Camera Labs

hi!
I feel there's no point having an expensive dslr if your photos end up looking the same as if they were shot from a compact camera! So once you've mastered your camera's settings techniques, how do you improve your 'eyes' and seeing something as a good photo opportunity? For example, what is the rule of thirds? any other basics tips?

yanacek

Rule of thirds, imagine a tic-tac-toe borad on your frame, the points where the lines intersect are your "anchor-points" the place where you put your main subject.

Light, Early morning, right before dark, sunset, it gives photos a good color and a sense of depth and diemension.

Look for frames, doors, windows, peekholes, are good frames to put your subject in

Be aware of the background, you don't want a tree or telephone poles sticking out of someone's head, nor clutter, if your taking a picture in the forrest recompose moving up, and removing the clutter ground (twigs, straw, bushes, etc.)

Devolep a sense of place, if your taking portraits or traveling, instead of a walk up and shoot shot, look for bckgrounds that tell the vewier where you were.

"The name of the Game, is to fill the frame" - Rick Sammon
Kinda like removing clutter from background

Shoot from different angles, angles and veiws that our eyes normally miss, look up, down, left right etc.

Shoot shoot and shoot the more you practice the better you become, photography is a fusion of art and science, the art is envisioning the end result, the science is shutter speed, aperture, ISO, etc.

Keep me posted!

_________________
Assistant News Photojournalist
Nikon and Canon Systems
A variety of f/2.8 lenses from 10.5 to 400mm
Support Cameralabs!

hey fearless leader,
thanks for all these thoughts, very handy to know.. yeah i suppose practice makes perfect! and the eyes and thoughts will just improve...
oh i understand... (about the rule of thirds) thanks a lot!!

get a picture, check the pix, look at your pix and subject and say how do I improve what I have, move closer, as your legs are a great zoom, or further away........ do a number of frames as digital is very cheap, put your subject in different areas of the frame till you get one that is better than all the rest..... happy shooting

fearless leader has already covered many of the bases for composition, and practice does make perfect as Yanacek has said.

The best tip I have for composition is to find a like-minded fellow photographer and go out on a shooting trip, whether for a morning, evening, whole day, weekend...you can share ideas and learn from each other. There is only one thing that's important at the end - that you enjoy your photography. There isn't a right or wrong, but there are ways to make your images stronger. By practice and swapping ideas, hopefully this comes to you quicker. Nothing beats experience.

_________________
Nikonian

http://www.edtangphotography.com
http://journeysintophotography.blogspot.com/

I think that everyone learn this aspect differently, but I also think that everyone can learn this is several different ways.

One thing that help me improve is to simply look at photographs that really move me. After going "ooh" and "aah" inside, I spend some time to analyze what it is I think that makes them great. It's often several things, of course.

Angle? Light? Color? Context? Emotion? Motion? etc. etc.

When studying enough images, I slowly recognize that in he different categories, there are some commonalities among the images that move me.

Keeping those in mind, I try to apply that in my visualization of my own shots. On a rare occasion I manage to accomplish some of the same aspects I recognize in shots I like, in my own.

However, it is a matter of practice, practice, practice.

I'm a half-decent rifle- and handgun shooter and I find that there are many things in common with photography. Simply put, how many things are you able to keep clear in your head in terms of technique and how many can you adequately execute when practicing. With phography there is a creative element that doesn't apply of course...(unless you're that guy on top of the water tower in Texas, was it? ).

Cheers

I agree with everyone as well, people do learn differently, born-talent, trial and error, experience, etc. I learned my photography from progressing with Pentax 35mm film cameras (remember them?), to Kodak Easyshares, to Nikon D-series, eventually you will develop a keen eye.

By the way, never let anyone tell you that you'll never see the light (from experience).

Cheers!

_________________
Assistant News Photojournalist
Nikon and Canon Systems
A variety of f/2.8 lenses from 10.5 to 400mm
Support Cameralabs!

Sharing thoughts and ideas are the best way to get started and learn I think and then develop your own style!
thanks for your thoughts, keep them coming, we can all learn from each other.
and going out with other people sounds great... you're prob not as much of a target for getting mugged with your very expensive equipment... then again you have a tripod to defend yourself with...

The best thing you can do is to take your camera with you where you go..and practice...what has helped me is to try and find something stationary to take a photo of, and then fool around with the settings, and take different angles, and change settings, see what I end up with...that is the great thing about digital..

Familiarity does not breed contempt in this respect..Familiarity breeds
confidence..look for feel. If you "FEEL" it thru your lens, those who view your photos will feel it to.

Make LOTS of mistakes...Lots and lots.


patti

_________________
canon 7D, Mark iii 5D, ef 70-300 f/4-5.6, ef 28-135mm canon 100-400mm L IS 4.5, and a little 24-70 L f/2.8...