Tag Archives: photography tips

September 11, 2013 · 5:35 am

The Windows (and Other Stuff)

Cadiz — Just One of what turned out to be a Really Great Set of (door) Knockers

Cadiz — Just One of what turned out to be a Really Great Set of Knockers . . for the Door

Today we continue our look at composing for detail rather than for the broad overview. The latter gives you a great postcard, but the former is very often the money shot when it comes to reminiscing on past travels and finding shots worthy of framing and hanging on the wall as art.

Santorini Splash

While color can be an important element as to what makes a great shot, it is far from the only consideration. And sometimes adhering to traditional layout such as The Rule of Thirds is essential in bringing out the most interest through creative use of negative space. For instance, this following shot would not have had anywhere near the visual impact had the subject been centered:

Malta Shutters

On the other hand, sometimes you’ll find that a particular subject lends itself to centering and then proportion-enhancing cropping later during post processing:

As for roof shots, as sea of red tile can be quite intriguing:

Tiled Roofs of Lisbon

This week’s Fun Photo Friday will present a half-dozen of some of my favorite examples. Meanwhile, enjoy today’s slideshow (click on any image below):

Azores

Barcelona Beauty

Cadiz Color

Alhambra, Spain

Lisbon Glass

Port Grimaud Balcony

Santorini Store

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September 9, 2013 · 5:35 am

The Doors (and Other Stuff)

No, not The Doors of Jim Morrison fame. Doors such as these:

Sanotorini, Greece

Both this week an next we’ll be discussing some of the most neglected yet interesting photographic subjects around — doors, windows, and rooftops. Additionally, Fun Photo Friday this week and next will feature some of my favorite photographs of these often ignored architectural details.

The Island of Ibiza

When traveling to colorful, rustic locations with lots of history what better way to tell the story of your travels than through architecture? I contend that there simply isn’t one.

Lisbon Rooftops

Anybody with a camera can take a picture of a skyline, but it takes the eye of an artist to zero in on the unexpected and to get the most out of some small detail that may be overlooked by most other tourists.

Malta

But you have to be focused on detail rather than taken in by panorama. By now regular visitors to this blog know that I’m big on thinking outside the box when it comes to photographic compositions. Anyone can snap a shot of the Eiffel Tower, but it takes mental imaging and imagination to focus on just one particular section of some landmark that presents both a unique perspective while preserving the flavor, essence, and recognition factor of that particular landmark. Take Santorini, Greece, as an example. Anyone can take a picture of the blue domes of Santorini, but how many tourists come back with shots such as the following one?

Sanotorini, Greece

Here are a few more examples of focusing on detail rather than trying to take in the clichéd wide view (as always, just click on an image below to bring up a slideshow of the enlarged images):

Lisbon, Portugul

Azores

Malta

Azores

Azores Doors

Port Grimaud, France

Cadiz, Spain

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Filed under Photography, travel

Tagged as photography, photography tips, R. Doug Wicker, travel

August 30, 2013 · 5:35 am

Fun Photo Friday — Using Portrait Orientation for Landscape Shots

Okay, quick: Which picture has the most visual impact? This one?

Or this one?

How about this next example. Do you prefer the traditional landscape orientation of this shot?

Or the unique perspective provided by this one?

Both pair of comparative examples above portray the same subject. The first shot in each example uses the traditional landscape orientation, in which the camera is held in the normal manner so as to provide a horizontally favored composition. The latter shot in both examples were taken with the camera rotated 90° in what is normally referred to as a portrait orientation.

It’s really a shame that we’ve come to label these two orientations “landscape” and “portrait,” because such labels really inhibit creativity in both novice and experienced photographer alike. Far too many people miss a potentially award-winning composition by sticking to landscape orientation for all landscapes and saving portrait orientation for only those times when they’re creating memories of Little Johnnie or their cat George. Yet utilizing so-called “portrait” orientation can frequently provide far more visual impact and esthetic interest than “landscape” ever will.

For instance, landscape orientation might give you an impressive shot such as this:

But let’s face facts. Landscape orientation certainly won’t give you a Blow-It-Up-And-Hang-It-On-The-Wall worthy shot such as this:

In the above example, the portrait orientation provides not only great negative space, but allows much more leeway in utilizing the often ignored but critically important Rule of Thirds.

So if you really want to enhance the composition of you photographic subjects, forget the label “portrait” and start using this orientation for what it really is — a forgotten, seldom-used, subject-enhancing orientation that could really ramp up your photographic artistry.

Photographic composition is a difficult talent to develop. It takes time, lots of practice and experimentation, and the ability to mentally visualize how a subject will look in different, often nontraditional ways. The Rule of Thirds helps in developing this talent, but so too does the simple act of merely rotating your camera on edge and retaking a shot you just took in landscape orientation. Do both and you’ll find more often than not that you’re keeping the portrait orientations and deleting the shot taken in landscape.

So next time you’re out and about taking landscapes, try both orientations and play around with the compositions in each. Remember to use the Rule of Thirds as much as feasible unless the subject would be somehow enhanced by foregoing that method.

Do all that and you might wind up with some real keepers: