Before photographing your subject, it’s worth taking time to think about where you will shoot it from. Our viewpoint has a massive impact on the composition of our photo, and as a result it can greatly affect the message that the shot conveys. As well as shooting from eye level, consider photographing from high above, down at ground level, from the side, from the back, from a long way away, from very close up, and so on.
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Not for nothing is this blog subtitled ‘travel snapshots’. In it I try to blend my two passions of travelling and photography, often both in the same post! I can be wordy, but sometimes it’s better to be succinct and let the photos do the talking. Well, most of the talking; being me, I can't resist a few words to accompany each!
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Keeping things simple doesn’t mean taking it easy. Sometimes it’s harder to leave things out when composing an image than to include them. There can be a temptation to cram everything in, to show it all in a single image. However, often your subject will have more impact on the viewer if it stands alone, free of clutter. This is something I try for in all my photography; leaving the non-essentials out of an image. But sometimes keeping it simple isn’t enough; I want to strip away almost everything to create a truly minimalist image.
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We have had a cooler than average May, although not with many showers until the end of the month. But the flowers are here in abundance! It was time to get out and about with my camera.
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When our first lockdown was introduced in March 2020 I knew I was going to find the coming weeks (as I naively thought then!) rather tough. I would miss my social life, my cinema visits, my travels and little treats such as coffee or breakfast in our favourite local haunts. I also knew that I would be helped enormously by focusing on the smaller pleasures of life: a sunset, a pretty flower, birdsong, a message from a friend …
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Who hasn’t explored a building, maybe an impressive fortress or palace, and had one of those ‘wow’ moments as you emerge from the darkness of the building to an arch or window revealing the lightness outside?
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Edward Weston said that, 'To consult the rules of composition before making a picture is a little like consulting the law of gravitation before going for a walk.' He is right of course, but that doesn’t mean it isn't helpful to be aware of these ‘rules’.
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Bokeh is a Japanese word that refers to blur used deliberately to heighten the impact of a photo, by isolating its main subject. It is an aesthetic technique and shouldn’t of course be confused with poor focusing or camera shake (both of which I am also capable of at times!)
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In setting my previous Friendly Friday Challenge about the ‘rule of thirds’, I should perhaps have started with a disclaimer. We talk about the rules of photography but what we really mean are guidelines. Guidelines that help you to create compositions pleasing to the eye; guidelines that help you create impact and draw the viewer in.
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I love to photograph details. So much so that when I review a day’s set of images I’m slightly disappointed to realise that I forgot to take any wider shots showing the whole of a building or statue or fountain or …!
