friends,
we talked earlier about me trying to improve my photography.
i really, really need help.
i'm doing project 366 in which i take a picture of something every day.
it's not going well.
i don't have a fancy camera or any training
but also, i just don't have an eye for it.
i just take 20 pictures of the same thing in the hope that one of them will look good.
i have 6 pages in my scrapbook of my first visit to the tomb of the unknown soldier in 1989.
whereas most people taking pictures would take one and call it good,
i had seventeen pictures of the same thing...and i scrapbooked them all into my scrapbook.
granted i was 9, but that failing seems to have followed me into adulthood;
i have no internal editor when it comes to photos.
let's take a look at a photo that i actually spent quite a bit of time "styling".
if you've been reading the blog for a while you might actually remember this post.
most embarrassing, this was the best picture of the 6 i took.
so tell me how i can improve.
emilie suggested that when i'm photographing my kids, get down on their level to take the picture.
that's something i actually try to do most of the time already.
also, i try never to use the flash but if it's dark outside i use it because the lighting in our apartment is terrible.
so get down on the level of what you're shooting, use natural light.
what else?
if you have any other ideas, please let me know.
i could really use some help.
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20 comments:
I'm taking an online class from Big Picture Classes called Get Great Photos with any Camera. Maybe you could check that out?
i would say the best way to get better is keep taking photos -- you said you took six -- that's great. take more. from photo to photo change something -- angle, perspective, lighting, subject in the frame, etc. the more you take the more you'll evolve as a photographer.
also, notice photographs you love and what you love about them. take notes, pin them into a pinterest board you can review. when i first started shooting families/individuals other than my own family/kids, i would take along with me a notebook (not a phone...you can tell how long i've been doing this right?!) with little sketches of layouts i liked so i didn't have to remember it. it was a great way to perform under pressure without having to stress out about what to do next. then, with practice, you won't have to reference your notebook/phone - you'll be able to relax and just shoot.
as far as the bad lighting problem goes, i hear you. what we would all give for a studio, right? when i was first starting a friend of mine recommended that your find the room in your home that has the most natural light -- then open all the curtains/binds and turn on all the lights, too. bring in all the moveable lamps and turn them on as well. also, you can use those silver reflective car shades as reflectors that will bounce light where you want it. for portraits of my kids, i have them sit criss-cross and place that car shade on their lap -- BOOM - instant light.
best of luck -- if you have any more questions, drop me a line.
the best way i've found to get great kid shots is to sit there with the camera to my eye -- do't take it away because right when you do, you'll be hit with an idea or something fantastic will happen that you wish you would have captured. just sit there, with the camera to your eye and wait. snap away -- at first, there won't be much and you'll feel silly, but eventually you'll get in your groove and you'll be able to time things perfectly, knowing your kids and when that perfect smile is about to come. it's really magical.
i also love the books by Scott Kelby -- DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY BOOK VOLUMES 1 AND 2. it comes in a little boxed set and they were pretty cheap online. he covers everything from composition to lighting to equipment (on a range of financial scales). they are great for point-and-shoot cameras and dslrs -- he's quick to point out that you don't need a fancy camera to use the books and when you do get your fancy camera they are even more helpful. for beginners, he gives examples of great shots and then a "recipe" for how to get them -- so you can LEARN how to take great photos by reading AND experience. they are great books.
Yes I was going to suggest an on-line class too. My eyesight is so bad now I can hardly see the screen on the camera let alone the settings.
Here's exactly what I would have done.
Take the bowel over to that window in the background and open the blinds. Place a sheet of patterned scrapbook paper underneath the bowl on the floor. Turn the camera flash off.
Stand right above the fruit bowl and take a picture from directly on top. You DON'T want to center the bowl in the shot. You want it slightly off center, or even all the way off center where only half of the bowel is in the shot.
bowel? gross.
That Emilie sure cracks me up!
everyone left really great advice. I think the most important things you could try (in simplest terms) are: more natural light, and move around and take pictures from all sorts of levels/angles. Also, if you want them to look fancier, I've heard good things about picnik.com--it's an online editing tool that is free. Even really great photographers edit for lighting, contrast, etc. what sort of camera do you now have?
This is my camera: http://www.amazon.com/Canon-PowerShot-S95-Stabilized-3-0-Inch/dp/B003ZSHNGS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1326131969&sr=8-1
I have photoshop, I just don't know how to use it. Plus that takes too much time. Heh.
must be genetic
Bwahahahahaha!!!!!!! Errant staple. BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!! Hilarious!
Sorry, I have no advice. I stink, too.
Also, I'm not laughing AT you. I'm laughing WITH you. For some reason the errant staple is hysterical to me.
My photos can need serious help and I go to www.picnik.com {free} and edit my photos there. Editing my pics there have saved my photos sooo many times.
ok, so here's my advice.
first, set your camera to the aperture priority setting. even point and shoots have one. on my point and shoot it looks like a flower. this setting will give you the best depth of field (background blur).
then, do like emilie said, if you're indoors, get close to a window. light is the key to a good photo.
and last is styling. i also would have taken an aerial shot of the fruit, or at least one looking over the edge into the bowl. also, i probably would have used a solid colored bowl instead of a glass one.
you're so nice to compliment me on my photography in your random thought thursday post-i forgot to say thank you--so, THANK YOU!
truth is though, i still think i'm a sucky photographer. and maybe i am, maybe i'm not. but, what i do know for sure is that we all overlook our talents. i love that you take lots of pictures (even with a broken camera). that you're so open and real and you share your life with us on a daily basis--never stop--even if you never become a photographer.
I see beautiful window light on the wall behind your couch. That's just from what I can see. I would use that area for staging shots like this with the fruit bowl. In fact, I would probably shoot everything there. It looks like great light! Keep shooting!!! BTW- those raspberries are huge! YUM!
I am a horrible photographer also. I can't look at 2 pictures and tell you why one would be award winning and one wouldn't. That being said, I have heard from many, many people that the camera itself makes a big difference! Good luck! I am impressed with your goal to get better. I figure since I don't appreciate good photography, it is okay that all I have are snapshots of my family. :-) But, I too, would love to take a class someday!
Hi Emily!!!
I agree with Emilie and Lynette. Lighting is everything. I would never use a flash and would only take a picture like this in the middle of the day when you can get natural light. Find really bright natural light and then take your picture (of anything) in the shadow next to that really bright light. For example when the blinds are open put your bowl in the shadow directly next to where the light falls in your house. The other key is the background. Have the background as simple as possible. I often use a white wall or a peice of paper for a background.
I've been MIA for a long time. It's fun to see your blog again. Thank you so much for commenting on mine.
Why are you taking a picture of fruit in a bowl when you have 3 adorable children?! Don't waste your time on fruit heh heh ;)
This was an old post from 2009 that was supposed to say "happiness is a bowl of fresh fruit that I didn't have to cut up"...but the picture was so bad I focused on that instead. I also have lots of pictures of the kids, promise! :)
Thanks everybody for the tips, I do appreciate it! We'll see if I get better...
I have a photography textbook you can borrow if you want.
Photoshop girl. OR the poor girls version, which is currently Picasa in my house.
My theory is that nobody actually "takes" great pictures.
Cross posting here:
Ack, help, please? I've been trying to find the aperture setting on our point and shoot like Lynette said, but our flower setting is for close up (or for pictures of flowers). Is it called something else? We have a Kodak easy share. Thanks!
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