What exactly is photography to reflect and respond

What exactly is photography?

…to reflect and respond An effective photograph should reflect your vision of the world to some degree. A good photograph should “startle the eye” and make you feel something. Ask what makes a specific picture successful.

…to expect the unexpected Train your eye to see as a camera does; compose images in your mind. The way you view something could be the difference between being an inspired photographer and merely a knowledgeable one. Follow the “Decisive Moment” rule. Always be prepared and ready to capture an image at any time.

…to develop a personal style The more you take pictures, the more you will develop your own style. Experimenting with different styles will help you discover which one you like most, leading you to become a better photographer in the long run. Trusting your instincts will help you feel content when you capture an image. Feeling like what you are photographing is “right” is what the joy of photography is all about.

COMPOSITION A good photograph consists of good composition Composition is the combining of distinct parts or elements to form a whole. In photography that thought is very important in taking good pictures. The following guidelines are just to be thought about Before you just step up and take a picture you should consider what you want your viewers to look at and how you should display main points of interest. You should ask yourself: What is the main subject? What angle should the light be hitting in my picture? Is there anything that could accentuate the main subject? Where should the main subject be in the frame?

Theory of Thirds The Rule of Thirds is probably the most important of all the composition techniques. The frame can be divided into three horizontal sections and three vertical sections Where the horizontal and vertical lines intersect makes an ideal location for the more important parts of your picture. By locating your main subject at one of the four intersections you give the subject more emphasis than if it was right smack in the middle of the picture. The intersections can still work even if there's a subject on more than one. The divisions can also be helpful in setting up a picture

Simplicity is the method of keeping the information in a photograph relatively simple. If your main subject is close, then your background should be very simple to avoid distractions. Try to keep everything not important much less interesting than what's important in the frame. Especially avoid lines or objects that lead the eye away from the subject.

Framing Framing is the tactic of using natural surroundings to add more meaning to your subject. It could be anything such as bushes, trees, a window, or even a doorway. You need to be careful that you don't only focus on what's framing your subject. Make sure you focus on the main subject, and also it is a good idea to use a narrow aperture (high f/stop) to achieve a high depth-of-field. It also wouldn't hurt if the part of the picture framing the subject was darker so make sure you take your light reading on the main subject.

Texture Texture can add a significant amount of interest in any picture. When people see texture in pictures they start imagining what it feels like to touch what's in the picture. When your taking pictures of rocks, walls, surfaces, someone's hands, or leaves. In order to make a picture reveal a texture you must make sure the light is coming almost exactly from the side of the surface so it creates shadows in key places.

Leading Lines are used to lure the eye deeper into a picture or to an important subject. Straight, curved, parallel, or diagonal lines are all good at promoting interest. Good examples could be roads, rivers, streams, bridges, branches, or fences but there are endless things that could be used.

Colour Colors are what add heart and emotion to your pictures. Certain color configurations can inspire awe and amazement in onlookers. Colors can be used to add all sorts of accents and effects You must be careful to not draw attention away from the main subject.

BE INSPIRED Watch a Movie Manuals are all well and good, but movies have cinematographers too. There’s not much you can’t learn about landscape photography by sitting back and watching an old Sergio Leone film. Read a Newspaper Or you can be a little more intellectual and read a newspaper. The Sunday magazines have the best photos but the work by the staff photographers can be great models for creating striking images for amateurs as well as for photojournalists. Visit a Flea Market Strange objects mean strange shapes, odd shadows and plenty of potential for unique compositions. And you don’t even have to buy anything.

Hit the Streets There’s a good reason that street photography is so popular: there are so many good things to shoot there. If you haven’t been photographing roads and crowds, give it a go. And if you have, try a different road. Change your Angle Most people shoot an object by placing the lens right in front of it. When David Rubinger lay on the floor to shoot up at paratroopers in front of Jerusalem’s Western Wall during Israel’s Six Day War, he created an iconic image. What would you create? Browse Google Images You don’t even have to leave the house to find inspiring images though. Toss keywords into Google Images, admire the good photos that turn up and ask how you would have improved the poor ones. Join Flickr Groups The pictures in Flickr Groups are great places to see what other people are doing with a theme; the discussions are great places to find out how they did it. And you’ll probably find that the feedback you get on your own photos will give you plenty to think about too.

Just Step Back and Watch For children’s photographers in particular, there can be a temptation to just dive in and get the photos. Sometimes though, lowering the lens, stepping back and watching the subject can reveal whole new sides. That’s true for portrait photographers, wedding photographers, animal photographers… in fact just about any photographer! Buy a Photography Book You can never own too many photography books, and each one you buy should give you a bunch of new ideas. Although that’s true of both books of photographs and books about taking pictures, you might find that photography guides give you more inspiration than a collection of images. The former will give you techniques to try out, while the latter will show you the techniques the greats have used. Still, if you’re really stuck, go shopping.

Revisit Your Past You probably have a stack of old images that you rarely review, including many that you can’t bring yourself to look at. Give them another chance. A shot that failed a few years ago might well be achievable today — and give you ideas for more. Choose a Theme Photo contests are helpful because in addition to prizes, they also give subjects to shoot. But you don’t have to actually enter a contest to win one of those. You can pick your own theme. You could even use the categories on stock sites as inspiration for subjects. Ask “What if…? ” Some of the greatest artistic answers have come from asking the right questions. A good one to start with is always “What if…? ” What if you focused on the foreground instead of the background? What if you changed the ISO? What if you got a flash of inspiration?

Tell a Story Good pictures always tell a story. So try thinking of a story then go out and create the images that illustrate it. That could be the story of your street, a narrative describing a community or even the progression of a cub baseball team. Find where your story begins then use your camera to follow it through to the end. Just Play The beauty of digital photography is that there’s no penalty for making mistakes. That gives you a free ticket to stop worrying about whether a picture will turn out well or be an embarrassing flop, and just shoot. So try just enjoy taking photographs without thinking too much about the results. Do Something Totally Outrageous Ever told yourself “That would never work? ” Well, here’s a “what if…” What if it did work? Go ahead, surprise yourself. Shoot what’s under the sofa. Snap the top of your head. Do something outrageously silly… and see if it works

FIND YOUR STYLE What do you like?

Wildlife Photography An exciting and high adventure genre of photography. It is extremely challenging Photographer can face challenges such as inclement weather and sometimes even facing danger. You can’t expect any kind cooperation from your subject! You have to fit yourself in, place yourself in a vantage point and have your camera set and ready and then wait for the ’right moment’ to take the shot that you are looking for.

Landscape Photography Take pictures within a city from atop a building or on the beach You need the spirit of adventure within you Travel around to different places and scour different regions for landscape opportunity. You may have to explore for days before you find an idyllic panoramic landscape to shoot. You then have to wait for the right light conditions while braving the weather and the rough living conditions.

Sports Photography The length of the lens, the location of the photographer taking the shot and the need to limit blurring are three critical aspects. The location where photographers position themselves to take different shots is directly responsible for capturing the relevant high-points in a match. Have a good knowledge of the sport. This ensures that you identify the right moments and are alert and ready when a memorable situation occurs during the sport. A rule-of-thumb is to hold the camera steady but move it along with the action rather than attempting to hold still (minimizes blur).

Fashion Photography Need to be a creative thinker with a good eye for aesthetics and the ability to use sound judgment in implementing out-of-the-box ideas. Meant to render an elegant, stylish effect on readers Each photograph is a piece of art in itself and has to be original. Creating an impact in fashion photography requires the photographer to take a leap in imaginative thinking and to create images that are different and unusual. Has to be portrayed creatively while at the same time conveying style and classiness. Needs a high level of visual sophistication combined with ideation skills.

Black & White Photography Used by artists and fashion photographers to create abstracts or classy ‘other worldly’ images. Whether you develop your photographs in the darkroom (traditional film based camera) or process the pictures digitally (digital camera usage), when you develop the picture yourself you have the leeway to heighten or reduce the contrasts in your picture based on the type of impression and visual impact you hope to create.

Photojournalism Visual storytelling. Has a strong social and cultural context and is a visual form of reportage based on news and current affairs. Being in the right place at the right time and understanding the situation as it unfolds helps a photojournalist deliver reader interest material.

A List of Don’ts Take a photo of a photo Take a photo of an already existing art piece Use your cell phone camera Use nudity Type text on your photo Do something you’ve seen before Take “myspace” shots