Tuesday, October 16, 2012

New Series on Photography

I know what you are thinking. Every blogger out there does a series on photography tips for bloggers. But I think this is going to be different for you. My perspective on photography is not the same as others because I have different goals in mind when I take a photograph. When I read some tips and tutorials, I can't believe anyone would follow them. I'm not here to knock any one specifically, so don't worry about that, it's just that we all have our own way of approaching something.

Jameson Running
Capturing a moving object can be tricky. With practice you can achieve a clear
photograph that is as dynamic as real life.
 
Curious Bird
Animals have personalities that are waiting to come to life in an image.
My series is going to focus on the basic elements of a good photograph. This can apply to fine art as well as presentation of a project. My background in photography comes from experimenting as a child (well, and adult) as well as studying it as an art form in college. I also intend to share some bad photographs along the way. To get the ones I share here (and keep in general), I sometimes take dozens of options.

Wolf
Shooting from a different angle can bring about a surprising result. (This
photo was shot from high above the wolf.)
 
Snake
Darkness and indoor, direct lighting can be tricky when shooting.

The main topics will be in composition, lighting, capturing movement, self portraits, photographing animals to show their personality, perspective, abstraction, telling a story, and more.

Meerkat
Forcing a viewer to see the world in a certain way can be eye opening.

I have pulled a number of photographs I have taken with a simple point and shoot digital camera to share in this post. In future posts, I will be using photos from my past as well as taking new ones to illustrate the topic. I have not edited these in any manner except to had a watermark.

Jameson
Another forced perspective that is unexpected.

My hope is that there will be something you can take from this and apply to your own photographs. I will not be teaching how to use your camera (at least not yet). The majority of my background is in film and there are different considerations when shooting in that manner.

Bras on Broadway
A sense of humor is a welcome addition to a photograph.
 
Angus!
Changing the viewpoint (in this case kneeling down instead of shooting from
above) results in a superior image.

In the future, I will be investing in a DSLR. For those of you who have read my blog (and remember my views on digital), this may come as a surprise. I am still very pro-film over digital but I also know I miss taking photographs like I used to. Having a digital camera that can shoot like my SLR will spark that again. Once I learn this new camera (model yet to be determined) I may start to walk through how to take advantage of your cameras features.

Air Show
Overcoming distance and moving objects are a challenge at times.
 
Blue Angels
Even faster moving objects here. Also the challenge of bright sunlight.

I hope you join me as I share my approach to capturing life with a camera. Photography is a passion of mine and while my favorite form of it is dying, I want to ignite the passion in others. This series is not going to have a set schedule but I am aiming to post at least twice a month.

Me and Jameson
Not the best photograph of myself but this captures Jameson so well.

See you next time with some progress on my WIPs!

2 comments:

Pam @Threading My Way said...

My photos are definitely hit and miss, so I am really looking forward to this series, Katie. The photo of the back view of an animal standing on a rock is brilliant!!!

Allison said...

this sounds great! long long ago, I used to be very into photography. back when I used film and developed it in a darkroom. quilting has replaced photography as my creative outlet, since it is easier to pursue with young kids around, but lately I have been wanting to try my hand with my first art form again; now that everything is digital and foreign to me :)