Removing severe damage from a photograph: an effective method. How to capture a candle flame in a photo Photoshoot with candles
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Today, when almost every person has accounts on social networks, damage based on photos is becoming more and more common. Some people don’t believe in its existence - they say, if it were so easy to influence another person, everyone would be doing it. But no matter how you feel about photo damage, it exists. And if it was applied correctly, then the victim will very soon have a lot of problems and troubles. But what is photo damage and is it possible to remove it? severe damage according to the photograph, even if it is any other damage.
Man and his image
A photograph is an energetic imprint of a person. And since the energy of each of us is individual, a professional magician can easily influence the person depicted in the photo, both causing damage and removing it.
However, this does not mean at all that any person can cause damage if he wants to annoy his enemies. After all, in order to cope with this task, you need to have sufficiently powerful energy to overcome the individual protective barrier of your victim.
What kind of damage can there be from a photo?
To remove damage from a photograph, you must understand what it is. Today, experts identify several types of effects based on photos:
- damage to business;
- damage to health;
- damage to love;
- damage to death.
Damage to death is considered the most dangerous, since with the help of a photo an experienced magician can bind the spirit of the deceased to a person by placing a photo in the coffin of the deceased before he is lowered into the grave. But not all magicians can do damage to death, and not everyone is allowed to do this. Yes, yes, this requires special permission from above! That is why damage to death is a rarer type of damage.
How to remove damage from a photo?
If you have been damaged by a photo, you can get rid of it if you burn the exact photo that was used to work on you. But finding this photo is almost impossible, especially if it was buried in the grave with the deceased. Just don't worry! You can seek help from a professional who will quickly rid you of the negative program.
You can remove damage from a photo if the person is far from you or cannot be present during the procedure. Using photography, the magician will cleanse the energy field using wax, special church candles, holy water and other attributes.
Is it possible to remove damage from a photo yourself? Can. If this simple damage or the evil eye. But we strongly recommend not to engage in amateur activities and contact a specialist. If you do not have the opportunity to do this, below we will provide a simple and quite effective way to remove damage from a photograph, but first you must determine the presence of damage. How to do it?
How to determine the presence of damage from a photo?
Sit at the table, put a photo in front of you, light a church candle. Right hand Slowly diagnose from head to toe. If the arm becomes heavier and sinks in some place, we can talk about surgery.
If the hand seems to be drawn into the image, and the candle begins to worry, crackle or smoke, then there is damage to the person. Even if you feel cold from the photo, you can talk about the presence of a negative. You can also put a cross on a string (21 cm) above the photo and it does not move, then the person has already died or will leave this world very soon, but not necessarily from damage.
Ritual of removing damage from a photo
A photo of the damaged person is taken, where he is depicted in full growth. The person in the photo must be depicted in a sober state - this is very important, since alcohol distorts information. Photographs against the backdrop of mountains, the sea and a church are undesirable; they also refract data about a person.
Photo must be single and uncropped
Place the icon of the Holy Trinity in front of you, light three candles, prepare a fresh egg and mentally revive the spoiled one in the photo. Take the photo in your left hand, and an egg in your right hand, and start rolling it over the photo, while reading 7 times:
“In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. From the prayer of the Mother of God, from the cross of Jesus, from the seal of Christ, from the help of the Saints, get away from my word, unclean demon, cursed spirit, to dry trees, to mosses and swamps, there you should live, abide, scream, and not in God’s servant ( name) to act without permission. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself and Holy Mother of God mother, all heavenly powers: Michael the Archangel, Avoid Angel and the Holy Wonderworkers: Ithon and Maroth, Elijah the Prophet, Dmitry of Rostov, St. George the Victorious, Nicholas the Wonderworker, John the Baptist, King David, Basil Istopher, Nikita the Great Martyr and my word is terrible, but the conspiracy is strong ! I forbid you, damned demon, unclean spirit, to be in God's servant (name), go out now, this minute with your damage and charms and move away from God's servant(name) away, go to your place where you used to be, and where the Lord God sent you, Jesus Christ sent you, where he ordered you to live, to the underworld, to the empty land, go there, live there, and this God’s servant (name) leave it forever, now and forever. Amen. Amen. Amen".
After finishing reading, extinguish the candles with your fingers, throw the egg into the toilet so that it breaks, and flush several times. Sprinkle the photo with holy water and attach the image to the icon. The ritual must be repeated for seven days in a row, after which the photo is again checked for damage or negative energy. When checking, you can use a pendulum or frames. If the frames diverge and the pendulum rotates counterclockwise, then after three days you need to begin the cleansing ritual again.
· 11/29/2014
Article text updated: December 6, 2017
Quite a long time ago, maybe a year ago, when I was wandering through the labyrinths of a shopping center, a rack with decorative candles caught my eye. I remembered that I wanted to somehow try to learn how to take a portrait under magic light. I then bought two sets of candles, but they lay in the closet for a long time, because I realized that it was impossible to take high-quality photos with candles without a fast lens. So, a couple of weeks ago, friends invited me to photograph their dog. On the occasion of a photo shoot in natural light from the window, I asked a friend to lend me his high-aperture Nikkor 50/1.4G prime lens for the day, which he bought for the same Nikon D5100 body SLR camera as mine. On the very first evening, my wife and I decided to try fifty dollars shooting portraits by candlelight.
What settings should you set on your DSLR camera to take pictures by candlelight?
If you're new to photography, I recommend first reading my free photography tutorial on how shutter speed, ISO, and aperture affect exposure (see link at the end of the article). There is an example of a portrait taken in the evening in the central square of the city of San Cristobal De Las Casas in Mexico from a tripod, when shooting there were conditions close to those that we will discuss today: very little light, and the subject of the photograph were living people who were not can remain motionless for a long time. Therefore, you will have to open the aperture as much as possible so that more light falls on the matrix. But the room is so dark that even if we set the Nikkor 50/1.4G lens to f/1.4, we still won’t be able to achieve the minimum shutter speed.
And with an aperture of F=1.4 and a focal length of FR=50 mm, the depth of field of field (DOF) will be only a few centimeters. If the model turns her head, there is a high chance that one or both eyes will be out of focus. And a portrait with dull eyes is a marriage. Therefore, I was afraid to take photos by candlelight with an open aperture - I photographed at f/2.
We know that the best image quality is achieved at a minimum ISO of 100. But with these settings, my shutter speeds were too long. Therefore, I decided to set ISO 800, at which, it seems to me, digital noise is still at an acceptable level. At the same time, shutter speeds were obtained in the range of 1/8-1/13 seconds.
From the photography lesson mentioned at the very beginning on choosing settings for Nikon and Canon cameras, we know that the recommended minimum exposure time when shooting stationary objects handheld on DSLRs with a relatively small number of pixels (Nikon D3100, D5100 or Canon 600D) is calculated using the formula B= 1/FR (where FR is the focal length of the lens at the time of shooting) and B=1/(2*FR) - for SLR cameras with small pixels (Nikon D5200, D5300, etc.). Thus, when shooting a handheld portrait by candlelight with a Nikon D5100 camera and a fast Nikkor 50/1.4G prime, we must ensure an exposure time of at least 1/100 of a second. Using the example of a photograph from San Cristobal de Las Casas, we see that under certain conditions this rule can be neglected. For example, if we use a tripod when taking photographs, and the model can stand still and not blink her eyes, then the exposure time can be increased.
All photos in this photo tutorial were taken from a Sirui T-2204X tripod with a G20X head. Below you will see our examples of candlelight photos - an exposure time of 1/8 second was enough to take sharp shots.
To avoid micro-blurring, all photographs taken in low light conditions (still lifes, night landscapes, fireworks, shooting in a cave, photographs of lightning) must be photographed using the “delayed self-timer” mode or remote control release. During today’s photo shoot, we used the second option: a remote control (you can see what it looks like in the article “What to give a photographer on New Year and other holidays").
My experience photographing a portrait by candlelight onNikon D5100
To make the light from candles more uniform, it is advisable to have a large number of them in your studio. Unfortunately, my wife couldn’t wait for me to finally invite her to a candlelight photo shoot and burned half the package along with the incense sticks. Therefore, we only had 8 candles at our disposal. And the fewer light sources we have, or when they are concentrated in a small space, the harsher the shadows in photographs turn out.
To smooth out this effect, I decided to install a bronze reflector to the left of the subject (if you read my review of the Sirui R-2004 aluminum tripod in the village of Nizhnyaya Sinyachikha and watched the video, you can imagine what a golden hue the light disk gives to the photos).
Photo 1. How to learn to take photographs. On the left is a bronze reflector. There are still candles around the edges of the table that are not included in the frame. Camera Nikon D5100 body; Nikon 50mm f/1.4G lens; shooting parameters - f/2; B=1/4s; ISO 800, FR=50 mm; exposure metering method - spot; distance to the focusing object is 2 meters, shooting mode – aperture priority “A”
Yes! When describing the camera settings for shooting a portrait by candlelight, I forgot to mention that on the Nikon D5100 camera (or on your Canon EOS 600D or Canon 1100D you should set it) my favorite “Aperture Priority” mode was set, indicated on the camera control wheel by the letter “A” " Focusing was carried out manually through a rotating screen, exposure metering was done using a point.
Focusing had to be done manually, since the camera could not focus in the dark. I switched to Live View, enlarged the image to the maximum, used the joystick to move the picture so that the model’s eyes were visible on the monitor, and slowly rotated the focus ring until it fell into the depth of field. At this moment I asked my wife to freeze for a couple of seconds.
In a photography lesson on setting up Nikon and Canon DSLRs for shooting concerts, we looked in detail at why it became necessary to switch the exposure metering mode from “matrix” to “spot”. When we photograph a portrait by candlelight, we have a similar situation: we need the camera to measure the exposure on the model, and not on the black background.
When shooting the first portrait, the following lighting scheme was used: three candles - those in the frame; two candles on the left and three on the right (they are outside the image). There is also a reflector on the left with the golden side facing the model.
In my opinion, this photo shows the most pleasant, diffused light, well suited for portrait photography. But I don’t like that the curtain is visible in the background. For a long time, for shooting still lifes in an apartment, I threatened to buy black fabric, which could also be used for shooting a portrait by candlelight, but I couldn’t get around to it... Reluctantly, I had to remove the light disk on the left and put it with the black side behind me, as a background.
Now our background has disappeared into the darkness (remember from the lesson on shooting flowers on a black background that the amount of light falls proportionally to the square of the distance?), however, the lighting has become harsher.
The first two portraits with candles were taken at a table, the lacquered surface of which reflects the hands of our model. I didn’t like it, so I decided to lay out a tablecloth.
Naturally, all the example photographs presented in today's photo tutorial were taken without using a flash. I don’t have an external one (but I wouldn’t turn it on, so as not to spoil the light), and I never use the internal one, as it spoils the images, producing flat lighting.
Also, it should be noted that all photos in this free lesson were taken in RAW format and underwent subsequent processing. The background in the original photographs was still slightly visible. I darkened it according to the scheme: -4 Ev, mask -4 Ev, 0 Ev. You can read more about it in the article “How to shoot flowers on a black background.”
During post-processing, it became difficult to select the white balance. The fact is that I could not find recommendations anywhere on what temperature to set for a portrait by candlelight. If I take an eyedropper and click on a gray object, the photo turns out with white light - the charm of the fire lighting is lost. You can find information on the Internet that the light from candles has a temperature of 1500-2000 K, but then the photo also turns out white, and not warm yellow-orange. As a result, I simply set the color temperature to 5000 kelvin in the editor.
Here is a NEF shot with the original image. Can someone suggest a better treatment? It is clear that when working on a female portrait, you should lower the Clarity on the skin in order to hide imperfections, remove circles under the eyes, make your lips more juicy... But I don’t know how to do such passions yet (or am I lazy?)...
Also in this photo, I highlighted the eyes with a mask and added Exposure, Clarity and Sharpness (exposure, clarity and sharpness).
Now let's take a portrait of a married couple by candlelight.
No, that’s too serious... A smile will help make any photo brighter...
Photo 5. Photography lesson. Shooting by candlelight. A smile will make the world brighter... Nikon D5100 camera settings with Nikon 50mm f/1.4G lens: F=2; 1/8; ISO 800
Previously, I already noted that these examples of candlelight photographs, taken on a Nikon D5100 camera and a fifty-kopeck Nikkor 50/1.4G, were taken using a Sirui T2204X carbon tripod.
They tried to film the kiss. It turned out that it’s not so simple: the shots you get are either funny or frivolous... 😉
Photography 6. School of Photographers. Portrait with cropped Nikon D5100 camera and Nikkor 50/1.4G portrait lens. Lessons for beginners. Tea for two... F=2.5; 1/13s
I must say that my wife and I do not drink strong drinks, so there is no cognac or whiskey at home. I had to pour tea into the glasses...
Then I remembered that the New Year would soon be coming to us. You need to take a New Year's portrait by candlelight!
You can see here the light sources are gathered into two small groups, resulting in hard shadows. Definitely, you would also need to place candles on the sides of the subject.
Are you probably already tired of our faces? Well, then – a photo of candles without people in the frame.
And this is the New Year’s candle that I hold in photo No. 7 above, taken under incandescent light.
What conclusions did I draw after trying to take a beautiful portrait by candlelight?
- Definitely, you can't do without a fast lens. Using my Nikkor 17-55/2.8 reportage zoom at 50 mm, even with an f/2.8 aperture, would require increasing the shutter speed by three times, or significantly increasing the ISO. But then there would be noise.
- Using a light disc or any other reflector, as expected, produces a portrait with softer shadows.
- It is also advisable to have more candles at your disposal - and the light will be softer, and perhaps it will be possible to lower the ISO.
- We need to work on the composition. An artistic photo presents to the viewer some story that happened before pressing the shutter button, or after... The viewer comes up with the plot itself... But for me, it’s just people looking at candles...
By the way, it is not necessary to shoot a portrait by candlelight in complete darkness. Here is a photo that my friend Mikhail took with a Nikon D5100 DSLR with a Sigma 18-250 lens two years ago.
Photo 10. Portrait with a candle, taken with a Nikon D5100 DSLR and a Sigma 18-250 lens... The photo is not sharp, either because the wrong settings were chosen, or because the photographer was not in good condition...
Unfortunately, EXIF was not preserved. I remember that he shot in JPEG. The photo is blurry, apparently because the shutter speed turned out to be longer than 1/FR required for taking a clear handheld photograph. If he had used a tripod, the photo might not have turned out blurry.
By the way, the New Year holidays are coming soon. Perhaps my photo tutorial can also be applied to setting up the camera when shooting sparklers...
This concludes my free photography lesson. Let me remind you that it is absolutely not forbidden to share this article on social networks and post it on your LiveJournal by clicking on the social network buttons at the bottom of the page.
At the beginning of the photo lesson, I said that the Nikkor 50/1.4G lens was borrowed for a photo shoot with my friends’ dog. In the next article we will look at examples of portraits of cutie Betty, taken in a home photo studio with natural light from the window. The lens, I must say, is wonderful. I caught fire...
The site also has free photography lessons, which I hope may be of interest to novice photographers - owners of Nikon and Canon DSLRs, just like Sony mirrorless ones.
Have you ever taken photographs by candlelight? This is a special philosophy.
The pictures can be gorgeous, with nice warm lighting and romantic. But this is quite a difficult task.
1. Turn off the flash
We've all used flash when shooting in dimly lit places, only to be disappointed with the results because it kills the atmosphere. If you want to keep the warm glow from the candles, turn off the flash. But there are exceptions to all rules, but I will talk about this in paragraph 15.
2. Use a tripod
Even though this is also very obvious, I have to mention it. Shooting by candlelight means there is a lack of light, which in turn means that you will have to photograph at a long shutter speed and blurry frames will inevitably occur. So don't forget about a tripod or even grab a remote control.
3. Add candles
The biggest problem in such filming is the lack of lighting. More candles mean more light, and you'll have more options when choosing your ISO, shutter speed, and aperture.
4. How to arrange candles?
When you place one or more candles close to each other, the shadows come out very sharp. There are, of course, situations where this is acceptable, but most often you will need soft light. And you can get it by placing the candles evenly a little further from the subject. I would also advise placing a little more candles on one side than on the other. But don’t overdo it, otherwise there will be very abrupt transitions.
5. Natural reflectors
Once, at one of these photo sessions, I made a discovery for myself. When I photographed a model sitting at a table with a white tablecloth on it, the light bounced off her face and up onto her face. White walls and ceilings give a similar effect, and although it is not particularly noticeable, it is still better than nothing.
6. Fast lenses
If you're shooting with a DSLR and have multiple lenses, the fastest one will work here and allow you to use larger apertures. Personally, I prefer 50mm lenses (f/1.8 or f/1.4). I prefer to photograph at the largest apertures, and mix the shutter speed and ISO. Remember, the larger the aperture, the shallower the depth of field.
7. Zoom and aperture
I believe that in this situation it is better to get closer to the subject than to use the zoom. Because When you shoot with a zoom lens, the maximum aperture values decrease as the focal length increases.
8. Context and background
I like to keep these photos as simple as possible and without any frills. I usually shoot against a white wall or a glass of wine if I'm shooting next to a table.
9. Exposure
To make photos lighter, you need a longer shutter speed. And a long shutter speed means that the camera will capture any movement (both of your model and the candle flame, and of the camera). If the model sits still like a statue, you can set the shutter speed to 1/15 of a second. But with even less endurance, you will ask the impossible from the model.
10. ISO
Another way to compensate for the lack of light is to increase the ISO. But the higher the ISO, the more noise there is in the photo. To avoid this, don't set your ISO higher than 400.
11. Exposition
If candles are in the frame, the camera's automatic modes will lower the exposure to prevent the flames from appearing as just a bright spot. As always, I advise you to increase the exposure values, but not to overdo it.
12. White balance
You can experiment with white balance. Most likely, in “auto” the camera will not cope with such lighting and “warm” light will give a very yellow tint. It’s even better to shoot in RAW format, so that you can correct the white balance later, if anything happens.
13. Composition
You have two options - you can leave the candles in the frame, or you can frame them so that they are not visible. Here the choice is yours.
If you leave candles in the frame, do not forget how this affects the automatic camera settings (point 11). Remember that candles are a distraction and can compete with your model. Therefore, if the model is a more important subject for you, forget about candles.
But if there are candles in the frame, they should be aesthetic. Small details in portrait photography are very important important role, and ugly candles can ruin all the raspberries.
14. Other light sources
But sometimes even all of the above methods do not help, in this case you can try adding additional light sources, for example, a table lamp. To preserve the warm light from the candles, it is better to cover it with a red or orange cloth.
15. Color Gel Flash
In the first paragraph, I wrote that it is better to turn off the flash. But I know the only exception is a flash with a colored gel (red or orange). You can also reduce the flash power manually and experiment with gel colors to get the light the way it should be.
Damage can lead to many troubles. You can get rid of the negative effects at home using effective methods.
In the modern age of technology, many have stopped believing in evil eyes and damage, but they are invisibly present in our lives. Many are exposed negative impact, but withstand the blow thanks to the strong energy field. Others are less protected and may become victims of envious people and ill-wishers, or “get hit” by accident. To remove the consequences of negative impacts, it is important to begin with.
Experts on the site recommend wearing amulets so that others cannot harm you. If a negative impact was nevertheless exerted, use effective methods of removing the evil eye and damage.
This damage can be determined using chicken egg. Break it into a container so that the yolk remains intact and cover with the photograph. After three minutes, look at the egg. Bubbles on the squirrel will indicate that loneliness has been damaged.
You can get rid of this scourge using effective ritual. Go out to a deserted crossroads in the evening, holding a photograph in one hand and a handful of small change in the other. Say:
“At the intersection of roads, a birch tree stood, sheltering travelers from the heat and rain with the canopy of its branches. Just as a birch tree stands, so (the name of the one you are saving from damage) does not suffer from loneliness and welcomes travelers. I remove the damage and let it go in the wind. Don’t get it from anyone, go beyond the seven seas under a burning stone and stay there.”
Throw coins over your shoulder with the words “paid” and return home. Do not look back under any circumstances, even if it seems to you that someone said your name. At home, place the photo next to the icon, light a lamp or a church candle.
Get rid of death damage
This is the most dangerous and quite rare type of damage, which takes away vitality. This damage must be dealt with as soon as possible, otherwise the consequences will be fatal. People may experience health problems, fears, and depression.
To determine the presence of negativity, take a container of clean water and place three burnt matches in it. If all three go down, then you need to act as soon as possible.
Usually the damage is removed in the cemetery during the waning moon. You need to find a grave where a person with the same name as the victim is buried. You need to take with you a church candle, a commemoration and a photograph of the person from whom the damage needs to be removed. Light a candle, place a treat on the grave and ask for forgiveness for disturbing the deceased. Hold the photo up to the candle, look at it carefully and say:
“I deliver from damage, I remove evil. Where it came from, let it go there. I won’t hurt anyone, I won’t transfer money to anyone. I remove the damage caused, Higher Powers I ask for help. My words are true, my will is strong. As I say, so it will be.”
After this ritual, you need to go home, without turning around and without talking until you get home. On this day we usually dream prophetic dreams, which indicate whether the damage has been removed. This can also be determined using an apple. Place fresh fruit under the photograph overnight. If it hasn’t spoiled overnight, then you did everything right. In case of failure, the ritual is repeated.
Photographs that can be taken in the twilight by candlelight are always incredibly attractive and romantic. It is especially good to use candles in portrait photography, when the trembling, flickering light is reflected from the model’s face, sometimes taking on the most bizarre and mystical shapes. However, from a purely technical point of view, photographing in dim candlelight, in low light conditions, is quite difficult.
To get high-quality results you have to use a tripod and a longer shutter speed. There are many other nuances to keep in mind when shooting by candlelight. Therefore, if you are planning a portrait shoot or want to capture your loved one during a romantic dinner by candlelight, it would be a good idea to familiarize yourself with a few basic recommendations.
Should I use flash or not?
One of the main questions that a new photographer has when trying to shoot under candlelight is whether to use flash or turn it off? In most cases, candlelight photography involves portrait photography, in which the light source will be in close proximity to the subject being photographed. At first glance, it seems that the light from the candles is rather dim and not bright, so it seems advisable to use a flash to illuminate the subject in the frame.
However, professional photographers do not recommend doing this. Indeed, in such a situation, the flash can simply change the surrounding lighting, spoiling the romantic or mystical character of the future photo. This will be a completely different photo than what you had in mind. Therefore, it is better to shoot without using a flash to get the warm, inviting lighting from candles in your photos.
But in order to shoot by candlelight without flash, you must first of all use as many candles as possible. Thanks to this, you will have more opportunities for creative experiments with camera settings - ISO sensitivity, shutter speed and aperture. After all, the more candles, the more light there will be in the frame. Additional candles will make up for the lack of light and allow you to illuminate your subject from all sides.
However, you can still use a flash when photographing by candlelight, but only in rare situations. Interesting shots are produced by the use of so-called gel flashes, which can create a spectacular color cast, such as red or orange, giving the viewer a feeling of warm light when looking at the photo. You can experiment with different gel colors to get the effect you want in your photos.
If we talk about using a regular flash, then, as a rule, when using it you will no longer be able to make a burning candle one of the main elements of the composition in the frame. When shooting at close range with the flash on, the tongue of the candle flame becomes white in the photographs, and when photographing from a greater distance, all objects around the candle begin to fade into solid blackness, which does not look very attractive.
If, for the sake of experimentation, you still decide to use a flash or there is simply not enough light in the frame, then the flash should be placed in such a way that the light flux from it goes in the same direction as the light falling from the candle. It is important to choose the right flash power and not to overdo it with light, so as not to lose the effect of candle lighting. You can also use a yellow filter to add warmer tones to your photo.
Tripod and optics
Of course, photographing by candlelight will require the use of a tripod or reliable tripod. After all, low light conditions automatically mean the need to use long shutter speeds, during which slight camera movement or shake may occur. This can, in turn, lead to the notorious shake and blur of the frame. The digital camera must be mounted on a tripod as motionless and as securely as possible. To completely eliminate the possibility of movement, you can also use a remote control or cable release.
Since we are talking about low-light conditions, it makes sense to install fast optics on your digital camera, for example, a 50 mm portrait lens with a value of f/1.8 or f/1.4 is ideal. Thanks to a fast lens, you can use large aperture values to allow more light into the camera sensor. This, in turn, means the ability to switch to faster shutter speeds. You just need to keep in mind that with a larger aperture value, the depth of field in the frame decreases.
If you have a zoom lens, it is better to immediately abandon the possibility of zooming, since as the focal length increases, the aperture decreases and, accordingly, the camera matrix may not receive a certain amount of light necessary to create a high-quality, interesting photo. Instead of using a zoom, you can simply get closer to your subject and shoot at a wide angle.
Correct placement of candles and lighting scheme
Shooting by candlelight requires the correct selection and placement of these lighting sources. Depending on what kind of photographic image you want to get, you should stock up on a certain number of candles and determine their correct location in the frame. When using one candle or several located close to each other and the subject, the shadows can be very harsh. To avoid this, you should install candles at a certain, even distance from each other, which will ensure the creation of more even, soft and warm lighting.
When photographing portraits, it is recommended to place candles on both sides of the person so that the light falls on his face from both sides. You can try this option: the candles are distributed unevenly, that is, there will be a little more of them on one side than on the other, to ensure good side light.
The main problem that a photographer faces when shooting by candlelight with the flash off is, of course, the lack of sufficient light. To compensate for the lack of light, you can not only use as many candles as possible, but also skillfully use various natural reflectors. For example, a white tablecloth at the table, ceilings or walls of the room can reflect some of the light coming from candles onto the main subject.
Sometimes these small tricks do not help, as a result of which the lack of light in the frame is still acutely felt. In such cases, it makes sense to use an additional source of lighting, in particular a table lamp, which can be covered with an orange or yellow cloth to make the light more subdued and warm.
Camera settings
As we have already noted, shooting by candlelight requires the use of longer shutter speeds, but you should not overdo it in this regard, because the flame of a burning candle is constantly moving, as a result of which the shadows on the walls or the model’s face change slightly. The longer the shutter speed you set, the more likely you are to catch such movement in the frame, resulting in the picture being a little blurry in detail. In this regard, the optimal shutter speed value for this particular scene will have to be found experimentally. You can start with a shutter speed longer than 1/15 second.
We leave the aperture as open as possible so that more light enters the matrix. The ISO sensitivity value will also have to be determined based on the test results already obtained. Increasing sensitivity, as is known, is one of the effective ways to compensate for the lack of light in the frame. However, you need to be careful here, because as the ISO value increases, the amount of noise in the frame increases. ISO 400 can be considered the limiting value to minimize the effect of digital noise on the photographic image. Although this limit largely depends on the characteristics of the matrix of your digital camera.
It is worth keeping in mind that the presence of candles in the frame in most cases will negatively affect the operation of the built-in exposure metering system of your digital camera. In such cases, camera automation often underestimates the actual exposure values, so it is recommended to use exposure compensation.
Regarding white balance, again, you will have to experiment a little with different settings, since the warm shades of light emanating from a candle are quite difficult for the camera’s automation to perceive, as a result of which photographs may turn out with a not very pleasant yellow tint. It is better to set the white balance manually using a regular white sheet of paper. You must shoot in the highest quality format that your camera can support. Preferable, of course, is the RAW format, which allows you to “fish out” more details from the original photographic image during post-processing and, in particular, adjust the white balance.
Photo composition
When thinking about the compositional solution for a photograph, it is better to immediately abandon large quantity objects and unnecessary details in the frame. When shooting by candlelight, the simplest white background is often chosen (it is only necessary that no sharp shadows are cast on it) and a minimal set of details. Everything should be subordinated to the main subject of photography. If the shooting is done at a table, then in addition to the model, only a glass of wine or a minimum set of what usually happens at the table can be included in the frame.
The candles themselves can be located in the frame or outside it. Which solution is most preferable in a given situation depends on your creative plan. When photographing portraits, candles are placed in such a way that they surround the model, illuminating her face with their warm light, but at the same time they should not somehow pull the emphasis onto themselves. Candles can be placed in the frame, right on the table, installed in elegant candlesticks.
Using these simple recommendations, you can take interesting and mesmerizing photographs by candlelight. For this type of shooting, you can come up with a lot of different ideas by trying to arrange candles in different ways and experimenting with the settings of your camera.