with digital noise.
What Youll Need

Photos from any digital camera.
Image editing software. Packages like Lightroom, Photoshop,
GIMP, and various camera apps all provide some way of adding
noise texture to your images.
Although most of todays DSLR cameras are quite capable of minimizing
noise, even at higher ISO settings, it is possible to get some good grain
effect right out of the camera. To get this effect, I will often underexpose in
low-light environments, then emphasize the noise as I bring the exposure
back up in post-processing.
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Project 3
The easiest way to gain control over just the right amount, size, and visibility of the noise/grain in your images is with post-processing. Open your
image in your image editor and follow these instructions:
To do this in Lightroom:
1. Use the Grain effect. In the Develop module, you can use the
Grain effect sliders in the Effects panel. In the current version of
Lightroom youll find the following sliders:
Amount. This controls the amount of grain added to the
image.
Size. You can choose the grain particle size here.
Roughness. This allows you to cut down on the sharpness
of the grain; it softens the look of the particles.
Figure 3.3 A heavy grain effect added in Lightroom.
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Project 3
Here is one way to do this in Photoshop:
1. Add a grain layer. Create a
new empty layer above the image layer (or background layer
featuring the image). Click Edit
> Fill and under Contents in
the Fill dialog box, choose 50%
Gray for the fill color.
2. Add noise to the gain layer.
Next, with this new layer still
selected, in the menu choose,
Filter > Noise > Add Noise.
Add a small but noticeable
amount of noise, a distribution
of Gaussian and select Monochromatic.
3. Blur the grain slightly. Still
Figure 3.4 A heavy grain effect using Photoshop.
working with this layer, use the
menu to select Filter > Blur
> Gaussian and use a small
amount of blur to give the noise a realistic film grain look.
4. Blend the grain into the image. Now in the Layers panel, you
can use the Overlay or one of the other blend modes for the grain
layer. Adjust the opacity to taste and youre done.
In the open-source image editing package, GIMP, you can do something
similar by adding a medium gray layer over the original image, then using
the Noise filters, their controls, and blending options to create the look of
grain.
There are also many effects presets for the products mentioned above that
can do most of the work for you. Alternatively, you can import your images
to a device that hosts a photo effects app and use that to easily add grain
and other effects to any image.
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Project 4
Fruit and
Vegetable
Portraiture
Portraiture is the art and craft of rendering a persons likeness. When
we create photographic portraits, we often start by looking for the unique
characteristics of our subjects. Were not intrigued by the generic qualities,
rather we look for something special that sets them apart.
Produce, just like people, can be placed generically into types and categories, but within those groupings, no two are exactly alike. As photographers, we want to learn to see and celebrate the individual. When working
on this project, youll see how the mere act of looking for your subject helps
hone your skills at looking for and recognizing the uniqueness of each individual in a sea of types. Lighting and posing is where the magic happens.
Figures 4.1-3 Each of the vegetable portraits on this page were of the same red bell pepper shot at
different positions under a standard household lamp.
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Project 4
Figure 4.4 (left) Shape and texture, highlights

and shadow, all help tell the story of your subject,
and how you see them.
Figure 4.5 (right) Explore the unexpected
perspectives to see what appears.
When you begin to appreciate your human subjects this way, youll have
learned to better identify their unique physical characteristics and how to
model them under the light. To see them not only as people, but also as
shapes and forms, will help you discover ways to pose and light them more
creatively.
What Youll Need
Fruit and/or vegetable. Look for produce with some personality.
Youll occasionally come across some that really catch your eye.
Household lamp or some other small constant light source.
Black or white surface and background. To keep the image
simple.
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Project 4
Gather your materials and follow these instructions for setting up and
shooting the images for this project.
Setting Up
Here are the steps for setting up your fruit or vegetable portraits:
1. Place the subject. Set a single fruit or vegetable on the black or
white surface and make sure the background is of the same color.
Alternatively, you can shoot the item from above making a separate background unnecessary.
2. Hold or setup a lamp. This should be placed above and slightly
to one side of the item youre photographing. The lamp should be
easy to move as you photograph.
Figure 4.6 (left) Simple setup with black poster board and black crafting foam. The background can be
farther away from the subject if necessary to help prevent it being illuminated by the lamp.
Figure 4.7 (right) Radish bunch.
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Project 4
Figure 4.8 Pear on black.

Figure 4.9 Yam on white surface.
Photography
Before actually shooting, take a good look at how the light and shadow are
affecting the look of the subject. Position the item in different ways and
watch how the shadows change and how the textures become more, or
less, visible. Its this first step of seeing the portrait before you capture it
that is so crucial. Move the light around the object, too and watch for its effect over the object and the surface/background. As you find combinations
of light and angle that resonate with you, snap the photographs.
Post-Processing
As you would with human subjects, you might want to address issues with
what you perceive as distractions and imperfections in the texture of the
item photographed. You might also notice issues with the surface or background in the shots. With some shiny surfaces, hard highlights are potentially distracting, so take steps to tone them down. Boosting the contrast
and adjusting the saturation are often good options, too.
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Project 5
Do a 365 Project
in One Day
365 photo projects are alive and well. As you probably know, the idea behind something like this is to take at least one photo a day, based on a certain theme, or not, and post it up for others to see. It could be a self-portrait
each day for a year, or a way to document your meals or some activity, or a
freestyle project; shoot anything that you find interesting. The purpose is
not only to have fun, but to learn something and develop your skills and an
eye for the beauty in the everyday things that make up your life.
One of the biggest benefits of doing a project like this is the feeling of accomplishment at the end of the year. But that year-long commitment is
challenging and it can lead to frustration and discouragement when a day
or two has passed and youve forgotten to shoot a photo or simply didnt
feel well enough or inspired to do so. Your photography should be a source
of fun and not something that leaves you feeling defeated.
So, rather than tackle the typical 365 project, heres another challenge for
you: shoot a whole years worth of photos in one single day! Its the 365
project in hyper-drive. Yes, youll still have the creative challenge of making
interesting images, but now youll have to meet all those challenges in a
matter of hours. Now thats an exercise in creativity!
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Project 5
What Youll Need
For this project, a cell phone camera can come in handy but a DSLR is fine,
too. Whatever you use, make sure you have enough memory/storage to
collect all of the images youll be shooting. When youre done photographing, upload all of your images to a gallery-building application or website for
a quick and easy view of your work.
The idea is simple. Youve got one day (24 hours) to find and photograph
365 good images. Here are the rules:
24 hours. You have only 24 hours to take all 365 photos. Can
you do it in less time? Of course. As a matter of fact, I recommend you shoot all of your images in two- or three-hour chunks.
You can probably complete this task in as little as 4 hours if you
push it.
JPG only. In other words, dont bother shooting with the idea that
youll be doing any serious post-processing work. Try to make
each shot great, right out of the camera. Compose, set simple
effects (if any), shoot, and move on to the next shot. The idea is to
create good images without the notion of fixing or improving the
shots later.
No theme. You dont have time to ponder the literal or meet with
any specific theme. And that would probably defeat the purpose
of the challenge anyway. Imagine if you set the theme up as, my
bottle cap collection. What a waste it would be to spend a couple
of hours just snapping one bottle cap after another just to say you
completed this project. No, youll have to find different things to
photograph wherever you are, and wherever youre going in order
to finish this task.
Be creative. Dont just snap photos of objects like youre catching
butterflies with a net. Put some thought into it; make the photos
interesting and unique. Find a way to make an ordinary object
look like something its not, or photograph it from an unusual perspective. Whatever you do, dont take the easy way out. You are
a creative person and you can meet this challenge.
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Project 6
Add Texture to
Your Photos
In the digital darkroom, available on desktop and mobile devices, almost
anything is possible. With a few clicks of the mouse, you can replace backgrounds in an image, or create richer colors, or add a vintage effect (see
Figure 6.1). So many things are possible, that it becomes hard to imagine
pushing a photo out onto the web these days without processing it through
a filter or effect.
But just because the effects are so easy to apply doesnt mean you have
to throw every one of them at a photo, drastically changing its look. Some
subtle effects can be good, too. It really all depends on what you want to
say with your photo. In this project, youre going to explore adding subtle
textures to your images. Instead of making your photos about the textures,
make the textures about the photos. Let the effects you apply help tell the
story without overpowering it.
Figure 6.1 Two textured images created with the iPhone and the Snapseed app (Nik Software).
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Project 6
What Youll Need
Image editing software. This can be anything from the latest full
version of Photoshop to something like the Snapseed app available on various devices.
Texture images. Many image editors with effects packages come
with a set of built-in textures. You can also find free texture images on the web; many people are happy to share depending
on how you plan to use their images. Of course, shooting and
working with your own texture images will make yours truly unique.
The following textures (Figure 6.2) were shot with an iPhone as
they were discovered on and around a local sidewalk. One was
used for the project instructions that follow.
Figure 6.2 Found textures collected with an iPhone.
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Project 6
If you have an image editing program, or app, and some built-in or found
texture images, its time to look for an image that can benefit from some
texturing. Keep in mind that different images will benefit from different
approaches when adding in textures. On portraits, for example, selectively
adding in texture to avoid the face will generally give you appealing results.
In the instructions to follow, well work with such an image (see Figure 6.3).
Texture Layers in Photoshop
Note that this technique will work in other layer-capable programs, too:
1. Open the original image. Open the image youd like to apply the
texture to in your image editing program. It will be on the bottom
of the layer stack as you add texture layers and masking above
it.
2. Open the texture image. Open the texture image in the image
editor and drag, or otherwise import it, onto the layer stack of the
original image. It should be in a layer on top of the original image.
3. Adjust the texture image layers blending mode and/or opacity. Each time you add a texture to an image, youll want to experiment with different ways for that layer to affect the overall look of
the image. Start by adjusting the blending mode (see Figure 6.4)
and opacity to see how you like the results.
4. Mask or erase parts of the texture. If your software allows you
to selectively hide part of the textures effect on parts of the overall
image, use this to make sure the texture is not affecting areas you
dont want it to. For example, while a rough cracked wall, or peeling paint might look good on a background, it usually isnt a great
thing to overlay on a pretty face.
In Photoshop & GIMP: Use the Add Layer Mask option in the
texture layer as shown in Figure 6.5. Select the mask and use a
brush (or airbrush), with the color black selected, to paint a mask
over the areas you dont want the texture to show through.
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Project 6
Example
In the following example, the layer and masking techniques described
above are used to produce an image with a subtle texture effect. An image featuring a subject and a plain background is opened in Photoshop. A
texture image is also opened.
Figure 6.3 Original image (left), and texture image (right).
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Project 6
After placing the texture image in a layer above the original image, it is
sized and its layer blending mode is set to Overlay. The effect is nice except for what it does to the subjects face (see Figure 6.4).
Figure 6.4 The texture image has been placed on a layer above the original image. The Overlay blending option has been selected for the texture layer.
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Project 6
A layer mask is added to the texture layer and a brush is used to paint over
the skin areas so that the texture does not show through to the skin as
shown in Figure 6.5.
Figure 6.5 A layer mask has been added to the texture layer. Painting over areas of the layer mask
prevents the texture from appearing just underneath those areas on the image layer.
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Project 6
Experimenting with blending modes on the texture layer is a good way to try
out different effects (see Figure 6.6). Inverting or creating a negative image
of the texture might also yield interesting results as shown in Figure 6.7.
Figure 6.6 Blending mode of the texture layer is changed to Hard Light, producing this effect.
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Project 6
Figure 6.7 Same image, texture, masking and blending as previous image, except that the texture
portion (not the mask) has been inverted using Image > Adjustments > Invert.
Other techniques and software allow you to add texturing to your images in
a variety of ways. Here, weve shown a simple but flexible way to control a
tasteful, subtle texture effect in Photoshop. By masking and otherwise creating selective texturing effects, you can take advantage of textures without
subjecting every part of the image to them.
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Project 7
Shoot a Band in
a Small Venue
One of the most challenging things to photograph is a live music performance (concert), especially in a small venue where the lighting can be
deplorable. At times small venue lighting can be to be too dim, or harsh,
or excessively colorful. When shooting in this type of environment, where
a photographer essentially has no control over the lighting or the subject,
youll learn to find ways to get good pictures in the positions you take up
around the stage, your timing, and in the upper limits of what your gear is
capable of.
Live music photography isnt just about taking photos of whats on-stage,
from one vantage point, its about seeing the individuals in the band as
people and performers. Youll learn to gauge a musicians movements and
watch for interesting displays of emotion, all the while keeping an eye out
Figures 7.1 Patricia Vonne. 85mm, ISO 1600, f/1.8, 1/125 sec.
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Project 7
Figure 7.2 Keyboard
detail. This image was
taken under hard red
lighting but looks good
after a conversion to
black and white.
for that surprise moment when something unexpected and dramatic occurs.
Photographing bands and performers will help you with your photography
in general. It teaches you to find angles that make the light work for you
and to see the details as well as appreciate the scene as a whole. It will
also encourage you to make the best use of your gear in almost impossible
lighting conditions.
What Youll Need to Know
Here are some suggestions for this project:

Ask permission. Smaller clubs with lesser-known bands usually
have no problem with photographers taking a few shots up around
the stage. But its always a good idea to ask someone at the club
(as well as the band) if it would be okay to take some photos during the performance.
Dont use a flash. Not only does an on-camera flash tend to
result in horrible photos in smaller venues, but it can be very annoying to the band and the audience to see a flash firing repeatedly in front of them. Besides, this project is about learning to use
your camera and lenses when pushed to their limit. This means
high ISO settings and wide apertures. Learn to use the light given
to you during the performance, and youll grow quickly as a photographer.
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Project 7
Dont be shy. Youre not going to get great shots standing at the
back of the venue; get right up at the base of the stage. You can
pick a spot to one side and either stand or sit/squat to get some
interesting angles. It might seem a little intimidating to plant yourself between the audience and the band, but if you dont stand
for long periods of time right in front of members of the audience,
youll quickly mix into the scenery and people will stop noticing
you. After all, theyre there to see the band.
Shoot Raw not JPEG. This is very important for this type of photography. The lighting and colors youll have to deal with will often
require a great deal of adjustment in post-processing.
Find a good local rock group that is playing a local nightclub and arrange to
go out and take photos of them. Bands love getting photos of their perfor-
Figure 7.3 (left) 85mm, ISO 1600, f/1.8, 1/125 sec.

Figure 7.4 (right) 17-40mm @ 31mm, ISO 1600, f/4.0, 1/80 sec.
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Project 7
Figure 7.5 (left) 85mm, ISO 3200, f/1.8, 1/80 sec.

Figure 7.6 (right) 50mm, ISO 6400, f/2.8, 1/40 sec.
mances, so if you feel generous, send them a few digital copies when you
have time. When youre at the venue make sure you find a spot up near
the stage and try to get the type of shots listed here:
Band interacting with each other during setup
Detail shots of musical instruments and gear
Wide-angle shot of the entire band
Shots of individual members performing
Shots from the front, corners, and interesting side and rear
angles of the stage if accessible.
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Project 7
Photography
Know that youll have to
push your camera to its
limits and shoot at very high
ISO settings in some venues. Use a wider aperture
of f/2.8 or so and be sure to
shoot in Raw so that youll
have as much leeway as
possible for exposure and
color adjustments in postprocessing.
Post-Processing
As noted earlier, small

nightclub stage lighting is
notoriously bad so post-processing is where youll need
to make up for it. Here,
Figure 7.7 Position yourself not just directly in front of
youll likely have to fix hot
the band, but also at vantage points that allow you to use
spots and underexposed
the stage lighting for dramatic effect.
areas in the same shot.
Also, very red and very
blue/purple lighting can wreak havoc on your images. So learn to adjust
the color sliders in your Raw conversion/editing software to make the most
out of the images. Sometimes youll find the best all-around solution is to
simply convert an image to monochrome to avoid dealing with the color
issues altogether.
Above all, have fun with this project. Its a great way to learn to deal with a
variety of photographic challenges which will definitely help build your skill
set. Youll gain the confidence of knowing you can make great shots out
of bad lighting, and create performance portraits even when you have no
control over your subjects expressions and posing.
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Project 8
Create a
Classic
Portrait
Classic lighting patterns define some

of the long established conventions
in portraiture, and for good reason.
Human faces and figures, and the
general criteria we measure beauty by,
Figure 8.1 Classic-style lighting created with
have remained amazingly consistent
flash unit and umbrella modifier.
from generation to generation. It would
follow that the way we prefer to see
light and shadow fall across another human face must be somehow hardwired into us.
Traditional lighting patterns, first discovered and distilled by other visual artists such as painters, were not invented arbitrarily, but identified over time
as the most appealing, and eventually made their way into the standard
methodology. The way we light and model a human face has everything
to do with how viewers will perceive that face and indeed the mood of the
portrait.
In this project, youll be introduced to the most fundamental and universally
appealing lighting pattern created by simply placing the light in the right
place in relation to your subjects head (or by placing your subject in the
right spot under the light). Youll discover the importance of the size and
position of your light relative to your subject. Once youve mastered this
basic pattern, youll be equipped to move on to other lighting patterns, fill
lighting, and multiple light setups.
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Project 8
What Youll Need
Because the classic portrait is

based on a single light source,
thats all thats really required
besides a camera and a subject.
A flash/strobe or a constant light
source, as well as natural light,
can all produce great lighting for
classic portraiture.
Of course, the size of the light,
relative to your subject, and its
position will affect the overall
quality of the portrait. A larger
light source (or a small one
modified with a large diffuser, for
instance) will provide softer shadFigure 8.2 Shadows take on a different look as the
ows when positioned close to the
subject turns his head in relation to the light.
subject. A smaller light source,
relative to your subject, will result
in harder shadows and contrast. Just as important are the position of the
light and turn of your subjects head, which will both affect the direction of the
shadows across your subjects face.
It turns out that what youll need is whatever it takes to get the quality of light
you want for your portrait. So, in the sections that follow, well take the time
to discuss three types of lighting that can be used for the classic portrait:
Flash/Strobe. If youre using a small off-camera flash or some
other type of strobe, youll need some way to diffuse that light and
create a larger surface of light relative to your subject, as well as
some way to position it. The solution to this would likely be a light
stand and a softbox or translucent umbrella modifier. A way to trigger your off-camera strobe will also be needed. This could be some
type of radio trigger or a dedicated light or IR trigger.
Household Lamp. A household light can also be an excellent
source, but a bare bulb might result in harsh shadows. A lamp with
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Project 8
a large lamp shade and/or diffused with fabric, however, will provide softer shadows if placed within a couple feet of your subject.
Natural Window Light. Natural daylight coming in through a window, especially with large translucent curtain panels, can provide
very pleasing light. The classic portrait will benefit from your ability
to flag off the window light so that your subject appears to be illuminated mostly from just above their head, rather than from lower
than the chin.
In order to create the classic portrait, youll want to pay special attention to
the contrast and light/shadow patterns created by your light source upon
your subject. In the following examples, well create a classic feel by approximating the so-called Rembrandt lighting style using a flash, household
lamp, and natural window light. The idea is to illuminate your subject with
light coming in primarily from a position above and to one side of their head.
Effective classic portraits generally contain one or more of the following
characteristics:
Shadow Pattern. Variations on Rembrandt lighting will display a
triangle or diamond shape of light on the shadow side just underneath the eye, to extend down toward the mouth. For this project,
the goal should be to see the shadow from the tip of the nose fall
below and to one side of the nose.
Catch Lights. Eyes look rather lifeless without catch light reflections off the main light. The light and/or your subject should be
positioned so that the small glint of light appears at about the one
oclock or 11 oclock positions in the eyes, depending on which side
of your subject the light is placed.
Contrast. Another characteristic of classic one-light portraiture is
relatively high contrast. There is often plenty of shadow associated
with a classic portrait. Indeed, classic portraits are often low key or
dramatic-looking images.
Keep in mind that the following examples only serve as starting points, and
you should experiment to find the angles you like best. Backgrounds should
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Project 8
be simple and free of distracting colors or patterns. Solid dark colors and
classic mottled backdrops work well.
Flash With Umbrella Modifier

In the diagram below, our single light source is positioned about 3 ft from
our subject and in the 45/45 position. Roughly, this means the light is 45
degrees to one side of the subject, pointed down at a 45 degree angle from
above the subject.
Figure 8.3 Strobe with shoot-through umbrella modifier.
Household Lamp
As discussed earlier, flash or studio strobe equipment isnt necessary for
creating beautiful classic portraiture; any standard original light source can
work if modified and positioned correctly. In this case, a household lamp is
modified with a sheer fabric over the lamp shade. As with the flash example
above, position the subject and/or the lamp so that it illuminates the subject
from a position approximately 45 degrees to one side, and 45 degrees
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Project 8
above the subjects head. The advantage of a constant light source over
a flash/strobe is that you can see the quality of the light and the shadow
patterns created in real-time. This is a great way to learn how to light a
portrait.
Figure 8.4 Floor lamp with white fabric to help diffuse the light coming from under the lamp shade. Our
subject sat on a stack of books to bring her to the correct height relative to the lamp illumination.
Natural Window Light

One of the most effective ways to achieve beautiful classic lighting for portraiture is with natural light coming in through a sufficiently large window
diffused with white translucent panels or sheers. The challenge is to make
sure the light is sufficiently directed to approximate the 45/45 position and
correct shadow pattern.
On larger windows, windows with lowered shades or blinds, or windows positioned lower than the subjects head, an undesirable lighting pattern could
41
Project 8
Figure 8.5 Window light.
result. When the main light is coming in from below the subjects head, a
type of horror movie under-lighting pattern will result. In any case, you
can position some type of material to block lower portions of a large window if necessary, or move the subject so that the lighting coming in through
the window illuminates them mostly from the preferred position.
By following these examples, you should be able to create sophisticatedlooking classic portraits with ease. Once you understand how the lighting
setup and the orientation of the subjects head affect the overall look of the
portrait, you will be prepared to learn about more advanced lighting scenarios.
42
Project 9
Create an
Ethereal
High Key
Portrait
In still photography, high key and low key are terms generally used to
define images that are predominately brighter/whiter in tone, or darker/
blacker in tone, respectively. While low key images are heavy and dramatic, high key tends to offer a lighter and airier appeal. High key images are
great for expressing positivity, etherial beauty, and openness. This makes
high key great for certain types of portraiture and scenery.
By experimenting with high key lighting, youll learn to address issues of
background, lighting angle, and overall exposure. Post-processing also
plays an important role here, as the finishing touches in a high key image
are often done there.
There is no single best way to approach the creation of a high key image,
so well cover some basics here for you to use as a jumping-off point for
creating your own. Remember that its the end result that defines it as high
key, not how you get there. So, experiment and see which techniques
serve you best.
What Youll Need
Since high key images can be put together a number of ways, you wont
need everything in this list. So, take these as suggestions that apply to
more than one type of high key image:
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Project 9
Flash unit(s). Basic hot shoe flash units positioned off-camera, or
studio strobes. And of course, some way to control and fire them.
See 100% Reliable Flash Photography for complete details on
how to work with flash and how to setup off-camera flash.
Umbrellas, or a very large softbox. These can be useful for
wrap-around lighting from behind your subject.
White or light-colored wall. Your background should be very
light in tone, and striking it with a little light should help it appear
that way in your images.
Window light. A good amount of diffuse light coming in through
a large window with white translucent panels behind your subject
can help create beautiful wrap-around high key effects.
Light and airy clothing for your subject. While dark colors
can work, they dont lend to the light and open feeling that often
defines a high key shot. I often use a large white fabric, draped
around my subject for this type of effect.
Once youve found someone that you think will make a good subject for
your ethereal high key portrait, youll need to determine where the photo
should be taken. As noted earlier, if youre lucky enough to have a large
window with a good amount of diffuse light coming through it, that might be
a perfect starting place. Otherwise, the main idea is to hit your background
with plenty of overpowering light, or use light AS the background. That is
to say, youre trying to overexpose or blow-out your background to desired
effect. You dont need a tremendous amount of light, because youll create
the overexposure with your camera settings and/or post-processing.
Photography
If you have a big white wall or background surface to work with, you can
point a strobe or flash unit directly at it in order to blast the area behind the
subject with light. When I only have a small flash unit to work with, Ill put it
in Manual mode and set the flash to 1/8 power or higher, depending on the
aperture and ISO Im working with. Keep in mind that with wider apertures
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Project 9
Figure 9.2 Here, a single flash is used to illuminate the wall and the subject from behind. A nice seethrough effect was achieved with the sheer fabric as the light coming in from behind the subject created
somewhat of a silhouette.
Figure 9.3 Two lights, modified by umbrellas, were used to create this effect.
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Project 9
Figure 9.4 Even a standard two-light setup like this can produce the beginnings of a good high key
image. This image was mostly made up of lighter tones to begin with, but bumping up the exposure in a
Raw converter or image editing software can help create the high key effect shown.
of f/2.8 or f/1.8, and a relatively high ISO (400, 800, or more), will allow you
to drop the power of the flash unit down a bit. Getting the most from your
flash without using higher power settings can be good for conserving battery power and it can also boost your recycle times. If youre using more
flash units, or higher powered strobes, youll have the luxury of smaller
apertures and lower ISO settings.
There are other effective ways to bath your subject in background illumination. The illustrations featured in this chapter show how I used flash units
modified with shoot-through translucent umbrellas for various effects. Do
you need a main light or some other type of illumination for the front/visible
side of your subject? You can definitely do that, if thats the look you want.
But if you would like something a little less slick and more ethereal, you can
do this without adding more light and simply let the background light do its
thing as it bounces around the room. Some of that light will hit your subject
on the camera side, too. Take a few test shots to see where this takes you.
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Project 9
Camera Settings
Your camera settings are going to vary widely based on the type, power,
and positioning of the lighting. If your only real light source is coming in
from behind the subject, the settings you use will determine the amount of
overexposure youll achieve for the background, but it can also determine to
what degree your subject will appear as silhouette. In a smaller room with
lighter-colored walls, an overexposure of the background light will allow your
subject to be more visible under the lesser illumination of the light scattering
back to her from the walls.
As a first step, lets say your setup is providing you with a good amount of overexposure
on the background with the following camera
settings: Manual (M), an aperture of f/4, an
ISO of 400 and shutter remaining constant at
1/250.
Next, you place your subject in the frame to
take a test shot which produces a silhouette
with very little detail on the subject as shown
in Figure 9.5. That might be exactly what
youre looking for. However, if youd like to
get a little more detail (make her more visible and not just a silhouette), you can either
widen your aperture to f/2.8 or more, or you
Figure 9.5 Backlighting can produce
can bump up your ISO to 800 or more.
a silhouette effect.
If using only flash, altering the shutter speed
wont be very helpful. Keep moving that ISO
up to see what you get out of the light and how it illuminates your subject.
Otherwise, use a reflector or other light as shown in Figure 9.6.
Post-Processing
For me, this type of shot is only partially complete right out of the camera.
I know as Im shooting these images (always in Raw), that Ill be adjusting
exposure and contrast with both my Raw converter and Photoshop in order
to fine-tune the work. This is similar to what photographers used to do in the
darkroom when they used variable-contrast paper and experimented with
exposure times under the enlarger.
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Project 9
As you look through your images from this project, identify some that you
think will look great as monochrome or split tones. Experiment with the
amount of contrast the images receive in order to emphasize a silhouette
or alternatively bring out more detail in the subject. The latter, especially
when shot with high ISO settings, can produce some intriguing texture
because of the noise that becomes visible.
Figure 9.6 The subject was positioned near a corner (where two white walls
meet). A flash was pointed behind her at the corner. Another flash illuminated
her from the front.
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Project 10
50mm for
One Week
When looking for ways to challenge
your creative process theres nothing
like placing self-imposed constraints on
your selection of tools or techniques.
These constraints, far from limiting, can
actually free you from the burden of too many options, leaving you with the
enjoyable simplicity of seeing, composing, and clicking the shutter.
The 50mm fixed lens is a traditional normal focal length lens for SLR/
DSLR cameras. On 35mm film SLRs and full-frame DSLRs, 50mm is widely considered to offer an field of view closest to what the human eye sees.
The actual field of view youll be able to record depends on your cameras
sensor size. Whats important for this project is not the actual focal length
of the lens (any fixed length lens in the normal range will suffice), but the
idea that you will be shooting without the option to zoom.
If you have been shooting primarily with a standard kit lens or other zoom
that offers a wide range of focal lengths (e.g. 24-70mm or 18-135mm)
youve no doubt gotten used to a style of shooting that a wide-to-telephoto
facilitates. Shooting with a fixed length lens forces you to think differently
Figures 10.1-10.2 Flowers.
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Project 10
about your photography. In fact, it sets up a new dynamic in how you interact with your subjects and the environment around you.
Mount a 50mm or other normal fixed length lens (e.g. a 35mm) on your
camera and commit to leaving it there for one week. If you do not have
access to a normal fixed length lens, you can alternatively limit yourself to
ONE specific focal length on your zoom lens for the entire week. Your goal
is to end up with at least 25 images that you are happy with by the end of
that week.
This challenge will hopefully open up a new way of seeing and relating to
your world as a photographer. You should feel a new sense of confidence
and control when going back to the convenience of your zoom lens. You
might even decide that zooms are no longer your lenses of choice!
Figures 10.3 Off the docks, Hudson River, NYC.
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Project 11
B&W for One Week
Heres another creative exercise based on the idea of limiting some options
in favor of developing new insight. But for this challenge, you wont be
limited by fixed focal length (see the 50mm for One-Week Project) lenses.
Instead, youll be photographing in black and white, and in the JPEG format
only. Not only will you have to make the mental adjustment of pre-visualizing your images where color and tones are concerned, but youll have to
photograph without the exposure latitude safety net provided by Raw files.
In everyday shooting, weve got the option to capture the maximum color
and exposure information our cameras will allow with Raw files. We can
then choose to convert to monochrome in a variety of ways giving us a
great deal of control over the final look of our black and white images. But
for this exercise, I want you to think in terms of controlling most of the options for your black and white shots in-camera.
Figure 11.1 Brooklyn, East River.
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Project 11
Figure 11.2-11.3 B&W film images.
Seeing in Black and White

If youve not shot specifically for black and white, this exercise will be a
great way to understand what goes into pre-visualizing, or seeing in black
and white. Mentally, youll find yourself stripping away the color information and focusing on the shades and tones in a scene. Youll start to see
shapes and contrast in a different way. Light and shadow will take on a
new significance. This will, of course, not just improve your black and white
photography, but will help you identify these important components of a
scene in color, too.
Creating Good Exposures

Setting your camera up to record photos as Raw files is normally preferred
over JPEG-only capture because Raw retains all of the image data your
camera can record. This means you can make major corrections and other
adjustments (e.g. white balance, exposure, contrast) later in the editing
stage. Thus, Raw capture is the most responsible way to go if it doesnt
adversely affect workflow, storage limitations, and delivery times.
But where Raw can provide you with all the benefits associated with postprocessing, it might also give you a sense that you dont have to be quite
as careful with your camera settings since you can fix it in post. In fact,
exposure corrections, as useful as they may be, are always going to be
limited to some extent. If youve actually blown the detail out of the brighter
areas of your image for instance, nothing in the Raw file will allow you to
bring them back in post. The best scenario, of course, is to capture your
exposures as intended during the photography, and use any post adjustments to your Raw data to tweak any weak areas. Things like color adjust52
Project 11
ments and other effects that are
possible in editing are the icing on
the cake.
In this exercise, youre going to
take away much of the safety
net that Raw files provide and
concentrate on getting good initial
exposures. Doing this for a week
should help you gain an appreciation for maintaining proper exposure settings that can only benefit
your photography overall.
Figure 11.4 Portrait.
Set your DSLR camera to shoot in monochrome and JPEG-only format,
and commit to leaving it on those settings for one week. Your goal is to end
up with at least 25 images that you are happy with by the end of that week.
Alternatively, you can shoot some or all of the images with a film camera
and B&W film.
This challenge is a great way to practice pre-visualizing your images as
theyll appear in their final form; youll learn to think in terms of the final
photograph rather than just the view in front of your lens. If your camera allows you to preview the scene in black and white on the LCD screen before
shooting, that would defeat the purpose, so dont use that feature.
Shooting in JPEG (or on film) also effectively locks-in the monochrome and
exposure settings. Knowing this compels you to stop thinking in terms of
fixing it in post or adjusting colors after the fact. Certainly, there are some
adjustments youll be able to make once the images are imported to your
computer, but tweaking contrast and adjusting brights and darks within the
limits of your JPEG files is fair game.
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Project 12
Tell a
Story
with
Multiple
Images
The diptych, two images featured side-by-side, has long
been an effective device for
telling a visual story or creating Figure 12.1 Diptych.
interest in a way that each image couldnt do on its own. Of
course, this device doesnt have to stop with just two images; you can use
as many as you like. The iconic Marilyn Diptych (1962) by Andy Warhol
actually consists of two panels of 50 variations of a single image.
A multiple-image piece can be presented as physically independent but
grouped or connected images, or as digital collage. There are a variety of
computer and mobile apps that allow for the easy creation of diptychs and
collages like the one shown in Figures 12.1 and 12.2.
Multiple image groupings are actually quite commonplace and used extensively in wedding album designs, some types of portraiture products, and
in a editorial pieces. But these groupings arent always planned. Whats
great about working with image groupings is that you can go back and find
images in your archives and give them new life and significance!
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Project 12
Figure 12.2-12.3 Three images featuring shots from around the Atlantic City Boardwalk (right), and
two images at the same location and vantage point in Central Park, NYC, seasons apart (left). Collages created with the Pic Stich app by Big Blue Clip, LLC.
Whether youre using two images or several, its the relationship between
the images that give meaning to the grouping. Logical (and sometimes
nonsensical) relationships between images featured in a diptych or a triptych (three image sequence) might be:
Temporal. Showing how something is changed by time passing.
Spatial. Showing how something is changed by distance or
perspective. The same object, for instance, can be shown from
different angles to communicate something about the object not
possible with just one image.
Detail. It can be interesting to see the overview of a scene or
object and then a close-up, detailed view of a feature.
Sequence. Multiple images can be used as a storyboard device
to tell a short story or explain a process.
Juxtaposition. An obvious relationship between images isnt
necessary for a multiple image piece to be successful. A grouping
of two very identical or seemingly unrelated images might deliver
a message or association that transcends what each image could
have communicated on its own.
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Project 12
What Youll Need
Creating a physical image grouping is simple enough. You can purchase a

matte board with two or more cut-outs, a diptych or triptych hinged frame,
or simply display two or more prints in an obvious grouping.
Digital groupings can also be created with various software, including standard photo editing programs.
Pic Stitch. An app available for mobile Apple devices. There are
others that provide similar functionality, including Photo Grid for
Android phones. Images which were taken with your phone, or
imported to it, can be placed in a variety of pre-set layouts.
Lightroom. The Print module in Adobe Lightroom allows you to
use and create templates for multiple image groupings. You can
choose to either print to paper or to JPEG format.
Photoshop. In Adobe Photoshop and Photoshop Elements (and
other layer-capable image editing software, including the opensource GIMP package) you can simply drop images onto a background of white, or some other color, and size and drag them to
create the image grouping you want.
Figure 12.4 Juxtaposition.
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Project 12
Youll create the following types of diptychs and triptychs for this project:
Diptych: Overview to detail. Place a wide shot of a scene or
subject on the left-hand side and a detail view of an object appearing in the scene on the right. For example, a portrait of a dancer
coupled with a shot of her slippers or hands.
Triptych: Sequence. From left to right, show a clear sequence of
events with simple images. An example of this might be someone
taking out a cigarette, lighting it, and exhaling smoke.
Triptych: Story. From top to bottom, tell a short story with just
three images. Perhaps a change in emotion as a child is presented with a gift, opens it, and is surprised by whats inside.
Diptych: Juxtapose. Use completely unrelated images to demonstrate an irony or make a statement. The message doesnt
even have to make a point; as long as it evokes a reaction unlikely had the images been viewed separately.
Diptych: Very similar images. Place two nearly identical images side by side in a way that compels the viewer to look at the
subject more closely or in an entirely different way than they would
if it were a single image. The two images can actually be created
from a single image with some type of variation in the duplicate.
Give the Diptych meaning with this variation.
Learning to think in terms of combining both related and disparate images
will help you synthesize visual elements and whole concepts in new ways.
Grouping objects and ideas can often open the door to new discoveries
where none existed prior to the grouping.
57
Project 13
Window Light
Photography
The potential of natural window light is addressed throughout this book,
but here its the focus of our attention and what well use to create a variety
of image types. Yes, window light is that versatile, and magical. And why
shouldnt it be? An average window can produce light similar to what youd
get with a softbox. And with curtain sheers and opaque panels its possible
to modify the light in a number of ways.
Figure 13.1 Still life illuminated by daylight through a small window just above the table.
In the following project well revisit classic and high-key looks and create
some still life and silhouette images.
58
Project 13
What Youll Need
The following will make for a versatile natural window light shooting space:
Window. Medium- to large-size window with a good amount of
natural light flowing in. The amount and direction of natural light
isnt something you can always control, but you can determine
when the best light will be available and use various means to control the quality of it as it comes through the window.
Dark backdrop/background. A dark backdrop or very simple
background area so as not to detract from the subject is handy.
Since youll be using a single light source focused on your subject,
its likely that a proper exposure for your subject will result in a
darker background, useful for classic and other styles.
A normal focal length lens. In smaller spaces, a wide-angle lens
will allow you to get more of your subject in the frame but it can
distort the subject. With a little room and a 50mm lens you should
be able to capture all (or at least 3/4) of a human subject without
distortion. With more room, a medium-telephoto lens can give you
great results. With smaller subjects, still-life work, etc., smaller
working areas will suffice.
Reflective materials. A large mirror, commercial photography
reflector (e.g. collapsible reflectors by Photoflex and others with
silver and gold sides), or any light-colored surface that will help
you bounce light back onto the subject to add a secondary highlight or fill light.
Subjects. Find a subject you feel is most appropriate for each of
the exercises in this project.
Setup and photograph the following using the examples and instructions
presented here as a starting guide:
59
Project 13
Classic Portrait. See Create a Classic Portrait detailed earlier
and use window light to create an image with strong side lighting.
Figure 13.2 Window light portrait.
High Key Portrait. See Create an Ethereal High Key Portrait

earlier in this book. A good amount of diffuse light coming in
through a large window with white translucent panels behind your
subject can help create beautiful wrap-around high key effects.
Use a reflector or room light to properly expose the subject on the
camera side.
Figure 13.3 High key portrait.
60
Project 13
Silhouette. Similar to above, but keep the light from falling onto
the camera side of the subject. Use higher contrast settings in
post-processing (editing) for darker shadows.
Figure 13.4 Silhouette.
Still Life. The control you can achieve with still life setups and
window light is just amazing. By moving your still life object(s)
closer or farther away from the window you can see how the
distance really affects the contrast; the transition area between
light and shadow decreases as you increase the distance from the
window. The holds true for portraits, too.
Figure 13.5 Still life.
61
Project 13
This project should give you enough practice with a large, softbox-like light
source (the window) to help you understand what is possible with an actual
softbox or similar light modifier. By varying the distance between the light
and the subject, you should also clearly see how it affects contrast. Various
window treatments affect the overall quality of the light and can control spill
and angle of coverage, too. Although you can reproduce many of these
effects with artificial light sources and modifiers no matter what the lighting
conditions are outside, you might find that natural window light is your light
of choice when its available.
62
Project 14
Found
Objects
This project is interesting in that it
brings up the age-old question about
what defines a work as art. Common
objects on their own arent typically thought
of as art pieces, yet they can be transformed
into art by simply being designated as such by
someone with a camera. Arguably, by capturing and framing an object within the context of
photograph the photographer elevates that
object to attention-worthy status. By doing so,
the photographer is asserting that it is something
to contemplate or at least view as relevant.
Instagram is an example of a never-ending stream
of found object art, where common objects, even
Figure 14.1 Discarded roses.
lunch, are deemed worthy of digital framing, adding
effects to further express a sense, and sharing with others. Its a good
example of real-time snapshot art. But would these objects be art had they
not been designated as such? All that matters is that they become art once
they are given the role and theyre often accepted as such.
Of course, this is one view but some say found art is a misnomer, that
simply designating an object as an art piece (or making a photograph of an
object) isnt creating art at all.
There are other questions to ponder: What if, the object is unmoved and
simply discovered and captured as is? What if the object is in fact already
considered a piece of art, as in the case of a sculpture or beautiful architecture? Is photographing it simply copying, documenting, or misappropriating? What if it is a registered trademark? What if a photographer creates
63
Project 14
a beautiful composition of
garbage or animal droppings?
What if the object is moved
or placed in an arrangement
with other objects?
Given some of these questions, isnt it reasonable to
ask if photographing a found
model in found fashions
Figure 14.2 Old camera.
with a makeup artists own
work covering the models face, in a room designed or decorated with a
host of other objects that the photographer had no hand in creating is really
just another form of arranging found objects and other works into a found
piece? Where do we draw the line between what is a found object and
what is not?
Fortunately, you dont have to answer to these questions to enjoy the process of discovering found object photography. To complete this project,
all you have to do is find objects that interest you and give them their own
stage and spotlight.
With any type of camera, create a found object photograph in all of the following categories:
Desk or Workspace. Whether you keep your work area immaculately organized, or in perpetual disarray, take a look and see how
visually cropping a section of the space, or rearranging certain
objects will make a portion of the area seem that much more interesting. Although you can choose to tell a story with the arrangement of your objects, you can also photograph them in such a way
as to be almost unrecognizable.
Street. Fashion and commercial photographer, Irving Penn, created a series of images featuring discarded cigarettes and other
objects. Items you find on the street, sidewalks, and gutters can
be arranged on a sheet of paper as if they were relics of interest.
They become that, actually, when you present them that way.
64
Project 14
Figure 14.3 Items found in the kitchen sink.
Attic or Storage Space. A dusty old book, antiquated tool, or

common kitchen staple product in its original, decades-old packaging, are all treasures that can be found and given new life as
subjects in a nostalgic image.
Nature. Small rocks, leaves, twigs, and seashells are all good
candidates for a found object composition. Either in or near the
area you found them, or placed on a plain surface, you can arrange different objects in unusual patterns or photograph them
individually.
As you work through this project, you should start to get the sense that
beauty, as you see it, can be found almost anywhere, in almost anything;
you just have to be open to it.
65
Project 15
Create
(and
Break)
Symmetry
Figure 17.1 Structures/Architecture. Symmetry is often a design feature in structures which
makes it a real subject of its own. But just as
with any repetitive pattern (or the duplication/
mirroring of one side of the image) introducing
an element that breaks the symmetry can do a
lot to ground the image.
Our brains are setup to notice things

that are out of place. This is a skill
that helped keep our primitive ancestors safe from predators and helped
them to quickly identify their own prey
in known spaces.
Any break in the pattern got their attention, and that tendency to notice
something out of place is still with us today. Perhaps the visual simplicity
and predictability of symmetrical objects and spaces appeals to us not so
much because things are in place, but because it allows us to quickly
identify things that are not perfectly aligned. Thats when things become
interesting.
Symmetry comes in several forms including rotational (an object looks the
same when you rotate it, or your view, around a center point) and bilateral
(from one vantage point, the object appears to mirror itself from left to right,
or from top to bottom). It can be thought of as a pattern. Bilateral symmetry, a pattern of two. Theres one side of the object and the identically
mirrored other side. Sometimes this is inherent in the subject being photographed, and sometimes the symmetry is a result of something like an
actual mirror reflection (e.g. mountainside mirrored in a lake).
66
Project 15
When a photograph is composed to highlight the symmetry of a scene,
there is a chance that the subject will get lost or become less important to
the viewer than the symmetrical pattern. This is often the intention. But
we can change up the look of a symmetrical scene by introducing a new
element, recomposing, or adjusting one side of the image. A break in symmetry is a point of reference, a way to ground the subject and make it more
than a pattern. So, it turns out that identifying symmetry and learning how
to break it up are both useful skills.
Figure 17.2 Series/Patterns. When a series of objects creates a pattern that seems to simply repeat
itself it lacks a point of interest, so look for a break in the pattern or recompose so that you are not creating a left-to-right mirror image. It helps define the pattern as well as the break. In this lighting fixture,
three things are breaking up a potentially perfect symmetry: shadows and highlights, the composition,
and the slight but noticeable misalignment of some of the details on the fixture itself.
67
Project 15
Figure 17.3 A view of the one of the Pools at the 9/11 Memorial in NYC. Notice how the beautiful symmetry of this angle and the reflections in the water compliment each other. By including the background
we further break down the symmetry of the entire frame and provide a sense of the Pools size.
Use the following prompts to create your own symmetrical images, and to
find ways to break the symmetry in an elegant and meaningful way:
Corner Of Building. Look up at the corner of a building and compose for a perfect symmetry. Although you wont be able to control
things like lighting, open vs. closed windows, mounted signs,
clouds, and power lines, you will often have access to more than
one corner of a building. If you dont find what youre looking for
with a particular structure, move on to another.
68
Project 15
Naturally Occurring Symmetry. Nature is very good at creating duplicates and symmetry. Some of natures designs are very
close to being symmetrical, but just short of perfect, which makes
them all the more beautiful. Find a natural, symmetrical object and
photograph it to highlight this characteristic.
Machinery and Technology. Symmetry is a major design feature
in many man-made objects and parts. Find an object that has
been designed to function similarly on two sides and photograph
it to show both a side view, essentially hiding its symmetrical design, and a straight-on view displaying its two identical sides.
People. Ask someone to pose for you in an outfit that is the same
on both sides (from left to right), or nude. Have them comb or
style their hair to be the same on both sides (or wear a hat). Finally place them against a plain background and have your subject
pose in a symmetrical way; arms and legs in the same position
on both sides. Try to create as close to a mirror image from left to
right as possible. Then add a single change or element to the image to make it obvious that it is not in fact a digital manipulation.
Figure 17.4 Naturally occurring symmetry.
69
15 Photo Projects
That Will Boost Your Creativity
Look for other photographer resources at
EDVEROSKY.NET
- Including -
100% Reliable Flash Photography

Boudoir Photography
Taking Your Portraiture to the Next Level I
Taking Your Portraiture to the Next Level II
DSLR: The Basics
Adobe, Acrobat, Photoshop, Lightroom and Reader are either registered trademarks or trademarks of
Adobe Systems Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. Canon, Nikon, Apple and other
product and services names are the Trademark or Registered Trademark of their respective companies.
Clients and friends have graciously given us permission to use the photos shown. Some photos may not
have been created using the exact method shown, but they were chosen as good representations for the
techniques they illustrate.
All Text and Images Copyright 2012 Ed Verosky
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15 Photo Projects

That Will Boost

Copyright 2012 Edward Verosky

Create Smoke Abstracts...........................................................8

Use Noise & Grain for Effect...................................................14

Fruit and Vegetable Portraiture...............................................18

Do a 365 Project in One Day....................................................22

Add Texture to Your Photos....................................................24

Shoot a Band in a Small Venue...............................................32

Create a Classic Portrait..........................................................37

Create an Ethereal High Key Portrait.....................................43

50mm for One Week.................................................................49

B&W for One Week...................................................................51

Tell a Story with Multiple Images............................................54

Window Light Photography.....................................................58

Create (and Break) Symmetry.................................................66

Figure 1.2 Holga images shot at Central Park, NYC.

What youll need

Figure 1.2 Central Park, NYC.

Figure 1.3 Back view of a Holga (right). When the cameras

Load the Film

Advance The Film

Shoot And Develop Some Holga Photos

Figure 1.6 The roll of film is unloaded and secured with

Match (or lighter)

Small table and incense holder

Dark background material (poster board, cloth)

Use Noise &

Figure 3.1 For this vintage film look, grain was

What Youll Need

Figure 3.3 A heavy grain effect added in Lightroom.

Figure 4.4 (left) Shape and texture, highlights

What Youll Need

Figure 4.8 Pear on black.

Figure 6.2 Found textures collected with an iPhone.

Texture Layers in Photoshop

Figure 6.3 Original image (left), and texture image (right).

What Youll Need to Know

Here are some suggestions for this project:

Figure 7.3 (left) 85mm, ISO 1600, f/1.8, 1/125 sec.

Figure 7.5 (left) 85mm, ISO 3200, f/1.8, 1/80 sec.

As noted earlier, small

Classic lighting patterns define some

Because the classic portrait is

Flash With Umbrella Modifier

Figure 8.3 Strobe with shoot-through umbrella modifier.

Natural Window Light

Figure 8.5 Window light.

What Youll Need

Figures 10.1-10.2 Flowers.

Figures 10.3 Off the docks, Hudson River, NYC.

B&W for One Week

Figure 11.1 Brooklyn, East River.

Figure 11.2-11.3 B&W film images.

Seeing in Black and White

Creating Good Exposures

Creating a physical image grouping is simple enough. You can purchase a

Figure 12.4 Juxtaposition.

Figure 13.2 Window light portrait.

High Key Portrait. See Create an Ethereal High Key Portrait

Figure 13.3 High key portrait.

Figure 13.4 Silhouette.

Figure 13.5 Still life.