For years I heard portrait photographers recommend getting closer to the subject. I read Robert Capa’s advice: “If your picture isn’t good, get closer.” I noticed that great outdoor photographers like John Shaw and Bruce Dale applied this principle in many of their best works. Filling the frame with the subject helps it dominate competing objects, reveals intimate textures and details, and simplifies the composition. Continue reading “Trite but True #12: Get closer”
Trite but True #11: Be patient
Taking great photographs is exciting, Time is limited. You are in a hurry. Adrenaline is flowing. Click, click, click, click, click. On to the next location! After a while I noticed a pattern: The best sunsets were the ones that occurred as I was packing up my gear-or worse, the ones I glimpsed in my rear-view mirror. Continue reading “Trite but True #11: Be patient”
Trite but True #10: Capture the decisive moment
The term “decisive moment” is most often associated with Henri Cartier-Bresson, the patron saint of street photography. It refers to capturing that instant that characterizes a scene or an activity. Continue reading “Trite but True #10: Capture the decisive moment”
Trite but True #9: Look, really look, through the viewfinder
You would not want to be standing near me when I discover a preventable composition error in a photograph as I view it on my computer. The air turns blue and lightning bolts emerge from my head. I suffer total frustration and guilt because I could have corrected the error if only I had spotted it in the viewfinder or on the display on the back of the camera. Continue reading “Trite but True #9: Look, really look, through the viewfinder”
Trite but True #8: Keep a camera with you always
I’m not expecting an alien spaceship to land in front of me today. But if it does, I’ll get the pictures – If I have a camera with me. Continue reading “Trite but True #8: Keep a camera with you always”
Trite but True #7: Take lots of pictures
Armed with high-capacity memory cards, we can shoot without guilt. If in doubt take the shot. And with tools like Lightroom and Aperture, it has become practical to review, prune, edit, and catalog hundreds or thousands of images. Continue reading “Trite but True #7: Take lots of pictures”
