Welcome my name is Marcin Lewandowski
and you're watching the Viewfinder on
in this episode I would like
to share with you a few thoughts on what
doing faced with a challenging
location. Okay let me try and explain
what I mean by the bad location what I
mean is the location is just not
suitable for the project you're working
on maybe you've had a brief from a
client you know what they're looking for
they may have asked for an urban field
something unique but sometimes a place
will just be plain ugly or featureless
or be too ornate you will have to also
use your instincts it might just not
feel right and you will struggle to meet
your brief if you think a location
definitely won't work leave usually
there is nothing worse than working
against many obstacles and a special one
we have only very limited amount of time
and really need to deliver there is a
quote by the great Arnold Newman
Photography is one percent talent and 99
percent moving furniture and I always
try to remember that not only in a
seemingly bad location, it is always a
useful tip for any photo shoot really
even though there will be as many
interpretations of the sentence as there
are photographers. You can stick with the
most literal approach and just move out
of the way anything that is obstructing
the line of view between your camera and
your subject. Unless you want to use it
as a feature. There is one interpretation
of what Arnold Newman was saying is, if a
place is bland and empty maybe there is
something can be added in the background
and if a place is totally cluttered
maybe there is something that could be
taken away to simplify the setup.
One trick that is usually at our disposal is
using a wide open aperture and melting
everything into bokeh.
If you don't have at least one fast
prime in your kit get at least a
fantastic plastic AKA the nifty 50 and
this will help you in dealing with
unwanted backgrounds and making them
a bit more special and creative.
Another challenge that we face
as photographers is physical and
unlivable obstructions on location like
pillars that we can't walk around or can
seemingly get out of the line of sight
if there is very little that can be done
about it then maybe instead of fighting
against them you can use them as a
framing device is it possible to use a
teller lens and shoot past them or come
closer very often just a few steps to
the side might give you a completely
different perspective and here comes
advice I keep offering lots of my
tutorials know your location ideally
we'll have checked location before the
day but if not working in your schedule
a simple 5-minute recce upon arrival to
assess the situation will give you much
more flexibility another major thing
that can ruin a potential interesting
location is unflattering or bland lighting.
A bad light is this scourge for
us photographers.When you do have that
problem
don't let it defeat you. Try to think
outside of the box.
Add enough camera strobe to give your
photos more of a punch or turn off some
of the lights to make space more moody.
At an event try not to photograph people
just were they happen to stand but maybe
ask them to walk into your preconceived
photograph or at least turn them towards
the light. There are a few variations of
the bad light situation. Too bright bring
people in the shade or use the strong
contrast to your advantage. Too dark
out of camera flash or let the darkness
be your friend. Play with high ISO you
think whatever low light is available,
maybe even turn the long exposures if
you can. 19th century British
photographer Julia Margaret Cameron made
portrait with a few minute exposures, I'm
just saying. In short there is always a
way just don't let the bad vibe of a
place murder your creativity, let it out
of the box and fight against blandness.
You will not only overcome the challenge,
but enjoy the experience and create
something new thanks for watching and if
you've shot in challenging locations
share your experience with us. We love to
hear what you guys are up to and how you
may have overcome a challenging scenario.
Subscribe to our channel for more and
check out the Adorama Learning Centre
for some tips and tutorials this was
Marcin Lewandowski for AdoramaTV, I'll
see you next time.