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Neeper · 06-10-2005, 07:40 PM

Wow, a thread motivated by me? I am blushing.

I am going to list off the easy beginner stuff of what to look for when taking a photo.

1. Composition is the biggest thing for me. You can make a dull subject look interesting with composition. Filling the frame is important! Make your subject fill the frame. You do not want a busy background.

my example: http://jtimagesonline.com/europe2005/DSC_3219.jpg

1b. Rule of thirds. Just using this rule will improve your photography big time. When you center your subject, your eyes go directly at the subject. And that's it. The eye does not "explore" anywhere else in the photos. By using rule of thirds and putting your subject off to the side, it will force the eye to explore the rest of the photo.

my example: http://jtimagesonline.com/landscape/DSC_2568.jpg

When taking photos with skys. I like to give it 2/3 sky to make it look big!!

ex: http://jtimagesonline.com/europe2005/frame...ntainebleu5.jpg

1c. When photographing a person, leave room for them to look into. Using the rule of thirds, allow the subject to look into the empty space in the frame and not out of the frame.

my example: http://jtimagesonline.com/people/DSC_2088x.jpg

2. Isolating subject using depth of field. You can control with manual cameras by controlling F stop. You do not want a busy background.

my example: http://jtimagesonline.com/europe2005/DSC_3463.jpg

3. Shutter speeds. Do you want to freeze your subject? Or give it a sense of motion? In this example, I slowed the shutter speed down to about 1 sec using a tripod. As you can see the water is blurred, letting the viewer know that the water is moving.

ex: http://jtimagesonline.com/landscape/DSC_2486x.jpg

4. Leading lines. I like the give the viewer something that the eyes can follow. Refer to this photo I took on nose hill. It really doesn't look all the interesting when you are there. But if you do it right, it can look cool. Notice how your eyes starting at the bottom of the trail and automatically followed it up to the end?? I also use the rule of thirds. Giving the hill 2/3 of the frame and leaving the sky 1/3.

my ex: http://jtimagesonline.com/landscape/DSC_2516.jpg

5. Repeating patterns. I really like looking for this when I can. You just have to find it.

my ex: http://jtimagesonline.com/europe2005.../stpetersq.jpg

When you look through the viewfinder, take time. Don't just press that button. Look at your scene. Is there anything you can do to make it look better? Take an extra 5 sec to compose the photo. You'll be amazed how your photo will instantly approve. Once you get better of taking photos, you will need skill on how to post process photos. Get out the Photoshop book and READ!!

06-10-2005, 07:40 PM	#8
Neeper Official CP Photographer Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: PL15 Exp:	Wow, a thread motivated by me? I am blushing. I am going to list off the easy beginner stuff of what to look for when taking a photo. 1. Composition is the biggest thing for me. You can make a dull subject look interesting with composition. Filling the frame is important! Make your subject fill the frame. You do not want a busy background. my example: http://jtimagesonline.com/europe2005/DSC_3219.jpg 1b. Rule of thirds. Just using this rule will improve your photography big time. When you center your subject, your eyes go directly at the subject. And that's it. The eye does not "explore" anywhere else in the photos. By using rule of thirds and putting your subject off to the side, it will force the eye to explore the rest of the photo. my example: http://jtimagesonline.com/landscape/DSC_2568.jpg When taking photos with skys. I like to give it 2/3 sky to make it look big!! ex: http://jtimagesonline.com/europe2005/frame...ntainebleu5.jpg 1c. When photographing a person, leave room for them to look into. Using the rule of thirds, allow the subject to look into the empty space in the frame and not out of the frame. my example: http://jtimagesonline.com/people/DSC_2088x.jpg 2. Isolating subject using depth of field. You can control with manual cameras by controlling F stop. You do not want a busy background. my example: http://jtimagesonline.com/europe2005/DSC_3463.jpg 3. Shutter speeds. Do you want to freeze your subject? Or give it a sense of motion? In this example, I slowed the shutter speed down to about 1 sec using a tripod. As you can see the water is blurred, letting the viewer know that the water is moving. ex: http://jtimagesonline.com/landscape/DSC_2486x.jpg 4. Leading lines. I like the give the viewer something that the eyes can follow. Refer to this photo I took on nose hill. It really doesn't look all the interesting when you are there. But if you do it right, it can look cool. Notice how your eyes starting at the bottom of the trail and automatically followed it up to the end?? I also use the rule of thirds. Giving the hill 2/3 of the frame and leaving the sky 1/3. my ex: http://jtimagesonline.com/landscape/DSC_2516.jpg 5. Repeating patterns. I really like looking for this when I can. You just have to find it. my ex: http://jtimagesonline.com/europe2005.../stpetersq.jpg When you look through the viewfinder, take time. Don't just press that button. Look at your scene. Is there anything you can do to make it look better? Take an extra 5 sec to compose the photo. You'll be amazed how your photo will instantly approve. Once you get better of taking photos, you will need skill on how to post process photos. Get out the Photoshop book and READ!!