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4 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Shoot to Help Improve Your Photography

09 May

One of the nice things about mobile phones is that virtually all of them have cameras built in, which means almost anyone can be a photographer and has at their disposal quite an advanced piece of technology, capable of creating stunning images with the tap of a button. Some people prefer dedicated cameras like a DSLR or mirrorless model, and others like to carry a small point-and-shoot or even use good old-fashioned film. However, good photography has much less to do with the gear and is more about the person taking the image.

With that in mind, here are four questions to ask yourself the next time you take out your camera and start snapping away. If you stop and think about these, it will help improve your photography and you will take better photos:

What is the purpose of the picture?
What do I want my viewers to see or feel?
How can I use my surroundings to create the image I want?
How can I control my camera to get the image I want?

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You could stop reading right now after seeing those questions and get to work on improving your photos, but I want to dig a little deeper into each one, to see how answering them can help you improve as a photographer and artist.

1 – What is the purpose of the picture?

Think back to the last time you sat scrolling through images on Instagram, Facebook, Flickr, or another image sharing site. Perhaps you just looked through some pictures at random, and maybe you even gave a precious few the much-coveted like, double-tap, or star rating. What was it about those photos that caught your eye and made you pause for a second or two? Recently a study carried out by Microsoft found that, thanks to smartphones and the rapid pace of our modern tech-infused lifestyles, people have an average attention span of only eight seconds. That’s shorter than a goldfish! A similar study carried out in the year 2000 found that attention spans then were roughly 12 seconds, which means things are only getting worse as we become more and more connected via technology.

You might very well have a shorter attention span than this infant, and it’s a good bet your audience does too.

This has profound implications for photographers because it means that in the already-crowded landscape of digital pictures, your photos are not only vying for attention among thousands or millions of other images, but you have even less time to grab the viewer’s attention than ever before. To combat this, you need to make it abundantly clear to your viewers just what precisely is the point, of any given picture you take. In other words, your photos should have a clear subject – whether it’s a person or people, a flower, a kitten, a plane, a train, or even an automobile.

Look through your own pictures and ask yourself, “What’s the point?” If you can’t answer that question, then chances are that the photos won’t mean much to anyone else who sees them either. When I first got into photography I took all kinds of pictures of things that I thought might be interesting at the time, but looking back on them I honestly can’t tell you what is the purpose of many of those images. If I had taken the time to make sure the images had a clear purpose, instead of just pointing my camera at whatever I thought might look cool, I would have more important photos and much richer memories too.

I shot this photo about 10 years ago, and while I’m sure I had some kind of purpose, I honestly can’t remember what the point of it was supposed to be.

2 – What do I want my viewers to see or feel?

So now you have a clear subject in mind for your picture, and you’re all ready to snap the shutter on your DSLR, mirrorless, or even mobile phone. But wait, there’s more to consider before you start eating up that memory card, and flooding your favorite social networks with more photos. Now that you know what the purpose of your photo is, take the concept one step further and ask yourself what feelings, symbols, or other elements you want to impart on your viewers.

Do you want them to feel happy, sad, curious, introspective, or nostalgic? Do you want to stir them up so as to take action for a particular cause? Do you want them to notice things other than what might be the main subject of the image, and spend time digesting and interpreting your photos to gain a deeper understanding of the world around them?

I didn’t just want those who saw this picture to think “Oh, some students playing with bubbles.” I wanted people to smile and feel the same sense of delight as the girl in the middle.

Humans are visual creatures, and as a photographer you are in the unique position of using a visual artistic medium to transmit thoughts and emotions. In this sense, photography is a form of one-way communication as you invite your viewers to engage with your images, and take something away from them. For example, here’s what might appear to be a rather mundane picture of a plastic duck:

Is it a duck…or is it something more?

My goal in taking that picture was to have my viewers see more than just a basic rubber duckie. I specifically chose the time of day, angle of my camera, foreground and background elements, and exposure settings (i.e. f/1.8 aperture) to create this image, so that my viewers might see more than a kid’s bath toy. Perhaps they would think back to their own childhood, or maybe even invent a fantasy backstory for this duck standing guard at the edge of a precipice. It might seem like a simple image, but to me there was a lot more going on here, and by asking myself some deeper questions before I took the picture I got a better image as a result.

The same lesson applies to photography in general, and you have a powerful image-capturing tool at your disposal, to not just make snapshots, but tell stories and communicate with your audience. Going through some of these questions might seem like a lot of work when all you want to do is just pull out your camera and snap a few photos. But, as you work on doing this more and more, it will soon become second nature and you will see a noticeable increase in the quality of even your most mundane images.

This picture is just a quick snapshot that's not going to win any awards, but I shot it in such a way so as to provide context, invite the viewer to feel slightly squirmy, and hopefully see more than just the some kids in a room.

This picture is just a quick snapshot that’s not going to win any awards, but I specifically took it in such a way so as to provide context, invite the viewer to feel slightly squirmy, and hopefully see more than just some kids in a room.

3 – How can I use my surroundings to create a better photo?

One of the easiest ways to create a more compelling, interesting, and visually appealing photograph is to take a few seconds and examine the context in which the picture is being taken. Then try to position yourself, your subject, or even just your camera in such a way as to create maximum visual impact, and help you get precisely the photo you are trying to capture.

As an illustration of this take a look at the photo below. When I took it, I made several quick decisions with regard to my surrounds in order to get a better picture, than if I had just settled for a quick snapshot. As the child was walking down the street I followed from a short distance in order to get a photo of him, and adjusted my viewpoint so the sailboats would occupy the left side of the frame. I crouched down low to get a better angle, and positioned myself so that the boy’s head and shoulders were above the horizon and showing through a clear portion of sky instead of a tree or building. I also scooted over so the white paint line was leading towards the center of the picture, rather than off to the side. All this was done in a matter of seconds, since I knew this particular moment would be quite fleeting.

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The result is a picture that, in my opinion, is elevated several notches above what otherwise might be a quite ordinary picture of a kid walking down the street. It also provides clear answers to the two previous questions:

What is the purpose of the picture? To show a child walking down the street.
What do I want my viewers to see or feel? A bit of nostalgia, a connection to the boy, perhaps a bit of hopefulness for the future.

Recently I had the privilege of photographing four generations of one family, so I chose a location that would evoke feelings of a certain time period and place my subjects in a very specific context. What you see below is the direct result of me choosing to use the environment to elevate the impact of the photo. In order to create a sense that the couple had a long and rich history together, I placed them a few meters in front of a white fence, with an old farmhouse occupying the top-left portion of the frame. I could have taken the picture from many other angles, with very different scenery around them, but what you see here is the result of a very specific artistic choice on my part, in order to get precisely the photo I wanted.

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You can do the same thing, and it doesn’t require any special equipment or educational training. All you need is to keep your eyes open, examine the world around you when you take photographs, and use the environment to give your images a richer sense of time, place, and context.

4 – How can I control my camera to get the image I want?

Many people take great pictures without ever straying from the Auto option on their camera dial, and if you have a mobile phone or point-and-shoot you may not have any other options besides Auto. I know from personal experience how scary it can be to move away from Auto. For years I wondered why I would ever bother leaving that safe little green option when it did a pretty good job – especially since every time I ventured into another mode such as Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, or (gasp!) full Manual, I never seemed to get the results I was looking for. What you may not realize if you stick with Auto, is that a whole new world of photography wonder is right in front of you, just waiting to be discovered if you can learn how to control your camera a bit more.

It’s virtually impossible to get pictures like this using the Auto mode.

Learning to control the aperture of your lens, the shutter speed of your camera, and the ISO sensitivity of your image sensor can make all the difference between a forgettable snapshot, and a wall-worthy masterpiece. It takes a little while to learn the fundamentals, but once you get the hang of it you will find yourself asking technical questions in order to solve artistic problems. I am constantly pressing buttons and flipping dials when I take pictures (even if it’s just my kids in the back yard) so I can get exactly the image that’s in my head, and not the picture that my camera thinks I want to take.

If this sounds hopelessly complicated, look down at the keyboard the next time you are at a computer. Remember when it took you agonizing minutes just to peck out a few words or sentences? Now you probably don’t look at the keyboard at all, and typing isn’t something you really think about anymore. You think of the words you want to appear onscreen, and your fingers naturally move to the right letters on the keys. The same thing happens with practice when you learn to use other modes on your camera, and your pictures will be much improved as a result. The bottom line is that if you, not your camera, decide which aperture, shutter speed, and ISO to use, you will get better pictures.

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Now that you have read my four questions, I’m curious to know your side of things too. Are there any tips you have found that work well for you to get better images? What are some of the best practices you have learned over the years? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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The post 4 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Shoot to Help Improve Your Photography by Simon Ringsmuth appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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10 Ideas to Instantly Improve Your Photography Composition

14 Apr

It is an illusion that photos are made with the camera; they are made with the eye, heart and head. – Henri Cartier-Bresson

My photography training took place back in the early 90s, at an intense technical photo school in California. I love tech in all forms, and I love reading my camera manual. I love the precision and procedure of processing my own colour film, and I love learning the ever-advancing skills on photo software – I am a total tech nerd. But technical knowledge will only get you so far; it’s really the second part of the story in photography. Photography composition is the first part.

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The first part is your vision of what you want your photography to be, and learning the ability to compose compelling images. Your technical knowledge will only give you the ability to execute your vision, and make the most of the composition that you have created. It can’t replace the ability to see and to compose stunning compositions.

So all things should flow from a good composition. And when we are learning about composition I like to keep in mind that quote that may or may not have been spoken by Picasso (it’s under dispute on the internet): “Learn the rules like a pro and break them like an artist.” Rules, guidelines, ideas about composition will give you a place to start, help develop your skills and propel you out of a rut. But they should not be followed slavishly or forever.

Here are my ideas on what you can do to make your compositions more captivating. But, bear in mind that creating totally unique compositions comes down to creating your own style . So don’t be swayed too much by other photographers’ advice on this subject. Photography is an examination of the world through your eyes, it’s totally subjective, totally about connecting with what inspires and excites you. Just pick up ideas that make sense and motivate you.

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To practice, pick one concept from below that jumps out. Don’t take all these ideas and try to incorporate them into your photography all at once. Pick one and really embrace it – then the results will come.

So here are my 10 favourite tips on how you can instantly improve your composition.

1. Light

“Light makes photography. Embrace light. Admire it. Love it. But above all, know light. Know it for all you are worth, and you will know the key to photography.” George Eastman

For me more than anything, photography is about light, and learning to identify interesting light is one of the best skills to learn. Light that is doing something interesting, or is beautiful or colourful; will take a good subject and turn it into something completely amazing.

Light is my starting point when I am taking photos. It is the thing I consider first, and what affects me the most when deciding what to photograph. Look for light doing strange and wonderful things – creating long shadows, diffused light falling over a broken wall, reflecting, creating bursts of colour. Look for the colour of light, too: the cool blue light before dawn, the cold, almost transparent light of a winter’s afternoon, the rich orange light of near twilight – and how that affects your subject. Think always: how can I get the best out of the light that I am photographing?

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In the photograph above, the beautiful light is obvious. I have used the silhouette of the column, to contrast the dappled light which is illuminating the clouds beautifully. This contrast makes the light look spectacular because it’s showing off its range of colours and depth against the heavy dark column.

Learning to notice light in all its forms and colours is an excellent way to improve your compositions.

When you see a subject you wish to photograph, look at the light around it. If it’s not interesting light – if it’s flat, boring, or draining the sense of colour – have a look at what else is happening with the weather. Maybe you can wait for clouds to pass, come back later or earlier in the day, see if you can organize the composition to incorporate light from other sources. It doesn’t have to be natural light. Artificial light, and particularly the play of natural and artificial light, can make an inspirational combination.

Here’s another photo where the main subject is the light, but this one is more subtle. The absence of light is most pronounced in this shot, and then all of sudden the glow of dawn light is reflected in the windows. Again, there is a contrast of darkness against light.

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There is lots of negative space in this photo, an overload of industrial blandness, wastelands. And then these two buildings and the sudden glow of the charming light.

2. Simplicity: think in threes

“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.” Hans Hofmann

Simplicity is often very hard to accomplish, and can be more challenging than more complex compositions. I find there can be a misunderstanding about how to achieve simplicity in your photos. People often think it’s about taking a photo of one subject. But actually I rarely take photos which contain only one subject. Usually there has to be one subject with at least one, but usually, two supporting elements. So I like to say – think in threes.

Humans love to think in threes – (breakfast, lunch, dinner; past, present, future; and small, medium, large). We like to find rhythms and patterns in everything.

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This photo above is a very good example. How many elements make up this photo? Well, first you have the beautiful blue gradated sky, then the wild, chaotic pattern of the bare branches. That’s all very nice, but it’s the third element that is the subject, and that really makes the photo – the two men blending into the branches, while creating distinct human shapes. The photo without any one of the elements wouldn’t be as interesting.

I am a particular fan of very simple compositions when photographing people and I often use plain and colourful backgrounds. In the photo below, again there are three strong elements: bright pastel colours, the two guys and the strong lines.

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It also works when photographing pigeons! Another photo with three elements: the grey, slightly dishevelled pigeon, the wash of colour, and the texture and lines of the wet paving stones.

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3. Move your feet

When you are looking at a professional photographer’s work, one thing that they do more than an amateur photographer is move. You may have a killer shot laid out before you, but you still have to find the killer angle that will make the shot really special. Every shot has a perfect angle, and it’s your job to find it. If you are shooting a subject you love and then look at your images and are disappointed with what you find, I guarantee it’s because you haven’t found the perfect angle.

Get up on that roof, lie on the floor, move your feet around until what you see in frame is the best possible angle, the best possible position you can manoeuvre yourself into. Get dirty if you have to. This requires patience (and good knees), and patience is one thing I think most amateur photographers need to develop more of.

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There is one particular culprit in our kit that discourages us to move, and makes many of us lazy – a zoom lens. This should NEVER be a replacement for moving around a scene and finding the best angle. Do not fall into the trap that just because you have the subject in frame you can just zoom in to get it. Compose your best possible shot in frame, zooming in only if it’s totally the right thing to do , and not as a default option for moving. My best advice for zooming is pick a focal length, then move your feet and find the angle you need.

4. Get closer

Robert Capa said – “If your pictures aren’t good enough, you are not close enough.”

This concept reminds me of when I once read about a famous chef, who believes that the difference between home cooks and professionals is that home cooks are afraid of heat, and don’t turn their gas hobs up high enough. It’s the same with photography – obviously!

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If you feel yourself not wanting to get closer, then this is definitely an idea you should explore. You will almost be able to notice in your images that barrier of fear you set up of getting closer because there will be a distance to your subject. Push through that fear, and your images will benefit from more intimate images. The iconic travel photographer Steve McCurry always photographs subjects within a few feet of himself. For him that is the distance that feels most intimate. That is his style.

Take a deep breathe, hold your fear in check, and just get closer. Investigate as though nothing is holding you back.

5. Build your photo

When I am out wandering around looking for things to shoot, I am looking for elements that I can combine. Often it starts with one thing; it could be anything – an odd looking person, a beautiful shaft of light, a piece of amazing graffiti on a pockmarked concrete wall. If one thing strikes me, I start to look around to find something else to build on that first element to make it more interesting.

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In this photo above I think you’ll agree that if you took away the light in the window you’d have a perfectly lovely shot. But that light is what makes it work. It’s that additional element, creating another layer of depth, and providing an echo almost of the church light of the same colour. I passed this spot on many mornings and often took this particular shot, but one morning the window light was on and it changed it from a beautiful scene into a great image.

6. Look behind you

I shoot in places where I often find myself surrounded by other photographers – the Eiffel Tower at Dawn, sunset on Westminster Bridge – and it continuously stuns me that almost every (or even every) photographer will be pointing the same way and shooting the same thing. Now of course a purple pink sunset over the Houses of Parliament is gorgeous – but that light will also be doing incredible things to everything around you. So, while everyone is going nuts at the obvious, do something different – turn around, walk down that alley way, do what everyone else is not doing.

When I was in Paris I was intimidated about shooting the city. It’s the most visited city on earth (hence the most photographed). It is a small city and much of what’s amazing to photograph has been shot to death. I wanted to shoot the Eiffel Tower differently. Here is one shot I liked. You’ve got opulent gold, beautiful dawn sky, the iconic Eiffel Tower – all pretty so far – but then you have this injection of something that most photographers would have avoided – the cleaners.

Have the patience to explore other angles.

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The streets cleaners are a vivid contrast against the opulent gold, and while I kept the iconic Eiffel Tower in the shot, it’s really only as a background. Paris is obsessed with tidying itself, so this is also a nice little comment on the city.

7. Simplify your kit (and get really familiar with it)

I think most people generally have too much kit. If you have a lot and you don’t use it daily or even weekly, you’re not going to have that intimate knowledge of how it responds to situations and subjects. Try reducing to just one lens for a while and really get to know it.

When you have a lens that you know exactly what it will do in every situation, you’ll be able to execute even more interesting compositions, as you aren’t leaving things to chance. Chance is something that professional photographers will go out of their way to avoid.

8. Find beauty in the mundane

It’s easy to get a spectacular shot when you have a spectacular subject. But to make simple, boring, or mundane things look interesting – now that’s a challenge! But it’s a challenge I invite you to take up, because it’s an amazing way to train your eye to reveal the beauty of any subject.

This for me is a good example. There are three things that are interesting in this photo (can you guess?) You have the bold colours, and then a little bit of light falling on the wall to create a contrast, and the lines. Now if light was falling on the whole wall, or if there was no light at all, the photo would be totally boring. But can you see how just three simple elements working together can make a photo?

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And as I am obsessed with colour and light, I admire this shot.

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It’s part of a longer story I am working on in Istanbul at dawn, but to me it shows that there is no subject that isn’t worthy of attention from your camera.

9. Pre-visualize

I love my digital camera, but I also still use film, and now that I’m mainly digital I appreciate the discipline and grounding I received from training in film. I use these skills to help me now.

One super important skill that will really help your compositions is pre-visualizing. It’s a skill you had to have when you shot film, because otherwise you were just shooting randomly.

Pre-visualizing is, “the ability to anticipate a finished image before making the exposure” (Ansel Adams said that, not me). What I love about this, is that it’s about creating space between seeing a shot, and taking it. It’s about being prepared, thinking through what you want to capture, looking at all of the elements of light, positioning, etc., and then picturing in your mind what the final image will look like. For example, imagine your final output was a print. Imagine the print in your hands. What would it look like? If you can see it clearly then your are pre-visualizing. If not, then keep working at it until you see the image in your head. When you have a solid picture in mind, take the shot.

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You can also use pre-visualization when you think about timing. A lot of landscape photography is really about waiting around for the perfect moment, that great light. Here is one situation (above) where I knew the scene had potential, but was pretty flat, and if nothing else happened it wouldn’t be interesting. So, I waited for the sun to rise just that little bit more and ping, the clouds were filled with pink light giving the photo more depth.

10. Look for patterns

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Patterns come in many forms, and are extremely pleasing to the eye. A pattern is anything that is repetitive, that turns your subject from its innate quality, into something more abstract. So people will look and respond more to the pattern and shape that it makes, and less to the subject itself.

“Whatever emotional response a single design element arouses is multiplied when it is repeated in a pattern.” – Bryan Peterson

Patterns are particularly effective when you fill the frame with your subject, and totally cut off the rest of it. These are particularly interesting to look at.

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Another way to create patterns is reflections. I love playing with reflections. Anywhere you have a bit of water, even just rain on the street, or shiny surfaces, you have the ability to play with reflections.

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Once you start looking out for patterns you’ll start seeing them everywhere.

Time to practice

I’d love to know what you think of these ideas, and if you put any into practice. Which compositional techniques do you use to enhance your photos?

The post 10 Ideas to Instantly Improve Your Photography Composition by Anthony Epes appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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How to Improve Your Photos Using Micro-Composition

12 Apr

One of the most fundamental elements of photography is that of composition, or how your subject, foreground, background, light, and other elements work together to produce a complete picture. While understanding how this works is fundamental to mastering the art of photography, the underlying principles behind composition go much deeper than just getting all the big things right so they look good in the frame. Masters of the medium are able to balance many different techniques of composition at the same time ,and put them together to launch their work into the upper echelon, and one rung on that ladder is a concept known as micro-composition.

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This involves not just getting the big things in your picture set up and aligned properly, but making sure to capture your image in such a way that the smaller elements work together as part of the cohesive whole. It’s a technique that can be tricky to learn and take years to master, but through practice can elevate your photography to a whole new level.

To understand how micro-composition works it’s good to start with one of best examples of this technique which can be seen in National Geographic photographer Sam Abell’s image Cowboys Branding Cattle, Montana.

Photograph by Sam Abell, National Geographic

At first glance it seems like an ordinary picture of some ranchers in the western United States, but the reason it looks so perfect is because everything in it is masterfully composed. All the elements come together to form a complete picture that works at the foreground, subject, and background levels. It invites the viewer to linger, not just on the calf being branded, but on the cowboys wrangling cattle behind them, and the rider on his horse in the background. Even the red bucket helps add a sense of action and mystery to the picture, but what makes this image work so well is how each of the elements is composed, not just on a macro level but on a micro level as well. The heads and shoulders of every person are above the horizon line, the horse in the background is perfectly framed between the two ranch hands, and the red bucket occupies its own space and does not overlap the man’s hat or even break through the horizon line. This was not a lucky one-in-a-million shot, but one that was carefully composed by Abell as he positioned himself in the midst of the action, kept the various elements composed in his camera’s viewfinder, and waited until just the right moment when the red bucket was just past the cowboy’s hat to take the shot. It’s the result of a master micro-composer at work.

Micro-composition is all about focusing not on just the major elements of a picture, but the minor ones as well, and putting each element in its own space, while keeping it as a clear part of the whole. While I am certainly no Sam Abell, and probably couldn’t take photos like his if I practiced for a hundred years, there are many ways the techniques of micro-composition used by him and others, can be applied to even the most mundane photos. As a bit of a case study, the following image of a tulip is not composed well on a macro- or micro-level, but it can serve as a starting point for illustrating how these concepts work together.

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What you see here is a good start but ultimately not a very pleasing image. The red tulip is in the center of the image, when it should be off to the side, and it has a green stalk protruding vertically which creates a jarring distraction. To fix some of these issues I re-framed the tulip with a better overall macro composition and the results, while not perfect, are certainly much better (see below).

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From a macro sense the picture has improved, but look at the small details and you will notice several things that don’t work. The tulip itself no longer has a strange green growth on top but the flower now protrudes through the horizon line and into the steel bench in the background. The stalks on the left side don’t go quite to the corner which leaves a strange empty space between them and the edge of the picture. Finally, the yellow bulb on the right side is cut off. As you can see, even though the image seems fine at first glance, looking at these micro-level compositional elements reveals a host of problems that could easily be fixed, and would result in a much better picture.

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Finally, a photo that works! Even though it’s not perfect (as I mentioned earlier, I’m no Sam Abell) we can see how micro-composing the photo has dramatically improved it over the original. The red tulip now occupies its own space, and does not break through the horizon line into the bench. The tips of the green stalks go almost to the corner, and the bulb on the right side is fully intact without being cut off at all. All this was completely intentional, not the result of some random photographic accident. I spent several minutes poring over the composition, and looking at the scene from different angles, in order to get as many elements as possible right where they should be. The result of this extra time is a picture that is much better than just a simple snapshot.

It took a bit of work and patience to get this shot, but I wanted to make sure each worker was in his own space. The final shot is not ideal, but much better than others I took, in terms of micro-composition.

Learning the principles behind micro-composition takes time, observation, and lots and lots of practice. It also involves quite a bit of patience, so if you are used to snapping photos with your phone, throwing on a filter and some text, and tossing them up to a few social networks, you may find the idea of micro-compositing a bit frustrating. For another example take this photo of a sundial (below) which seems okay at first glance, but when I shot it I did not want to settle for something decent. There is nothing especially wrong with the overall composition, but on a micro-level there are several elements in need of fixing.

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I liked the idea of framing the sundial with a path and some greenery in the background, but studying the smaller elements and taking a new picture led to much better results. This required not only repositioning myself just a few inches over to the side, but also waiting about 15 minutes for the sun to move across the sky so I could get better shadows in the background. I could have just left this garden with the initial picture, but the next one, which is properly micro-composed, is far better.

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While this second image is not perfect it works far better for a few reasons:

The tip of the arrow stays within the path and does not intrude on other background elements like the stone borders on the side of the path.
The near side of the sundial arc does not overlap the far side.
The fletchings on the rear end of the arrow sit within the the shadow on the path, which leads to a nice sense of contrast.
The rear side of the sundial does not overlap the shadow of the stone ledge…except for the very tip of one arc. (Sometimes no matter how hard you try you just can’t quite get everything how you want it.)

Masters of the art like Sam Abell will sometimes sit for hours waiting for the ideal conditions to line up, such that the resulting shot is composed beautifully from virtually all possible angles. While I have years to go before I can even hope to come close to that level, this most certainly is a technique that has helped me improve my own photography.

Each element of this picture exists within its own space: the musician’s head is positioned between the branches, the bench is contained within the pond, and even the dog’s head does not overlap the bench.

If I had to distill my advice regarding micro-composition down to just one simple phrase, I would reiterate one thing I mentioned earlier – have patience. Take your time when preparing a shot. Consider all the elements in the frame, not just your subject and the light. Ask yourself if there is another angle, another position, or even another focal length you can use to get the various elements of the photo, from the major to the minor, to all work together. You don’t need a fancy camera or expensive equipment to learn micro-composition, but once you start to get the hang of it, you will see a dramatic increase in the quality of your images.

Have you found the concept of micro-composition to be useful in your own photography? What other tips and tricks do you have up your sleeve when it comes to composing pleasing images? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and if you have any examples that we can learn from feel free to share your photos too!

The post How to Improve Your Photos Using Micro-Composition by Simon Ringsmuth appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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How to Use Clouds to Enhance and Improve Your Images

07 Apr

Siberian Husky, 7 months old, male, white, lying on a hill with dramatic sky

Many photographers enjoy taking pictures of clouds, and it’s easy to see why. From the vivid patterns and brilliant sunset formations, to the storm clouds and unusual styles, there’s almost always something interesting happening in the sky. While there’s no doubt that clouds can make great subjects in their own right, I feel that they are most useful, photographically speaking when they’re used as backgrounds for other subjects. The proper use of clouds in an image can add texture, dimension, and drama to many photos, while enhancing or serving as an additional storytelling feature for your main subject.

Making clouds work for you in this way usually requires a little bit of planning, some location scouting (always fun!), the right subject, and, course, keeping a sharp eye on the sky for weather that will produce great clouds. Let’s get started!

Clouds = texture

First let’s examine how clouds can turn boring into brilliant. This image below of a Whippet was taken on a hill, on a clear day without any clouds at all. The plain blue background is striking, but the solid color perhaps lacks interest:

Whippet, portrait on hill

Now consider this shot, taken of the same dog back in the same location, but on a day with large summer clouds. The difference is immediately obvious – the clouds add some much-needed texture and drama, elevating this image above the plain blue version (and earned it a spot in an upcoming Whippet calendar).

Whippet, portrait on hill

A good landscape photo can also often benefit from some cloudy texture:

Farm fencing, fields, clouds

Reach for the sky

Finding a way to include clouds behind the subject is one of those photographic puzzles that we have to solve from time to time. Often, the key is to figure out how to raise the subject, or lower yourself. A great way to do this is to utilize a hill. Generally, the bigger the hill, the better, but even tiny knolls and rises can work.

Here’s a shot taken on a large hill, where I was able to get much lower than the horses.

Herd of horses grazing on hill, clouds

The hill blocks out anything distracting, and gives the photo a clean horizon line. But again, if this was just a blank, blue sky, the photo wouldn’t be as interesting, and wouldn’t pack as much of a punch. The clouds provide added texture, and help balance out the top of the photo.

Now here’s a photo where the subject was on just a tiny rise.

DJ-SM-20-159

Getting this shot required a little extra work on my part, as I had to get myself and my camera down close to ground and look up, but it worked. What you can’t see is that there were actually a lot of distracting elements all around the scene, that I was able to remove just by getting down low. A big part of photography is understanding what not to include in the viewfinder.

You can also take advantage of subjects that are already higher than you are.

Person pitching loose hay on haywagon with tractor, clouds in sky

Person pitching loose hay on wagon with tractor, clouds in sky.

Silhouettes optional

Remember, not all subjects against a sky have to be black silhouettes. Because the horses and clouds are being lit with the same light, from the same direction, detail and color remain consistent for both. In the case of the Whippet image, I used a large reflector board to illuminate her body, until her brightness matched the sky and clouds, preventing the Whippet from becoming underexposed.

Storytelling

It’s great to be able to use clouds as a storytelling device. Let’s look at a few examples of this:

Windmill on farm with clouds

I thought the big weathervane was an interesting subject, but the terrific approaching storm clouds were what really made me look twice. The weathervane says “weather,” but the subject combined with some actual weather maybe suggests the question, “What’s going to happen when the storm comes?”

How about this one?

Two cowgirls on hill with dramatic clouds and fencing

Again, even though the clouds aren’t the star, they’re still pulling their weight composition-wise, and add a lot of drama and balance to this shot. The cowgirls and their fence may be the main subject, but the clouds are adding some storytelling, too. It looks like rain, is that good? Do the cowgirls want rain, or not? It’s all up to the viewer to decide.

Girl on farm hill with clouds and stormy skies

Increase depth of field

If you’re using a telephoto lens, or if you’re close to your subject, you may want to stop your lens down a bit to increase your depth of field and keep your cloudy background looking distinct. If you would normally shoot a portrait at f/4 or f/5.6 for instance, try using f/11 or f/16 to help retain cloud detail.

Colorful clouds

One last takeaway, remember that clouds aren’t always white and grey. As with all types of outdoor photography, the golden hours can be your friend. In the case of clouds, a great sunrise or sunset can make the clouds turn red, pink, and orange. Don’t necessarily shoot towards the sun either, look on the opposite side of the sky to find more subtle, but still beautiful, colors.

Moon and clouds

Got a favorite image with a cloudy background?

The post How to Use Clouds to Enhance and Improve Your Images by Daniel Johnson appeared first on Digital Photography School.

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How Thinking Film and Shooting Digital Can Improve Your Photography

27 Mar

Film is not dead. But since the advent of digital photography, about 20 years ago, film has certainly taken a back seat. Since just over a decade ago, when digital cameras were widely available to the masses, film has almost been completely replaced. However, there’s a lot to be learned from the disciplines of analog days, before the ability to take photos so instantly, and at a phenomenal rate and remarkable quality, was made accessible to everyone with a digital camera.

think film shoot digital creative project_0000

Back in film days, we only had a limited amount of frames we could shoot on one roll. Often the camera sat for days and weeks until we had shot all the frames on the roll of film. We then carefully rewound the film and packaged it off to the film developers, then we wait…hours, days, weeks before we even saw the images we shot. Shooting film was no doubt a methodical exercise in process and patience.