So here finds me in another day in the life of a photographer. Last minute sessions and weddings prove to be most chaotic to the brain. Did you have the light right is the photo in focus or will you get home and curse yourself for the out of focus photo. Oh just another day of worry. But, If just If you did all you have studied and the turn out is anywhere close to your standards of perfection Oh the feeling of joy you have in the pit of your stomach and the pride rises up to put a cheeky smile on your face. I have done that a few times. As of late in my days that I do not have work or any kind of event or session I have went back to shooting B&W worthy photos. Something that I go through spurts in doing but enjoy to the fullest then every once in a while I take a photo most generally by accident that appears to my eyes that is best portrayed as an older more vintage representation and I bring back a sepia version. Like the photo above for some reason it struck my eye as a perfect sepia photo. I don't really ever know when I take a photo whether or not I will leave it color, make it B&W, selective color, or any other of the many filters and enhancements that I can do. So you may ask why if I see a photo in B&W why do I shoot everything in color well I have found times where parts are best in B&W then you want a certain part of that photo in color well fabricating color just is not my style I want the original color and that can only be done if the photo was taken in color. Then on the flip side of that maybe that photo just does not look any good in B&W and it is far better to be left as it was taken. Either way even if you are the most novice of photographers you always want to shoot all your photos in color if you messed up that photo you can always convert to B&W later. Most all of your cameras have a photo software even most basic camera software has some kind of B&W conversion factor to it. A lot of these cameras have even more than just a B&W conversion some have color correction, red eye removal, and cropping tools. These can prove to be very helpful when you are a novice and not sure what every setting on your camera. These functions have come in handy in my own journey of photographic skill that and a lot of studying, and many countless hours of trial and error. No I did not go to a brick and mortar school like people would like me to have. No I have done everything to get to where I am at by my own determination and learning everything I have by my own accords. I have talked to many photographers that have gone to school and about 90% of them have told me that if they had known what they know now before they spent the time and money of a formal education they would not have done it and put that time and money into their own business and they would be a lot further along in the process. So to end my blog for today my advice is that if you have a love of photography and you forsee wanting to make it a serious hobby or even going on to the level of pro research what schools have to offer and compare expense and time to the expense and time it would take to learn on your own and make and educated decision. You may just save some money and time.
Today's Photo Tip: As if I didn't share a tip enough in my blog I will give you an actual tip on photography.
Give Your Subject Space to Look Into
In my last last post I wrote about the rule of thirds and placing your subject to one side of the image in an attempt to create balance.The question that one reader sent me in response to this tip was:
‘When taking pictures of people which side is it best to put them on, the right or the left?’
I’ve got a long answer and a short answer.The Short Answer: It doesn’t matter.
The Long Answer: Having said that it doesn’t matter let me make one qualification.
As a rule (and we all know that they are made to be broken) if the person (and it works with animals too) you are photographing is looking in one direction or even if their head is pointing in that direction it is best to place them on the opposite side of the frame.
You’ll see it best illustrated in the images on this page – in each case the person is not being photographed head on but have their head pointing either to the left or the right. As a result the photographer has given them some space on the side that they are pointing/looking.
The reason for this is that when a person views an image with a person looking in one direction or the other their eyes also are drawn in that direction. In a sense you’re giving the subject of your image some space to look into and in doing so create a natural way for the photos viewer to flow into the photo also.
Even just a slight turn of the head can be effectively framed using this technique.
Breaking the Rule
Of course breaking this rule produces interesting shots (in some cases more so). They might not be as aesthetically pleasing on some levels and could leave those viewing your images feeling a little on edge but this type of reaction to photos can be quite powerful also.
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