Recently I asked the question of ‘what is it that I do best’ to a group of trusted, sage advisers and they all shouted back at me PHOTOS! THE PHOTOS! MORE PHOTOS! (Who can’t read that without thinking ‘SHOUTY CAPITALS’? Just me?)
[Obligatory disclaimer: while I really don't claim to know anything about photography I am finally accepting that people seem to like my pictures. So perhaps I can offer a few tips to you folks out there wanting to improve your stuff.]
So here is my very first, brand new blog feature and I hereby swear to produce easy to digest, bite sized photography tips on a regular basis that will allow you to get an inside look at how I approach photography as well as tricks and technical knowledge I’ve picked up from other people who actually know what they are doing.
Sound good?
My very first tip is also the MOST IMPORTANT. Can you guess what it is?
Is it how to properly expose a shot? Is it the rule of thirds? Is it knowing what to do in post processing to make your shot shine?
Nope.
It’s none of those things. It’s figuring out (for yourself) the answer to why you bust out that camera (or phone) in the first place.
For most of us, especially the mamas, the answer is ‘to capture the moment.’
To have something tangible which enables us to weave a narrative around that photo of who, what, when, where and why it matters. To have and to hold dear that split second freeze frame moment in time.
From a practical application it means that when you look at your photo…
and start to play ’spot the problems’:
- the lighting is weird
- there’s a big shadow on the mama’s face
- the only thing that seems to be in focus is the kiddo’s hair
- you can’t actually see either of their (beautiful) faces
- both of their heads are cut off
You resist the temptation to bin it for all of the things that are ‘technically’ wrong with it and instead remind yourself that the important thing here is the MOMENT. The moment (that mother and daughter are sharing that I was lucky enough to capture.)
Instead get creative about how to minimize attention to the problem spots: lighting & focus. In the case of this shot I did it with just one click which converted the photo to black and white. Behold…
Problems minimized.
Moment preserved.
Mischief managed.
(Okay maybe not that last one)
Happy shooting! And see you next Friday.
Tags: black and white photo, how to, mother and daughter, photography
Love! It amazes me how subtle changes to a pic can make a huge difference…and you really DO have an eye, my dear! xoxo
See, now I would not have noticed any of those “problems” if you had not pointed them out. I still don’t see them, actually. This is why YOU are the photographer and I am a hunt and pecker. Wait, that doesn’t sound right.
You so have a knack, lovey, and this is a great tip!
The two pics you changed to black and white because you saw problems with them, turned out to be my favorite picks from the whole evening. Not to be all mushy (and at the risk of sounding bitchy to sherri and cam above
, I think you have way more than a knack or an eye. You have a photographer’s soul. You see moments with that place deep within you and you just know where to point and shoot. You let us see us through that place when you share those pictures and that, my new friend, that is the gift. Because you see the beauty in those split seconds, and then you turn it around to us and say, “See? Look? You were a part of this, and it was beautiful” or “See? Look? You weren’t here, but it was so beautiful, and I wanted you to see it.” Photographer’s soul. And it is breathtaking. Thank you.
What Lerner said… Every photo of yours I’ve seen captures a moment, an important element, a diamond. Yes, I get that is by design as I know you only share the good ones but I can take 1000 pics and have only a dozen I’d share with pride.
Truly gifted YOU!
I’m glad to see you giving out some more photography tips. You are good at it.
I think your friends are right. I look forward to picking up tips from you.
Lerner said it best: You have a photographer’s soul.