Photography is My Passion!

Blunders!

Hi All! I hope by now those of you who have read my last post were inspired to try your hand at photography, even if you don't have the latest of equipment, or, best of handles on the technicalities of it all. I'll try to help you with this post, and subsequent posts, on some of your BLUNDERS, which, it just so happens, is the subject of this post!


Ah, blunders. They make for the "spice", and uniqueness, that will become your photographic style. If you're a novice to this art, or a seasoned shooter, blunders are common. We all make blunders while trying to capture those "magical" moments with our cameras. Sometime those mistakes make the image, other times..., NOT! But even if it's a "not" you learn from the blunder(s), put it away in your memory bank, and move on with the knowledge you've gained, at your beck and call, when you next need it.


But to help you overcome those typical photographic challenges I'm referring to here as blunders, I will depart to you some of my blunder "been-there-hope-to-never-do-that-again" tips.


First, and foremost, is the right analysis of the lightning situation you either find you're shooting in, or, you hope to produce, to make your image. And this, in, or outside, naturally defines the two situations of photographic shooting; you are either indoors, or, you are outdoors. Very simple. Each situation commands a different analysis of the light you will be working with to create the image you envision.


For example, if you are shooting outdoors here are just a few basic considerations you should think about:

• what time of day is it?
• geological location ?
• meteorological conditions ?
• subject characteristics
• accessibility and orientation to subject?
• surroundings?

What time of day is it? Simple but something overlooked many times when you are caught up in the excitement of trying to capture the perfect image. High noon might be good for gunslingers but not for most people, pets or landscape photography. Colors are bleached out, and even B&W will be contrasty. On the other hand, if this is the "look" you're striving for this is the time of day to shoot. Early morning has softer lighting and is more complimentary to people and other subjects. Morning light lends a softer look to the landscape. The best, as far as I'm concerned though is the "Golden Hour", that hour right before the sun sets, gorgeous light! Everything as a special glow and the low angle of the sun adds a special magic to your photographs.


Geological location can effect you're photograph. If you're around sea level you have atmosphere, if you are up in the mountains you have less atmosphere and therefore stronger, less dispersed light rays coming through your lens. The desert is also more clear and less pollutants are dispersing light effecting your photographs. If you are located in a city, more light is dispersed from pollutants in the atmosphere than if you are out on the ocean on a cruise ship even though you are at sea level. Keep this in mind when you photograph and use a polarizing filter to align incoming light rays through your lens. A polarizer will give your colors more saturation of color, and black and white photographs more intensity, no matter where you are.


Meteorological conditions, weather, will give the same scene in a photograph different looks. Stormy days with gray clouds and sun, then back to clouds obscuring the sun will give you saturated colors and add drama to your sky. A warm summer day with not a cloud in the sky will give a contrasty and sometimes washed out look with this disclaimer; depending on where you are located (geological location!) the sky could be unbelievable blue. Be aware of your light levels in the snow even on cloudy day, or, if you're on the beach with large expanses of sand. There is a lot of reflected light happening in both situations that may have your light meter saying shut your f-stop down when you may need a stop or two more open to get true white in your snow or a proper representation of the sand.


Subject characteristics such as dark, or lighter skin, hats shading eyes and quick movements are just a few characteristics to look for, and think about, before making your appropriate camera settings. And don't think you are completely safe with your camera on an automatic setting, or when using a point and shot camera. Automatic settings on your camera are usually just an average of the light on your subject and movement can blur a particular part of your picture no matter what your camera's automatic setting is "seeing". Shadows under hats, or on partial parts of your scene, can be particularly pesky. A good strategy is to meter your different light areas and average your setting between highlights and shadows. I always bracket between these two and achieve an acceptable photograph.


Accessibility and orientation to your subject is another element to be aware of when you are ready to take a picture. Make sure you are in the best position to the subject you can get into to take the strongest photograph you can. If you are to far away to make an impactful image, get closer physically, or change your lens (if you have an SLR camera) or zoom in to the subject. If your subject is not accessible at the moment move into a better position or wait for a better opportunity to make a stronger image. Animals can be especially vexing in this instance. They don't pose for you as easily as human subjects and can move out of that cute pose you were trying to capture. So be patient and move into a better position when you can. And be aware of the other elements in the frame of your camera around your subject. Move if your subject is obscured by a tree limb or someone is moving so that they will be passing in front of your subject when your taking the shot.


This leads me to speak a little to the need to be aware of your surroundings when you shoot your subject. A too busy background can steal the impact of your portraits. If the color clashes with your subject, or if the color overtakes the hue of the subject, be aware of this. Some colors are not good to certain skin tones. This is subjective and you'll have to gage this as you shoot. On the whole, a gold reflector enhances skin color, but not on darker skin. Diffused light is kinder to us all so shooting at high noon under a shaded porch is a good move. If your in the woods or an environment with a lot of greenery use a pink filter (not necessary with b&w film of course). This is good under florescent lights that are not the daylight type as they give off a sickly green hue. These tips can work for interior scenes devoid of people as well as the light will take on the hue of the dominate element in your surroundings. So be aware of your surroundings and shoot accordingly.


These are just a few examples of some of the ways you can avoid photographic blunders and with continued shooting you will gain more knowledge to avoid the mistakes that ruin a picture. But experience is the only way to become good at coming up with the photograph you thought you had when you trip that shutter. So keep photographing and have fun discovering how to make a successful image.