Nikon D4, 14-24mm, ISO 1100, ƒ/3.2, 1/100 Custom White Balance with ExpoDisc
Composition/Graphics
You can use compositional elements like leading lines in the photo above to help direct your audience through a scene to where you want them to look. For example, I have the lines from the shirt directing me back into the photograph to the guy talking.
Light
With this photo of the kids watching the balls race each other down the incline, I am using the incline to lead your eye, but I am also now using another element to help direct your attention—light.
By using an off-camera flash, I can put more light on the man at the top of the incline and also light the kids. As the light drops off to the background, it is slightly darker, so your eye doesn’t go there first.
I knew that if I didn’t use a light on the subject here, holding the weight, you may drift to any one of the people in the background.
In this photo, you can see my photo assistant, a VALS [Voice Activated Light Stand], helping me pop the subject out from the crowd.
Now, I am using a 1/4 CTO gel that works well with the flash’s available light. I started with 1/2 Plusgreen gel, but even with color correcting using the ExpoDisc, the color never looked right on the faces compared to the background.
Color
You can also use color to draw your eye into a photo. Here, the lady in pink draws your attention because she is wearing Pi. The same photo in bland white loses the directing quality of the color.
To make a B&W photo worth, photographers will burn and dodge to direct the eye with available light photography. Here, I have burned in some of the areas of the photo so the lightest area directs the eye.
Light is the most significant influence in photography.
Photography is writing with light. That is what the word means. No, wait a minute. I decided to add light to the situation above. Watch how much I am now directing your eye with the light.
While the lady in pink is attracting some of your attention, I have more information on the scientist holding a brain model.
In black and white, I have now really isolated where I want you to look. I have removed the pink jacket’s color influence, and you are now, because of the introduction of a spotlight on the subject, a way for me to influence where the audience looks.
Put it all together
I used an off-camera flash and a 90 mm lens to get close to the two little girls. Most importantly, I was capturing a moment when their eyes communicated interest, which is the second most important part of a photo—the Moment.
Here, I am using the off-camera flash to light the young boy and make the background darker. The mother’s orange jacket is a complementary color to the blue jacket, and I am also using the color to help direct you. I am using the hand of the scientist holding the brain model while the mother’s hands continue to direct you towards the boy’s expression on his face. His eyes and facial expressions catch this moment of interest. The mom’s expression also complements her son’s expression.
I am again using the off-camera flash to brighten the people in the foreground, and the background is now darker. I am still using composition to help direct you, and most importantly, I am looking for the moment that tells the story. The embroidery on the scientist’s sleeve almost replaces the need for a caption.
Capture a moment with a father and daughter. The photo reads faster than if I had relied solely on composition.
As seen in this last photo, your eye will wander if the photographer doesn’t use all the necessary tools to direct your attention.
When you look back at your photos from an event and nothing stands out, there is a reason. Are you using all the tools at your disposal to capture moments? Of all the tools you can use, an off-camera flash may be your best weapon. Do you know how to use one?
If you would like to master this technique, contact me for a personal class with one-on-one instruction.