Three simple ways to improve your photography...

[Asylum Steve]

Well, I was filing some of my papers over the weekend and found some of the notes I used when I taught photography briefly at Miami Dade CC. Most of us are always looking for ways to get better at this animal called photography, so I thought I'd pass along these three basic ideas for "jumpstarting" your creativity with a camera.

1. Think like a cinematographer.

The classic motion picture way of presenting visuals to tell a story is the three-view shots of establishing (long shot), medium shot, and closeup. Sure, there are many variations and in between views, but most shots can be placed in one of these three categories.

This is a very good way to approach a subject for still photography, too. If you're not sure what lens or angle of view would give you the best composition, go through all three and see how each captures a scene differently. Starting wide and gradually narrowing your view will often prevent you from being overwhelmed by a scene visually.

2. Shoot in clusters.

Even the most observant of us miss a lot of visual information when shooting photographs. The human eye has an amazing ability to instantly adjust to a scene's brightness and contrast, and we also tend to see and perceive a flow of motion. This often makes it impossible to see every detail of the "frozen" moment that a camera will normally capture.

Because of this, I always find shooting in groups of no less than three to five frames is a good habbit to get into. If a subject is static, I tend to move slightly to get small changes in my shooting angle. If a subject is moving, I usually remain still, and instead concentrate on capturing the sequence of movement (this also refers to a human subject changing poses).

Trying a group of similar shots with small changes in aperture or shutter speed can also be useful.

The key is to get SLIGHT variations in the composition or look of your shot, so you have options when you edit them later. You may be surprised at what the best image turns out to be (it's not always obvious when you're shooting). If you shoot only one or two frames of a given scene, and always at the same settings, you drastically reduce your chances of a successful photo.

3. The POLICE LINEUP visualization technique.

I came up with this as a good method of working through "shooter's block", especially when you're tired and your brain goes into "Standby Mode" .

Think of a police lineup as a photo. You have a perfectly flat perspective of people spaced evenly apart, lit completely flat and viewed from eye level. Ok, forget about the subjects for a moment, and instead consider that this is arguably the most boring possible composition and lighting for a photograph.

With that in mind, and if you use that as a starting point, ANY variation from that setup will improve the shot.

So, instead of a flat view, we angle the wall to get perspective in the shot. Instead of subjects evenly spaced apart, we group them together or asymmentrically to break up the frame. Instead of flat lighting, we look for directional light to create dimensionality in the shot. Instead of an eye level view, we move the camera up or down to make the angle much more interesting.

Sure, these are obvious things to a lot of shooters, but still, this can be a good technique to use sometimes. If you're stuck with a shot, sometimes consciously determining how it compares to the ole "police lineup" may help you identify what is wrong...

Well, that's it. Let me know what you think of these tips. They are all techniques that I still use in my shooting, and I think they can help whether you're just a beginner or someone more advanced that just needs to rethink things to get going again...

[Speed]

Well, I was filing some of my papers over the weekend and found some of the notes I used when I taught photography briefly at Miami Dade CC. Most of us are always looking for ways to get better at this animal called photography, so I thought I'd pass along these three basic ideas for "jumpstarting" your creativity with a camera.

1. Think like a cinematographer.

The classic motion picture way of presenting visuals to tell a story is the three-view shots of establishing (long shot), medium shot, and closeup. Sure, there are many variations and in between views, but most shots can be placed in one of these three categories.

This is a very good way to approach a subject for still photography, too. If you're not sure what lens or angle of view would give you the best composition, go through all three and see how each captures a scene differently. Starting wide and gradually narrowing your view will often prevent you from being overwhelmed by a scene visually.

2. Shoot in clusters.

Even the most observant of us miss a lot of visual information when shooting photographs. The human eye has an amazing ability to instantly adjust to a scene's brightness and contrast, and we also tend to see and perceive a flow of motion. This often makes it impossible to see every detail of the "frozen" moment that a camera will normally capture.

Because of this, I always find shooting in groups of no less than three to five frames is a good habbit to get into. If a subject is static, I tend to move slightly to get small changes in my shooting angle. If a subject is moving, I usually remain still, and instead concentrate on capturing the sequence of movement (this also refers to a human subject changing poses).

Trying a group of similar shots with small changes in aperture or shutter speed can also be useful.

The key is to get SLIGHT variations in the composition or look of your shot, so you have options when you edit them later. You may be surprised at what the best image turns out to be (it's not always obvious when you're shooting). If you shoot only one or two frames of a given scene, and always at the same settings, you drastically reduce your chances of a successful photo.

3. The POLICE LINEUP visualization technique.

I came up with this as a good method of working through "shooter's block", especially when you're tired and your brain goes into "Standby Mode" .

Think of a police lineup as a photo. You have a perfectly flat perspective of people spaced evenly apart, lit completely flat and viewed from eye level. Ok, forget about the subjects for a moment, and instead consider that this is arguably the most boring possible composition and lighting for a photograph.

With that in mind, and if you use that as a starting point, ANY variation from that setup will improve the shot.

So, instead of a flat view, we angle the wall to get perspective in the shot. Instead of subjects evenly spaced apart, we group them together or asymmentrically to break up the frame. Instead of flat lighting, we look for directional light to create dimensionality in the shot. Instead of an eye level view, we move the camera up or down to make the angle much more interesting.

Sure, these are obvious things to a lot of shooters, but still, this can be a good technique to use sometimes. If you're stuck with a shot, sometimes consciously determining how it compares to the ole "police lineup" may help you identify what is wrong...

Well, that's it. Let me know what you think of these tips. They are all techniques that I still use in my shooting, and I think they can help whether you're just a beginner or someone more advanced that just needs to rethink things to get going again...

As you stated, even the most advanced photographer can get in a rut. It helps to have a jumping off point.

I find it interesting that as my photography has progressed, I do the things you've listed.

1. Zooming in and out is a natural to me. NOW. At first, I just zoomed to what I thought the image should look like and shot. Now I "work" the subject.
2. I usually shoot at least two shots, often three, of a subject. And I move around, sometimes a pace to the left or right, sometimes just kneeling, and sometimes hiking downhill or uphill. Again, I did NOT do this when I first starting taking photos.
3. I like your name for this technique. I didn't name it, but I do have a tendancy to walk around a subject (if possible) looking for different viewpoints. Again, this is something I didn't do when I got started.

These are all good techniques that will help any photographer get better shots. When I get my slides developed from my mountain trip, I can show how I did all the things you mentioned. Very timely post, and hopefully, this will help new photographers get a jump start on taking great photo's.

Thank you for spending time on Viewfinder and sharing these with us!

[kkraczek]

Steve, these are great tips, and I appreciate you taking the time to share them!

I have already printed them for use with my reference materials. Thanks again!

[racingpinarello]

I use #1 quite often, especially for travel photography. The list is quite handy and perfect to open up a mental block or just for the fundamentals.

Thanks for posting,
Loren

[Charles Hess]

When I'm out and about, hoping to get some good street candids, I'm usually travelling with standard to short-telephoto primes(45-50mm-90mm). So, I'm always zooming in my head, getting closer, moving away, moving around, trying to get the best angle and viewpoint.

Great tips, explained as only you can do. :-)

[Ultra Magnus]

That makes me feel pretty good. I've been doing #'s 1 and 2, although I didin't have an fancy reason for it, other than that I don't know what looks good most of the time untill I take a few and compare. I generally take a dozen or so pics of the same thing with slight variations in everything. Sometimes drives my wife crazy but she doesn't mind. Thank god for digital! I'd never get away with that burning up rolls of film! #3 will be a great help. Thanks!

[Spike]

Steve,


Good tips, I'll have to remember them. But my first thing to do to improve my photography is to start shooting again. Sigh...

Spike

[Sebastian]

Good stuff Steve, thanks for posting.

[Seb]

Hey Steeve,

Thank you for sharing this great tips with us. There are some ot things you listen that I tend to do more and more by myself but there are others that I honestly didn't tought about.

Your post just helped me to put some things in perspective.

best regards

Seb

[Irakly Shanidze]

i especially like the police linaup approach
i have another tip to add. i am not sure, though how well can it work for everybody, but some people told me that this is the way to do it. essentially, when you look through a viewfinder, a picture in it can be anything from totally boring and mundane to absolutely heart-stopping. so, when in response to what i see in a viewfinder my mind's jaw drops, i press the buttton. if i am shooting something important, i usually make several takes around this crucial shot just in case, but i don't remember that any of those "just-in-case" frames were better than the main one.

[pnd1]

It is always refreshing to get such good advice as this in such a succinct and professional manner, Steve. You are an excellent teacher. I teach photographic expression myself, and have given my own students similar advice, but a bit differently in terms of the way I present it. I ask my students to think first about what they are trying to say, not just show, in their images. Once they start thinking about expression, they can make better choices when dealing with the choices and options their cameras make possible in light, time, and space.

Your own suggestions can work wonders because you are helping people get a handle on the critical nature of often small but subtle variations in vantage point. Since what we say in our pictures will often depend upon where we stand, vantage point is one of the most important choices we make in terms of spatial considerations. I have devoted an entire chapter in my pbase 'cyberbook' on expressive travel photography to how to effectively make use of our vantage points -- it's at: http://www.pbase.com/pnd1/vantage_point

Our vantage points can also affect how we abstract images, as I point out in my chapter on abstraction at: http://www.pbase.com/pnd1/photos_by_phil__douglis. What we leave out of an image can often be more important than what we include, and abstraction can help us down our images to just the essentials.

Our vantage point also effects the role of both detail and frame -- two other choices we have to make whenever we are dealing with the nature of space in our pictures. I have addressed these choices in my cyberbook as well. You can see how our vantage points affect detail at: http://www.pbase.com/pnd1/detail, and how they can affect our framing at: http://www.pbase.com/pnd1/frame.

Our ultimate goal in photography is to organize our images into coherent ideas, and that is the role of composition. Our vantage points are often the key to how we compose our images as well. You can view examples of how composition helps us express our feelings and ideas at: http://www.pbase.com/pnd1/composition

There is no right or wrong way to go about creating a worthwhile image. Every photographer brings their own thoughts and ideas to bear on the process, depending upon their purpose. But the key is give more careful thought to why we do what we do. You ask us, Steve, in your excellent advice, to pay more attention to where we are standing when we make our images. And that's a very good way to move from making chaotic, meaningless images to coherent, well-crafted photographs.

Thanks for sharing these ideas with us.
Phil

[Asylum Steve]

Phil,

I appreciate the nice words...

Welcome to the site. Looks like you have quite a bit to offer the folks here, too. Hopefully they'll check out the links you posted.

I think some of the things we both stress are especially important in travel photography. I know that's an area where not only would people like to do better with their pictures, but often the subjects are once-in-a-lifetime type of stuff.

[pnd1]

Thanks, Steve -- you raised another good point here when you mentioned one of the most important considerations involved in travel photography. Travel can be very expensive, and often we have only a few minutes at our disposal to make an image that could well be that once in a lifetime opportunity. To just stand there and mindlessly point the camera and click the shutter could be tragic. As you point out in your suggestions, and as I try to illustrate in my instructional galleries, we can do so much more than that, even within just a few moments. Now that digital imaging has lifted the restraints of shooting expensive film, there is no reason why we can't try various camera positions, exposure and framing approaches. Why not shoot it in ten different ways, just to make sure we get it right once, and forever?

Phil

[coloradoamigo]

from both Steve and Phil. What I found particularly interesting is the trying to think like a cinematographer. When I watch certain movies, the cinemaphotgraphy can be so moving to me, and makes me think alot of my photography and how I could improve it. Conrad L. Hall comes to mind, and the work he did. For instance, when I watch "Road to Perdition". To me, nearly every single frame of that movie would make a great photograph. Robert Yeoman, and his incredible work in "The Royal Tennenbaums". Again, nearly every single frame would make a great photograph.
Phil, I put you on my favorite artists lists at Pbase, and fully intend to tap into all that knowledge on your page.
Thanks to the both of you for sharing your great advice.
Regards,
Brian

[Ultra Magnus]

I would agree. Since I've started photography I've notice the same thing. I watched "Open Range" again last night and felt the same way. The compositions were simple usually with only a few elements but very powerful. I noticed the same things in the animated movie "Spirit"...

[pnd1]

Hi, Bmadau and Brian,

You both make excellent points about using well-made movies as learning tools for your own still photography. Great movie directors and cinematographers will carefully compose and light each frame to express maximum meaning, and as these frames gradually extend meaning by building on each other, they add critical context through movement, dialogue, and sound. As you suggest, many of these frames may well stand alone as expressive photographs just on the strength of their abstract qualities.

If you get a chance, be sure to rent some of the late Stanley Kubrick's films and study the way he and his cinematographers light and structure each sequence. I particularly recommend one of his lesser known films, "Barry Lyndon" (1975), which makes exceptional use of cinematography itself as a force for expression.

Be sure to read Cinepad.com's fascinating analysis of how Kubrick uses the movie camera in "Barry Lyndon" to visually express key ideas through a series of brilliantly composed images -- some of which qualify as spectacular landscape photographs. It's at: http://www.cinepad.com/reviews/blyndon.htm

Incidentally, Kubrick's directorial genius was heavily influenced by the experience he gained by working as a photojournalist for Look Magazine. He was highly skilled at shooting in available light, and used this knowledge exquisitely in filming "Barry Lyndon" interiors exclusively by candlelight, using lenses specially constructed for such purposes.

"Barry Lyndon" is a long and somewhat tedious film, but it contains some of the most important visual images ever put on film.

If you have not yet seen "Citizen Kane" (1941), the first film ever made by Orson Welles, be sure to rent it. It is not only listed among the great films of all time, but it was the first to use "deep focus" cinematography, and low angle vantage points to establish mood and provoke thought.

Cinepad.com offers insight into its visual structure at: http://www.cinepad.com/reviews/kane.htm

Meanwhile, thank you, Brian, for adding my instructional galleries to your "favorite artists" list on pbase. I hope you'll be able to put some of my suggestions to good use. I am heading to China and Tibet early next month, and will be expanding my galleries when I return in mid-July.