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I was looking through some of my old slides the other day, and
it brought back a flood of memories. Photographs are a treasure,
and need to be dug up often. As years roll by the memory gets a
little fuzzier, but pulling out the old pictures brings the memory
back into focus.
Washed out
Unfortunately, we often look at those old photos and wonder what
we were trying to accomplish. Who is it in the picture? Why did
you take that shot? Why are the photos so dark, washed out, not
focused, subjects cut off, annoying background objects, faces so
far away you don't know who they are, etc.
How do you progress from the high expectation of looking at that
fresh roll of film back from the developer, and the often-disappointing
results? Practice. Practice. Practice. How do you take good pictures?
By taking bad pictures, and learning from the experience.
Our early pictures were often just of the point the camera toward
the subject, and press the shutter mode. As our cameras improved,
hopefully, so did the angles, composition, subjects, lighting and
all the other things that make for a good picture. Most of the new
cameras available are just about fool proof, and will take into
consideration the various components of lighting and exposure to
give you a decent picture. However, the camera can only take the
picture, you have to add the artistry to the picture to make it
stand out from the mediocre.
Better photos
What makes a picture stand out? Well, that depends on what you
are trying to say or capture with the picture. If it is a person
or pet, move in close. Fill the frame with the face of the subject,
use fill in flash if available to avoid shadow, and avoid the direct
sun so the subject isn't squinting. Eyes are the mirrors of the
soul, so try to catch the glint of the eye. Catch a spontaneous
moment and avoid the static pose.
If you are taking an action shot give the subject room to move
into the action. Where is the subject going? A bronc rider heading
out of the frame leaves the viewer guessing. What is the subject
looking at?
Thirds
Consider the Rule of Thirds. Divide the frame into thirds both
horizontally and vertically. Place the subject at one of these intersection
lines. The crossing line creates points of interest the eye is naturally
drawn to. Avoid the bull's-eye, dead center syndrome.
Your subject should stand out from the background. If subject is
light colored use a dark background and vice versa. A green subject
against a green backdrop will camouflage the point of interest.
(All previous issues are stored in the ARCHIVE
for your convenience)
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Avoid annoying distractions in and the around and
subject. Tree limbs seemingly growing out of the head, power lines,
bright objects, all distract from and can ruin a good photo.
Road
If you are taking a wilderness type of picture make
sure the background and edges contain nothing to take away from
the image. For example, how many times have you seen a good picture
of a wild animal then noticed the road in the background? What do
you say to the photographer? "Nice picture right along the
road in the Park buddy." It ruins the shot.
Odd is good
Be creative. Try different and unusual angles, close-ups,
silhouettes, and subjects. Odd is good. A creative tool often used
in photo schools is to go out in the field, and pick all the compositions
you can capture on film in a ten-foot area. The possibilities can
be endless and interesting.
One thing with being a photographer is, you have lots
of pictures of your buddies and outdoor companions, and none of
yourself. If you want some pictures of yourself, make sure they
know how to work your camera. Not everybody can take a good picture
as we all know. I had a friend use my camera to take some pics of
my best ever steelhead from the Bulkley. The fish looks great but
the head of the angler, yours truly, is cut off on every single
shot. I guess that is a good excuse for more days spent on the river.
Resource
A great resource for learning to be a better outdoor
photographer is surprise, surprise www.outdoorphotographer.com
Outdoor Photographer is available on the news stand and always has
some outstanding articles. Some of the articles from each issue
they make available on the web. What I have done is print some of
those articles and place them into plastic page protectors and secure
them into a binder. Now I can readily access specific articles.
The site is archived and you can peruse past issues for topics of
interest. Here are just a few in my binder: Articles underlined
are available to print off.
Tips for Photographing Eagles (Feb 2000)
Great Images Close to Home (Oct 1999)
Get your Best Fall Colors (Nov 1999)
Autumn Reflected (Nov 1999)
Flowers: The Ultimate Subject (May 2000)
Tips for Shooting Waterfalls (Nov 1999)
Winter Wonderland (Feb 2000)
Take some of your own best pictures and send them to us at the
BC North Outdoor site for the Photo page.
Enjoy your weekend.
Bob
More of Bob's photos on the Photo
page
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