This article is solely intended for a novice shooter like me. iT discusses proven tricks to improve and consistently produce better photographs for those who are not that much into technical jagrons and who strive to improve their skills and aesthetics of their photos instantly.
So you have brought a dslr or a bridge and is excited to begin the quest in photography. You now hope, with the gear in your hand, it will show you the way for taking great pictures and, you rush out into the street or to your garden and begin shooting. The first shots come out , it isn't so exciting , it kinda looks bland and devoid of any excitement. Well amigos , it helps to know your gear in and out but it ALSO helps tremendously if you first know some essential tricks.
For an amateur , there are volumes of info. out there with valuable advices from the pros , the guys who have been in the trenches for years. .
Well, you now take in the info but not quite satisfied, you browse on , hoping that instead of everthing being so verbose , a consise edition of the essentials might help. Well , help is on the way, just read on.
So you have brought a dslr or a bridge and is excited to begin the quest in photography. You now hope, with the gear in your hand, it will show you the way for taking great pictures and, you rush out into the street or to your garden and begin shooting. The first shots come out , it isn't so exciting , it kinda looks bland and devoid of any excitement. Well amigos , it helps to know your gear in and out but it ALSO helps tremendously if you first know some essential tricks.
For an amateur , there are volumes of info. out there with valuable advices from the pros , the guys who have been in the trenches for years. .
Well, you now take in the info but not quite satisfied, you browse on , hoping that instead of everthing being so verbose , a consise edition of the essentials might help. Well , help is on the way, just read on.
There are four Parts to a photo, they are;
1) Composition.
2) Mood.
3) Viewers eye of Interest and,
4) Light
The following paragraphs briefly discusses each of the above points and offers invaluable tips for getting it right, without much hassle;
1) COMPOSITION :
A novice usually shoots in 3:2 frame ratio and therefore composing one's subject isn't much of a hassle, what matters is that how one composes it. There are few basic guidelines that might help.
a) Compose with the primary subject with the main theme that you have in mind.( Ask these question: 1.Who is this about?; 2. What is such interesting about it?; 3. Who should be the prime concern in my photograph? and if the answers corresponds or is about a single object or person then you have chosen your subject)
ABOVE: The prime concern in the photo was the beautiful flower not the crow in the foreground. The interesting thing about the Rose was the loveliness of the light falling on it.
b) Judge if the main subject relates correctly with others and is consistent with your theme.( Ask these questions : 1. What/Who makes my subject better to look at?; 2. Does my subject has any importance to be associated with other objects/people in the photo?; 3. Does it enhance the beauty or importance of my subject? and the choices that you now make will make it an even more stronger image.)
ABOVE: The subject is the bird and unless it is sucking the nectar out of the flower it wouldn't be so much interesting to behold.
c) Expose the subject correctly first and everthing else should complement it without taking precedence.( 1. Is my subject lighted up and all details about it/him/her is visible in a normal way?; 2. In relation to my subject does the background appear too bright or too dark? ; 3. Should I recompose my shot and from a different angle to minimize glare?. Just think a little bit in depth and you shall have the answer. )
d) Try avoiding too much of negative space i.e try keeping in the photo as much of "ACTION" as possible , try framing your photo completely without giving up space where nothing happens ie used space within the frame shot.( Trying thinking about these : 1. How balanced is my shot?; 2. Does the larger portion of the photo capture/show action? ; 3. If my larger part of my photo doesn't exhibit any action, should it be included and what purpose would it solve? . Unless you have considerable degree of understanding negative space compositions , try avoiding it in you photos. )
e) If you have your shot in focus and is locked on, don't just press the trigger, it pays off ,esp shooting pets and children, to have patience for one cannot be too certain of what they might do in the next few
moments. ( 1. Do you anticipate that an interesting behavior would soon recur in/with your subject? ; 2. Is my framed subject is very active for exhibiting dramatic behavior? ; 3. Should I capture it or should I capture with all the drama that brings out something unique about my subject?. It is infinitely possible that subjects which are very active and show dramatic display of various poses/stances that is unique and non-repeatable. )
f) If the subject has been shot to death before e,g a popular place or a landmark , try shooting in an unusual angle or try other place to shoot it that is not too common. In this way your shot preserves its originality and shows the object/place in a different light. ( Try answering these questions first , 1. Has it been shot before the way I'm going to shoot? ; 2. How does my shot make it unique or should I try shooting from another view point/place? ; 3. How do I want it show up in my image or should I try shooting it from any other angle? )
g) At the outset of your photographic journey try following the the 1/3rd rule for you find your clicks are that much praiseworthy and appear as slick. ( What is this?. The 1/3rd rule requires that you first divide your frame of composition into three equal zones both vertically and horizontally and put your subject in the 1/3rd part of the it and then compose. )
I have found that a budding photographer always seeks and values good feedback that repose in him the faith in his/her abilities of seeing things creatively. Creativity at the most nascent stage is unprotected and most be nurtured with great care. So you my budding ace photographer don't lose heart if one of your clicks or most of your clicks is criticized, take it as a part of your journey to be great. Have faith in your abilities and in your vision and with time and practice, you will find your voice that others look up to for inspiration.
2) MOOD :
It is perfectly O.K to presume that the premise of depicting a photograph that evoke such emotions within the viewer mayn't be human , e.g a solitary tree on a green verdant hill can be photographed to show it being lonely or a overcast cloud can be symbolic of pessimism. So generically speaking the premise of depicting or coloring one's photograph to show or bring forth in the viewer a sense of emotional drama as if feeling the emotions that is intended ,can be said as the MOOD of the photograph.
Things to Consider when setting the Mood of the Photograph:
1. Setting the Tone: It could be any 'PHASE' of the day or season or a sporting event etc.
2. Check the Lighting in the scene and the angle it hits your subject: Is it diffused light? or an Afterglow?. Is your subject back-lit? or a thin wedge of light just cascading on the frontal part of your subject?. There are various ways by which your photograph can convey the desired emotions. How you interpret it depends on your creative compulsions.
3. Choice of the per-dominant color: Color or rather the effects/transitions of various colors often suggest the creative mood of the photographs. A predominant black in an image is often suggestive of something being 'Hidden' or an implied emotion, that is suggestive in addition to feel of the photograph. Every color can convey meanings that may or mayn't have been captured within the frames of the image. Colors can be used as an compliment or antagonistic to the predominant feel of the composition.
4. Age of the Subject : Age Plays an interesting part in one's composition,whether your subject is living or non living or is such, that it gives off the illusion of appearing otherwise , has a direct impact on the feel and mood of the composition. Imagine for instance an Old person sitting on the steps of a porch drinking coffee. Observe the range of emotions it evokes in you/viewer. Now imagine a little girl sitting at the bottom of the old person's legs coveting the hot coffee. Does your emotions get a little bit richer?. Now imagine that little girl is holding a similar cup but it is filled with milk. So basically one can add many depths or layers in one's photo and set the mood for it. The above example may mean a sense of longing, serenity, youthfulness , childhood or a combination of all four primary emotions.
Therefore contrasting age group often highlight the mood of the photograph.
3. VIEWERS EYE OF INTEREST:
The heading refers to the "Area" within the photograph which is of primal consequence. It is where the central theme and the central mood of the picture emerge outwards and spill over into the viewers eye.
As one's skills increases over time , capturing the viewers eye of interest for a dramatic picture composition may be one's prime concern of taking a photograph. In photojournalism and in landscape photography , the viewer's eye of interest is the focal point around which every photograph revolves. See any picture of a landscape or that of a flower , the focal point is a subject and the colors that set the focus for the picture.
ESSENTIAL TIPS:
1.Pay attention to geometry , shapes , lines , circles etc which form a part of a coherent whole.
2.Perspectives of the subject , i.e how the subject is placed within your frame in relation to its background.Shallow depth of background is great for potraits as it gives off an image in 3D.
3.Center of Action: At the outset , it helps if the center of cynosure is kept as per the 1/3rd rule and with sufficient experience , try breaking it, but initially in your photographic quest , try composing as suggested.
4.Continuity: It is a tricky to put it succintly, but ah!...well lets see.
Continuity may mean differently in different contexts of composition but it does have the same element in them and that is an continuum of the idea and the feel of the theme.Lets explore a little bit in depth,suppose we are shooting a perspective landscape shot involving mountains with a stream , try composing your shot that directs the viewer along the flowlines of the stream ,either upfront or downfront visual. In simple lay man terms shoot it with the stream facing you or flowing away from you , because it invariably draws the eye of the viewer to trace out the picture along those lines.While shooting Indoors ,pay attention to the interior lines/geometry of the place. Those play an important role in stronger images. The curves , the arrangement of furniture , the lights etc all affect the final mage considerably and one would suggest that find shapes to place your subject in or around such that it is a completed whole.
1.Pay attention to geometry , shapes , lines , circles etc which form a part of a coherent whole.
2.Perspectives of the subject , i.e how the subject is placed within your frame in relation to its background.Shallow depth of background is great for potraits as it gives off an image in 3D.
3.Center of Action: At the outset , it helps if the center of cynosure is kept as per the 1/3rd rule and with sufficient experience , try breaking it, but initially in your photographic quest , try composing as suggested.
4.Continuity: It is a tricky to put it succintly, but ah!...well lets see.
Continuity may mean differently in different contexts of composition but it does have the same element in them and that is an continuum of the idea and the feel of the theme.Lets explore a little bit in depth,suppose we are shooting a perspective landscape shot involving mountains with a stream , try composing your shot that directs the viewer along the flowlines of the stream ,either upfront or downfront visual. In simple lay man terms shoot it with the stream facing you or flowing away from you , because it invariably draws the eye of the viewer to trace out the picture along those lines.While shooting Indoors ,pay attention to the interior lines/geometry of the place. Those play an important role in stronger images. The curves , the arrangement of furniture , the lights etc all affect the final mage considerably and one would suggest that find shapes to place your subject in or around such that it is a completed whole.
4. LIGHT (Exposure):
Photography is an art of capturing the right amount of light. Modern digital Cameras have an inbuilt exposure reading metering system that infers the amount of light reflected from the subject not the incident light i.e light falling on the subject. The amount of light that is required for correctly exposing a bright object maynot be enought for a darker subject, so it is essential that one subject is propoerly exposed to light.
The following consideration might help expose the subject and bringing out the drama in the photograph.
The essential three parameters are( as you already know) :
1. Aperture
2. Shutter Speed
3. ISO
There is an inherent relationship between the three i.e change in any one affects the other two parameters.
If you are a kind of shooter that shoots in manual mode then this paragraph isn't for you.
There are many modes of shooting that deals dabbling with any one of the parameters or a combination of two or all three.
Lets explore what are those modes of shooting that is available on all dslr's and bridge cameras.
a. AUTO: In this mode of shooting , the camera take care of everything from aperture size , shutter speed , white balance and ISO. This mode is helpful if you have no inclination to fiddle and dabble in various controls and parameters and wish to leave it to the camera. It is useful in quite a few situations where you are not sure about the white balance or the correct ISO settings.
b. Aperture Priority: This mode is very useful for controlling the depth of the field i.e how the background of one's subject would appear. If you wish to have a shallow depth of field then choose the lowest 'f' no. ie 2.8 or lower, however if you want that your background should be detailed and everything is in focus then choose a higher 'f' number i.e f22 -f32.
c. Shutter priority: This mode is useful when one is capturing action or fast moving subjects and wish to freeze the motion and have it in focus. This mode is also useful if one is shooting flowers too. Experiment and learning is the key to fully understand the creative applications of these keys.
d. Professional Mode: In this mode one can toggle between the aperture and shutter speed of the image to be captured. It is favoured mode of shooting for professionals all over the world for this mode allows one to control the aesthetics of the shot without too much worry.
If however you find it there is not enough light then it is better to increase the ISO rather shooting it with a flash because flash renders your subject to look flat but the bad effects from such a light can be lessened if you could set it to fire in "REAR SYNC" rathe than "FRONT SYNC" because setting it in former allows the subject to be photographed at the beginning of the exposure in available light before being compensated by the flash. Also try to direct the flash onto the roof or some indirect reflecting surface such that only smooth light falls on your subject and there is minimum harsh light.
If you are shooting in Manual Mode and unsure what should be the Aperture or Shutter speed that would expose correctly your intended subject then choose the "P" mode , half press the shutter button , take the raeding of the aperture and shutter speed as displayed, move back to manual mode and set in the aperture and shutter speeds as earlier recorded.
In photography one has to be intuitive about light, it is an aquired skill , if shooting outdoors or indoors , correct exposure of one's subject is an added advantage but for a RAW Shooter, it isn't much of a concern. For a RAW shooter it pays if one shoots an underexposed image of half a stop coz the details can be brought out post processing, a luxury which isn't available to JPEG shooters.
EPILOGUE
In the end , I wish to say that no matter what your results has been , just keep trying and improving. There are various many parameters, and with time , sooner or later ,it would dawn on you of using and harnessing them to your benefit and creativity.
Till then, Happy Shutterbugging!.
Adios.
No comments:
Post a Comment