How to use prism in photography?

The ability of prism to refract light is excellent in photography. You can delete unnecessary elements and add creative effects, from rainbow colors to reflective colors. Besides, prisms are cheap and can be put in almost any bag. What does prism photography need? We provide a detailed shooting guide.

24 mm, 35 mm and 50 mm lenses provide a smooth effect, and any size prism can be used. For example, the simplest prism is 15 cm, which can be obtained at any time, and you need to carry microfiber cloth with you to clean fingerprints.

1, the working principle of prism

When light moves from one medium to another (in our example, from air to the glass of a prism), it will be refracted, that is, the light will bend or change direction.

A light beam consists of many wavelengths of light. Each wavelength produces different colors, and the resistance of each wavelength through the prism is greater or smaller than other light waves. Therefore, usually all kinds of wavelengths that "propagate" together are scattered, and we see them separately, just like a rainbow. This phenomenon is called variance.

2. How to use prism in photography?

There are many changing factors that will affect the final result. These include the size and shape of a specific prism, the incident angle of light, the angle of a fixed prism, and so on.

Every time you want to use a prism, you need to put it near the lens and in the frame area with the desired effect. Then slowly move the rotating prism to explore its possibility and how to get the effect.

In order to make it convenient for you to use the prism and camera at the same time, please try using a tripod. In this way, you can easily change the position of the prism without operating all the devices in your hand at the same time.

3. Switch to manual mode to find the focus.

Have you ever tried taking pictures on the glass with autofocus? The camera can't find the focus. This leads to constant refocusing and eventually loss of clarity.

Auto focus uses visual cues based on light contrast to determine the object to focus on. When shooting through the glass, the camera will see many other elements besides the main body. There are reflections, fingerprints and other flaws in the foreground, and the camera will try to focus them.

Even if the whole lens is not covered with a prism, the camera may not find the focus. This is why it is necessary to switch to manual focusing in this case. You can also focus automatically without a prism first. Switch to manual while maintaining focus. Put the prism in front of the camera and take a picture.

4. Setting a smaller aperture value can make the effect smoother.

The small aperture between f/ 1.8 and f/3.5 will make the transition between the prism covered part and the uncovered part of the lens smoother. But it's a matter of taste.

If you want a stronger contrast between the two parts, you can use a larger f value. This will also affect the depth of field.

If you use a higher f value, the depth of field will be greater, so the background will be clearer. Depends on what effect you want to achieve.

5. Protect your eyes with live view.

When using a prism, it is easy to forget that we redirect light directly into the lens, and the intensity is very high. Looking through the eyepiece is like looking directly at the sun. It is safer to switch to real-time display.

6. How to create a rainbow prism effect

You need to point one side of the prism towards the camera, move and rotate it to check the deformation until a rainbow appears.

You can take a photo through a prism, and then a rainbow will appear along the boundary of the object in the image.

In addition, you can use a prism to "project" a rainbow directly onto your object. The result is more dreamy, surreal shooting or more subtle style.

Another way to add a rainbow is to project it onto a plane. Shapes created with light, shadows and colors can create interesting abstract images.

Prism can handle portrait photos well, such as rainbows on the face or skin. The bigger the prism, the bigger the rainbow. In addition, the size also depends on the distance between the prism and the surface that reflects the rainbow. The farther the prism is, the bigger the rainbow is. But remember, this will also reduce its strength and make it black.

7. How to create a mirror image

Put the prism in front of the camera lens, and then move it until reflection occurs. Try placing it in different parts of the lens, or changing the direction and tilt angle.

This function is very useful when shooting children. You can also try to create a local reflection that looks like a reflection of water or glass.

8. Add more light to get creative effects.

The problem with prism shooting is that the image is easily overexposed and overexposed, so be sure not to cover too many lenses with prism.

Without prism

If you add a little light to a prism, the same object may look completely different.

9. How to use a prism to hide clutter in the background?

Take a prism and put it next to your lens. Move it until reflection, rainbow or extra light can hide unwanted elements. Therefore, it turns out that it not only "hides" all unnecessary content in the background, but also adds interesting effects, such as adding portraits.

Prisms can help you focus on the main objects. This is especially useful when taking portraits. Placing the prism horizontally and using it to create a horizontal line under the main body can attract the attention of the viewer.

10, add ghost effect.

Distortion, glare and rainbow effects can help add a unique atmosphere to your photos. Try to position the prism so that it intersects the center of the lens instead of the side. Just like in a dream, this will make the photo look blurred and strange.

Try different types of light sources.

1 1. How to overwrite an object?

You can use the superposition layer of elements directly in the prism, that is, when shooting-this is a very good practice, which can let you know what can and cannot be combined.

For blending, you need to do the same thing as creating specular reflection. Just don't capture the reflection of the theme, but try to capture the reflection of other elements in the picture.

Prisms are used to reflect branches and add extra light.

How to create a kaleidoscope effect

In order to create an interesting kaleidoscope effect, you need to adjust the position of the prism so that one of its prisms faces the lens.

This effect will also bring the illusion of motion to static images. Make sure that the prism covers the lens as much as possible.

conclusion

In order to obtain distorted, reflected and even rainbow images, prism photography can also add some light to dark images or eliminate unnecessary elements in the background.