Best USA Photography Tips
by
Randall Tomaras - Best USA Photographer Founder © 2009
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Ever wonder what makes one photograph
better than another?
Here are 42 reasons that are all inter-related
so if you multiple out the options you have close to 1,500 decisions that
need to be made in a split second. Now you know the difference between
an amateur and a professional. A professional consistently gets the best
image. And guess what, some of the higher end cameras have over 100 options
making over 10,000 decisions.
Pro versus Amateur
It took me twenty years to develop a style of photography that people recognize and compliment me on. When I finally reached that level, I found I received far more insults than I did compliments. Nine times out of ten the first question is “What kind of camera do you have?” The second one is “Who does your printing?” These are the greatest insults you can throw at a photographer. It is NOT the camera, nor is it the printer. It is the photographer who makes all the decisions about the photograph. And there are a lot of decisions to make. This article will give you over 40 tips on what makes a great photograph. It is my hope that you will better understand and appreciate photography.
Does it make that much difference on the photographer you hire? Only if there is a purpose for taking the photograph. If I was betting on a swimming race I’d place my money on Michael Phelps. If I was picking a web designer, I’d choose one that would get me on the top page of Google. ( I know who that is.) So why would you pick a photographer who isn’t consistently creating great photographs. Perhaps because you have never been taught what elements make a great photograph even though you know when you like a picture.
Every photographer has their own matrix of what a great photograph is. If you gave 40 great photographers the same assignment you would come up with 40 different images. And if you asked 100 consumers which one was the best, there'd be at least 10 number one picks, and maybe as high as 30. The point here is that the term “great” is subjective to each individual's taste. It is important for the client and photographer to know who the audience is. That said, in my matrix there are three qualities to every great photograph: Light; Composition; and Camera Handling. Within those three qualities there are subcategories I call guidelines. To me, photography is a lot like knife fighting - there are no rules.
There are books written on each of the three qualities and maybe one day, when I create the 36-hour day, I will write my own books, but for now you’ll have to settle for Randall’s Notes (similar to Cliff’s Notes, but shorter, I'm only 5' 7").
Light - Seeing the light
Without light there are no photographs. My favorite exercise for photographers
is to take a group in a totally dark room and have someone light a match.
Everybody's eyes will go to that light. The brightest spot wins. So when
you're looking at light, make sure your subject or point of interest receives
the greatest intensity of light. If you have trouble distinguishing intensity,
squint your eyes to eliminate light and then look for the hot spots. This
is the very first thing I do. Of course I wait until the camera is up
to my eye so people don’t think I have a vision problem. (Not the best
impression for a photographer to leave) It also gives you an idea of what
will happen if you under expose your film or a disk. Now that we know
this, let me mention some of the characteristics of light.
Light has brightness - If the Sun does not provide enough light on our subject we must add it, either with a light or a reflector. Light also has color. Sunlight has a different color than an incandescent light bulb and the incandescent light bulb has a different color than a fluorescent light bulb. White light is an equal portion of red, green and blue. Please note the primary colors of light are different than the primary colors of art, which are red, yellow, and blue. Light also has a contrast. That is, the difference between lightest light and the darkest dark. This also helps give form and shape.
Light also has a size, a distance from the subject, and a direction. The source of the light can be direct, diffused, or reflected. To complicate matters further, different subjects reflect, diffuse, or absorb light. All these factors affect the appearance of the subject. It takes a considerable amount of experience to understand how to mix these qualities and factors. The easiest way to learn light and how it works is to turn off your light meter. I was fortunate in that my first camera did not have a light meter and I had to learn to judge light to get my exposure correct.
Learning seems to happen in levels. I thought I had lighting down and I did when it came to exposure, but when I opened up a portrait studio it was a brand new ball game. There you have to create the light you want, not just manipulate what is available. Surprisingly enough, learning how to create light made me an even better outdoor photographer. (See Pro Photographer learns a lesson)
Composition - Arranging the pieces
Composition is like the decor of the photo. There are so many pieces to the
photo puzzle and each one of us has the right to create a masterpiece or
NOT. I have around 20 guidelines that float around in my head based on
what fellow photographers have told me over the past 30 years. Of course
many of these guidelines date back to great artists. There are no rights
or wrongs, it’s all about what works under the conditions. The guidelines
are in no particular order and are not a complete list.
Eyes focus on light - I mentioned above how your eyes turn toward a match lit in a dark room. You want to eliminate any hotspots that will take away from your subject matter. You want the viewer to focus on the subject and not the hotspots, unless the hotspots are the subject.
Rule of thirds - Like I said before there are no rules in art. But some famous artist called this the “Rules of Thirds” so it stuck. I like to think of it as; “When in doubt where do I place my subject.” Take your format, and divide it in thirds with imaginary lines both horizontally and vertically. Any place where those lines intersect is a good spot for your subject. More important is the reasoning behind this rule. A good photograph creates an action or movement. When the subject is smack dab in the middle, our eyes do not subconsciously create movement. Asymmetrical balance creates movement. symmetrical does not. Remember, these are just general guidelines and there are always exceptions to the guidelines.
Choosing your format - 95% of all photographs taken in the world are horizontal format. That is because your typical camera is set for a horizontal format in the viewfinder. However by simply turning the camera on the side you can have a vertical format. (I know, I shouldn't have to say that, but I used to teach photography. You'd be surprised at how many students told me that their camera didn't take vertical pictures.) 99.9% of all magazine covers are a vertical format. The same with brochures. Are you starting to see one of the reasons to shoot vertical every once in awhile? Conversely, computer screens are horizontal. However, the format should be chosen for its psychological purpose. Studies show that the vertical format gives strength and dignity, whereas the horizontal format portrays peace and tranquility. Most portraits are designed to give strength and dignity as many landscapes are horizontal for peace and tranquility. In fact, many computer software companies don't call the formats vertical and horizontal but portrait and landscape.
Keep an eye on the horizon – There is nothing worse than having a great sunset shot with the horizon tipped so it looks like your subject is falling off the page. This is not the problem that it used to be because you can always straighten it out in Photoshop. Who wants to spend their time in Photoshop correcting mistakes that can easily be solved in the camera? Many cameras have a viewing screen that gives vertical and horizontal lines to help you keep subjects in proper alignment. Higher end digital cameras offer this in the menu of tools.
Keep the background simple - So many times people don't even look at the background. That is one of my primary considerations in composition. When I was very young the master of industrial photography, Arthur D'Arazien, said to me; “Take each photograph as if it were the cover of a magazine and you have to place copy on the cover. Do that and you will always be able to sell your photographs.”
Frame your shot - Many times it's that little something in the foreground that enhances the picture. This can be overdone, so be careful. I tend to look for objects that will help tell the story or give it more meaning.
Leave room to move - You don't want your sailing ship falling off the edge of the page. You want to have room for motion. Sometimes that motion can be shown by showing where it's been. For example a hydroplane with a big rooster tail behind it.
Search out camera angles - I don't always get this luxury, but I try to arrive early at an event or location to scout out various camera angles. Most of us walk down the road of life somewhere between 5 and 6 feet and 95% of our photographs are taken from that perspective. I make a conscious effort to change my perspective at least 20% of the time. Remember, there's more than one way to skin a photograph.
Look for the unusual - The unusual can come in many forms. It could be color, behavior, deformities, patterns, light, or close up, just to name a few. That means having your camera ready at a moment's notice or sometimes at a second’s notice.
Given the time of day - A great creative exercise is to photograph the same subject at different hours in the day. Now try it four times a year. Light changes and the sooner you understand light, the better you'll be able to position yourself for that great photograph. I am currently working on a book of old barns. I can look out the window of my house at the cloud formations and weather conditions, and I can tell you which of the 50 barns would be the best to photograph at that particular time. You can only do this if you have the experience to pull from. Try this exercise, you'll be happy you did.
Photograph odd numbers - For some reason all the psychological studies show that we like odd numbers when it comes to repeating subjects. For example one, three, and five ducks are okay to photograph but two, four and six are not as pleasing. Of course there are exceptions and one of those is “couples in love.” Oh, isn't that darling.
Letters that spell success - Look for the formation of pleasing letters. The ones I like to look for are: S, U, C, V, H, O, X, and Z. when you look at the strong lines in composing, you will find these pleasing letters. Sometimes they may be at a different angle or inverted.
Look again – I often take the picture as quickly as I can because it's there. This is good because I have something, but most of the time it gets better because I have more time to process the guidelines floating around in my head. So instead of taking one-shot and putting the camera down, I look and see how I can improve. I’m bound to find something.
The power of repetition - You can say that again - The power of repetition. I didn't say that for a joke. Okay, well maybe I did, but the truth remains that we learn a lot more by repetition. If you read this article twice you'll learn more than if you just read it once. The same is true for a photograph. You'll have a more lasting impression when you see repetition.
Dynamic color - We are attracted to bright and vibrant colors. I am always accused of manipulating color in Photoshop. That's interesting because I was getting dynamic color before Photoshop was around. There are a number of ways to get dynamic color. Let's consider some of them: type of film, intensity of light, distance of light, exposure of the film or a disk, contrast of the paper, and filters on the camera, just to name a few. For starters, just try a polarizer.
Know your subject - It is extremely helpful if you can predict the movements of your subject matter. When I was National Public Relations Director for the Wrestling Division of the Amateur Athletic Union, I was always asked by the Sports Illustrated and ABC photographers how I got such great shots. My answer to them was that after wrestling for 15 years I knew the logical progression of most wrestling moves and their counters. I also knew the styles of each wrestler on the American teams. From that I learned to study the techniques of other sports. In nature your subject is light. Study how light affects color. Every subject has something you can study.
Work for position - This is not always easy, but it helps. For events I don't like to stay in one spot, I like to move with the action. When you stay in one spot you have the same background and the viewer will get tired of too many shots with the same background. On events that are going to be crowded I will sometimes bring my one or two-step stool, which allows me to be 7 to 8 feet tall. It also creates a camera angle to eliminate some hot spots in the background.
Arrive early – When I'm photographing events I always like to arrive early. Some of my better close-up shots are people getting ready. They're in a little more natural state and you can get some great candids.
Ask questions - If you're photographing people or you are around people that own something you're photographing, ask questions. It's always better to ask questions before an event than after. By asking questions you can discover personalities, features, and benefits. Find out how they got to where they are today. When you ask questions early always say you may have more questions later. In doing so you are now accepted and recognized by this person. This gives you a leg up when the event is over and there are many that want to talk to the new celebrity.
Camera Handling
Camera handling can be broken down into two categories; controls in your
camera; and what you do with your camera. You’ll notice I did not say what
kind of camera you own.
Controls on your camera
Exposing your film or disk Or what I like to call “The Three Bears of Photography.” And just like the original Three Bears story you have to find the combination that is “Just Right.” I know, my students used to tell me I sounded like Mr. Rogers. If you don’t understand exposing your film backwards and forwards, you’ll never be a great photographer. Hence, I have developed a separate article on exposure, but let’s talk a little bit about the Three Bears. If you do not expose your film right you have nothing or next to it. (Even though I have switched to digital, I still call it exposing the film.)
The names of the Three Bears are: ISO (Formally named ASA, kind of like Prince), “F-stops, and Shutter Speeds. Together they control the light hitting your film (or disk) to look just like the image you are seeing. If you get too much light your print will look dark, if not enough it will be too light. Not all cameras have variable controls. Some are just fixed and either you can get the correct exposure or you don’t. If you don’t they will tell you to use a flash that alters the light in the picture (Boooooo). So you want a camera that you control and not one that controls you. Whether you are shooting at midnight or high noon there is a certain amount of light. The goal is to match that amount of light.
ISO refers to how sensitive your film or disk is to light. With digital you can change that anytime before you expose your disk. With film it is a fixed characteristic to the type of film you buy. Film normally ranges from 32 to 3200. 32 is not very sensitive to light. This is like your stone-cold killer. 3200 is very sensitive or what I call high maintenance. For you college dudes it’s waking up to bright sunshine and loud music after drinking till 3 in the morning. To give you an idea of the sensitivity, 200 is twice as sensitive as 100. That means you need half as much light to get the correct exposure on 200 as you do on 100.
F-STOPS refers to how big the hole in your lens is that lets light through to the film or disk. All cameras let some light through. You want a camera that has “hole” controls. These are called f-stops. They are numbers like 2, 2.8, 4, 5.6, 8, 11, 16, 22, and 32. A lens usually has seven f-stops. 2 lets in MORE light than 2.8 by twice as much. Each time the number gets higher it lets in half the light. So at lower light levels you may be at 4 or lower. So why do higher numbers mean less light? In real simple terms, it's a mathematical formula. F-22 which is a small opening means that 22 of those diameters could fit in the length of the lens. F2 means only two of those diameters would fit in the barrel of the lens if placed end to end. So now you should not be confused which f-stop lets in more light.
SHUTTER SPEEDS refers to how long the lens opens up, to let light in. Shutter speeds are a measurement of time. Most shutter speeds that you use will be 1/60th of a second or faster. While modern cameras let you choose any measurement of time, there used to be standard shutter speeds that corresponded with the standard f-stops. The standard shutter speeds are: 1/2000, 1/1000, 1/500, 1/250, 1/125, 1/60, 1/30, 1/15, 1/8, and all the way down to BULB, where as long as your finger was on the shutter button the film was receiving light.
Why do I call these “The Three Bears?” Because it's a bear to figure out the combination that will expose your film properly AND allow you to use certain creative controls, which we will touch on next. It's important to memorize your standard f-stops and shutter speeds because they are directly proportional to each other as is the ISO. If I said take three digits and make them add up to 10, what three would you use? Maybe a better analogy would be defusing a bomb. Which wire do you cut, the red, the green, or the black? If you cut everything in the right order you have a great photograph. If you don't you have a bomb. Below you will see why it's important to get the right three numbers.
Controlling motion – The photographer has the ability make a moving subject look like it's standing still, or blur that movement and keep the stationary objects in sharp focus. This gives us tremendous creative control in expressing feelings and emotion. The motion is controlled by the shutter speeds. If your shutter speeds are set at 1/60th of a second and the subject is moving at 1/250th of a second, you are going to have blurred motion. If your shutter speed is set at 1/250th of a second and your subject is moving at 1/60th of the second, you will have sharply frozen your subject in time. Most of the time, you are not going to photograph a track race at 1/60th of a second.
Controlling depth of field – the photographer also has the ability to selectively focus on the subject and blur the foreground and background. Conversely the photographer can make the decision to keep everything in sharp focus. We call this depth of field and it is controlled by the f-stops. F-2 gives you a small depth of field with a background OUT of focus. F-22 gives you a large depth of field with everything in focus.
Controlling grain or noise - Grain is how close together the pixels or clumps of silver are. It is a general belief that the closer together they are, the higher the quality. Some people like the effects of grain and some don't. You can definitely blow up an image bigger with smaller grain. The grain is a byproduct of your ISO. The lower the ISO the smaller the grain. The higher the ISO the larger the grain.
The above three creative controls make it a little more interesting on how you get to the correct exposure. Master “The Three Bears” and you have a good foundation for great photography.
Types of light meters - Many cameras have more than one type of light meter in them. I was fortunate that my first camera didn't have a light meter and I had to learn exposure by looking at the light. (It doesn’t hurt to repeat some things.) Nowadays, I switch between a spot meter, a center weighted meter, a matrix meter and my hand held meter. What type of meter you use and what part of the subject you meter on is critical to your end result. Fortunately with digital you can experiment and everything you do is recorded, so you can go back and look at what is best for certain lighting situations. In the old days we had to write it down and develop the film to see our research.
Bracket - when I was much younger other professionals would tell me to bracket my film. That means to expose it for what I think is right and then add one f-stop more and one f-stop less. Today many of the modern cameras will do that for you. It's a good exercise to learn what you're doing, but the best thing is to recognize the light and “know” what you are doing. You can't get to “know” without bracketing in your career.
What you do with the camera
Now that you know the basic camera controls and some guidelines about composition
you're ready to take pictures or what I like to call “images.” The difference
between a picture and an image is about 10 years experience. So here are
some tips to help shorten those 10 years.
Don’t ask permission - At least once a week someone asks me; “Do you ask permission to take the photographs of people?” My response is; “that depends on if they are paying me.” Do you know what happens when you ask a woman if you can take her picture? She runs to the bathroom to see if everything is in place. I'm serious, this is years of experience. Ask a mother if you can take a picture of a child and you're going to get stiff little statues and phony smiles. I think of myself as a photographer capturing life as it is. Don't ask, but I have to say this with a condition. If you are not in a public place and not where you have permission to be, you have no right to invade privacy. If people don't want their picture taken in a public place they will wave their hands that they don't want a picture taken. You should respect that even if you have the legal right to take pictures in a public place.
Start out and move in – How do you get a natural candid? Well it's tough to get a natural candid with a wide-angle lens. I prefer a 70 to 200 mm zoom lens. Sometimes I’m not even close enough with the 200 mm lens so I start shooting and move in closer to the subject as I shoot. Depending on how close I want to get, the subject will eventually see me, at which case they will either turn away or smile. My experience is that 29 out of 30 will smile.
Share with people - Eventually if I get within a few feet, people will ask me what I am taking pictures for. If they don't I will sometimes ask if they want to see the images I just took. This works great in foreign countries where you can't speak the language. It opens up doors for additional photographs. I have made many friends this way and even pulled in some clients because they referred me. I've always found that it is better to give away a low res image than to sell someone who didn't hire me in the first place. But here's the key - you give them your card and tell them to e-mail or write you. If they really want it they will contact you. My experience is 1 in 500 will ever make contact. There are many publications that require photo releases of all people. For those you are better off getting their name, email and phone number so a publisher or editor can confirm the approval.
Take it when you see it - Have you ever been in a hurry and passed by a scene and said; Oh, I'll come back and photograph that when I have time? If you've been in photography for any length of time, that has happened more than once. I remember a time when I was going to a professional photographers’ convention in Washington State. The featured speaker I believe was Sherman Hines, a noted scenic photographer from Canada. As my friend and I were crossing over the mountain pass to get to the convention we saw the most beautiful lake we’d ever seen. Half the lake was frozen over and had hundreds of tree stumps on the edge sticking out of the water. The other half had a mirror like surface that reflected the snow-covered mountains, blue sky, and billowing white clouds. It was an extraordinary breathtaking sight. We both debated if we should stop. But we didn't want to miss the education of our lifetime either, so we continued on. We got there on time but the speaker was two hours late. He started off his speech with; “I'm sorry I'm late, but I'm a photographer and I just took the most beautiful photographs of my career. I was going across this mountain pass and I saw this lake.” Need I say more? The conditions for any scenic will never be the same. If you like what you see, stop and take it.
Where you focus - This one is pretty simple, your depth of field starts from what you focus on.
Fill in flash or reflector panel - sometimes when you're shooting toward the sun or a bright light, you need more light in the shadow areas. This can be done with either a fill in flash or a reflector panel. I prefer a reflector panel because I can see the intensity of the light and the light doesn't have to come from the camera, it can come from the side giving the subject more shape.
Filters - Filters can alter the colors of your image or they can produce special effects that aren't real. Quite frankly, if I want to alter an image I alter it in Photoshop. The only filter I use other than one to protect my lens from being scratched is a polarizer. I like the saturation it gives me.
Panning - This is a technique I have a lot of fun with. It's a technique to blur the background and keep a moving subject in focus. Basically you place your shutter speeds somewhere between 1/4 second and 1/30th of a second depending on the speed of your subject. Then you follow your subject as it moves. You have to be moving your camera at the same speed as the moving object. You take a shot when you are moving. If you do it successfully, you will have a blurred background and a sharp subject. A common mistake is stopping to take the picture. You should continue your motion even after you have taken the picture. It takes a lot of practice and don't expect to get it right every time.
Low light levels - If you are shooting in real low light levels, and you must set your shutter speed below 1/60th of a second to expose your film properly, here are a few tips. Keep your elbows in close to your body, hold your breath, have your legs a little bit wider than your shoulders, place your thumb on the bottom of the camera and your index finger on the shutter button, press the camera into your face, now slowly squeeze your thumb and forefinger together. If you need more help look for the side of a building, or a fence, or a rock and rest your camera on that. Now that's if you don't have a tripod handy. If you have one, use it.
Have a wide angle lens - There are some shots you can’t get without a wide-angle lens because there's not enough room to back up. However, even when there is enough room you should have a wide-angle lens ready. Case in point, both the Democratic and Republican parties have hired me to photograph the President when he comes to our state. The president and presidential candidates are usually followed by the White House Press Corps. At the end of the speech the President or presidential candidate usually has a photo session with local party members. One of the longtime White House press photographers makes it a habit of putting on his 18 mm lens and standing as close to the group as he can, making sure all the photographers behind him can't get a good shot. This is a situation where you have to match the other photographer millimeter to millimeter and stand next to him or her. There are some photographers that are very protective of their turf. They are not all nice like me.
Now whether you are a seasoned pro, a beginning photographer, or just someone that wants a better understanding of what makes a great photograph, I hope that you were able to pick up at least one tip that will make your photographs or understanding of photographers better. It’s not easy being a photographer and it takes years to put all this information together so it is done instinctively in split-second timing. If being a photographer was easy, there'd be more photographers in the phone book than physicians.
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