Laurel Sherrie

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Make them Uncomfortable

I've taken lots of pictures of people. I love photographing people almost as much as I love people. The challenge though was always getting away from the "standing up straight - stiff as a board" syndrome. We've all taken pictures of our family and others at the zoo or the park where everyone is standing beside each other very soberly trying to smile. Pretty boring. Often we take these more to show the location "Here we are in front of the Eiffel Tower!"

I have found it most workable to get the attention of the people that you are trying to photograph from how they are standing and posing onto something else.

I had a family of four some years ago wanting a picture when we were out on a sleigh ride in Ontario. Mom and Dad and two boys. They were all standing side by side and there really was not going to be any energy in the picture. I told them to all crouch down and kind of lean into one another. They had most of their attention on keeping their balance in an unusual position. And they were all giggling and smiling. I also crouched down so that I was at a level with them. Twenty years later the picture is still one of their favourites, still hanging on the wall. Another thing that this crouching down does is to even out any height differences.

You can do this with an individual as well - have them crouch, lean or sit on the edge of that water fountain -maybe the water will distract them. If you can get them to interact with the environment in some way, even better. Experiment.

If you are trying to show more of the surroundings when taking the picture but want to show your subjects in the picture, I suggest that you take more than one type of picture. Take some close up of the people and some back showing more of the location.


If you look at the picture and aren't happy with it, then try something different.

Enjoy - take lots of pictures.

Martin

Learn One Thing at a Time

Learn One Thing at a Time and learn it well.

About 15 years ago I took a night photography course in Toronto. I wanted to learn something about studio lighting. First thing I did was look for a course that was being taught by someone who actually did photography for a living, someone who would be able to impart practical knowledge learned from experience not just opinion.

I found a course at Ryerson Polytechnical Institute in Toronto. Two evenings a week for 6 weeks. It was a great course.

At the end of the course, on the last day, the person running the course had us all display some of the work that we had produced. She went through each photographer pointing out our good points by and large as opposed to our weaknesses. When she came to mine she made the statement that I had come the furthest of anyone in the class. I was quite pleased with myself, obviously but had to look at why this was so.

Reviewing the work of the other photographers that were on the course and their products was the first thing I did to see what I was doing or had done that was different. What I noticed were a couple of things. One, many students were trying to do things beyond their level of expertise. The other thing, and I thought this even more pertinent, was that most students tried something quite different every week. They seemed to be trying to learn “everything” on the course.

What I did was different. My goal had been to learn a basic two light system that I could use in pretty much any situation. So, I just did that through the weeks until I had a good balance of light and just the look that I wanted. I used pretty much the same set up each evening. I didn’t get it the first time. I was a bit better the second session. By the end of the course – I think we did 4-5 actual shoots – the pictures were what I wanted. Later, with the basics that I learned well here, I was able to easily build, with variations and more lights.

Trying to learn everything at once can be pretty overwhelming as there is a lot that can be learned in photography to improve your picture taking. Whatever your level of expertise as a photographer, take one function or technique and become competent with that before going on to the next. For example learn about a particular setting on your camera (other than P – Program) and work with that until you are good and comfortable with it. As I said before in this day and age of digital cameras – well, it’s a real boon to learning, as you can take as many pictures as you want and all it takes is space on your hard drive.

So, as in educational undertaking, start with one basic function or lesson and learn it very well – make sure you are certain of it before moving on.

Good luck!
Martin

The Rule of Thirds - Well Not Exactly

If you’ve read any amount of material in magazines or online you may have heard of something called the “rule of thirds”. The concept here is to take the frame of the photo or the area of the photo to be more specific and divide it into thirds vertically and horizontally. Place your points of interest on the lines or at the intersecting points.

This idea is close but is somewhat simplified. If you are going to use a technique go to the source of this concept which is called the “Golden Rectangle” or the "Golden Mean". It’s a little different but enough that the Masters used it consistently. Leonardo da Vinci used it throughout his art and science. It is believed to have been used to design classic architecture like the Parthenon in Greece.

The Golden Rectangle is a rectangle with a ratio of 1 to 1.618. If you take the length of the rectangle and measure a square from one end, you will be left with another rectangle of the same proportion. You can see some samples of the Golden Mean or Golden Ratio here.

You can also take that ratio above (the ratio of 1 to 1.618) and use the number .618 to get your square.

There is a lot of information on Golden Ratio on the internet and how you will find it abounds in nature. Some of it is very technical but take some time and do a little homework.

Most cameras, whether it be conventional film or digital do not use this ratio. So, what you are viewing when you take a picture or view the negative or look at it on your computer is not the ratio of the Golden Rectangle. But you have cropping tools or scissors. Try moving the horizon in your photo to this line. If you have someone standing dead center in the photo, crop it so they are standing at a point .618 of the distance from one side. It may look better. Also, depending on the photo, it may not.

The next time you are out with your camera, try framing the picture differently. If you are taking a picture of a flower, shoot one with the flower dead center and then do a couple more with it moved to the side or top or bottom as close to this ratio as you can. If you leave a little room, you can do the finishing touches on the computer or with a pair of scissors.

You will not have to follow this rule every time you take a photograph – it just gives you another tool to use to improve the quality of your photos.

Here’s another site that keeps this relatively simple:The Golden Mean

Capture the moment

So, are you taking photographs or creating photographs? I suppose that I have done a fair bit of both in my time.

I like taking pictures of people. It’s great if you can be invisible at some kind of event - a wedding for example. Some of the best shots you will see are completely candid. I’ve done all the standard posed shots – and believe me, if you are doing a wedding, these are absolutely necessary. Always, though, the favorites are those where I’ve wandered around the gathering until no one sees me anymore. Watch people. (Check my earlier article for more on this.) Part of what you want is to predict what is going to happen – know when that smile is going to occur, the moment in the dance when she is going to look in your direction or better still in his (The Groom’s). Now when you are using a flash the rules change – you won’t be invisible immediately after taking the shot, so … wait for the moment. I have lost some good photos waiting for the moment but have more than made up for it with good ones. So, you can point your camera and shoot OR you can point your camera and shoot. Don’t let anyone tell you that it’s a “knack”, the truth is it’s a skill that can be learned.

If you are at an event like a wedding or a party or some such, don’t be afraid to walk around and check out different angles. Apply this to almost anything you are taking photos of – the old barn you like so much or the funny looking mailbox down the street. Walk around the object and look at it from different angles. Drop down two or three feet and change the view. Get on a step ladder.

Doing this with people in posed shots can work wonders. Try the shots from different heights – above the person and try crouching down. Do they look taller, shorter? Does their neck look thicker or thinner? Is the light from that direction too harsh or too soft? Get down on the floor with the child or baby.

Remember that if you have a digital camera the cost is the same if you take one or a hundred pictures. So, who cares if you take a picture of that flower from every conceivable direction? You are learning… right! And how can you learn without doing?

Again, with people, don’t be afraid to move them about. One trick that I’ve used successfully many time is this: You have a couple wanting their picture and they are standing ramrod straight – not the most exciting shot in the world – what I do is have them crouch down. Now they are on their toes trying to keep their balance and looking perfect – they are distracted and the smiles will come more easily. You will find it easier to frame the shot as well.

So, take your time and wait for the shot. Sometime you have to get in place and let the shot come to you and sometimes you have to go and get it.

Have fun and take lots of photos.

Photography: Taking a Walk Without Your Camera

Another useful lesson I learned along the way regarding photography was to look around without my camera.

When going out with a camera or specifically to take pictures you are generally viewing things a certain way. Take a walk sometimes without your camera – don’t worry about missing that perfect shot – there are millions of them. Doing this, walking and looking, will help you create that shot, not find it.

If you do scenic shots, then spend an hour or two walking around the park or village or canyon that you like to shoot. Do this without your camera – just look! Do this enough and you will find that when you take your camera with you things will look different and you will see more options. Walk both ways down a street or country path. Walk around the pond or lake. See things from different perspectives.

If you like taking people pictures, take a walk through a mall or downtown. If you are visiting another country or part of yours, take the time to just watch the people without your camera. Go and sit in a café and watch – just look. What different shapes and sizes do you see? How do they walk? How do they stand?

Even in the studio one can apply this. You are going to shoot the beautiful model: Set your camera aside and just have her move and pose – without the camera. If you aren’t comfortable with this, go to some fashion shows and just watch – don’t take your camera.

If you are doing product shots, something as simple as toasters – when you are in someone’s house have a look at their toaster. Go to the department store and look at some toasters. If you are going to photograph cars, walk around and look at them. You could even go to a dealer and sit in a few – have a real look at the inside. Do this before you take your camera to the shoot – get really familiar with the subject first.

Sometimes this isn’t easy – for a photographer to NOT take pictures. When I was in India many years ago – I took some pretty nice pictures. I was in India for a couple of weeks and really didn’t have enough film, so I was somewhat forced not to take pictures all the time. I worked this out by going for a couple of long walks each day. Once, generally in the morning, I would go out without the camera, then later I would take it with me. When I walked in the morning I just looked and enjoyed my walks and talked to people and generally explored. I didn’t go with the idea of “oh – that would be a nice picture” or anything like that – I just walked and looked and enjoyed. Now, I don’t always apply this but when I do I find that I’m much happier with the quality of result in my photography.

Try it. I’d love to know if it works for you.