Why am I taking this picture?

Quadophile

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When you delve into the realms of photography you need to consider two kinds of stuff: the thinking stuff – the way you take pictures (planning, composing and shooting) – and the gear stuff - tools to be engaged (camera, flash, accessories). You can actually improve your photography with either kind, but, if in the first place you have no clue about shooting, the other stuff, meaning gear, cannot possibly help you in any way. “Get the latest and highest – megapixel camera or scanner, and you’ll get better pictures.” That reasoning may work for truly antiquated equipment, but new gear won’t fix how you take pictures.
To create eye-stopping photos, use complementary colors. Complementary colors are opposite each other in the color wheel, such as red/green, blue/orange, and yellow/violet. When you place complementary colors next to each other, they make each other appear brighter. And because these colors are equal in value, combining complementary colors creates strong color contrast. If you're shooting with a digital camera, you'll get the best color by setting the white balance to match the light in the scene.

If you're shooting with a digital camera, take the meter reading on the highlights in the scene and shoot using that exposure. If you're shooting with film, take a meter reading on a shadow area, and take the picture using that exposure.
My picture entitled "The Rose" was a slide but when I copied it from the slide duplicator through the Nikon Coolpix 995 digital camera using the Nikon Slide copier ES-E28, I metered on the rose using spot meter facility.

44Rose-med.jpg


Natural expressions are fleeting.
If you're not prepared to shoot and you say "wait, don't move," your subject may become self-conscious trying to hold an expression or pose. Instead, just shoot whether you're ready or not, and keep shooting as you make the necessary camera adjustments. It's much easier to delete a bad digital picture or throw away a film print than it is to recapture spontaneity and keep the subject engaged.
Picture of "My Son" playing on the beach and getting his hands dirty as well as "My daughter" sitting on a park bench are examples of such situation. You need the subject to be oblivious of his/her surroundings to create a better-looking image.











44havingfun-med.jpg


44mariahdictatingterms.jpg


Develop your own cliché meter. If you see a picture and think, "this looks just like...", then look again and ask yourself how you could express the scene from a new point of view.










The picture "Geometric Expressions" is a an example of an unusual view point. This was one of the very few occasions since I started photography that I actually looked up and composed a shot.


44GeometricPatterns-med.jpg






The other example is the picture entitled "Reflections" which also is not the usual viewpoint.

44Reflections-med.jpg



One of my pictures entitled "Silhouette" is an example of how I managed to get a better image simply by planning ahead. Sunrise and sunset are ideal for making beautiful outdoor and travel images, but we don't usually get such gorgeous illumination.


44Silhouette-med.JPG




A polarizer can be useful for making more dramatic images. This filter can enrich blue skies, intensify colors that would otherwise appear washed out, and increase color contrast for a more "punchy" effect with multihued subjects.

The picture entitled "Atomic Dome" was taken with a circular polarizer to enhance the color of the sky.


44AtomicDome-med.jpg


In the past, I was always quick to trash the duds when reviewing my pictures. Are you still doing the same? If so, you're missing out on a valuable learning experience. By all means, separate the great pictures from the rejects, but consider the lessons that the unsuccessful images offer. A bad picture has more in it for you as far as learning is concerned. If you're brutally honest when analyzing those pictures later, you'll make comments such as the following:
  • "There's not enough depth of field here. I should have switched to a smaller aperture to keep the foreground sharp."
  • "The lighting is too harsh. I should have returned after 4 P.M. when the scene would have had more atmosphere."
  • "Next time, I'll hike down to the valley and use a wide-angle lens, including the stream and foreground trees to give the scene some depth."
The picture entitled "Pathway" was also planned during the visit on the previous day. The photo was actually shot in the early morning in the month of November on the mountaintop where the temperature was below zero. While composing the shot my fingers almost froze and I had difficulty pressing the shutter. But after seeing the result I realized it was worth the effort.


44Pathway-med.jpg


If you're not sure why some of your photos are less than satisfying, ask others for constructive criticism. A knowledgeable photographer, the members of a camera club, or your spouse can be helpful. Accept any critique graciously, making a note about the techniques you plan to employ in the future. With feedback from others plus some self-critique, I now learn a great deal from my mediocre photos. That makes them just as valuable as the strong images as I continue to develop my photographic style.



Ask yourself, "Why am I taking this picture?" before every shutter release. If you can answer the question, you'll have a much higher chance of capturing the image you envision.
 
Joined
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When you delve into the realms of photography you need to consider two kinds of stuff: the thinking stuff – the way you take pictures (planning, composing and shooting) – and the gear stuff - tools to be engaged (camera, flash, accessories). You can actually improve your photography with either kind, but, if in the first place you have no clue about shooting, the other stuff, meaning gear, cannot possibly help you in any way. “Get the latest and highest – megapixel camera or scanner, and you’ll get better pictures.” That reasoning may work for truly antiquated equipment, but new gear won’t fix how you take pictures.
To create eye-stopping photos, use complementary colors. Complementary colors are opposite each other in the color wheel, such as red/green, blue/orange, and yellow/violet. When you place complementary colors next to each other, they make each other appear brighter. And because these colors are equal in value, combining complementary colors creates strong color contrast. If you're shooting with a digital camera, you'll get the best color by setting the white balance to match the light in the scene.

If you're shooting with a digital camera, take the meter reading on the highlights in the scene and shoot using that exposure. If you're shooting with film, take a meter reading on a shadow area, and take the picture using that exposure.

My picture entitled "The Rose" was a slide but when I copied it from the slide duplicator through the Nikon Coolpix 995 digital camera using the Nikon Slide copier ES-E28, I metered on the rose using spot meter facility.

44Rose-med.jpg


Natural expressions are fleeting.

If you're not prepared to shoot and you say "wait, don't move," your subject may become self-conscious trying to hold an expression or pose. Instead, just shoot whether you're ready or not, and keep shooting as you make the necessary camera adjustments. It's much easier to delete a bad digital picture or throw away a film print than it is to recapture spontaneity and keep the subject engaged.

Picture of "My Son" playing on the beach and getting his hands dirty as well as "My daughter" sitting on a park bench are examples of such situation. You need the subject to be oblivious of his/her surroundings to create a better-looking image.






















44havingfun-med.jpg


44mariahdictatingterms.jpg


Develop your own cliché meter. If you see a picture and think, "this looks just like...", then look again and ask yourself how you could express the scene from a new point of view.


























The picture "Geometric Expressions" is a an example of an unusual view point. This was one of the very few occasions since I started photography that I actually looked up and composed a shot.


44GeometricPatterns-med.jpg













The other example is the picture entitled "Reflections" which also is not the usual viewpoint.

44Reflections-med.jpg



One of my pictures entitled "Silhouette" is an example of how I managed to get a better image simply by planning ahead. Sunrise and sunset are ideal for making beautiful outdoor and travel images, but we don't usually get such gorgeous illumination.




44Silhouette-med.JPG






A polarizer can be useful for making more dramatic images. This filter can enrich blue skies, intensify colors that would otherwise appear washed out, and increase color contrast for a more "punchy" effect with multihued subjects.

The picture entitled "Atomic Dome" was taken with a circular polarizer to enhance the color of the sky.




44AtomicDome-med.jpg



In the past, I was always quick to trash the duds when reviewing my pictures. Are you still doing the same? If so, you're missing out on a valuable learning experience. By all means, separate the great pictures from the rejects, but consider the lessons that the unsuccessful images offer. A bad picture has more in it for you as far as learning is concerned. If you're brutally honest when analyzing those pictures later, you'll make comments such as the following:


  • "There's not enough depth of field here. I should have switched to a smaller aperture to keep the foreground sharp."
  • "The lighting is too harsh. I should have returned after 4 P.M. when the scene would have had more atmosphere."
  • "Next time, I'll hike down to the valley and use a wide-angle lens, including the stream and foreground trees to give the scene some depth."
The picture entitled "Pathway" was also planned during the visit on the previous day. The photo was actually shot in the early morning in the month of November on the mountaintop where the temperature was below zero. While composing the shot my fingers almost froze and I had difficulty pressing the shutter. But after seeing the result I realized it was worth the effort.




44Pathway-med.jpg



If you're not sure why some of your photos are less than satisfying, ask others for constructive criticism. A knowledgeable photographer, the members of a camera club, or your spouse can be helpful. Accept any critique graciously, making a note about the techniques you plan to employ in the future. With feedback from others plus some self-critique, I now learn a great deal from my mediocre photos. That makes them just as valuable as the strong images as I continue to develop my photographic style.







Ask yourself, "Why am I taking this picture?" before every shutter release. If you can answer the question, you'll have a much higher chance of capturing the image you envision.
Great ! Thank you !
 

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