You don't take a photograph, you make it ~ Ansel Adams

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1 You don't take a photograph, you make it ~ Ansel Adams I believe that the most important thing in improving your photographic skills is to get out there and practise, practise and practise some more. The more you photograph the better you ll become but you do need some basic principles to use as a foundation. When I first started taking photos I developed my own system or checklist, which soon became second nature to me. Scottie T Photography Checklist 1. Be prepared 2. Point of Interest 3. Composition 4. Exposure 5. Shutter speed v Aperture and Depth of Field 6. Distractions 1

2 1. Be prepared Firstly, what are you there to capture? If you don t know this and you re not prepared you ll most likely miss it. If for instance you re taking travel shots, investigate the place you re going to visit so you know what to expect and look out for. Research to see what others have done and try to capture your own interpretation of it. If you re looking at a portraiture shoot, research other images to get an understanding of poses and compositions that you like and develop your own style. You need to decide how the image is going to be used and what format to shoot in. Personally I always shoot in a RAW format, which is unprocessed and contains more information and can be manipulated more than a JPEG. It does mean that the files are larger and it slows down the processor but I believe that it s worth it. Also over a period of opening a jpeg file you will get some degradation of the file. Make sure you have the right equipment with you on the shoot and you know how to use it. 2

3 2. Point of interest. Once you have established what you re shooting, find your point of interest. What is the focal point of the image? It could be the sun in a sunrise or sunset, a building on the horizon or a player running with the ball. If it s a person that you re photographing it will mostly likely be the eyes that are the point of interest and they should nearly always be in focus. 3

4 Look for emotion 4

5 Look for contrast - small, high contrast, elements have as much impact as larger, duller elements 5

6 Look for details 6

7 Look to tell the story 7

8 3. Composition Composition is the arrangement of visual elements in a work of art The elements are: Line - the visual path that enables the eye to move within the piece Shape - areas defined by edges within the piece Colour - hues with their various values and intensities Texture - surface qualities which translate into tactile illusions Form - 3-D length, width, or depth Value - Shading used to emphasize form Space - the space taken up by objects Composition is not present to set rules its there because it helps define what is pleasing to the eye. One of the tools used to achieve good composition is the rule of thirds. The objective is to place the point of interest or focal point of what you are capturing near one of the lines that would divide the image into three equal columns and rows. Ideally near the intersection of those lines. 8

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11 Another technique that is commonly used is the rule of space. When we view a portrait image our eyes subconsciously go directly to the eyes of the subject. By using white space in the direction of the subject s vision you force the viewer to follow that direction across the canvas. 11

12 Look for angles 12

13 Look for converging verticals 13

14 Remember balance especially where horizons are in the frame but also where the subject matter is spread across the frame. 14

15 Look for lines, patterns and symmetry. 15

16 4. Exposure Remember you re not capturing an image you re capturing light. When you look through the lens your eye adjusts to that light but your camera doesn t. Having a good understanding of light and just as important how you can use you camera to capture that light is key to a good photographers skill set. Think about the direction of the light and also when you are shooting. On a sunny day you will get more colours for contrast but also shadows. Shooting in the direction of the sun will bring silhouettes. Portraiture is often easier to capture on a cloudy day. The digital camera has changed photography with the photographer being able to change the ISO without having to change film. Also on the digital SLR camera its possible to shoot at a high ISO i.e.(1600) without any noise (grainy images). This is great for shooting in low light. On the digital camera it is also possible to change the white balance. What this means is that you are effectively telling your camera what the colour white looks like under different conditions. 16

17 5. Shutter Speed v Aperture and Depth of Field Shutter speed refers to how long the image sensor is exposed to light. Depending on the camera, shutter speeds can vary from 30 seconds to 1/8000 of a second. Aperture refers to how wide the lens opens controlling the amount of light passing through the lens and is measured as an f-number. Aperture (along with the focal length that the lens is set to) controls the depth of field. The higher the f-number, the smaller the opening, the less light, the greater the depth of field. Shutter speed and aperture values are in a constant tug-of-war as light changes. As a photographer its up to you to work out what you want to achieve and manipulate the shutter speed and aperture to get the results you re after. Using tools such as tripods and remote triggers may also help. 17

18 By manipulating the shutter speed and leaving it open for longer you can show the movement in a waterfall. In this case 4 seconds. 18

19 or you can speed it up to freeze the shot to show someone diving for a try. In this case 1000/second. 19

20 The higher the f-number, the smaller the opening, the less light, the greater the depth of field. 20

21 The lower the f-number, the larger the opening, the more light, means less depth of field. 21

22 6. Distractions The smallest distraction can ruin the best photograph and destroy the story you re trying to tell. Look out for these distractions in the image. It could be a seagull flying in the sky or the shadow of a power poll. It could be a foot or hand slight out of frame. One of the techniques is to shoot slightly wider than required as its easy to crop an image but difficult to add to what s not there. If you ve been on one of my photo tours I m happy to give ongoing support and evaluation. Happy shooting. 22