Camera stuff/photo tips etc

[Ruby Red]

So I have been going to photography class for 4 weeks now. Tbh, the first 3 classes were just blur and well beyond my comprehension – all to do with the aperture, ISO, shutter speed, blah, blah – all relevant if you want to set your camera manually to take pictures – erm, I don’t think so, auto and sports mode are just brilliant for what I want to do. Anyhoo, last Tuesday was the best class ever, we looked at composition-that is how to actually take a photograph and things to think about/look for when taking a picture. Here are a few tips I picked up that I thought I would share with you:

So when you are looking at taking a picture, there are some basic ‘rules’ to think about – but the ‘rules’ are just guidelines really.

Think about the effect of the picture on those looking at it –
Do you want to:
Tell a story
Show something striking/dramatic
Something that is beautiful
Or something that is shocking

How do you get the best picture – one of the ‘rules’ is the rule of thirds – your camera has a setting [in manual mode] that is like a noughts and crosses grid. The thirds run horizontally and vertically through a picture.



According to the rule of thirds, one way of getting a good picture is to place the subject of the picture on the intersections of the grid [unless you choose to ‘fill the frame’ as in a portrait shot for instance]. Here is a picture I took you can see how I got Ruby on the top left intersection - if Jakey had just lifted his head a little he would have hit the bottom right intersection too.



Here's another - all the action is based around the top right intersection



Interestingly, if you were taking a shot of the sun setting/rising, the horizon should be in the top third of the picture [as opposed to the middle!], in this way you would lead the eye up [and utilise the whole picture] through the foreground, middle distance to the horizon – works on morning/evening pictures but not dark ones of course!

Other techniques photographers use include:

“Leading lines” these are anything that have a line to follow really – a fence, wall, road, train tracks, bannister – things that ‘lead the eye’ to the subject of the picture.

‘Balance' – I LOVE this picture – it’s one of my favourites I think:



‘Symmetry’ all nature has symmetry; these are pictures that are beautiful and very often pleasing on the eye – trees, people, dogs! flowers, all symmetrical in design.

‘The rhythm of pattern’ – a reoccurring theme, like a row of trees or windows, cars in traffic jam! or pavement blocks, anything that is the same and repeats over – these can make some interesting pictures too.

‘Juxtaposition’ – this is another interesting way of taking a picture – use contrasts in your photos – like an old and a modern building in the same shoot, or a young and old person. Anything that is really different to make the picture quite polarised and striking.

Tone and texture and shape: rocky mountains, soft grasses, pebbles - these add tone of colour, shape and smoothness/texture.



Something else to think about is the use of black and white –v-colour pictures.

B&W shots are timeless; they focus on shape, tone and emotion. Colour shoots create mood, harmony and contrast . Which picture do you like best? I think I like the one of Ruby in sepia better [I changed the colour in photobucket and they don't have monochrome as an option!].....



Colours can contrast - yellow and blue are very opposing and make striking pictures. Photographers often follow colours on the colour wheel and take pictures either in warm or cold tones. http://www.zest-it.com/colour_wheel.htm

So there you go, just a few things to think about when taking your piccies or when looking at pictures in magazines. Hope you found it interesting anyway.

[Ron]

cool beans. Love the pics

[Ruby Red]

Thank you Ron, glad you like the pics. Here's a few tips on how to avoid camera shake -make yourself like a tree, really rigid and stiff and actually take a breath in and hold it just before and as you take the picture - even breathing causes shake - cameras are that sensitive! Also if you can rest/lean against a wall or tree, that will help to make you more still.

[AussieGirl]

Great tips Stephanie!

Originally Posted by Ruby Red

Thank you Ron, glad you like the pics. Here's a few tips on how to avoid camera shake -make yourself like a tree, really rigid and stiff and actually take a breath in and hold it just before and as you take the picture - even breathing causes shake - cameras are that sensitive! Also if you can rest/lean against a wall or tree, that will help to make you more still.

Another way to avoid camera shake is to stand with one foot more forward than the other (like stepping forward but with one foot only - gives your body more stability) and to keep your elbows as close to your body as possible - if you hold your camera with your elbows out in the air to the sides it is harder to control shake, but pressing them up to the side of your body helps to control it.

[Spyglass Sally]

Very interesting info, Stephanie. I love the pics too. My fav is the two of them in the action shot.

[Doreen]

Yes, thanks for the tips.... I love taking photos and looking at them.... I hope I can remember these things now.... my mind isn't what it used to be, LOL.

Loved the photos too!!