I’m usually an advocate of a clean, crisp arrangement of objects in photos. This wasn’t one of those times. The rolling ridges of this farm field, a lowered roadway where I stood and an overcast afternoon sky all contributed to a difficult setting for good photos. I’ve used the house in the background in a [...]
The selective use of foreground objects as framing devices can quickly change an ordinary snapshot into an effective, storytelling photo. One of local service clubs organized a field of flags to commemorate veterans and active duty service men and women as part of the city’s Veteran’s Day celebration. The flags, purchased and dedicated by friend [...]
As a child you’re told to never stare into the sun. As a photographer you’re told shooting into the sun is a good thing, sometimes. Who’s right? The photographer, of course.
Now that you have been granted approval to break the rule about staring into the sun, how are you going to do it so it doesn’t cause damage you or the camera?
The major factors to consider when shooting into the sun are what are the foreground objects, how do they relate to the position of the sun, and how best to set the exposure?
Creating the illusion of depth in a two dimensional object, such as a print or a computer screen, is a good test of the photographer’s ability to discern what about a possible subject is visually interesting and can be used for a specific purpose to help tell the story.
A technique often used is called layering. Layering has come to mean many different styles of photographic communication. The introduction of Photoshop brought out the placing of one photo atop another in a layer pattern with blending and masking to reveal or modify a layer’s effect.
Nothing like a sour cherry to teach you something about photography.
I once caused a young photographer to look at me as if I was some kind of crazy person as I told him that I would sometimes walk backwards down the street or across a field just to see how different it looked.
There are times when that technique seems to provide a little different view of the familiar.
You’ve got to get up early in the morning to make good photography work.
Some photographers take a mid-day siesta to recover from the hours before sunrise wake-up call or alarm clock that allows them to be in position when the sun breaks the horizon.
While most people are enjoying a leisurely lunch with friends or a second helping of barbequed pork, most really good photographers are catching a few Zs on the couch or leaning back in their office recliner.
Welcome to Lessons for New Digital Photographers where seasoned professional photographers will help you become better at the craft of … [Read More...]
