The Digital Age And How It Has Changed Things
The process of photography is one that has changed immensely in all of our lifetimes – even those of us who are not yet old enough to read this. But for those of us who have a few decades on the clock, the changes are most noticeable. We all remember a time when taking a photograph meant a wait of at least a day or two before seeing the finished result. These days, it is a matter of seconds.
Digital photography is the cause for much of the change that has taken place. It used to be the case that we would take a photograph and think “I hope I haven't messed that up”, in the full knowledge that you would have to wait until a couple of days after you got back from holiday to see whether or not you had. As almost all digital cameras now come fitted with a preview screen, that's not an issue anymore.
There is some debate over whether this has led to any real improvement in the quality of photographs most people take. You can have five, ten or even twenty goes at truly capturing the majesty of the Eiffel Tower, but if you are unfamiliar with how to position yourself it will not matter whether or not there are people walking through the shot.
Camera phones have taken things on a level. It is now possible to take a photo on your cell phone and post it to a site such as Flickr or to your Twitter account within seconds. This has its good points – you can make your friends jealous and keep them posted – and its bad points too. It only takes one ill-advised drunken photograph to disgust a lot of friends.
What Are You Taking a Picture Of?
No matter what you are taking a picture of, there are tips and hints to guide you into improving it. Most people take photographs of their families, friends, pets, gardens and family celebrations. We like to record our lives for ourselves and for future generations. The days in which we had just one photo of grandpa sitting on a chair and grandma standing next to him – both wearing the most solemn expression - have gone, thank goodness! Let’s get into color, light, and happy smiles. Let’s catch granny cuddling the kids and granddad with a blob of birthday cake on his chin! Let’s leave a legacy for our great-grandchildren to enjoy. But let it be the best kind of photo that we can manage.
When taking photographs of animals or children, remember that they are a lot lower than where you are holding the camera, so get down to their level, otherwise their photo will look bigheaded. Kneeling to take a photo of a pet will bring its face into focus more sharply. Of course kneeling in front of your pet may also make him take a flying leap into your arms, but that’s a risk a photographer has to take.
You’ve seen those photographs of people sitting on something (the sofa, a rock, the ground) and their legs look huge? They are the ones everybody screams at. So what is the cause of this? It’s because when you take the photograph, the legs are in front, closer to the camera. You have unwittingly focused the camera on the legs instead of the faces. You may not have had the camera high enough.
Watch that sun! When taking photographs outdoors, the sun will cast a nasty, dark shady over a face. Use the flash, or stand the subject in the shade. If your subject is in the sun, it often makes them squint their eyes because the light is too bright. But if they wear a cap or hat, the shadow thrown by it will screen the face. That’s why it’s necessary to use a flash.
When taking photographs of that gorgeous rose in the garden, come up close to it. Digital cameras are wonderful for taking close-ups. You can be just a few centimeters away. Use the macro feature to achieve a sharp, clear photograph of flowers. For animals that you can’t get close enough to, use your zoom feature. Also lock the focus by half depressing the button and re-focusing on the animal. This will save you getting a sharp background and a blurry animal.
Take time to pose your subject. A group standing straight up and looking at the camera is a bit boring. Get some fun into it. Maybe they can all wear pink sunnies and sling their arms around each other. Perhaps they could group around an interesting tree – one or two could be up in the tree. Whatever picture you decide to take, work on it just that bit more to upgrade from ordinary to spectacular.
How to Turn Hobby Photography Into a Career
The happy shutterbug who becomes proficient at the hobby of photography may decide to see if it could become a worthwhile career. What could be better than pursuing one of your best-loved hobbies in this way? You will be having so much fun that it won’t seem like work. So what do you need to turn photography into a profitable career?
First you need a good knowledge of how to take photos. If you don’t know a lot, then take a course or join a photography club. Or do both, depending on how quickly you want this career to blossom. A good course will show you what range of cameras is available and what their functions are. You will quickly become familiar with photography terms, learn the basics of the darkroom and find out the history of photography. You will be encouraged to experiment with different techniques and learn about the different types of specialized photography.
If time or place of photography courses is a problem for you, join online forums for in-depth discussions of techniques and problems. Also look into doing a distance education course through one of the universities. Entering online or real- time photographic competitions will test out your skills and add a feather to your cap should you achieve a win. Camera clubs and photography expeditions are all good ways to hone your skills.
Once you become reasonably knowledgeable through study and practice, you could start out small by offering to be the official photographer at informal or small functions. The budget of many small groups is limited, so they would be pleased to take advantage of free or cheaper rates and you will gain valuable experience. You may decide to specialize in a particular branch of photography like sports, children, portraiture or landscapes or wildlife. Offer newspapers or magazines photographs you have taken of your specialty.
With training, a home-based photographer will be able to take on assignments for any number of jobs in the local community. Remember that you need more than proficiency in technique; you need creativity to be a great photographer. Anyone with a creative turn of mind and artistic flair can produce wonderful shots with equipment that is not the most expensive, while another without flair may fail even with the most expensive camera that money can buy. All the same, great equipment can often be purchased used from e-bay or other places.
It pays to be flexible. Learn all you can about both digital and film cameras and photography. Don’t refuse a job just because it isn’t in your favorite field. On the other hand if you hate kids and people annoy you, it may be best to pursue landscape greatness – or anything else inanimate.
Five Common Photography Mistakes and How to Fix Them
Sometimes we are thrilled to have taken a great photograph, but when we see it, either on the computer or printed out, there could be any number of things wrong with it and we feel disappointed. Most of these problems can be prevented or fixed if we just know what’s causing them in the first place. Here are five of the most basic mistakes photographers make.
1. One of the most common mistakes in taking a photograph is that it turns out too dark. What makes this happen? Basically, not enough light is the cause – it’s called under-exposure. This happens when a photo has been taken indoors when the artificial light is just too dim and no flash has been used. To prevent this, bring in some extra lamps or position the subject closer to a window. Outside, lack of light could be caused by it being too late in the evening, or the shutter speed was too fast for the light conditions. In this case, manually adjust the shutter speed if possible. In both cases, flash may be used for extra light. Most photo software allows you to adjust the lighting of your photos.
2. Red-eye is a common problem. The flash reflecting on the enlarged iris causes this. When we are in dimmer light than normal, our irises enlarge to let in more light. When the flash goes off, it refects on the iris and red-eye is the result. Either don’t use a flash or take two pictures with flash one after the other quickly. The first flash will cause the iris to contract; the second flash will get you a picture with no red-eye. Be careful you don’t get your subject when they are blinking. Most cameras have a red-eye removal feature. Photo software features include red-eye removal with just a few clicks.
3. Blurred photos are another cause of disappointment. Three main reasons that photos come out blurry are (a) camera shakes, (b) subject movement due to shutter lag, and (c) lack of light. To prevent your camera from shaking either use a tripod or steady yourself against something solid to take the picture. It helps to gently squeeze the button rather than depressing it quickly. If subject movement is the problem, focus the camera, then depress the button to half-way down. Wait for that moment of stillness before fully depressing the button. If you want your subject to be moving for the shot, use the action mode on your camera. If lack of light is the problem either slow down the shutter speed or use the automatic night scenery mode – and a tripod with both.
4. Subject is too far aw