Section II Shooting
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Seasonal photos are a staple item for most
publications. These may be scenic shots of trees
blazing with fall color or a garden displaying
spring flowers in bloom. Seasonal events are
also popular, such as activity at a local farmers’
market, Figure 9-27. Holidays provide colorful
Figure 9-25. Different techniques must be used for
the various types of illustrations. The informal
portrait may be taken indoors with flash or
studio-type lighting, or outdoors with ambient
light and fill-flash to open up dark shadows.
Depending on the location and lighting, photos
of the subject involved in an activity can be shot
with available light, possibly supplemented by
flash or a reflector. Illustrations of collection items
vary considerably in their requirements: postage
stamps or butterflies obviously require different
lighting and shooting techniques than antique
autos, Figure 9-26.
Figure 9-25. A natural illustration for a human-interest
story about a collector of souvenirs from the 1893
Columbian Exposition may be a photo o f items from his
or her collection.
Figure 9-27. The interaction of buyers and sellers at a
local farmer’s market is a typical seasonal subject for
many publications. This vegetable vendor’s stand was
covered by a white canopy, providing a softly diffused
light.
Figure 9-26. Antique auto collectors often display their
vehicles at outdoor car shows. Although bright sunlight
in such a setting can cause problems of extreme contrast,
it can also provide an opportunity for attractive specular
highlights from the highly polished finish of the car. The
“star” effect resulted from use of a small aperture (f/22).