Photography Tips For All
By Duncan Wherrett
Photoshop is now one of the major computer programs around.
The basis of it all, however, is the photographic image.
Very often the quality of the original image can get
overlooked or can be considered unimportant. We hear
sentences like: "Oh that'll do - we'll fix it later in
Photoshop".
Perhaps it can, but starting off with a better photograph
in the first place can save a lot of trouble later.
Well begun is half done. Here is the first of a series of
tips to improve basic photography.
Landscapes are one of the most continually photographed
subjects. Impressed by an attractive scene, most people
quickly pick up the camera and snap. Unfortunately, the
results are all to often disappointing.
The real scene has the direct experience of the sun's
warmth, the breeze and general atmosphere. The photograph
obviously misses these features. The real scene also has a
depth and the eye moves around the landscape, seeing
objects close by and far away, and so deliberately putting
some depth into the photograph can make a great difference
to the effectiveness of the picture.
A few moments used to select the right viewpoint can be
well spent so it's best to avoid shooting too quickly. Look
for ways to give the picture depth with a foreground,
mid-ground and distance. This can often be achieved simply
by moving one’s position just a few feet.
Standing near a path, hedge, fence or wall which stretches
away into the distance will carry the eye from the
foreground through to the distance, giving the picture the
extra dimension of depth. Rivers and streams, stretching
into the distance, can be used to serve the same function
with the added advantage of sparkling with light and
reflecting a blue sky.
Whether the photograph is framed to give a vertical picture
(portrait format) or horizontal picture (landscape format)
will always be dictated by purely visual considerations.
Just what is visually most effective in any particular
situation will determine whether we should take a landscape
or portrait format photograph.
Street scenes are another popular subject in this category.
Streets in villages, old market towns or the endless
variety of town scenes in other countries provide a
continuous source of interest. Looking down a street
automatically gives the picture a certain depth. Finding a
suitable item for the foreground can help this along. This
might be such things as a quaint shop front, a market
stall, the wing of a car or a person.
In this way, the photograph will have a strong foreground
and the street will carry the eye into the picture. But
watch out for any rubbish lying around. In real life, a
couple of bin bags can go unnoticed in the general stimulus
of a new environment, but they will shout out at you when
you see the printed photograph.
So have a strong foreground, as well as the distance, and
if possible have subject matter in the foreground, the
middle-distance and the far distance.
Looking through an archway or standing by a tree so that
the branches frame the picture will give a strong
foreground and serve to give the photograph a good
impression of the depth there will be in the actual scene.
Other objects can be found in the country to have a similar
effect, such as flowering shrubs, gates, pieces of farm
machinery or perhaps a charging bull.
Photography Tips
* Put depth into the photograph
* Have a strong foreground
* Don't shoot too quickly
To see sample images which illustrate these points, please
go to http://www,photoshop-tutorials-plus.com/photography_tips.html
Duncan Wherrett
