PHOTOGRAPHY, HOBBY AND FUNCTION, BY REQUEST OF AN OWNER...

[surfy53]

I don't know how this will go over with everyone, but here goes....

Introduction to Composition.
To create a dramatic composition, keep it simple and focus on the most important part of your scene to ensure good sharpness. When photographing a person focus on their eyes. The first thing people look at are the eyes and if they are out of focus the viewer looses interest. When photographing an object, focus on the most interesting thing, it might be the lights of a car, the door of a house or a tree in the yard. Most of us photograph from too far away, so get in closer and focus on whatever caught your eye in the firstplace.

Practice WILL make you perfect.

Chris.

[bindi]

All good surfy, now when it comes to focus at weddings I do what what my father taught me years ago [a pro wedding photographer 1950s 60s 70s 80s until his death in the 90s] " Get the brides eyes in focus and rest can look after its self", good advice with L series f2.8 lenses used to blur backgrounds etc.

[surfy53]

Thats right Bob....I mean Bindi. The eyes must always be in focus. You can use Aperture Priority if you like, set the aperture to say f/2.8 and the shutter speed will take care of itself, just be careful it doesn't get too slow.

You still in Yeppoon?

Chris.

[surfy53]

FOCUS
Autofocus point-and-shoot cameras produce terrifically sharp
pictures when you use them properly. But getting sharp results
sometimes requires telling them where to focus.
A common focusing problem occurs when you deliberately place
a subject off-center in the viewfinder frame. Say you want to
compose the shot of your friends and the mountains this way.
You ask your friends to stand to the right so that they block less
of the background, giving the mountains center stage in your
composition. You point and shoot. But the camera focuses on the
mountains because that's where your composition has landed the
focus point and your friends end up unsharp in the print. Call it
tunnel focus.
Unintentional focusing on the background is, along with
unwanted camera movement, the main cause of unsharp pointand-
shoot pictures.
LOCKING THE FOCUS
Lock the focus any time your composition does not place the
viewfinder's focus point on the most important part of the scene
you're shooting. Locking the focus means that you deliberately
make your camera focus on some object in the scene — a
person, or something interesting in the foreground — and keep
the focus locked at that exact distance until you take the picture.
Here's how you lock the focus:
1. Look through the viewfinder and position its focus point on
the most important part of the scene — your main subject.
In effect, you centre that subject.
2. Press the shutter button halfway down and this will lock the
focus; some camera will give an indication when the focus has
locked.
3. Holding the shutter button halfway down, reorient the camera
so that your desired composition appears in the viewfinder.
4. Press the shutter button all the way down to take the picture.
Good luck, Chris.

[bindi]

A camera is a BLACK BOX to have BEHIND good lens [a good shutter speed and asa/iso range help on said box] .
It was for me in past past when I started wedding photography [23 years ago] it was Nikon and Minolta 35mm and and a Pentax 6/7 and a Mamiya rb 6/7.
But it's been Canon L series lens infront of Canon black boxes when I changed to auto focus since.
Still have a few film cameras [2x EOS 5, Olympus om 10 plus lens which I can't seem to part with, plus others] sold my medium format stuff, you can not beat medium format reversal film [only larger format does that].
My 2c worth.

The dynamic depth [before photoshop ] is still not in the ball park with digital, still looks flat.
"Flame suite on".

[surfy53]

Yeh Bindi, I have a near new EOS 3 with extended grip that is really worth nothing, maybe $100. Don't want to get rid of it but it came in handy a few years back when we were in Russia. Had my EOS 5D and three lenses nicked off my back in the subway. Lucky my EOS 3 was back at the hostel in the safe.
The thieving Russian b......s really put the wind up us and we high tailed it back to Helsinki where I stocked up on film and another lens.
Scary repressed place that Russia.
C.

[bindi]

EOS 3, nice, sold the 2 I had , nice but the 5's were my first wedding camera loves, simple 5 spot focus [brides eyes in focus] done .
Ah! Now it's "machine gun photography" , shoot enough and you will hit a few that will do.

Edit: Can't too p1$$ed.

[Grumblebum and the Dragon]

I am a Canon man, suspect that Nikon and some other top brands are also good. The Canons can take a hiding like the early 35mm Nikons. My two cop abuse in the outback but still keep going.

The most important aspect of photograhy is not what flash gear you have got... it the dude using the camera that is the one critical element behind great images. All you really need is a very good lens and a good shutter.

I had a mate in Africa who was the head of the Michaelis School of Fine Art who was invited to exhibit at the Pentax Gallery in JHB - then the premeir gallery in SA. He hung a collection SX 70 polaroid images and sold 90% of them for exhorbitant prices. He definitely had " the eye".... and a fair bit of bullshit as well

John

[Grumblebum and the Dragon]

All you really need is a good lens and a good shutter, the rest is nice to haves' and convience but the most critical ingrediant is the dude behind the camera. He's the one who decides, shutter speed, depth of field, flash addition and composition composition composition...... unless you are operating in auto mode.

I am amazed at the number of people who buy really good gear and rarely use anything other than full auto to make happy snaps.

I used to chair a photographic society which included a sales outlet and we ran courses from the basics to advanced and produced some very competant photographers.

Being sponsored by a mine meant that we were rolling in funds and could invite top professionals up for weekend workshops. I also did 'sensititive' and other photo jobs for the mine on a commercial basis. That was in the not so good old days of film and slides.

These days I am getting lazy... too hard to get out of bed before first light unless I am somewhere really special.

John

[surfy53]

A few photo's from south of Exmouth, a free camp off the side of the road about 600 mtrs. As the sun came down the sky started to glow and I knew we might get a nice sunset.



On the other side of us were these termite mounds.......thousands of them.



Chris.

[KeznGaz08]

I hope this works!!.

I'm getting back into my photography, I'm no expert just enjoy getting out there and shooting.

This was taken in SA near Coorabie as a storm was coming in from the West.

Keep the tips coming as it helps me to get better!!!!

Thanks.
Gareth

[surfy53]

A pretty good photo Gareth. I don't know wether your using a digital camera or a phone. It's very wide, could be a panorama from a phone. Need to include just a bit more sky to get more of the cloud. If your using a digital camera you'll be processing them in Photoshop, Lightroom or something similar.
If using a phone or iPad I suggest you download a free app call Snapseed and process these mobile photos in this. It's a fantastic, easy app to use and gives your photos a professional look. BUT, don't go too overboard, sometimes less is more.
You can also join " Bushtracker Caravan Owners" and Bushtracker Owners Group" on Facebook. There're both wonderful and full of information for us owners.
Cheers, Chris.

[KeznGaz08]

Hello Chris, thanks for the comments.

Yes it was taken with a phone, on panaramic setting, there was way to much width to catch it all with my canon.
You say i need to include more sky, would all sky and no land be too much?

Thanks once again.

Regards.
Gareth.

[surfy53]

The sky is the main subject that the viewer will concentrate on, however you do need so land in the foreground to give the image some scale.