Why Accept Reality When You Can Change It! with David X. Tejada

If you’re like me, sometimes when I’m out photographing—whether for a client or for myself—I find the scene before me ordinary or boring. Learning how to use your flash properly, and knowing how to employ your color balance, can help you change reality to something extraordinary. Learning to see, and then create, the possibilities of any given scene takes practice.

Let’s take a look at this first image (#1). The scene was captured just as my camera readings suggested. Daylight balanced and properly exposed.

By shifting my white balance to a tungsten setting on the camera and deliberately under exposing the scene, I have a much more dramatic image (#2).

When adding flash to the scene, remember that your flash needs to balance with the white balance you have set on your camera. In this case, by adding a full cut CTO gel on my flash I produce a natural skin tone (#3). Remember: your “key light” color temperature needs to match your color balance on your camera.

Learn more from David in his workshop

Small Strobes, Big Results
June 19 - June 25, 2011

Visit his web site www.davidtejada.com to see what he's up to.