Shutterbugs read this :)

[Scurvy]

Question for y'all:

I am a stereotypical engineer geek in many ways including not having any visual creativity. I've seen so many pictures where I think, I would never have thought of that.

Any tips on developing an "eye" for framing or composition? I try to use the rule-of-thirds when applicable. Any other guidelines or tips?

Any tips on where to go shooting? Are there certain places that tend to have picture friendly opportunities? Or should I just go out everywhere/anywhere? I've thought about sporting events, concerts, parks but I haven't had too much time to go out yet.

rule of thirds is a good start, but its still not enough if there is nothing of visual interest in your photograph. just about anything can be of visual interest if you have a new/dramatic perspective/viewpoint. of course you can take this literally...somethings are intersting in exteme macro views, birds eye or worms, eye...just keep that in mind as you shoot.

also, look for a composition that brings the eye through the composition. look for angles/curves that keep the eye engaged in a circular, triangular, or "Z-Path" through the photo. One way to do this, especially for amatures, is to just take an insane amount of pictues. say there is an interesting tree you want to photograph. one isnt going to cut it. take as many as you need to be sure you're covering all your angles, perspectives, and compositions. afterwards you can view what you have and pick out your favorites, and delete the rest. also, try not to crop your photos AFTER you take them when you're starting out. get the comp you want when you take it. thats the best way to develop your eye. keep in mind that professional photograhers can shoot 10-20 rolls on a shoot and still only find 3-5 shots worth printing.


another technique is to time your exposure perfectly to get the best possible shot. interacting with your model and environment to capture motion, emotion, expression, etc...in portrait photograhy everything is under the photos control-lighting, makeup, clothes, backdrop, poses, etc, but the model is always the variable. you have to be able to interact appropriately and create a comfortable mood, etc. this type of photograhy, is slightly more advanced and much more difficult to become accomplished in. again, sometimes the best way to start is to just start talking with the model and shoot constantly, taking as many shots as possible. this allows the model to get used to it, and allows you to practice with your timing and framing. when cropping, as a rule, dont cut off any body parts near the end (top of the head, fingers, foot), also don't crop at any point where the body bends (knee, elbow, neck, waist..) it makes your model look like an amputee.

high contrast, dramatic lighting, fresh perspective, interesting subject matter is key. people enjoy something that makes them think, do a double take, have to figure out.

keep in mind that these aren't my opinions. take any intro to photography class and you'll hear about the same thing

[Scurvy]

[ZeUs!!]

These are good and interesting ^

[Scurvy]

These are good and interesting ^

sarcasm?

[project dragon]

omg where is her head

[Bioture]

i really really like that one!

I wonder what she looks like... the more I look at the pic the more i'm wierded out at how she might not have a face!

[Vykromond]

color one is horible

b&w one is great, no question

[Vykromond]

i mean sure some of these are good but a lot of them are

[Scurvy]

color one is horible

b&w one is great, no question

agreed :grin:

[Vykromond]

i had a girlfriend who took some crazy good b&ws, some were professional-grade (as is that Scurvy b&w photo i quoted above), and much better than her colours (although those were pretty good too).

my hunch is that there's actually some sort of disparity in requisite skill sets between colour and black and white photography, but i don't really have enough to go on since i've never read anything about photography or really heard someone discuss it at length. any thoughts?

[geekbot]

Thanks for the tips.....

One more question- what's the etiquette in photographing strangers? When do you ask for permission? I usually end up not taking the picture because 1) I feel stupid asking and 2) the spontaneity is lost. The one time I asked, I photographed some policemen with the White House as a background. It turned out so-so.

Another time I was outside and some small kids and parents were playing in a sitting area and I held up the camera to see what it looked like in the frame. But my fiancee told me to stop acting like a child stalker. I wasn't going to take any pictures but maybe I did look like a pedo. : (

[Kezia]

that's trippy..

[Scurvy]

Thanks for the tips.....

One more question- what's the etiquette in photographing strangers? When do you ask for permission? I usually end up not taking the picture because 1) I feel stupid asking and 2) the spontaneity is lost. The one time I asked, I photographed some policemen with the White House as a background. It turned out so-so.

Another time I was outside and some small kids and parents were playing in a sitting area and I held up the camera to see what it looked like in the frame. But my fiancee told me to stop acting like a child stalker. I wasn't going to take any pictures but maybe I did look like a pedo. : (

pro photographers have been known to get punched in the face, chased down the road, etc because they'll just take the pic. black eye is worth an award winning shot imo. i had a farmer force me to destroy my film because he caught me shooting on his land once...luckily he didnt notice i tore open a canister that was blank, so i was able to keep the negs

[Saturn V]

Thanks for the tips.....

One more question- what's the etiquette in photographing strangers? When do you ask for permission? I usually end up not taking the picture because 1) I feel stupid asking and 2) the spontaneity is lost. The one time I asked, I photographed some policemen with the White House as a background. It turned out so-so.

Another time I was outside and some small kids and parents were playing in a sitting area and I held up the camera to see what it looked like in the frame. But my fiancee told me to stop acting like a child stalker. I wasn't going to take any pictures but maybe I did look like a pedo. : (

I carry this flyer in my camera bag. If I'm confronted, I tell them off (in a nice way, if possible) and give them a copy (only happened once--the guy backed down but was still an asshole (I'll try to find the pictures)).

I don't bother asking if there are a lot of people, but if it's some old woman sitting on a bench and no one else is around, I'll try to catch her attention and hold the camera up like I'm asking permission to take a picture.

I've found that a lot of people stare at you even if they're not in frame. At first it was strange and annoying, but I've gotten used to it.

[Galleleo]

Ok, here ya go. All my photo's up to now that I like: http://galleleo.deviantart.com/gallery/

Gonna search my computer tonight to see if I missed some, if I did, I'll add them on.

I have been updating it, still got a couple more to go before I have everything that I have up there, but reaching that place soon. Check it out if ya want.