Photography Tips

wxwax · January 10, 2004

How about a thread filled with practical tips for taking better pictures? The sort of information that would benefit both enthusiastic amateurs, and casual camera users.

I'll start. :nod

When framing a shot, try breaking your screen into thirds. Vertically and horizontally. And put the important stuff where those lines cross. Or along one of those lines.

Next time you take a shot, try to avoid putting the subject of your shot in the dead center of the frame. And enjoy the results. :shay:

Andy · January 10, 2004

excellent, wax....
shay's got a bunch of articles, shay, i'm thinking about "the zone system" and the "sharpening" articles for starters. also maybe "developing your images"...

you could link them or repro them here... i'll leave that up to shay.

wxwax wrote:

How about a thread filled with practical tips for taking better pictures? The sort of information that would benefit both enthusiastic amateurs, and casual camera users.

I'll start.

When framing a shot, try breaking your screen into thirds. Vertically and horizontally. And put the important stuff where those lines cross. Or along one of those lines.

Next time you take a shot, try to avoid putting the subject of your shot in the dead center of the frame. And enjoy the results.

wxwax · January 10, 2004

I have a book on the zone system, but sure wouldn't mind discussing it.

kbasa · January 10, 2004

wxwax wrote:

When framing a shot, try breaking your screen into thirds. Vertically and horizontally. And put the important stuff where those lines cross. Or along one of those lines.

Next time you take a shot, try to avoid putting the subject of your shot in the dead center of the frame. And enjoy the results.

Like this? This was one of the first pictures I took when I bought my S400.

Baldy · January 10, 2004

Interesting. Notice Shay's avatar?

I happen to like this one better (reasons are left as an exercise for the reader

) but I guess it's the same idea.

If I had a logical side, it would be saying right about now that it's nuts to like it better like these but.....

fish · January 10, 2004

works for me.

wxwax · January 10, 2004

wxwax · January 10, 2004

I'm ripping off someone's web site, but here's a good example of why the Rule of Threes works.

Scene not using the Rule of Threes.

Same scene, this time using the Rule.

Pretty easy to see which one's better.

Marc · January 10, 2004

wxwax wrote:

...When framing a shot, try breaking your screen into thirds. Vertically and horizontally. And put the important stuff where those lines cross. Or along one of those lines...

That's what I was going for when I shot this:

and this:

I've still got some learning to do - but that's what I was trying for.

Marc

wxwax · January 13, 2004

Which Way Should I Hold My Camera?
OK, it's been a couple of days. Time for photography tip #2. Which Way Should I Hold My Camera?

A too-simple topic for any experienced photographer, but something to which real amateurs don't give much thought.

Look at the thing or person you're shooting. Does it look better if you capture the image with a lot of horizontal room? Or does it look better if you shoot with with more vertical room?

Let the object or person you want to show, determine who you frame them.

These aren't good photos, but may help to show why the even the same object can be shot both ways.

We already have many gifted, and some professional photogs on this site who can do a much better job than I of exploring this subject.

Shay Stephens · January 13, 2004

I have heard it said:

Always give your client a vertical shot.

That "client" can also just be yourself. The jist of it is, don't shoot it just one way, try an alternate view, even if nothing more complicateed than a vertical shot.

My general rule of thumb is to make the orientations of the shot complimentary to the subject. If the subject is tall, do a vertical, if wide, a horizontal. It usually works good about 75% of the time.

You could almost consider taking horizontal and vertical shots like bracketing the orientation ;-)

ian408 · January 14, 2004

wxwax wrote:

OK, it's been a couple of days. Time for photography tip #2. Which Way Should I Hold My Camera?

A too-simple topic for any experienced photographer, but something to which real amateurs don't give much thought.

Look at the thing or person you're shooting. Does it look better if you capture the image with a lot of horizontal room? Or does it look better if you shoot with with more vertical room?

Let the object or person you want to show, determine who you frame them.

These aren't good photos, but may help to show why the even the same object can be shot both ways.

We already have many gifted, and some professional photogs on this site who can do a much better job than I of exploring this subject.

Remember that in addition to plain vertical and horizontal, you can try odd
angles. With wide angle lenses, like 24-28, the image takes on a very different
perspective. A rock on a beach becomes a boulder. This doesn't always work
well with square objects.

wxwax · January 14, 2004

ian408 wrote:

With wide angle lenses, like 24-28, the image takes on a very different
perspective. A rock on a beach becomes a boulder.

Hey!

No looking forward in the textbook. Perspective is Chapter Five.

wxwax · January 14, 2004

ian408 wrote:

With wide angle lenses, like 24-28, the image takes on a very different
perspective. A rock on a beach becomes a boulder.

Hey! :eh: No looking forward in the textbook. Perspective is Chapter Five.

cmr164 · January 14, 2004

wxwax wrote:

Hey! :eh: No looking forward in the textbook. Perspective is Chapter Five.

Cool. Now we are into TLRs!

PAUL WILBUR · January 14, 2004

Do not think so hard.

wxwax wrote:

I have a book on the zone system, but sure wouldn't mind discussing it.

I got a degree in photo years ago, did the zone system and all that. The best teacher Carson graves Get his book on zone system uses a cheep diana toy camera. He teaches you to look at the world as pictures. Don't take life to seriously if it is nice take it. Who really desires a beatuiful landscape with a moter bike with no rider. no framing will ever help that. You missed the landscape totally with your planning and playing with technology. Feel the picture. Paul wilbur By the way.. My pictures suck... I love photos however.

Shay Stephens · January 15, 2004

PAUL WILBUR wrote:

Who really desires a beatuiful landscape with a moter bike with no rider. no framing will ever help that. You missed the landscape totally with your planning and playing with technology. Feel the picture.

That would depend on the intent and audience for the photo though. In this case, it looks to me like this is a motorcycle-centric photo with the landscape an interesting background. It's not a landscape with an interesting motorcycle ;-)

cmr164 · January 15, 2004

wxwax wrote:

OK, it's been a couple of days. Time for photography tip #2. Which Way Should I Hold My Camera?

A too-simple topic for any experienced photographer, but something to which real amateurs don't give much thought.

Look at the thing or person you're shooting. Does it look better if you capture the image with a lot of horizontal room? Or does it look better if you shoot with with more vertical room?

Let the object or person you want to show, determine who you frame them.

These aren't good photos, but may help to show why the even the same object can be shot both ways.

(photos not quoted)

We already have many gifted, and some professional photogs on this site who can do a much better job than I of exploring this subject.

A couple more not great shots that demonstrate some framing issues:

The top one is 100mm 1/500sec f9.5
and
the bottom is 220mm 1/750sec f9.5

Shay Stephens · January 15, 2004

Here is one version using the same aspect ratio of the camera and lining things up close to the thirds lines:

wxwax · February 17, 2004

The Golden Mean
OK class, hope you had a nice winter break, quiet down, school's back in session.

Today's lesson is another of those rules of composition. This is one called "The Golden Mean." And it's far less intuitive than the Rule of Thirds that we discussed at the end of the last semester. Once again, I'm ripping off a webite... this time, the most excellent http://www.photozone.de.

The Golden Mean is a technique that's been used for hundreds of years, and was first identified by the ancient Greeks. They discovered that certain ratios were pleasing to the eye. I encourage you to go to the website to get their comprehensive explanation of how to create the perfect rectangle, then subdivide it into visually attractive proportions. Here are their graphics, illustrating how the rectangle is created, how it is subdivided, and how a photo can be composed. The Golden mean, by the way, is the ratio found inside this perfect rectangle: it is 8:5.

lynnma · February 17, 2004

wxwax wrote:

OK class, hope you had a nice winter break, quiet down, school's back in session.

Today's lesson is another of those rules of composition. This is one called "The Golden Mean." And it's far less intuitive than the Rule of Thirds that we discussed at the end of the last semester. Once again, I'm ripping off a webite... this time, the most excellent http://www.photozone.de.

The Golden Mean is a technique that's been used for hundreds of years, and was first identified by the ancient Greeks. They discovered that certain ratios were pleasing to the eye. I encourage you to go to the website to get their comprehensive explanation of how to create the perfect rectangle, then subdivide it into visually attractive proportions. Here are their graphics, illustrating how the rectangle is created, how it is subdivided, and how a photo can be composed. The Golden mean, by the way, is the ratio found inside this perfect rectangle: it is 8:5.

Sid I went to the web site and could not find any tutorials, do you know of any other good Zone sites? This is all very interesting, I'm intriqued.
Lynn

lynnma · February 17, 2004

lynnma wrote:

Sid I went to the web site and could not find any tutorials, do you know of any other good Zone sites? This is all very interesting, I'm intriqued.
Lynn

Do you have any more examples of pictures that you've taken that show "The Golden Mean"? should I get a book on the Zone... I tried the diet, that did'nt work, maybe this one will...

wxwax · February 17, 2004

Erm, not me, I'm just trying to learn it. But I use the rule of thirds all the time... and that's just an extension of the Golden Mean, they say.

wxwax · February 17, 2004

lynnma wrote:

Sid I went to the web site and could not find any tutorials, do you know of any other good Zone sites? This is all very interesting, I'm intriqued.
Lynn

Did you click on Technique at the top? If you do, on the next page look on the left side - all of those links are to tips. They're brief but to the point. Also, check out Luminous Landscape. Click on the Tutorials tab along the top - more great stuff, although I haven't checked to see if he covers the Golden Mean.

photobug · February 17, 2004

wxwax wrote:

How about a thread filled with practical tips for taking better pictures? The sort of information that would benefit both enthusiastic amateurs, and casual camera users.

I'll start.

When framing a shot, try breaking your screen into thirds. Vertically and horizontally. And put the important stuff where those lines cross. Or along one of those lines.

Next time you take a shot, try to avoid putting the subject of your shot in the dead center of the frame. And enjoy the results.

When framing a shot that includes motion -- either actual physical motion
or intended "eye motion" in the viewer -- another general rule of thumb
is to "leave space" for that motion in the composition. That is, if something
is moving, leave "1/3" of the frame behind it and "2/3" of the frame in
front of it. Ditto if it's, say, of a person looking, and our eye wants to
follow the direction their eyes are looking -- leave 2/3 in front of them.

Like all rules of thumb, this one works most of the time but is just a quick
rule of thumb, not a law...

wxwax · February 17, 2004

Good one. Sorta like leading the moving object.

gus · February 18, 2004

Marc wrote:

That's what I was going for when I shot this:

and this:

Very nice shots marc

soup · February 22, 2004

this i think follows the golden rule(mean) compositionally. yes , no?

i have also been told that it doesnt follow the rule of thirds, but beg to differ ;}
despite the fact the subject is centered

wxwax · February 22, 2004

Sometimes ya gotta go by feel, not just rules. I prefer this crop, which coincidentally more closely adheres to the rule of thirds. I like it because it puts the dominant part of your image in a strong position. It also has a branch pulling across the diagonal, holding the shot together. It's a nice shot - great that the dominant bird is looking in the direction of the secondary bird.

soup · February 22, 2004

my thinking was a deception of the eye. the branch cutting the image in thirds diagonally seemingly moving the main bird off center - the blurred branch by the other bird cutting it in thirds the other way diagonally - with the BG bird at the thirds marker. its an uncropped image. the cropped version is good too, but i try not to crop too often if i can avoid it.

the back bird is actually looking at the main one as well - shot one frame before they flew off -shot through window and screen.

thanks for looking.

canon 75-300mm f:4-5.6 - handheld - 480mm equiv

Seamaiden · March 16, 2004

Is the Golden Mean anything like the Golden Ratio, that which is 1:1.618?

I thought this thread needed a bump, and some more tips for n00bs.

Photography Tips

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