Seeing Creative Images
Pictures don’t always have to be sharp to be good, perfect exposures
don’t always give the best results, camera angles don’t always have to be
the same. Digital photography is so inexpensive you shouldn’t feel the need
to get every shot perfect. It’s likely your photographs won’t be interesting
if you don’t take chances and explore new approaches. When you find a
situation that catches you eye, shoot it from a variety of positions, if you
have a zoom lens use it, try using exposure compensation. Keep experimenting
and trying new techniques, occasionally do things "wrong" deliberately.
Those results that appear interesting can be applied in other situations.
Eventually you’ll find a distinctive personal style that allows you to
convey the world to others from your own unique viewpoint.
One mistake many photographers make is to think they have to go to unique
places to get unique photographs. This leads you to ignore the possibilities
nearby and at-hand. Because we admire the work that Edward Weston did at
Point Lobos, or that Ansel Adams did at Yosemite, we often think we have to
go to Point Lobos or Yosemite. What's often forgotten is that these people
were shooting in their own back yards. They knew the area and its light
intimately. They took photographs of the same places over and over again
from different vantage points and under different lighting to build their
skills. And compared to André Kertész in his later years, their backyards
were huge. Kertész did some wonderful work when he was too old to go out by
shooting out of his New York apartment building. His photos of the street
below and the park across from his building show what can be done from a
fixed point with a creative imagination. To build your skills, photograph
the same things over and over again as the light changes. Try different
points of view, and different angles and compositions. You have no excuse to
not do this because unlike these earlier photographers, you're not spending
money on film when you try new things.
When photographing out of doors, one of the key elements in many images
is the horizon line and where you place it in the image. Some photographers
like to follow "rules" and place the horizon line so it's one-third up from
the bottom of the image. This rule may give interesting images but you'll do
better trying different things. Despite what some people believe, there are
no rules in photography. If there were, photography would be a lot easier
than it really is.
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The low horizon
line emphasizes the vast spaces and the low ceiling for the mist. |
The higher
horizon line emphasizes the foreground. |
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Setting the
horizon line in the middle of the image gives equal emphasis to the sky
and the water. |
Setting the
turkey at the base of the frame changes the image a lot from what it
would be if he'd been cantered. |
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Setting the
horizon line at the bottom edge of the image makes the sky the dominant
part of the image and conveys a feeling of vastness. |
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In the rising or fading light at dawn and dusk you can often see unusual
lighting in the sky. One approach to photographing these scenes is to place
something interesting in the foreground. Also, bracket your exposure so you
have a variety of images to choose from.
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The moon
reflects in the water while a soon to rise sun illuminates and overhead
cloud. |
The light from a
soon to rise sun creates a fan shape above the horizon. |
Known as a
"pillar" this vertical shaft of light above the setting sun are caused
by ice crystals in the air. |
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Here, the last
of the lifting morning fog makes the image by providing that extra
element that creates a mood. |
Reflections can add a lot of interest to a photo and they are everywhere.
Day and night, they are on the water, in windows, and on any shiny
reflective surface.
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A lighthouse
light is reflected in the smooth harbour water on a quiet windless
morning. |
Taken from
almost the same spot as the photo to the left, here the sky is pink but
the light again reflects from the lighthouse. |
A small bird is
reflected in the quiet water. |
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A tree reflects
from a mirrored California window. |
Shooting down
the side of a New England fishing boat captures the ocean's reflections
in the boat's windows. |
The grill in an
old car at a car show reflects the crowd. |
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With the light
illuminating a nearby building, a store window becomes alive with
interest. |
A flag reflects
in the window of an old New England house. |
The sun
reflects off seaside windows throwing a bright reflection on the harbour
water. |
Bright sunny days may look beautiful, but they aren’t' the best days for
photography. The hard, direct light casts black shadows everywhere. But
shadows are interesting, you just have to think about them and where they
fall. Too often we just notice the bright part of the subject when composing
pictures.
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There's not a
lot to see on the surface at the Arizona Titan Missile Museum. In
desperation, I used the shadows of a crowd of visitors to get a more
dramatic image. |
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Here a small
cloud casts a shadow over just the U.S. Constitution while everything
else remains in bright sunlight. It gives the old warship a more
threatening look. |
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By shooting down
and not including the people's heads, the shadows play a more important
role in the image. |
Patterns are everywhere; you just have to practice noticing them. Some
have a centre of interest, many just an unbroken rhythm that makes them
interesting.
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Salt meadow
grass found in salt mashes forms long waves. |
A maple leaf
lies on the grass on the day of the first frost. |
The seeds in a
sunflower form radiating patterns. |
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The morning sun
forms shadows on the melting ice of a Rocky Mountain lake. |
The paint peels
from an old sign. |
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A flower blossom
is a rich source of both colour and patterns. |
Fallen maple
leaves. |
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The field of
mustard, the row of houses, and the row of trees all form a very regular
pattern in the image. |
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This straight
line of gulls added to the photo's interest. |
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A newly mown
lawn in front of a castle in England. Click the picture to enlarge it
and you'll see the lawn is set up for croquette. |
Ripples in the
sand when the tide goes out look like miniature sand dunes. |
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I'm one of those photographers who love kitsch but it's getting harder
and harder to find. However, if you keep your eyes open for humorous or
interesting images. You’ll be surprised at what you might find. You just
have to be ready to capture them when you see them...
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A father peers
through the transparent side of an inflatable whale while the kids pose
for a photo. |
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Not a great
image, but the idea behind it is interesting. The town of Gas, Kansas
has painted their water tower to look something like a gas can and
labelled it such. |
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A truck parked
alongside a rural California road added a lot to the surrounding
landscape. |
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Two guys
attending an art lecture found no place else to sit in the standing-room
only crowd. |
A horse skeleton
outside of a rock shop. I wonder if it attracts people with money to
spend? |
Most people shoot straight ahead from a standing position. That's why so
many photographs look alike. Try shooting up, shooting down, getting on your
knees, climbing tall buildings. Do anything you can to change the angle of
view. Shoot through glass or screens, experiment with every possible aspect.
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Small boats form
a path for the tall ships visiting Boston. I happened to be flying over
in an airliner and shot through the window. |
Shooting up
causes vertical lines to converge in the distance. |
A small town
baseball diamond shot through the grandstand screen. |
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The crooked
branches give an eerie feeling to the Eiffel Tower. |
By just moving
to the side a little I was able to line up the gull with the rising sun. |
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Shooting these
campers through the mesh "window" on their tent created a very soft
image. |
Girl scouts take
a break after a hot Memorial Day parade through town. |
Be sure you don't let glass between you and an interesting subject stop
you from shooting. You don't have to open a window, just shoot right through
the glass.
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Using flash,
this shark swimming past an aquarium window is frozen in place. |
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These colourful
anemones were photographed through the glass at an aquarium. |
Shooting through
the back window of one of the cog railroad cars on Mt. Washington gave
an interesting image of the engine and another car. |
Probably not what you were expecting, but sex nonetheless. To capture
these kinds of scenes you have to carry your camera with you a lot or really
be in tune with the natural cycle so you can anticipate when things are
happening.
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