Heavy post, that last one. Lots of comments. Thanks for letting me fly a kite.
OK. Photography. I'm no good at it. I'm the guy who thinks its 'creative' to simply tilt the camera when taking a portrait. But that is as creative as I get.
But all you budding, amateur and even professional photographers: What would I need to do to make these photos better?
Love, Justin.
PS If you click on the picture, you get a full pic.
15 comments:
tilt the camera?
Cheeky.
i think it's cute, because you've "captured the moment."
but what'd make it really special? i'd say change your digital camera setting to B/W. sometimes just switching into that mode really changes a picture!
was the flash on?
but i'm also jealous - i think that's the beauty of a digital camera, you can take as many as you want and then ditch them. Or maybe you could call it a series of photos like "Out of the Shadows".. ha ha.
thanks for sending through the link to what byron said - i'm working on it!
PS - the girl is beautiful xxx
in all honesty i personally quite like the first one of 'the girl' - it does capture the moment & is kinda cool having the light just on her...plus shes just so adorable!
but if you're really after suggestions? well..
1. flash (or at least being aware of the light u have)
2. experimenting more so you just get a feel for what the camera is capable of, what you like, etc - and not been afraid to try different settings to discover these things hehe!
3. Black and White - as you may be able to pick up, im a bit of a fan of the old B+W setting
4. moving the camera still works i reckon Jman, trying different angles is good haha - eg getting down to the level of the kids can be good, but so can looking down on a kid looking straight up above to you...
haha ok i may have got a little carried away there...sorry...
have fun photographing though! :)
James Says:
I have no tips.
I'm hack.
And i know it.
Lunch?
p.s. really like the bottom pic too - so cute hehe
I think that the flash was on. But there you go... Don't even remember.
I was aware of the light. That is why I took the top two photos. But I think that I needed more of it.
Might make on Black and White and add it.
Hey J-man,
There are a couple of things worth thinking about with the photos.The No.1 thing is "what are you trying to achieve with the photo?" If you are trying to capture the mood of the time when you took the shot, then I suspect that you have done a pretty good job.
Have a look at your little digi & see if you can compensate with exposure. Shot No.1 is great, but is a little over exposed & No.3 might might have worked better if it were a little less exposed.
The big discipline that has helped me most to just to think "How can I capture this subject in a way that either a) paints it in a totally new light, or b) reveals both the nature of the object & my relationship to it. I might spent half an hour in my room, just taking pictures of every day things, trying to capture how I relate to them, or trying to find something "arty" in an object that is otherwise mundane....
Possibly a longer reply than you were anticipating. I can't help myself. I love the process of photography!
When I'm ready to make a photograph, I think I quite obviously see in my minds eye something that is not literally there in the true meaning of the word. I'm interested in something that is built up from within, rather than just extracted from without" --Ansel Adams
i know nothing about photography but if you are in the light, and the subject is in the darkness, tell them about the saving light of Jesus ... jokes...then according to my lovely husband who tries to re-teach me about light and appeture every second day because i forget, then, you have to remember that the camera doesn;t see what you see. man looks at the outside appearance and God looks at the heart. Film adn Digital chips don;t handle contrast well, so my vibe is, unless you know how to muck around with apeture and Shutter Spead - can you on a digital??? - then try for photos with minimum contrast - unless you want that moody look. So basically, what has light and darkness in common?????? Ok, i really don;t know what i am talking about.
oops that was I, RH
ah such a great quote from goldy there! All I can say is i can totally relate to half hr in the bedroom thing, but goldy always has a way of explaining these things so much better hehe
i learn it all from him really, he is the master, j-man, take his advice hehe
Hey Justin and Laurel!!!
Lovely to find news of you on the net and to see pictures of your newer little person!
Does it just seem like it or is it true that everyone who ever attended CCSI now has a blog!? I never got the memo!
Anyway, greetings from two of the few remaining Sydney Argalls and please send our love to Laurel and the little people...
Love Em
p.s. I found Rich Chinn two days ago!
the top one is so good it could be entered in a photo contest, the middle one would be better if you'd popped baby into the light (hmmmm!!) and the bottom one didn't really work but photos don't always - there's an element of delightful random there - though i suppose stepping back so you could see all of her - is this very cute personage the girl? we are very much looking forward to meeting her, and the boy, and Laurel, and Justin!!!!
Hmmmmm.
I know a few things about photography so here goes.
Your main problem here Justin is lighting. That dappled lighting just doesn't work.
In a professional shoot, if they have problems with dappled lighting they would do one (or both) of two things.
Firstly, they would eliminate the dappled effect by using a screen or scrim of some sort. Sometimes these scrims can be as big as a swimming pool and they basically consist of a frame (sometimes metal, sometimes just plain old pvc piping) and a large sheet of slightly translucent material. Their purpose is to diffuse the lighting, giving it a soft, even look.
Secondly, they would think about introducing a different light, either by using flashes, lamps or a reflector to bounce the light back on to the subject.
As I said, these two techniques can be used on their own, or in tandem.
Now once your lighting is perfect, you can start thinking about your composition - but that is a lesson for another day.
Also bear in mind that neither film nor digital sensors can achieve the same sort of sensitivity as the human eye. So while you may look at a scene and be able to make out details in both the brightly lit areas and shadows, there's a fair chance that your camera won't be able to do the same.
P.S. Never, never, NEVER use direct flash.
That is all.
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