Learning Photography

One of the most frequented questions I receive while talking about my business is how to become a better photographer. The people I talk to usually tell me they just purchased a new digital camera and always leave the setting on auto.  I tell them that in order to improve the quality of your images you have to lose your “A” game and begin learning there are other settings besides “A” on your camera.

What I would like to do over the course of the next several months is share with you what I think it takes to make each of you a better photographer. I will begin with my six step plan, each a generalization on a more in-depth subject and each month I will elaborate on these six points.

Learn ALL the details about your equipment

Before you take your first shot, read your manual – I know, trust me, do this one thing and you will forever thank me. Get to know your equipment, intimately, learn how to make adjustments and setting changes while looking thru the viewfinder. Then practice. I don’t mean take 10 shots of your dog running in the yard, take hundreds. The more you use your camera, the more comfortable it will become. And if the truth be known, it will tell you things, and the two of you will become one. Get comfortable changing lenses and learn how to take care of your equipment and buy a good camera bag to protect it.

Think like a “master painter”

We “see” in three dimensions, the camera only “sees” in two. Because of this, composition becomes paramount when creating a compelling image. Every master painter begins with a plan which is usually based on precise mathematical calculations. I don’t want to bore you with all the details, but if you can learn how to compose your shots your work will evolve much quicker and you will begin receiving rave reviews on a regular basis. Think of composition as components properly arranged in time/space. There are three things to keep in mind while composing, point of view, crop and the rule of thirds. I will spend many more words on each of these during future postings.

Learn to Control the Light

There are only two types of light, natural lighting and artificial light. What you need to know about these two sources of illumination is that each has a unique color and that color will affect the outcome of your final image. They each have intensity which will affect your exposure, which will affect the image as well. You can control each aspect of light with the tools on your camera. Learn to look at the light and see its intensity or lack thereof. Learn to notice light shifts, especially as large clouds roll over. Watch the effect on the objects the light illuminates. Once you begin to understand the nuances of light, controlling it becomes fun and your images will pop.

Learn about Tonal Range

The tonal range of an image is simply the range of grey tones between the lightest and darkest areas of an image.  The trick is to capture detail in a full range of tones. Our eyes “see” up to 24 ranges of tone while our digital cameras only see about 10. That is why many times we see an image that we think will make the perfect photo and after we view it we find that some of the elements that made it the perfect photo seem to be missing. Learning to manage your exposure will help increase the tonal range when we need it and decrease it when we want that effect.

Understand Color

Grab six of your closest friends and do a color test and you will get at least seven different results. No one will agree and if you pal with “A” type personalities like I do, arguments may ensue. Color and its affect on photography is a complex issue and none of us see color in the same way. What we see is controlled by the cones in our eye, and none of us have the same amount or types of cones. For a photographer, it’s all about cones. Understanding color and how to use it in your work will take some time, but worth the effort when you see the improvement it will make in your photography.

Find the Moment

Henri Cartier Bresson said “the most important thing about his photography is recognizing the exact right moment to take a picture.” Everything we shoot has a “right moment” and when we tune into that our work becomes art.  Finding this paradisiacal moment of time cannot be taught, you have to learn it by doing. If you want to shoot kids, go where they go, get down in the dirt with them and pace what your eye sees with their movement. Learning when and how to press the release at the right moment is Zen like and when you connect it is truly awesome.

Next time:

The relationship between Aperture (f-stop), ISO and Shutter Speed.