Partial portraits

Who says a portrait has to show the whole face? Sometimes, it’s more effective if it doesn’t.

“Faceless portraits” are fun, too. Scroll down to June and July 2010 for some examples.

 

Faceless portraits, part II

A couple of weeks ago, I posted a “faceless portrait” that I like a lot. The technique of not showing a face in every picture works well for weddings, too.

I hope you like these.

There’s a lot of information about wedding photography at www.photosbyjan.com.

Faceless portraits

Portraits don’t always have to show the face. Sometimes a different angle is just as effective.

This is from a recent shoot in State College.

Photography tips #3

A typical point-and-shoot, compact digital camera.

A single-lens reflex, or SLR.

A lot of people ask, “What kind of camera should I buy?” The answer: “It depends.”

What do you want to photograph? Do you want to make big prints to hang in a gallery or in your living room? Or do you want to capture cute shots of Little Jimmy or your trip to the Mall of America? You have two main choices: point-and-shoot or SLR.

Point-and-shoot cameras are also known as Ph.D., or “push here, dummy.” They’re wonderful, because they make it easy to take good pictures. Most will fit in your pocket, but a few are slightly bigger. SLR stands for single-lens reflex. They allow for greater creativity, and they allow you to change lenses

Don’t worry about megapixels; anything made recently has plenty of resolution. The lens is more important. Put your money there. Be sure it’s glass, not plastic, and of high quality. Would you buy 69¢ sunglasses?

The processor is equally important, and this is a matter of money. The more you spend, the better the image quality. But for most people, convenience is more important than the ability to make 16×20 prints.

A few final thoughts: Look for optical zoom, not digital zoom. Check for shutter lag, the maddening gap between when you push the button and when the picture is captured. “Image stabilization” minimizes camera shake.

Those are the highlights. If you want more information, email me at jant@photosbyjan.com or phone 717-667-6699. I’m always happy to talk about photography.

You can also find a lot of great information at www.nikonusa.com.

Photography tips #2

The first rule of photography is: Assume you’re in the wrong place. In simpler terms: Move your feet.

Don’t assume that where you’re standing – or, worse, sitting – is the ideal spot. Should you be closer? Almost certainly. Farther to the left or right? Probably.

Most every picture you’ve ever taken could be improved by one simple step: Get closer. Actually, one step is rarely enough. GET CLOSER!

Whether you’re taking pictures of your kids or attempting to make art, the rule is the same: Assume you’re in the wrong place. Walk around your subject. Watch as extraneous clutter is eliminated. Notice how the background no longer seems to sprout out of little Jimmy’s head.

Now, do a knee bend to see if your shot would look better from a low angle. Stand on your tiptoes or a stool to see if it might be better from above.

When you’re sure you have the perfect spot, move an inch or two. You’re making order out of chaos. And camera position is your most powerful creative tool.

www.photosbyjan.com

Photography tips

“The best part of photography isn’t talking about it or writing about it or teaching it.  It isn’t selling prints or having your work admired. It’s the excitement of being out there, the anticipation of the unknowable wonder that may appear over the next hill.”

— Fred Picker

Shoot from the heart.

Good photographs have little to do with expensive cameras, telephoto lenses or megapixels. Good photographs have everything to do with emotion.      Think about the best pictures you’ve ever taken. What’s so good about them?

You cared, and it shows. Don’t just point your camera at anything and fire away. Photograph things that excite you: your children, the love of your life or a scene so powerful and so rare that your pulse quickens.

Almost everyone claims to be a photographer, and almost everyone has those pictures stashed away somewhere, never to be seen again. Why? Because they were “easy” – dull, lifeless, no heart.

Good photographs often have an element of mystery. They invite speculation. They’re more than pretty postcards. Great pictures are “inexhaustible invitations to deduction, speculation and fantasy,” Susan Sontag wrote in “On Photography.”

From time to time, I’ll offer some tips on improving your photographs. We’ll talk about cameras, lenses and composition. But we’ll try not to lose sight of the fact that the heart is as important as the eye.

Shooting snow

Does the snow in your photographs look gray instead of white? Blame your light meter. Meters get paid to turn things middle gray, so they think they’re doing a great job when they transform that beautiful winter scene into a yucky mess.

But the fix is simple. Most cameras have a feature called “exposure compensation” (it might be marked +/-). Just add a little exposure. Try +1 for starters.

This is the easiest way to lighten any picture that’s too dark, and to darken pictures that are too light. It’s worth digging out your manual to learn how to make the adjustment.

One final note: Snow pics taken on gray, unappealing days might look gray and unappealing no matter what you do.

Better holiday photographs

This is a big time of year for taking pictures. Here are a few suggestions for improving yours:

1. Get closer. When you think you’re close enough, take one more step forward. You could zoom in, but getting physically closer to your subject is almost always better. “Fill the frame.” That means making your primary subject occupy almost all of the image. Eliminate all the stuff that isn’t important.

2. To photograph children, get down on their level. Then stay there. If you hang around long enough, and take enough pictures, chances are they’ll eventually forget you’re there – and that’s when you’ll get a “keeper.”

3. Delete your bad photographs. Why would you show someone a bad picture?

P.S. — I used to write a newspaper photography column. It had four or five fans (OK, two or three), so I’ve decided to resurrect it here on my blog. I’ll give tips, answer frequently asked questions and generally try to help you take better photographs. I invite you to check back frequently.