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Posts Tagged ‘Photography’

It’s been a while since I put key to computer and talked about my photographic work.  It feels long overdue and to put this right here are some notes that I hope you’ll find interesting.

My recent personal targets have been to sharpen up (if you’ll pardon the pun) my manual focussing skills. It hasn’t let to lots of bokeh, which I guess would be what most people are expecting. It has resulted in quite a few very badly focussed shots but a goodly number of interesting, and bright photographs. I’m a big fan of this kind of challenge.  It forces the mind to take a step back and to think not just about the technique itself but also on the impact it will have on the composition. Technology and artistic composition are two of the underlying principles of photography and one cannot thing about these too much.

Of course targeting a technique is all very well, but you need to have something to photograph. I’ve spend some time looking at forgotten parts of my home town and also used a trip to West Wales to help me out. I’ve not been to West Wales for at least a decade so it was a great opportunity to take a fresh look at things.

Here are some my favourites.

You can of course see my photos on Flickr

Or at my shop on Red Bubble

Flickr houses the largest collection of my work. Red Bubble is a list of those that are available as commercial prints

Over the last few years there has been a trend towards the sale of orchids as house plants. It struck me that the beauty of the orchid is a classic photography target, that has now entered a great many homes. No need for hot houses, or treks to out of the way areas to see the fragile beauty of British orchids. They are here in our living rooms.

Time to take some photographs.

I too have orchids in the home. However photos in the home can often have rotten backgrounds. What looks good to use when we set up house rarely looks good in the background of a photograph. To get around this I set up a white reflector and some really bright pink lilies behind the orchids. This way I could fill up my viewfinder with colour or reflected light. No naff background – just something I could work with to create the right picture.  If you don’t have a reflector don’t worry any bright or white cloth as a background will create an interesting effect. Try to get a colour that matches or contrasts well to your orchids. This will give the picture better balance.

Now that I had a set-up it was time to take photographs. I set up the camera for a close up, then varied low F numbers and a variety of flash angles and strengths. The important point here is that after each photograph I reviewed the picture and used to create a setting for the next. If I found it blurred I tried to steady things out with a gorillapod. I also could not help but noticing that I was getting good results by moving the camera position considerably. So a tip for taking this kind of photograph is to use a small tripod so that it can steady you when necessary but not restrict mobility so that those good angles can emerge.  On saying that my 3 favourite pictures were taken at a similar angle. That though is the difference between the fun of the shoot and reflection on the finished article.

Here are 3 of the finished photographs.  I hope you enjoy them and remember that some sterling photographic subjects can be found around the home.

I teach beginners digital photography and had a recent discussion with a student who has done extremely well and is now central to a new camera club being set up. He was finding that the role of club leader was reducing his shooting time and whilst rewarding it was not actually taking pictures.

This is a common problem.

If you have a creative drive and creative urges are high then you will naturally want to push yourself forward as hard as possible.  When you find yourself drawn in a direction that reduces your creative time, or when life intervenes to reduce the time available for your art then frustration is natural. After all a great artist once said that the best way improve yourself is to do something everyday. Unfortunately for many people this is difficult and leads to frustration.

Frustration is counter productive and needs to be avoided. A frustrated artist may end up dwelling on the negative or the impossible. It may lead to a paralysis of action. Not a good thing.

I have this problem too. Some times the work I do leads me away from the creative and I find myself wondering about what to do next.

I have found one answer to the problem. It is to float  in the wind. It is impossible to control everything that happens in life. What is in control however  is your attitude and ability to take advantage of opportunity. So what you need to do is not worry when life stops you from doing what you want. Relax, deal with one problem at a time and get back out there taking pictures as soon as you can. However just because you cannot go our with your best camera that should not stop you. These days most of us carry cameras in our phones. Take a moment out to quickly take a picture of things that catch your eye. This quick snapping will help you keep your eye in on composition.

So don’t make a chore out of things, don’t get stressed, snap away and when you can go out and do great work.

That way you can go on for years, ever improving your craft.

I was recently looking for a good list of tips for a short landscape photography session for a course I was teaching and as a result came up with these. The tips are specifically not about camera functions, the members of my course owned a wide range of cameras and I needed tips that were specific to any level of camera technology.

On a day that was warmer than expected yet still cool – we had yet to really reach Spring. I was in Basildon Park near Reading. An interesting house used in films that is surrounded by extensive park lands. I wasn’t walking the parks, but did see the house and paid some attention one tree opposite the entrance. It was a tree that was frozen between seasons

There the mummified remains of leaves and old nut cases left over from Autumn and the kind of barrenness of branch that comes only with mid winter intermingled. Yet there was some evidence of new growth as well. It was a tree full of textures that were taking full advantage of silver light. The sun was breaking through thin clouds – giving us a strange bright and pleasant light.

The stage was set for a series of photographs that explored the branches leaves and textures of the tree. I discovered that it was the textures and colours that were created on this day that I was most attracted. That’s how the picture got its name. It was photographing seasonal remnants on a day that itself was quite Winter or Spring. Its the shapes and textures that make it for me in this image.

Image via Wikipedia

I run regular community education photography and the two most common problems I see are not understanding what the camera can do, and not understanding what makes a good photograph. The problem with the camera is normally caused by camera handbooks being just impossible to understand for most people. The problem with understanding photographic composition is one of experience and vision.

The problem with learning how your camera works can be fixed surprisingly effectively by working with the person involved, and whilst learning composition is harder you can teach someone to observe and that is the basis of good camera work.

I also know that not everyone can make it to a formal class and that something a little more flexible can be the solution.

To me that looks like a hole to fill in.

That is why I have decided to offer private photography tuition. The concept here is not to put someone into a large class but to work with them and their camera to solve the problems they are facing. Think of it as a small scale workshop, designed specifically to give some one a sense of fun and achievement whilst they are picking up a set of skills that will be useful. Since it is all about practical skills, and all about practice these personal tuition sessions can be be teach more in short time than a course which has a larger syllabus and a class to defer to.

That is why I am doing this – to offer something that is more than a manual, and different to a class. It is a form of focussed coaching designed around the individual.

Should you be interested in this contact me via my photography web site at http://originalrobart.co.uk/default.aspx

If you’re not interested just think for a moment about why I’ve decided to offer this service this way. Perhaps just using this idea as a way of thinking and practicing your photography will help you.

In the UK as a general rule we don’t see a great deal of snow. True there are some northerly areas where snow is pretty much guaranteed. However over the last couple of days pretty much all of the UK has been  covered in snow. As per normal schools have been closed, roads have been closed and people are enjoying the joys of being at home during the day (also called I can’t believe what they putting on daytime TV these days).

Of course its also a chance to get some pictures in and of the snow.

Except that none of us actually now how to take pictures in the snow.

So here are some  top tips for taking pictures in the snow.

1. If you’re camera has a snow setting – use it. Snow is bright and contrasting environment. Having your camera set for this will help. If you don’t have a snow setting, then try a beach setting. Beaches and snowfields are oddly similar places. If your camera doesn’t support these scenes try reducing exposure compensation a little. This should help
2. Use a flash to photograph falling snowflakes. You’ll need plenty of light to help fix the position of the snowflakes.
3. Snow is very monochrome. Find something that has a bright colour to it and include this in your photograph. This will help create an interesting looking photograph. Red works well in the snow.
4. Snow presents a rare and changing environment. Keep a camera handy. If you see something that looks interesting take the picture then and there. You don’t know how long the scene will last.
5. Snow also means fewer people around. This means quieter looking streets and roads and this may lend itself to some interesting atmospheres for your photographs. Remember this if you thing you photograph seems ordinary. It may not look so mundane when you come to print the photograph.
6. Beware of shadows! Snow is very good at picking up shadows and suddenly your pristine white piece of snow can have a dirty great shadow on it. Keep your eyes open to avoid this.
7. Check your white balance. Use auto white balance or manually set the white balance by taking a picture of some snow. Whatever you do do not use a white balance set for artificial light this will put an unsightly colour cast on your images.
8. Wrap up warm, snow is cold. Your hands will get cold when handling the camera so make sure you can keep warm.

Of course the most important thing – enjoy yourself.

Image by ♥ China ♥ guccio via Flickr

Last week I was taking photographs for the social media photomarathon. (This is now over – and I will shortly be posting my closing post on this event over at Shared Creation.) My final picture was a representation of cosy using a wine glass and a gas fire. I had the idea and then tried the shot out immediately using my mobile phone. This reminded me that at times I have used my phone to take pictures when I haven’t had a larger camera about. Some of these shots I have worked up significant images.

This got me thinking about the camera on my phone. Its always with me. I use it to take pictures or to record picture ideas. In effect its become a both a photographic tool and the equivalent of carrying a sketchbook. Artists have long carried and used sketchbooks for the very purpose of exploring the idea of a picture before it is committed to canvas. My phone now does that – taking odd pictures, capturing textures or small and useful images if I do not have a larger camera about. Its useful to do a quick and unsophisticated capture. After all it is impossible to guarantee remembering all ideas, but a phone with a gallery does a good job of being a concept list.

Of course you can always add to that.

I also use the mobile version of Evernote to jot down ideas and add context to what I have been taking.

So never forget – in your pocket is a small device that can record ideas.

Here is the picture that started this train of thought

I’ve recently been thinking about how to take better photographs of products – i.e. things that you want to sell. I’m suggesting that these suggestions are a bible – but I find bearing these points in mind does lead to better results.

1. Keep the Camera Steady – use a tripod or a rest
2. Keep lighting soft.  avoid the build in flash on the camera and angle lights so that the product is well lit with getting any glare. Sunlight coming in from a window is useful but avoid a bright sun as this will increase the contrast and make a harsh image.
3. Make use of post processing software  (free examples include Google Picasa or  Microsoft live gallery, pricier options include Adobe Lightroom or Photoshop) to enhance the photograph
4. Make sure that background your product is resting is plain and is a neutral or complimentary colour to the product
1. White or black make good backgrounds colours. Remember to use opposing colours. a dark object should be shot against black. a bright object is best shot against a black background.
2. Use a colour scheme generator to work out the complimentary colours for the main colour in the product. a good colour scheme designer is : http://colorschemedesigner.com/
5. Use a fill light. what this means have the main (soft) lights on the product.  use another light to illuminate to the side or behind the product to give an even or fill light.
6. Shoot from as straight onto the product as possible and zoom in close to the product. Zooming in close however does not apply when trying to place the product in context. What is important then is the composition of the whole scene
7. Make sure the products best feature is shown off as much as possible in the photograph
8. As there will be plenty of light set the ISO number low on the camera
9. Adjust the f stop (f-number) to give as much or as little depth as needed – a low number is a high depth of field. higher numbers give medium to little depth of field. I tend to get good results with a low F number
10. Remove shadows – adjust the position of the camera, product and lights to remove as much shadow as possible. If shadows to occur – remove later in post processing.

If  you have other ideas or suggestions I’d love to hear from you.