Take Numerous Photos of One Thing

Funky Door
St. Cloud, Minnesota 2012

It's kind of like meditation. If you concentrate on one thing, great things may result. Or at least you will have learned something.

My one-pointed photo project involved snapping photos of doors. I concentrated on doors that weren't "pretty."  Instead, doors of dubious quality and unobvious beauty intrigued me. Just trying to bring something new to the table, if you wish; although funky doors are hardly new. Is anything?

Finding funky doors became an excuse for exploring where they might be. In my case, they took me from Litttleton, Colorado to Cold Spring, Minnesota.

Quick Critique

For today's lesson, let's critique the following photo. . .

The Veljkovich's at Sunken Meadow Beach, Long Island, circa 1954

I have taken the liberty of noting directly on the photo its basic flaws. The photographer had admirable goals. He achieved some of them. He wanted to depict a happy young family (mine), and give the photo some atmosphere. He wanted to tell a story. In this regard, he succeeded.

We find the young family at the beach. The father and older son are wearing bathing suits, and are therefore capable of swimming. The mother and younger son (me) are not. The mother has a strong fashion sense. This is a beach where boats are used. The water is calm, so it is probably not the ocean. There are other bathers. Three of the family members look happy, especially the parents. The older son seems to have been instructed to smile. The younger son is too young to follow the photographer's instructions, and seems uncomfortable because there is sun in his face. This leads to the main problem with the picture.

The photographer should not have placed his subjects in direct sunlight. It is a mistake many amateurs make. They think that direct sun illuminates the subject best. If the subject is a human being, they are wrong. As we can see, the children in this photo are uncomfortable because of the harshness of the light. The photographer was lucky, because the parents look relatively good, although the father has a spot of sun on his nose. There appears to be clouds, which helped prevent the photo from looking washed out. If there had been more clouds, the photo would have been more successful, because the light would be evenly distributed.

Many amateurs do not realize that cloudy days make for better photos. The sun stimulates their senses, so they grab their camera. Wait for clouds, my friends, or photograph early or late in the day, when the sun is low on the horizon.

There are two other minor flaws to this photo. The boat is a nice idea, adding to the story-telling aspect. However, the ropes are too numerous and distracting. They block the legs of the mother and older son.

Also, the lady in the water, although again adding a story-telling aspect, unfortunately also distracts the eye.

My tip to this photographer, had he or his subject insisted on a photograph being immediately taken, would have been to change the location of the subjects. Perhaps they should have been placed under an umbrella, or tree, or other nearby structure. If he had done this, he would be "taking better photos."

Move Closer (Less is More)

Perhaps the most common mistake amateur photographers make (I know-I am one) is not getting close enough to your subject.  This is usually due to either laziness or impatience. You see your subject, your grab your camera, you take a picture.

But wait-wouldn't it have been better to get closer?  Usually.  Don't be afraid you will miss important details.  Most of them are irrelevant. The closer you get, the more your camera will focus on what's interesting and compelling.

Here's a photo I took of my daughter and son-

Andrea and Dave, 1991

Notice how, despite the fact that I cut off the top of Andrea's head, the photo still conveys the important details; namely, the happy expressions on both of their faces, and Dave's little fingers.

Many amateurs would have included all of the subject-their bodies, clothes, etc. Yet there is still enough information to show that Andrea is in her bathing suit and Dave has on overalls. The limited view of the clothes still adds a bit of color but does not distract the viewer from the happy faces.

Although this photo was not cropped, I could certainly have done so. The problem with cropping is that it reduces the size of the photo.  It's also more fun and challenging to get the composition right in the first place.

Here's another photo of an old car-

Statesman Super 2006

I saw some antique cars in a garage parking lot in Denver. Most photographers would have concentrated on the overall design of the car. I moved closer, and found the fading paint and rust was what attracted my eye. Without thinking, I concentrated on the gorgeous red and gray paint, and rusty wheel.

Two other details stood out. The logo gave the photo an identity, and the white blotch in the upper left corner, which happened to be a bird dropping, added an  unusual element.

It's fun to get closer to your subject, whether you do it when you compose your photo, or with your cropping tool. You discover things which you might have not seen. And, most importantly, it helps you take better photos.  

Photoshop Elements and My Mother

On a road trip to visit my mother, who I thought was dying, I browsed through photos taken in my old hometown- Littleton, Colorado. I came across this photo of a trail through a tunnel.

Lilley Gulch Trail
Littleton, Colorado 2006

This photo invoked various pleasant memories. I reminisced about riding my bicycle on numerous occasions during our time raising the family in Littleton.

It also reminded me of how I learned to use the shadows/highlights adjustment tool in Photoshop Elements. When I took this photo, the bright area outside of the tunnel was completely washed out. By using the Enhance-Adjust Lighting-Shadows/Highlights tool, and sliding up the highlights,  I was able to increase the visible information on both the tunnel walls, and the opening to the outside. Now I could see the amazing details of the stones and colored graffiti, as well as the bushes.  It made the photo more dramatic.

Speaking of drama, as I post this, I realized the connection between this photo and my mother. I drove to Littleton so that I could check on her health status, which had reached a crisis. I was pleased to find her in better condition that I expected. She was regaining strength, and the prognosis contained "elements" of hope. I found a bright light at the end of a dark tunnel.

Where Do I Come Off?

Here yet another blog enters the immense blogosphere. Although at times doubting whether this endeavor will be beneficial, I have nonetheless decided to take the plunge.

We live in a time when everyone seems to be taking photos, so perhaps this is a good reason to let my opinions fly, and, more importantly, to share my enthusiasm for the art of composing an image. Now you may ask yourself -what gives me the right, or, where do I come off?

It's simply because I've been taking photos for a long time. I've learned a few things. I've formed some opinions. I want to share. Here goes.

One of my first magical photographic moments occurred in 1976, when my future wife allowed me to borrow her Minolta SLR camera. We were both working at the Veterans Administration in Manhattan. During a lunch break, I took a walk uptown, where the Democratic National Convention happened to be occurring. It was the year Jimmy Carter ran and won. I spotted a masked man with a sign in a portable homemade booth. Here was my first opportunity to do a little street photography.

"Pardons $1,"  New York 1976

The man with the mask was poking fun at Gerald Ford, the incumbent President, who had recently pardoned Richard Nixon after he resigned during the Watergate fiasco.  

I discovered that with an SLR camera, I was able to quickly bring the viewfinder to my eye. This made it easier to take a quick photo and do a decent job of composing it.

It seems to me that amateur photographers have gotten away from using the viewfinder. With the advent of digital photography, and compact cameras, most people use the LCD screen. This is not a bad thing, but if you really want to improve your photos, purchase an SLR camera, whether it's film or digital, and start using the viewfinder. Here's a look at the back of an SLR digital camera.

Once you start using the viewfinder on your SLR,  you will feel more intimate with your subject. There's something about placing the camera next to your eyeball that helps you to become more instinctual, and less logical, when you release the shutter. You will start noticing an improvement in the compositions of your photos, whether they are portraits, landscape or street photography (especially street photography).

So, kiddies, my lesson for today? Use your viewfinder.