Let's Discuss Photography

Have you thought about purchasing a book about photography but became overwhelmed by the choices or the technical information? Yep. Do you glaze over when someone talks about f-stops? Yep. (What are they?)

A Mt. Hope reader recently asked advice about camera settings. I panicked! Wait! Am I supposed to know stuff like that? I want to know, but here is the awful truth: I'm lazy. I'm easily intimidated and overwhelmed by technical information. I have other stuff to do, like laundry.

The purpose of this post is two-fold. 1) I want you all to see how much I don't know. This list is pretty much the extent of my photography knowledge. 2) I hope to encourage those of you who enjoy my photos but think photography is intimidating. For many of you, this list of photography advice will seem like kindergarten stuff. For a few others, it will be revolutionary to you, much like it was to me not so long ago.

1. Flash is evil. Bright sunlight is evil. Red-eye, unnatural harsh shadows, washed-out colors, squinting, over-exposure... Take pictures inside on a sunny day. Take pictures outside on a cloudy day or after sunset. (On a covered porch, in the shade, by a window...Use your imagination but avoid direct light.)

If you must take a photo in low-light try one or two without flash (if your camera will cooperate) and possibly using a tri-pod. If that doesn't work, use your flash. I have lots of photos that I don't post because they are just for me to remember something by (birthday parties, etc.) and not beautiful in the universal sense.

To give you an idea what I mean: I doubt anyone has noticed, but I don't think I posted any pictures of dinner meals this past winter. Why? It is dark when I cook dinner during the winter, which means I'd have to use the flash. And there is nothing left to take pictures of the next morning, or at least nothing appetizing to view. If this was a cooking blog and I was making money off of it, I'd cook dinner at 10 am just to take pictures of it. But this isn't, I'm not, and I have laundry to do.

2. Try a new perspective. Stand on a chair, climb a ladder, get on your belly. Whatever you do, don't just stand there! At least not for every photo.

If you are photographing an object, don't be afraid to place it in a new setting. Take a picture of the back of your kids. See things in a new way. Oh, and smiles are nice, and all, but I prefer a variety of expressions from my kids.

3. Get close. Really close. Don't be afraid to cut stuff out. In fact, please do. Pay attention to distracting backgrounds. I don't want to see the emptied basket of toys on my floor or the dishes in my sink or the weeds in my grass or the stack of paperwork I've been ignoring.

Fill the frame with the subject of your photo. Get as close as you're comfortable with, and then get closer.

Get extra close to capture details. Hands are one of my favorites.

Elevate the commonplace by creating a focal point.


4. Don't be afraid to experiment. Take a ginormous number of photos. Are you attempting to capture a great photo of wiggly boy? It might take 50 tries to get a single good one. (Ask me how I know.)

Take your camera with you everywhere you go. You never know when something interesting might capture your photography imagination.

5. Use the rule of thirds. Take your focal point (eyes in the case of a face shot, or head in the case of a body-shot) and off-center it a bit, horizontally and/or vertically.

Notice that Leif's eyes are above the center line and his nose (the center of his face) is to the right of the center line:

6. Go with simple lines, shapes, and colors. Avoid busy-ness. Get rid of as many distracting patterns as possible. When taking pictures of people, the less distracting the clothing, the better. If it is something you can control in advance, go with solid colors.

7. Spend time looking at the pictures of photographers you admire. I love looking at photography blogs. Some of my favorites are linked over at my photography blog on the side bar. Visit Jessica, Courtney, and Kate. Look at Becky Novacek's photos. Hang out over at Donna's blog, Quiet Life. Amanda at SouleMama never fails to inspire me. And there is always Pioneer Woman.

8. When you're starting to feel comfortable, broaden your knowledge. My top recommendation for those of you who want something slightly beyond my simple hints would be Expressions: Taking Extraordinary Photos for Your Scrapbooks and Memory Art. The authors do a wonderful job of presenting very basic photography advice (such as my tips above) with more in-depth instructions and advice.

::What kind of camera do I use? I use a Nikon D50 with the standard auto-focus lens. I have yet to use the manual settings. All my photos are done with auto-focus, occasionally experimenting with some of the setting options. Some day I'll learn how to use manual focus and also splurge on a new lens or two. But not today.

I recently discovered how easy it is to use Nikon Editor after glazing over while trying to use Photoshop. Almost every photo posted since January 6th has been edited in Nikon Editor as well as every photo on my photography blog. Every photo posted previous to that date was straight out of camera.

One last item of business: Crissy at Soliloquy is hosting a Mother's Day photo contest. She is asking bloggers to submit their favorite picture of a mother or grandmother and their children. It can be an old or new photo. The prize is incredible. Go check it out!