welcome to the first photography tell all by yours truly. i do not pretend to be a professional picture taker. i simply snapshot as i go. since you've shown some interest, i will divulge my tried and true tips. and spill my secrets. by no means are they revolutionary or inventive. simply basic. today i won't be getting into the essence of photoshopping photos. sometimes it's nice to hear a reminder that less is more. this is photography as i know it, just the basics. am here to remind you, one does not need a fancy camera, interchangeable lenses or even photoshop software to shoot a captivating photograph.
the equipment. i've received emails inquiring about which fantastic camera i use. nikon or canon? this always makes me smile. my camera is actually a sony brand cybershot digital camera. it's about six years old and boasts of five megapixels. you heard that right. five. your cell phone likely has a better camera inside of it. the sony website has an updated version of this camera that is sleek and super chic with 12.1 megapixels. however i inherited this little beauty from my dad and therefore it is like gold to me. no one forgets their first. and it takes pretty fine photos for it's old age. i am saving up for a new camera. i long for one that goes click click click in rapid succession (new model suggestions?) but for now i love that this one goes everywhere with me and i don't even mind if benji's fingerprints get all over it. so now you know that my camera is a perfectly plain basic digital shooter. listed below are my top tips and tricks for working magic behind the lens. amateur photographers, here we go.
the basics. turn off your flash. photograph everything in good light; dawn and dusk. experiment with focus and where the main subject is within your frame. off center is always an artistic look. try at least three varied angles for every subject.
this is one of my all time favorite pictures of my sweet little sunshine boy. he turned one month old that day and i needed photos for his birth announcements. we are early risers around here, so i began photographing benji during the morning hours. the sun spills in perfectly at 8 am and i rearrange the furniture around my subject to let the light shine in. i prefer to shoot at all angles to ensure i've made the most of the light and shadows.
this is a no-brainer. snapshot your life. all day, every day. it is in the ordinary details that we understand the extraordinary.
if you read this blog then you already know i love to snapshot things through and out of my car windows. drive by shooting is among my favorite methods of capturing the moment. this photo happened to be taken last weekend while i was driving. the scenic view through my icy windshield took my breath away. the picture is two stories; one of what i am looking at and one of what i'm looking through. it adds another dimension to a simple scenic shot. i like to shoot blind (not looking through the viewfinder) - so i can be a cautious safe driver. shooting blind always leads to an interesting and unique photograph. they always seem to be a pleasant surprise once i upload them, which i love.
benji's great-grandmother, bernice is always one to serve a delicious weekend breakfast with a french tablecloth, fruit, juice, pancakes and a special pitcher of warm syrup. she has been doing this since dan was a boy and surely years before that too. she is at ease whipping up a spontaneous meal with cheerful conversation. always ready with a cold dew for danny in the fridge and jam in the freezer as a take home gift. she is the best hostess ever. practice makes perfect. snapshot the people you love doing what they love to do.
close up shots are not to be feared. they are delightfully telling. i love the close up. intricate details and fantastic facial features and even crooked tooth flaws are vulnerable to the lens. close ups help us know that we are indeed different. each special in our own way. even blueberries.
if you are a regular reader of m.writes then you also know i am a lover of the bird's eye view. looking down from above. since i am a short person, i live my life literally looking up. usually on tip toes. i can't see much of anything if i'm in a huddle, at a concert, peering over a fence, etc. therefore when i get to have my cake and eat it too, i choose the grand perspective of glancing at things from above. you get to view whatever it is in all its glory. which is why i love this vantage point. i often scoot a chair (with the help of my little assistant) into place in the morning sunlight and shoot favorite items just for the fun of it.
the greatest thing about photography is that you can bottle up a moment. one that is fleeting. your child blowing out six candles, the dew on rosebuds after a spring thundershower, the walls after little hands have discovered crayons, the sunset over your camping tent. the clouds do it for me. ever constant yet ever changing. their shifting moods and the way they hold light and shadow always leave me in wonder.
thank you for indulging me in this session of photo basics 101.
i'd love to hear your tips for successful photos.
p.s. in the fall of 2010, i splurged on a new camera, the canon G11 point and shoot. it's an amazing piece of equipment if you're looking for something that is easy to tote along and still wonderful to (take off of auto) and play around with (and make movies with)! still, all the tips above can apply. read my personal review on my new camera here.
