“What camera do you use?” This is a question that I am sometimes asked, as if the right camera will automatically generate a high quality photographic image. However, the camera doesn’t make one a professional photographer as does the latest pair of running shoes doesn’t make one a track sprinter or the latest computer make one a published author. Unfortunately I have known people who have given into camera ads linked with professionally taken photos and bought an expensive piece of the latest photographic technology, only to be disappointed that their images are not much better than before. Don’t get me wrong, a high quality camera can certainly help. However, in the end the camera is just a tool.
I have had a passion for photography and travel for many years. For several of those years, I used to come back disappointed with the photos that I took – scenes would be dark, skies whited out, lighting would be too harsh, etc. The disappointed with what I took coupled with my passion for photography drove me to at first figure out what I was doing wrong and then on to how to improve my photography and take it to the next level.
I thought I was doing what I should to create a photographic image but instead all I was doing was taking a snapshot. Well, how does one move beyond a snapshot to produce the kind of images that is desired? There is no shortcut and many books have been written on this. I myself have spent several years reading, studying and practicing in order to achieve some of the goals I have set for my photography. In this post and in the coming posts, I hope to share some of what I have learned over those years.
I thought the best way to start is to share a few key points that can immediately give a boost to your photography. First, make sure you have a camera in line with your needs. Most point and shoots (with shutter speed and aperture setting capability) can take excellent photographs when held in capable hands. Ffor most people this will do. If you are looking at landscapes and nature, the ability to change lenses may be needed as well. In that case an SLR may be in order. I was essentially looking for interchangeable lens capability, shutter speed and aperture capability as well as spot metering capability (topic for a future blog) when I bought my current camera. So, examine what your photographic desires and goals are when seeking out a suitable camera.
Second, take your camera off ‘autopilot’. Many people who spend a hefty sum of cash on a camera fully laden with features never take it off program or automatic mode. The first step in taking your photography to the next level then is to familiarize yourself with your camera and especially know its weaknesses. Realize that the camera is just a tool and sometimes you may need to override the suggested settings. I often keep my camera on manual mode and choose the shutter speed and aperture myself. At the very least, set your camera on shutter priority or aperture priority mode, where you select either the shutter speed or the aperture and the camera selects the other one. More on this in subsequent blogs.
Third, use a tripod whenever possible. I know they are cumbersome but they can help your photography through two ways. The first is by getting you to slow down and compose a photograph rather than just aiming and shooting. The other thing it does is eliminate camera shake, especially since some of the best photographic opportunities occur when light is still dim, resulting in a need for slower shutter speeds. This takes me to the fourth and final point for now.
Fourth, seek out the best times for photography. Most people do their photo taking between 10AM and 5PM. They get especially excited if it a bright sunny day. However they have it all wrong. The best photographic opportunities occur at the edges of the day – very early morning when people are sound asleep, late in the evening when people are sitting down for dinner as well as before and after storms. The other thing with heading out for a photo shoot while it is still dark outside and most of the populace is sleeping comfortably in bed is that as the day ascends upon the scene, the glorious scene that unfolds is practically enjoyed all to yourself. Most of the world will see that same location only hours later when the lighting and scene are very bland and they will never know what they truly missed.
This first post just touches very briefly on a few key points. In coming posts, I hope to expand on them as well as delve into others.
