Composition

This is one of those subjects that either comes naturally or requires some work.  If you were to look up the term, composition with respect to the visual arts, say in the dictionary or Wikipedia, you might find:

The plan, placement or arrangement of the elements of art in a work.

Actually, that's a very good description of what a photographer does with their photograph.  How she or he places the elements in the constraints of the photograph.  You've probably seen the commercials on TV or in movies where someone holds their thumb and index fingers on each hand in the shape of a rectangle and then looks through it.  Sort of like they are looking through the viewfinder of a still or movie camera.  Some folks hold up an empty 35mm slide to do the same thing (remember film).  Anyway, this is an attempt to visualize composition or how I want my photograph to look.  This sort of implies that there is a conscious effort when taking a photograph to arrange the elements in a fashion that is pleasing to you, the photographer.

Let me propose an additional definition of composition:

It's that moment when you are looking at something and you think to yourself, "hmmm, wouldn't that make an interesting picture?"

My Mom, until recently, was expert at chopping off the tops of peoples heads when she took pictures at family gatherings.  My brothers would have trees or plants growing out of their heads.  People we didn't know would wave to her in her pictures.  In the last year or so, with her point & shoot camera, she has been doing a lot of street photography.  She has been developing a way of looking at scenes and paying attention the elements:  the main subject and what is in the background.  This is composition.  She still cuts parts of people's heads off, but now that's considered to be trendy.  (Who knew that she was such a trendsetter?)  So, that's a part of composition, paying attention to what is going on in your frame.

How do I know where to place elements in my picture?  Part of this is personal preference.  You can ask yourself a number of questions:  Like why am I taking this picture?  Who is the picture for?  That can help you determine how the picture should look.  Fortunately, there are some guidelines that can help aid your decision.  The first that we should talk about is the Rule of Thirds.  Well, it's not really a rule, but a guideline.  The rule of thirds is a way of positioning elements in your photograph that naturally appeals to our eyes.  We'll talk a little more about that later.

Actually, let's take a step back and think of what your photograph looks like.  Typically, most point & shoot (and DSLR) cameras output a rectangular image.  (Some cameras allow you to change that, which is pretty cool.)   You can orient the picture vertically, we often call this portrait, or horizontally, which is called landscape.  The orientation is frequently determined by the subject:  portrait or landscape are probably obvious.  However, not all landscapes should be photographed with the camera set horizontally.  For example, if you wanted to take a picture of a person, but wanted to show some of their surroundings it might be easier to hold the camera normally (horizontal).  You are not limited to rectangular, when you process your picture, you can crop it any way you want that lends itself to the subject.

Back to the subject at hand, composition and the rule of thirds.  So, now we have our image, divide it into thirds.  That is, draw lines horizontally and vertically, at intervals of 1/3 spacing.  Some cameras allow you to turn on a grid with just such a spacing on the LCD screen.  You should now be asking, why thirds and what do I do with it?

It turns out that the human eye finds certain mathematical proportions very pleasing and thirds just happens to work.  (Actually, this happens a lot in nature and as mentioned before, we'll talk about it in more depth later.)  It turns out that artists throughout history have known about this and used this quide when painting.  If you don't believe me, go to an art museum and look at the great masters.  Or look at them on the web.  Look at where they place their subjects, background and the horizon.

So, how do you use this information?  At first, it's a bit of pain, because it slows your picture taking down.  A lot.  When you take a picture, think to yourself, do I want that tree growing out my daughter's head?  Should that garbage can be in the photo?  Is there another angle that would be better to shoot this picture from?  See where this leads?

I want to warn you, that sometimes a snapshot is just that:  a snapshot.  To me a snapshot is just a capture of a moment I want to remember.  I don't care if it's technically correct or whatever.  As you practice the techniques that we are talking about, they become second nature.  That is, you don't consciously think about it.  It becomes second nature.  In the coming entries we'll talk more about this.

A note of apology:  I've obviously let this blog go dormant for quite some time and I'd like to revive it.  Sorry about that.

Light - Favorite Sun

The famous astronomer and writer, Carl Sagan wrote in his book  Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space (1994),

It is sometimes said that scientists are unromantic, that their passion to figure out robs the world of beauty and mystery. But is it not stirring to understand how the world actually works — that white light is made of colors, that color is the way we perceive the wavelengths of light, that transparent air reflects light, that in so doing it discriminates among the waves, and that the sky is blue for the same reason that the sunset is red? It does no harm to the romance of the sunset to know a little bit about it.

We are creatures of the light, that is unless you are a vampire.  Light comes in many forms that are visible by the human eye and much more that is not.  In our wandering about the planet, we sometimes hear (or say):

'Oooh, what a beautiful sunrise' or 'look at the colors in that sunset.'

Why is it that the light is so beautiful around first thing in the morning or around sunset?  I could give you a detailed physics explanation, but suffice it to say there are three effects that dominate:

• The angle of the sun relative to your position on Earth.
• The distance that light travels through the Earth's atmosphere.
• The bending of the light from the sun as it enters the atmosphere.

These effects combine to give light the quality we observe.  Painters and photographers have called the time around these times of day the golden hour.  An hour before sunset and an hour after sunrise.  (Of course, some really interesting stuff does happen before and after those times.)

Light is as important as the subject in a photograph (in fact, it could be the subject).  Learning to see the light is something that you should do everyday.  I would suggest two ways to do this:  The first is to walk around with (or without) your camera and view everything with an eye to taking a picture.  See the light, colors, and forms that are available to you.  The second is to visit museums and look at art and photography in order to see how others used light to create such wonderful images.  In fact, photo sharing sites such as Flickr can provide wonderful examples that can be accessed from your computer.

Assignment #1

I didn't want to be yet another blog that runs photo assignments or contests.  There are some very good ones out there already.  However, I find that sometimes I need a little push to get out and take pictures of something new.  Or, I need some inspiration to get the creative juices flowing.

So I will try once a week to come up with a photographic assignment.  That is a theme or subject that we can take pictures of and share.  (Of course that assumes that we have anyone else reading this blog.)

The first assignment consists of two parts:  The first is a reading assignment:

Read your camera's manual.

Yeah, I know this is boring.  And, I know that with today's cameras, you almost don't need to.  Almost.  There are so many neat features in your camera that you really are going to want to play with them.  In fact, some follow on assignments may focus on one or more of these.  By the way, a number of Camera companies have their camera manuals somewhere on their corporate web pages.

The second part is to take pictures within 60 yards (55 meters) of your home (or office).  Anything at all.  Pick one or two of your favorites and share it with us.  Let's say that the assignment is due by Sunday evening.  Not that we're getting rigorous or anything.

Of course this leads to a whole mess of new questions and how-tos.  How fun is that!

Why Digital?

It's a valid question, why digital over film?  Don't take that the wrong way, both have (and still have) important roles in photography.  Digital photography has two very important advantages over film:

• Instant gratification,
• Very low cost per photo.

Without getting too heavy, lets go over these.  Most, if not all, digital cameras have the ability to view the pictures that you've just taken.  Unlike film, which has to be processed (either by you or a finishing lab) and printed.  In the case of digital the processing is done by a small computer chip within the camera.  Pretty cool, huh?

Being able to view your photos as you take them allows you to review the composition, exposure, and focus, among other things.  Then, based upon your creativity, you may be able to re-take the photo to improve it.  Film tends to require a bit more care when taking each image.  I'm not saying that you should click the shutter willy nilly, without any thought about the photo.  I am saying that digital gives a little more freedom to do more experimentation and exploration.  This leads us to the second point:  cost.

Digital storage is extremely cheap when compared to film.  By storage I mean the memory card that goes in the camera which can hold hundreds (perhaps thousands) of images.  The hard disk in your computer can hold millions (or even billions) of pictures.  If we include the photo sharing sites on the Internet, we are approaching almost an infinite (a really big number) number of images that can be saved and shared.  We can combine that with the fact that the cost of the storage is coming down in price all of the time.  In fact, the only real cost of digital, after the initial purchase, is for printing.

I don't think it's an over estimation to say that the majority of photos taken with digital cameras are never printed.  Of course, the pictures you once took with your film camera are probably put away in a drawer, slide carousel, or album that is take out once ever couple of years.  Yet, in the digital medium we can share our photos with our friends and family via Internet sharing sites like Flickr and Facebook.

We've got lots to talk about, so let's get on with it.  

The Camera

As I've previously noted,  Chase Jarvis says,

The Best Camera Is The One That's With You.

This is a statement that have been echoed by many photographers (and probably your parents) and thanks to technology we now have cameras in our phones and ones small enough to fit in your pocket or purse.  So, you don't have an excuse to say, "I wish I had a camera."  Indeed, some of the smart phone cameras are getting quite sophisticated and even allow you to do post processing.

In fact, today's point-and-shoot cameras can even recognize faces!  (Believe it or not, some can even wait until someone has finished blinking.)  Some very powerful processing goes on behind the scenes.  What I mean to tell you is that even when you leave the camera on automatic, it can do an amazing job of getting a good (or even great) picture.  Here's where you say, 'well hold on there partner, I've seen some pretty bad pictures.'  Very true and in these very pages we'll try to walk through some of things these cameras can do (and can't) and how to trick them into doing what you want them to do.

Before getting a digital camera, my Mom used to cut of the tops of the heads of people when taking her pictures.  (She still does.)  Of course, that's trendy now.  Who would have thought that she was such a trend setter?

For the moment, let's assume that you don't currently have a digital camera.  An oft asked question is, "What kind of camera should I get?"  Searching the web is not always the most beneficial way to start.  There are all sorts of rants and raves on what brand is best.  Face it, everyone has an opinion, and so do I, "if it works for you, it's good enough."  That's no help.  These are my recommendations:

If you have a good friend that has a point and shoot digital camera, ask them how they like it.

You can tell a lot about how a person likes their camera if you ask them to show it to you and how to use it.  In fact, if you can borrow it take some pictures with it, with them showing you how.  That way you can see if it's too complicated or if your fingers have a hard time with the controls.  Is it too big or too small?  This is important, because if it's too hard to use (even in automatic mode) you won't use it.  You might even ask them how they download the pictures from their camera to their computer.  (We'll talk some more about that later.)

What if you don't have a friend or (gulp) relative with a digital camera?

This is where a good camera store comes into play.  A good camera store can help you select a camera that will work for you.  They will spend time with you showing you different cameras.  What you should expect from a camera store is good customer service.  What they expect from you is that when you have found a good camera, you will buy it from them.  You will pay more money for a camera purchased from a store, but you are also buying some of their time.  Some stores run classes either for free or for a small fee.  It's in their best interest to treat you well with the hope that you will purchase more stuff from them.  That's just good business.  However, and I do feel strongly about this, don't use their time to select a camera and then buy it from the web.  That's not fair.

There are many cameras out there and the turn over rate, that is the new models that come from the manufacturers is just astounding.  My first digital camera was a Kodak which barely had the resolution of a web cam, something just over 1 megapixels.  The next one I owned was a very simple and small Canon SD-20, which was about 5 megapixels.  I've posted some of the pictures that I took with that camera on this blog (and will post some more).  I really like that camera because it was so small that I could put it in my pack to go mountain biking or hiking.  The case was small enough to hang from my belt.  The only downside to this camera was that the screen on which you viewed your picture was the size of a postage stamp.  I recently saved up to purchase a new point-and-shoot that had some of the new innovations which included a zoom and a bigger view screen.  This was a Canon S90.

It really doesn't matter what camera you get or what the zoom is, or even how many megapixels that it has, as long as it works for you.  You might even look at a older model or used just so you can get started.  I can hear someone saying, "but, but, I need some guidance..."  Ok, I can give you a slight push, but remember, as Captain Barbossa said regarding the code, in Pirates of the Carribean,

...the code is more what you call "guidelines" than actual rules.

They are:

• Get a camera that has 5 or more megapixels.  (More is not necessarily better.)
• Optical zoom is more important than digital.  (More optical zoom is better.)

I'll talk about these items in succeeding posts.

Getting Started

Where to begin?  First, and probably most important, is:  "Do you have a digital camera?"  I'm sorry if I mislead anyone, I was thinking of a digital point-and-shoot when I began this blog.  (See my notes below.)  So, assuming that you have such a camera what should you do?  Pick up your camera and go out (or in) and take a few pictures.  Go.  Right now.  I'll wait.  Really.

Have you taken a couple of snapshots?  I'm serious, even just one photograph counts, of anything that pleases your eye.  Did you say to yourself, 'but there's nothing interesting out (or in) there?'  Alfred Stieglitz, the famous American photographer, supposedly said,

I have found my subjects within 60 yards of my door.

This is an amazing statement.  Think about it for a moment.  Our lives tend to be centered around certain locations:  home, work, school, and so on.  And, due to the wonders of the human eye, the wonderful and interesting things become part of the background and effectively invisible.  Part of your job as a photographer is to look again with a new view.  I won't lie to you, this isn't easy, but it's not impossible.

You only need to look at what you've seen before in a new way.  Your subject may be a person, animal, flowers, or just junk, like old bottles.  You might notice it because of the light, or seeing it from a new angle, or something else.  Remember that the only one that you need to satisfy or impress is yourself.  That's right, this is for you.  Worry about other people's opinion some other day.  For me, photography is a very personal subject.  As I walk or drive during the day, I try to look at things as though I was looking through a camera.  To see how the light, early in the morning, brings out the details in surfaces.

There's a couple of things that I think are important when you start:  Only show your work, if you want to, to people that will actively encourage you.  The pictures you take are for you first.  If the photo captures what you saw or what you wanted to see, then you did your job as a photographer.  (There are times when a constructive critique are useful and beneficial to your growth.)  The second is, print your pictures.  Put them up on your walls.  This comes as sage advice from my Mom.

Finally, I mentioned that I intended this blog to be about digital point-and-shoot cameras, but it really doesn't need to be.  You'll just have to be a little more patient to get the results of your work back from the processor if you use film.

Introduction

This blog was begun at a suggestion by my mom.  She has commented that it was hard for her to learn photography.  The manuals that accompany the cameras are often written like stereo instructions.  The vast majority of the courses being taught out there are either for advanced users or those people with "big" cameras.  Frequently these courses miss some of the basics and leave certain users at a disadvantage.  So, what can I add that hasn't already been written, blogged, or videoed to death? To be honest, I'm not sure, but I thought that I would like to give it a try.

At this point I don't have a firm plan, just a vague notion of what I would like to attempt:  To begin with I would like to focus on using the camera straight out of the box, fully automatic.  Just point and shoot.

I freely admit that I can do far more with my "big camera" than I can with my point and shoot, but as Chase Jarvis says, "The best camera is the one with you."  (Okay, he's not the first to say something like this, but reading his blog and viewing his photographs you can't help but be affected by his enthusiasm.)  I have taken some amazing pictures with my tiny camera.  Small point & shoot cameras have many benefits beyond being portable:

Unobtrusive, people behave differently around the "big" cameras.  Close-ups.  You can get really close with many of the smaller cameras, like this:

Easy to carry so that you'll always have it with you to take pictures like this:

Or, a landscape like this:

Are the pictures perfect?  Probably not, but I like them and isn't that what's important?