Advice

As I continue to study and learn about the art of photography, I am amazed at both it's simplicity, and it's complexity. What follows are a few nuggets that I've learned so far on this journey.

Lighting is key

• Having the right amount and the right type of light is crucial to taking a good photo.
• Not enough, and it can appear hazy or underdeveloped.
• Too much, and you can wash out the high spots as well as the colors.
• The wrong angle can make your photo appear too flat, or lifeless.
• Not all light sources are equal. Lightbulbs give off different colors of light, all of which effect your photo differently. Whenever possible, shoot using true natural type light.
• Understand lighting setups. A bright flash right in front of the subject is usually bad. Off set it to one side to create complimentary shadows and show depth. Use additional lighting to highlight details, or 'cut out' your subject from the background.

Backgrounds

• Avoid overly cluttered backgrounds. If the background is too busy, your subject can become lost in the confusion.
• Use wide apatures and fast shutter speeds to create a narrow depth of field/view to keep your subject in focus but throw your background out of focus. This is usually not possible with consumer grade point and shoot cameras.

Shutter Speeds

• Understanding the relationship between shutter speed and motion can help you to get the action shots. Too slow, and it appears blurry. Too fast, and you can lose important depth and tone.

Stability

• Unless you have the hands of a surgeon, using a tripod is a good idea, especially when dealing with slower shutter speeds.

Expensive does not equal better.

• You can spend $100 on a midrange consumer digicam, or $30,000 on a top of the line professional rig. If you don't understand the relationships between lighting, shutter speed, and all the other bits you can adjust on your camera, you will take bad photos. A low end camera will adjust things for you. The fancier ones require you to do it yourself. Learn on the low end, then move up as your skills progress.

Spending a fortune on gear is not needed for a hobbyist.

• You can spend $200 on a pro-style light rig, or under $25 on a good quality natural light bulb, a shop reflector, and a cheap tripod to clamp it onto. The later is comparable in effect, but a lot cheaper to learn with.

Know your Legal Rights

• Your Rights When You Are Stopped or Confronted for Photography by Bert Krages, Attorney at Law

 

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