Lesson {THREE} People

This lesson is all about my favorite thing to photograph... people!  Photographing people and portraits is one of the greatest challenges in photography. People have a tendency to dislike photographs of themselves, so you need to make it your mission to photograph people on their best side in their best light while still showing their true personality.

1. Focus on the Eyes.

The eyes are what everyone looks at. When photographing people, be sure to focus on their eyes. That way, when people look back at the photo they will see people’s eyes as crisply as they would expect in real life.

2. Be Candid.

Candid Photography refers to photographs which are taken informally without the person knowing about them. When people have a camera in their face, they tend to put on a fake photo-smile or they act differently. By being unobtrusive you can capture the true side of a person.

3. Or Get Involved

Candid Photography isn’t always the best thing to do. Sometimes you capture a person’s true side when you interact with them and play with the camera. If you’re photographing children then getting involved is the best thing to do. Interact with them and let them play with the camera. They’ll smile, they’ll laugh and your photos will capture genuine happiness. Older people can also be immensely childish when there’s a camera in their face. Make them laugh and tease them with the camera. Every now and then you’ll come across a gem of a photo which captures the true side of a person like nothing else.

4. Stand Back and Zoom In

When you zoom in the depth of field is highly amplified. This will allow you to create photographs with astonishingly shallow depths of field. Also, standing back and zooming in will allow you to capture properly candid photographs. If they can’t see you they won’t be distracted by the camera, so you’ll capture photographs that reflect their true personality.

5. Don’t use the Standard Flash.

Just don’t do it. Standard flashes are not flattering. It’s like throwing a ball of light at someone’s face. Blemishes show up, skin can look rough and you’re often left with sharp and unnatural shadows. Furthermore due to the excessive light being thrown onto your subject, the background can be left unnaturally dark. I accept that using the standard flash is sometimes a necessity such as when you’re at a function or in a dark room. If you don’t need the flash though then don’t use it. Your subject will thank you for it.

6. Shade can be nice.

Studio photographers can spend thousands of dollars on flash equipment that casts soft even light on their subject. In the shade, nature tends to do all this for you. If you’re outdoors then you’ll find that softly shaded areas provide you with the best lighting. You may also find this to be the case indoors.

7. Backgrounds can be Subjects too.

Where a person is standing or what a person is doing can add new dimensions to the photograph. If you’re photographing the locals in a different culture, try to capture the environment around them in the photograph. Also look to capture the colors and the feel of the environment. If the background is dark and gloomy, work with the settings to capture a dark and gloomy photograph.

8. Candid-Formal Photography

This is one of my favorite things to do. If you’re at an event and you’ve got a camera, more often than not people will ask you to take a picture of them and their friends. They will then proceed to stand awkwardly and put on fake smiles. I find that some of the best photographs come from when they’re preparing for their photo. Start snapping early and you’re likely to capture them laughing and talking in their true element.

9. Don’t become Obsessed with Perfection.

Don’t discard a photo if the lighting or composition isn’t perfect. People photography is all about the smiles, the character and the relationships. If you’ve captured this, keep it.

Lesson {TWO}

Today we are continuing to discuss basic photo composition.  You already know how to use the rule of thirds to draw your audience in and create an interesting focal point, now let's add some additional concepts to make your photographs more interesting!  This week we will focus on photographing objects.

There is no absolute right way when it comes to photo composition, but we all know that some pictures are more visually pleasing than others. Most of the time it is not by accident that some pictures just seem to stand out more than others.

Use lines, shapes, textures and patterns for interesting pictures.

Using lines in an image is a very effective photography technique because it has the effect of leading the viewers eye through the image either to a certain point or to infinity. It works well when composing a photo whether the lines are horizontal, vertical or curved.

Subjects that have unusual textures and patterns are also effective when used to compose pictures. That might be in part due to the fact that in our busy everyday lives we don't pay much attention to detail in things like the sand lines or paint peeled gate post shown below. As you can see, those type images can easily grab the viewers attention.

 

 



Look before you shoot.

"Seeing" what you are photographing before taking the shot is another key to better composition in photography. That means paying attention to everything visible in the viewfinder or LCD screen before you press the shutter release button. Ask yourself: Is there anything distracting that is taking the focus away from your main subject?. Many surprises can be avoided in your final image when composing a photo just by taking a closer look.  The easiest way to ruin a great photograph is to shoot a well composed photo, and not notice the trees, light poles, or other objects sprouting out of someone's head.

Get Closer

Get closer if possible and fill the majority of the frame with your subject. Getting closer focuses more attention on your subject. It also helps to eliminate unwanted or distracting items in the scene from your picture.

For instance, in the horizontal picture of the gentleman below, the sky kind of dominates the picture. That's ok if the subject of the picture is the huge clouds at sunset.

However, if the subject of the picture is the gentleman, then the picture below is much more effective.

So it is clear see that by moving in or zooming in closer, the gentleman has become the main focus of the picture instead of the sky.  Also notice that by holding the camera in the vertical position, it is easer to fill the frame with the subject.
 

Use a frame

Using doorways, trees, and windows to make a frame or partial frame around your subject is another widely used photography technique. This is a pleasing effect and helps draw the viewers eye to a particular area in your image.
 
 This weeks assignment: {Photograph an object, using one or more of the above concepts}

Happy Shooting!

-Mrs. Reeves 

Lesson {ONE}

Great job this week Shutterbugs!  For our first class, we discussed the layouts of our camera's, the shutter release button, viewfinder, zoom, and basic camera settings.  Everyone did a fantastic job learning the terminology, and being mindful of their breathing for steady pictures. 

{RULE OF THIRDS}

Remember the grid?  Some of you have this built in to your camera's viewfinder, and some of you have to create the grid in your mind's eye when preparing to capture an image.  The rule of thirds refers to an imaginary grid drawn across a photo area that breaks the image into nine equal squares. The best focal point for subjects is at the intersection of these lines with secondary emphasis being seen along the lines themselves.  You usually do not want to center your image in the middle of your frame, as this will likely cause your audience to be confused about the purpose of your image.

This past week you should have had the opportunity to take a picture using the rule of thirds.  I can't wait to see what you have come up with!

This week's assignment:  {Submit your best photograph, using the rule of thirds}

Happy Shooting!

-Mrs. Reeves