Some basics on photography...
- Take a lot of photographs and then choose your favorite. Digital cameras/phones mean infinite storage (basically) you don't have as 24 film roll anymore! :)
- When taking pictures outside, the time of day can drastically change/ effect the outcome of the photograph. The Golden Hours are sunrise and sunset.
- Play around with lighting it can help set the mood of your photograph.
- To help make pictures more interesting use the Rule of Thirds as a compositional guide. This video below will explain it in detail, so I would highly recommend watching it. It is only 3 minutes and 29 seconds long :)
1. Experiment With Perspective & Angles There are so many ways to photograph an object, and capturing it from an interesting angle or perspective will make your photos more unique. Rather than always taking the shot from standing height, why not try capturing your subject from high up or low down? Or how about moving closer, moving further away, or taking a few steps to one side? Take a series of pictures of either one object or subject matter in various angles and perspectives. 2. Something Simple That Represents You Try sharing a photo of things that represent you. If you had to pick about three objects to represent who you are as a person and what you like, what would they be? Think about how you would arrange these objects to make them look interesting in your photograph; are they spilling out from a purse or backpack? Laid out on your bed? In your car? Neatly organized on your kitchen table? Use the rule of thirds to help with the composition of all your objects. 3. Forced Perspective Scale can be manipulated for creative effect. By using a technique called “forced perspective” you can create the impression that certain objects are bigger or smaller than they actually are. This is a fun technique to try out and you can end up with some really creative results. To create this effect, simply position your camera/phone close to a small object in the foreground, then position a larger object behind it. The larger object needs to be far enough away so that they appear very small relative to the foreground object. This optical illusion of scale will add a fun and creative edge to your photography, and it’s so easy to set up. You should definitely give this a go! 4. Create A Shallow Depth Of Field Depth of field refers to how much of the image is in focus from front to back. A large depth of field means that everything is in focus. A shallow depth of field has only a small part of the image in sharp focus, while the rest of it appears blurred. A shallow depth of field is great for placing the main focus on a certain object within the scene. The viewer’s eye will naturally be drawn to the sharpest part of the image. 5. Create Silhouettes Silhouettes and shadows offer an exciting way to create more intriguing images. The darkness will add a wonderful sense of mystery and drama to your photos. Capturing them is all down to knowing how to make the most of the available light. To create a silhouette, start by positioning your subject in front of a light source. If you’re shooting outdoors, this could be the sun or a bright sky. And if you’re shooting indoors, just place your subject in front of a window or an artificial light source such as a lamp. Once you’ve composed your shot, tap on the screen of your phone to set focus where you want it, then reduce the exposure (usually by swiping down on the screen.) The aim is to darken the image until your subject appears as a dark outline against the brighter background. 6. Creative Shadows To capture dramatic shadows, you’ll need to shoot in harsh light. A bright sunny day will create the strongest shadows.If you want to capture really long shadows you’ll need to shoot when the sun is low in the sky, so the golden hours of sunrise and sunset are the perfect times for this. If you want to create a mysterious portrait, ask your subject to wear a large hood or hat. You can then position them so that it creates a dark shadow over their face. You can also create shadows photos indoors using window light or an artificial light source. Keep your eyes peeled for interesting shadows throughout the day. They’ll change in appearance as the sun moves through the sky, so each new hour will present a different shadow opportunity! 7. Action Shots using Burst Use the burst function on your phone/camera to create an action shot of an object or person. You can get really creative with this, try splashing some water and capturing the droplets, or having a family member jump up in the air capturing the all-too-famous mid air shot. Use the YouTube video to the right of famous instagrammer Jordi Koalitic for inspiration of ways to manipulate your action shots 8. Reflection Photography You have two options here! You can try to find a body of water, this could be a large one like Congamond Lake or a stream or a puddle on the sidewalk. Use angles to photograph a reflection in the water. Or you can use a mirror and have the reflection in the mirror be the focal point of your photograph. Think about what your want to be shown in the mirror and what size mirror are you going to use? A small compact where you can only see a portion of what you are photographing, or a large one to get the full object shown in your picture? Get creative and have fun! 9. Color as your inspiration Pick a color and have it inspire your photographs. Think about what we have learned with color theory. Is your photograph going to be all yellow objects, or a specific color scheme, like yellow with a pop of purple for complimentary colors? Think of the props that you can manipulate to create an interesting photograph. Using color as a focal point might be a create way to showcase food or fashion. 10. Macro-photography Think of this type of photography as if you were an ant and seeing the world at that angle. Look for those small detail in large objects or just very small objects and get a closer look by zooming in close. You can get very abstract with this type of photography or still give enough information in your photograph and so the viewer knows what he/she is looking at. Either way try to find those small things in the world and make them beautifully noticeable! |
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