Rapturous! Inspirational & Interesting Photography

Here’s some weekend reading for your pleasure. This week I’m focusing on posts that show and explain how photos were taken. Hopefully some good material to read and then experiment with over the weekend!

• Three great photos and how they were taken – this is a cool post on some really interesting photos and reverse engineers how they were taken. [Light Stalking]
• 10 Landscape Composition Tips: Illustrated with Pictures from Eastern Washington – takes a bunch of composition rules (including rule of thirds and negative space), and shows you how to combine them for some interesting landscape shots. I like the information about what NOT to do as well (see rule #7)
• 10 ways to take stunning portraits – This is an oldie, but a goodie. If I’m grabbing my camera to take weekend photos at a family event, I sometimes scan this one. Great to keep portrait ideas fresh.

Bill at the Beach - Laughing out Load (portrait practice - candid)

Enjoy your weekend!

Looking for inspiration or just interested in keeping up with some tips and tricks of photography, PhotographyBB is a cool, free, online magazine.

PhotographyBB Magazine - the also have a great online community!

Check out their community (forums) for more information and photographic challenges.

Last week I looked at some articles for taking better photos with your camera phone, and since then I’ve been looking for some inspiration photos to give me some personal creative ideas for taking some shots. I’ve included some of my favourites below, and a list of sites that you might like to visit at the bottom.

Enjoy! (more…)

There are a number of great articles written about taking great photos with camera phones, and I, personally, am a great believer in being able to take a good photo with just about any camera. It’s all about knowing the limitations of your equipment and working with them.

Fundamentally, I believe it comes down to three factors: light, composition and know the limitations of your equipment. This applies to all photography, it’s just that there are greater limitations with camera phone photography.

Having enough light, and having that light on the subject of your photo is a key part of this article on iPhone Photography at Applelinks (I like this article – it’s a good, practical guide).

One of the benefits of camera phone photography can be the post-shoot processing that can be done on the phone. Usually the phone software makers make it easy to tune the image after you’ve taken it. This interview with an iPhone photographer highlights this as part of their article.

Also there is the added bonus of having the camera with you. Sometimes the key part of taking a great photo is to just have your camera with you! A camera phone allows you to do this – as well as sharing it on the spot if you have internet access (either through your phone network, or wifi).

If you are able to upload it to services such as Flickr, then you may be able to take advantage of online editing software on your PC, such as Picnik, which is integrated into Flickr and makes adding effects and fine tuning exposure and colour on a PC a breeze.

Also great reading, check out DPS’s 12 Tips for Improving Camera Phone Photos.

Regarding composition, think about those limitations again, and the style of photos that they will suit. Mostcommonly, camera phone photography is said to be suited to street photography, but note a key limitation – often camera phones are NOT good with movement. So if there is motion and a blur, aim for it to be intentional, like this fantastic shot:

Using motion blur in camera phone photography

And don’t forget to practice! Take lots of photos!

OK – the last one in the title was a joke – R-D-R-R (get it, ha-de-ha-ha).

I sometimes get frustrated with the way that others crop my photos, so I’ve developed some templates, and I’ve included a grid in them so that I can try and fiddle with placement and the rule of thirds.

Below is a table of common photographic sizes and the pixel sizes required to print each size. It is important to be aware that your camera doesn’t usually take photos in these sizes, and sometimes the action at the sides or top and bottom of an image can be cropped.

I’ve recently been printing in 8R format, so I have some templates:

• For Photoshop users – 8R Landscape and 8R Portrait
• For everyone else – PNG Files: 8R Landscape and 8R Portrait

I have a new favourite site in Haje Jan Kamps’ Photocritic.org, and the article In Photography, Rules aren’t Laws he reminded me in the first point about exposure.

Recently my family went to India to fulfil a desire of my husband’s to take the kids to see the Taj Mahal at the same age that he first saw it. There were loads of images of the Taj Mahal, and I don’t flatter myself thinking that my images were any better than the myriad of photos that have been taken before, but there was one photo that I took of my darling, gorgeous husband that just plain floats my boat (or rocks my socks, whichever you prefer).

My Love - at the Taj Mahal

Is this a great photo? No, not really – it breaks a lot of rules about focus and exposure. But I think this is why this particular photo works for me. As a portrait it conveys a lot about the character of the person.

I have some other great classic shots of him, however the grittiness of him on vacation, smiling, carrying the kids’ shoes over his shoulder, with one of the most classic symbols of love in the background seems to be expressing him better in this overexposed shot than in some of the more traditional shots that I took that day.

Is there a formula for over- or under-exposing shots? Well it certainly involves letting more or less light into the photograph, but as for when or how to use it, there are better writers than me that can describe this. However I will say that over-exposing tends to lend itself to more edgier and informal shots, and under-exposing adds moodiness and tends to increase contrast (especially with very light or bright elements within the photo). This can also serve to highlight shapes (eg. a silhouette), or increase the saturation in some colour elements.

Certainly I’m not the only one to appreciate this. Check out the links below.

• DPS – 15 Creative Uses of Overexposure. A nice gallery of over-exposed shots.
• Reuters’ Photographers – The Art of Underexposure. Told from a news/record keeping perspective.
• Glenn Race Photography - Using Intentional Overexposure To Create Artistic Photos.  Includes the adjustment of midtones in an overexposed photograph to create an edgier looking image.

Now some nice, edgy and/or moody images that have been over- or under-exposed, and don’t forget to check out the Over- and Under-Exposed Gallery on Flickr.

Overexposed by Marsup' aka MARS

Fly Overexposed by artic pj

Alice Overexposed by hickoryhollow113

underexposed by JonathanCohen

Caught in the Window by Stephanie Krishnan

I was with a friend recently and he told me about his Dad taking photos… basically he uses a camera that has a swing out LCD screen, and takes the photos from about hip or thigh height.

It got me thinking about perspective, and how I like to occasionally put the camera on the floor and take a photo, so here goes with 7 things you can do to change perspective in photos and make them more interesting.

1. Lay on your back and look up – this works really well under a tree or in a field of flowers, but can work equally well for buildings, in rooms, under stairwells, underwater (if you have the gear), to name a few. In some cases you don’t need to lay on your back… some good shots can be taken with your camera on the ground pointed up, but it may take you a few goes to get it “just right”.
2. Turn you and the camera, or your subject, upside down – this can give startling results. If you are upside down, and you focus on composition, sometimes the change in perspective can give you a new way to look at an old subject. Subjects can also be turned upside down for interesting results, although be careful with pets – I will not accept any responsibility for scratches and other injuries!
3. Take a step back – I use this one for portraits, and it works well with camera phones as well as regular cameras. Taking a step back from just a person in a shot often forces us to consider a principle composition technique that is used with landscape photography – include a foreground, a midground and a background. The photo on the left is one that I took of my nephew could have just been an expression of joy on his face as he was placed on the Ben & Jerry’s cow by my brother. Taking a step back included the cow (the source of the joy), and the background (Singapore Zoo’s Ben & Jerry’s outlet), and provided a bit more context and interest for the shot.
4. Tilt the horizon – be warned with this one… you either do it a lot or not at all. What I mean is either tilt the horizon drastically, so that it looks deliberate, or keep it flat and straight. A small tilt usually ends up looking like you couldn’t be bothered setting up the shot correctly.
5. Shoot from the hip – don’t use your eye in the viewfinder, or (depending on whether you’re trying to be surreptitious) even look at the LCD screen. Shooting shots from this low perspective can either be done so that people don’t realise you’re taking the photo, often resulting in more candid photos, or just a different height level – 2 or 3 feet off the ground, instead of 5 or 6. And because you aren’t consciously framing every detail of the shot, sometimes you can be pleasantly surprised by the results.
6. Get down on their level – advice often given for taking photos of children and pets, however this works on objects as well.  A popular example is flowers in a vase – don’t (some say never) shoot from above. Try side-on or below. This works for rooms as well. If you take the photo from a 5-6 foot level, you often see all the clutter on tops of surfaces. You could try taking at a lower angle where less clutter appears (just make sure you dust, because at this angle it can be quite apparent if you haven’t )
7. Shoot from above – this works for subjects that you wouldn’t normally look at from above, like buildings and adults. As the objective here is to change the perspective, don’t include pets and children in this one, as we are constantly looking at them from a height above. This is probably why a lot of people like aerial shots.

Obviously the above is not a definitive list, and if you have more ideas or links to sites that have other suggestions, please post in the comments below.

Other articles that are available with information on shooting from a different perspective are as follows.

• DPS has a brief bit with an assignment on Get Down and Dirty for a New Perspective On Your Photography
• Capture Photos from Different Angles explores different ways to take photos to make them more interesting

I’ve included some different perspective pics below, but have gathered a few into this Gallery on Flickr – Change your Perspective. Enjoy!

Looking Up, Many Branches, Topsy Turvy Perspective by Fractal Artist

Bliss by Dave Ward Photography

Super-Cat! (Aka Evie) by Chrissie64

Fisheye: Proud and Heavy by garreyf

Catching up on reading!! by Houry Photography

paris...moving fast...3 by skantzman

brz-lubi_09 by mariczka

Travel photography can be tricky, as when you arrive there are a number of things that can affect the types of shots that you want to take – portability of your gear, the weather, season and visit times, to name a few.

• Mornings and evenings are often considered the perfect time for good lighting when taking photos. However, when you’re on holiday often you will not have the choice of when the perfect photo arises. You can plan visits to beautiful locations to cover these times in your travel schedule. And don’t forget to position the sun at your back, unless you are going for backlit lighting or starbursts.
• If you are taking photos from a moving vehicle, you will need to consider motion blur – where images are blurred due to the relative speed of the vehicle you’re in, and the subject. Increasing shutter speed can assist in reducing this, if you wish to capture sharp photos. Also, wind down the window, if you can, or take the photo at an angle to the glass to reduce refection. Turn off your flash as well.
• When taking photos in museums or at sites, make sure that you take note of any policies and pay the appropriate fees or get suitable permits. In museums you will often be taking photos in low light, so open up your aperture and slow down the shutter. A tripod is a must for this type of setting, and try and wait until the crowd goes as they will interfere with your lighting, probably get in the shot and possibly bump your equipment. Respect the wishes of the museum or the site – they probably make money to maintain the site from visitors and promotional materials. If they don’t want you to photograph it, you probably shouldn’t.
• Consider the equipment you are going to take with you. You need to think about weight (and volume/space), as well as value. I mention this last point due to the fact that there is a chance that your equipment will be lost or stolen. A ‘good’ stock of lenses when travelling can be a 50mm lens (f1.4-2.8 min aperture), a zoom (f2.8-3.5 80-200mm), and perhaps a mid-range lens (eg. f2.8-3.5 14-45mm). A tripod is a must, and even a pocket tripod can be very useful. If you are staying in a hotel where the room or the safe is secure, you may have the option to take more equipment, and leave some in your room if you don’t need it for that day’s photography.
• Researching your destination is important as it allows you to get an idea of the kind of mood, lighting and types of subjects you will be photographing. This will also help you with deciding the type of equipment that you will need. Ignorance is not bliss on these occasions and I have been guilty of this – only to be told by a fellow tourist 12 hours before I am going to depart that I missed a key site at the location.

There are a lot of great resources on the internet about travel photography – on preparation as well as the types of photos to take. Three good links are listed below.

• 10 Travel Photography Quick Tips – good tips on what photos to take, how to make do without a tripod and zoom lens, framing and taking photos of people.
• About.com – Travel Photography 101 – how to deal with uninteresting sky, creating relationships between subjects in the frame, and other composition techniques. Basically this looks at telling a story with your photo, not just capturing the image of an object.
• National Geographic Travel Photography Tips – these guys are obviously the bees knees of travel photography, and they detail how research, a good notebook and recording the reasons that you visit a location can be key to the images that you capture. It advises that you go local, look around, spend extra time looking, feeling and using all your senses to capture the true experience of the location you’re in. Obviously they say it better than I can – check out the link above as well as the Quick Tips.

Now for some shots of one of my favourite locations – Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon, Vietnam).

Panning shot, Pham Ngu Lao. by * etoile

Saigon Street by Lucas Jans

Violet Smile by hudry (sur le départ....)

Ben Thanh market by Ultrapop Design

Soliloquy by Quinn Ryan Mattingly

Quan Am Pagoda,Cholon, Saigon by lecercle

This Guy Loves His Dog - Vietnam by Stephanie Krishnan

We all have our camera bags and such, however sometimes there are moments when I just want to throw my camera in my bag and head out! This is not for those epic photo-taking shoots or walks. I’m a girl and sometimes I want my camera in my bag to snap whatever jumps in my path. I don’t get the opportunities that I read about on so many other blogs – to go for photowalks or monopolise part of the house for photo set ups (I’m so jealous of you all) – but I do want to be able to take along a half decent camera and take shots when the opportunity arises.

So when I last had the opportunity to upgrade my camera, I went micro four-thirds, rather than full DSLR, and purchased the GF1. It’s not a cheap bit of kit, however it’s compact and I don’t have any issues with composing photos in the LCD. Maybe when I get better at it I will, but for the moment it works for me!

The other issue then, is keeping my camera from being scratched and bumped in my bag.

So I purchased an ankle guard – one that has a loop for the heel (I chose this rather than the wrist guard, as the loop for the heel is larger than the loop for the thumb).

Futuro Sports Ankle Strap

It’s a slightly unconventional protective tool, however in my case I’ve used it on two cameras now, and it works a treat.

Put the heel loop over the lens of the camera…

Then wrap the remaining strap around your camera to protect it.

Note – this is not meant to be a permanent solution. It’s an occasional solution – try and use a camera bag designed to protect your camera and lenses from dirt and jarring. Dirt can get in between the gaps in this bandage. I only use this for short term carrying – not as a full time solution.

My SS15 is starting to get into photography, and our trip to the F1 last year inspired him to start practicing to get good shots. He hopes to actually get a car in frame, in focus this year!!

As a fellow amateur, I can relate, so I’m getting him to practice with high shutter speeds and also a technique called panning.

As always, there are much better articles out there on these techniques than I could write, so enjoy the links and shots below.

• Sports Photography, from Photography basics, starts to introduce preparedness and the importance of shutter speed and burst mode.
• DPS in their usual straightforward style has a really good article on the panning technique – capturing moving subjects.
• I really like the troubleshooting part of 640 Pixel’s article on sports photography.

Now for some action!

Motion Blur Frozen by Mariano Kamp

by pincusvt

World's Favorite Sport by vramak

motorcycle jump by Francesco Rachello

Jump Start by cmaccubbin

And check out this Flickr Gallery on Sports Photography for more action shots!