Composition 101

How often have you seen photos with things seemingly growing out of people heads, odd shadows, cut off body parts etc. You often will notice this sort of thing on Facebook. This is often the case with happy snaps. Now for people who take their photography seriously there is no excuse. If you have an interest in photography you must have some idea about photographic composition. You need to start looking at the image that you are taking and looking at the various elements and seeing how they are going to impact on the image as a whole. You need to look past the primary target and see what the other miscellaneous element are doing to the main elements of the picture. Is the door frame or tree branch growing out of the subject. Even when you are shooting pictures at a social function such as a party you need to be always aware of the background, you are being to be professional so you need to have a professional eye. Facebook is a good place to learn about what can go wrong with pics. From the happy snaps you can get an idea of what to look out for. Now it is impossible for all photographers to be perfect, but we can lessen this area of bad composition the better the chance of selling you pictures. Also look out for busy backgrounds that can overcome an image and take away from the subject. It might seem that when taking pictures you are seeming to spend a lot of time looking at the background and not the main subject but believe me the results are going to prove that this effort is worth it.

So get out there and get practising, enjoy yourself and take great pictures.

Safety

Well you might think that is a strange topic for a photo blog. But think carefully about what you are doing when you are taking photos and don’t just think about yourself, what about the people you are shooting. The simple act of putting your camera bag down on the ground may become a trip hazard. If you use a tripod the legs are potential hazards for those that are around. This is really important at crowded events such as weddings etc. So as a photographer you need to be thinking about safety of yourself and those that are around you.  As photographers we often have our eye glued to the viewfinder, so are we aware of were we are putting our feet? In some scenic locations you can imagine that this is dangerous. I often see photographers use small ladders to take pictures in certain situations – have they assessed the risk to them and the people around them. The more you think about it, the more hazards you can come up with when we take photos. Things like cables, bright lights, camera flashes etc all can present a hazard to you, your subject and the public. Even photographing animals could conceivably be very hazardous, you could frighten an animal and they could attack you or others.

My suggestion would be that photographers carry an Occupational Health and Safety policy around with thme. This policy would pertain to what they as a photographer is doing, the risks involved and reasonable control measures. This should cover you in the event of a problem, especially if you are a professional photographer. As a proffesional you should have insurance as well. Hobbyists should be ok with just a simple policy.

But my main advice would be to check with your OHS government authority to find out were you stand, they will be able to advise you. Also your photo club my also be able to guide you in the right direction.

Camera Clubs

A lot of people seem to shy away from the idea of joining a camera club. I don’t know why, but even I shy away from the idea of joining. but recently I have realised that maybe joining a club is actually a good idea. It has many positive benefits.You will always have access to people willing to help you develop your skills and you will be able to pass on your skills to others. There are always something we can learn about a piece of equipment or a photographic technique. Constructive criticism is also available, now we all like to think we have taken the perfect photo every time, but sadly that is not true. So other members will be able to give you ideas on how to improve that great image and make it brilliant. A lot of clubs run outings and the group go off and take photos by the dozen, here you can compare techniques and again see how others work. A lot of clubs will also get in guest lecturers etc. so again it is a learning experience.  another big plus is that you get a chance to see what gear other people are using in their photographic endeavours. This can be a great way of finding out if that new bit of kit you are after is any good or what you really want and do as you need. You will also hear a lot about the different photo competitions that are also run. All clubs have competitions and there are many inter-club comps as well. So all in all joining a club does seem to be the right thing to do. So myself I have decided to find a local club to join, even if it is only to sit around drink cups of tea and chat. You will still be improving your photo skills. So look for a club near you and join, I am sure you will enjoy the experience.

Steady as it Goes

The bane of a photographers life is to keep the camera steady to get that perfect shoot. As is often the case, the shot you want is going to end up being shoot under low light conditions. This is often the case with me. Also I tried and keep the ISO setting low so as not to introduce noise into the image. So how do we go about keeping the camera steady when shooting. Well a lot of people try a find a way to hold their camera steady and then hold their breathe when they press the trigger. Also you need to press the shutter release gently.This does not always work for me. so another option is to lean against a solid object or rest the camera on a solid object.

Camera Bean Bag

In fact you can small bean bag type things that you can sit your camera on to give a stable surface to shoot from.  And these bags don’t take up that much room in your camera bag. But if you want steady pictures at a reasonable cost, there is old standby – the tripod. This device has been around for ever and will always give you a stable platform from which to shoot pictures. The only real problem is that a reasonable one is bulky, takes up space and you need to carry it everywhere. So you really need to be a dedicated photographer to cart one of these around. But there is a lighter alternative to the tripod and that is the mono pod. This is only a one legged device but it does help keep the camera steady when you are shooting. In fact when wandering around you could use it like a walking stick until you need it. This is one of my favourite devices as it is not cumbersome to cart around. Now for an expensive solution is to get a lenses with image stabilisation. Now these lenses are rather neat if expensive. These lenses give you an extra couple of stops before you need t0 think about tripods etc. I own a Tamron lens with image stabilisation and it does work.  I shoot concerts and stage productions and it is great as I can use available light.

Tripod

Monopods

A Simple Picture

Blue Mountains

Holiday Time

So you are on holidays either at home or travelling. Well always make sure your camera is near to hand. You never know when that one amazing moment is going to happen. You don’t necessarily need to carry your best DSLR, a simpler point and shoot is just fine. But I must admit I carry my DSLR in auto mode, and it is near to me at all times. I also carry a small Canon video camera that also shoots photos just in case.

There are some of us that use holidays to pursue our hobby, so be be prepared. Make sure you have all our the gear neatly packed in your camera case. Clean and check the gear as you pack your camera case. Make sure you have gear to clean your lenses and filters. Maybe carry a plastic bag or 2 to protect the camera in case it gets a bit wet.  Pack the battery charger and cables, check you have enough memory cards. I carry a laptop with me so that I can get the photos of the memory card and then I also burn a DVD back up of the pictures as well. So many people do not take enough memory and the place you run out of memory will be the most scenic and you won’t be able to purchase one. Make sure your camera is comfortable to carry for long distances and time. If not it might be time to invest in a new one, but take your time and find the one that suits you and is comfortable on the back and shoulders.

But the most important thing is to have fun, it is a holiday and you are suppose to be relaxing.

Have fun and take lots of photos.

When to take a picture

You often hear photographers say the best time to take pictures is early in the day or late in the afternoon when the light is really nice. But you cannot always be in great locations at these times to take pictures. This is especially true if you are on holiday. So should you take photo’s at other times, of course just because the light is not at it”magic” position does not mean don’t take photos. You can take photos at other times, you might need to think a bit more about shadows and light, but you will still be able to take great pictures. If you are shooting people you may need to use a flash or reflector to help the lighting. With landscapes etc you can also get great photos. So my advice is to shoot no matter what time of day it is.

Some people also seem to have an aversion to shooting pictures on cloudy and/or wet days. Well again my suggestion is take pictures on these types of days. You can get some great pictures on rainy, misty days. This can add a real atmosphere to the picture. You do not need bright sunlight to take great pictures. Look through a photo magazine and you will notice photographs taken in all sort of weather conditions.

So go and take your camera with you when you next venture out and just take pictures for the sake of taking pictures