Blogged by: Brian Bruner
Although visiting places I have never seen is one of my favorite things to do, it is the people I encounter along the way that make my trips special. The candid photos of these perfect strangers are what complete my photo albums. People make your photos more natural and alive. The tough part - everything is spontaneous. In fact, more often than not, my photos with the highest level of spontaneity are my favorites.
However, we should always be mindful of the individual’s privacy. When taking candid photos of people living their everyday lives, always place yourself into their shoes. If the person does not seem to want their photo taken, then do not take their picture. But if you show common courtesy or simply pass along a smile, many people will be more accomodating to let you take their photo.
The great thing about the picture above is that I hardly remember taking it. It has become one of my favorite photos I have ever taken. The colors are consistent, there are a few background and foreground items that add to the image (the swamp, the trees, and the temple ruins), and the man resting and thinking tell a small story about his life.
One of the great challenges of taking candid photos is patience. It is easy to take a photo of someone with a silly expression on their face. The greater challenge is getting everything right - the facial expression, the colors, the background, etc. The photo needs to tell a story. And when everything comes together, it will tell a fantastic story!
Many times while taking candid photos, you are really trying to capture a special moment. Always be ready to shoot, because that perfect moment can come and go in a split second. Take plenty of photos. You never know when perfect timing will happen. You can never create “perfect timing”.
Natural outdoor lighting always makes your candid photos turn out better than indoor lighting. Avoid using a flash whenever possible. However, don’t always believe that the sun has to be shining brightly for your pictures to be perfect. Soft shadows can be a great effect to your photo. Sunlight brings out the bright colors, but it also causes people to squint. It can also cast unwanted heavy shadows on your subject’s face.
Another key is to make sure your subject stays occupied with what they are doing. Make them forget there is someone aiming a camera at them. If that happens, your subject could try to “act” instead of being natural. Most of the time, this will show in your photo. The story you are hoping to see will not be there.
Sometimes I think candid photography is a walking contradiction. It’s difficult to get a great shot, but it’s simple to accidentally get the perfect storyteller. Be aggressive, but don’t get in your subject’s face. And enjoy it, even when you get frustrated!
Go out and give it a shot. Whether you are a world traveler or a small town local, you can take beautiful candid photos. Whether it’s your local barber in Loogootee, Indiana or a traditional folk dancer in Bali, Indonesia, your picture will tell a wonderful tale!
For more examples, visit my flickr page.
Sometimes artistic photos can be created from everyday objects, like peepholes!
Peepholes are not just for doors. You cannot deny it. Peepholes are fun—the kind of mindless amusement that comes from playing with simple toys like a Slinky or silly putty.
When I found an old peephole sitting in my junk drawer, I instinctively picked it up and began to play. I loved how the peephole distorted the world around me. I realized I had to try taking pictures through my newly rediscovered do-it-yourself fisheye lens.
This was the beginning of my “through the peephole” photography. This first peephole I used had a small viewing area and made it difficult to get a good focused shot. After a quick trip to a local hardware store, I found a peephole with a one inch viewing area. It was perfect for getting the focused shots with that fisheye look that I was going for.
For a peephole like I found (with the larger viewing area), you can expect to pay around $10-a small price to pay for artistic images and hours of fun.
When you have your peephole and you are ready to begin, just hold the peephole in front of your lens and see if your automatic focus setting picks up a clear image through the peephole. With my SLR and using manual focus, I hold the peephole between two fingers (like a cigarette) an inch or so in front of the lens, which still gives me the flexibility to focus manually with the same hand.
If you are worried about scratching your expensive camera lens, just use common sense. I have taken a lot of pictures through the peephole and it has never been an issue. If you want to be extra cautious, use your camera’s lens hood for added protection.
Sure, playing with a peephole is far from rocket science. But hey–rocket science is boring! Enjoy being creative with photography. Artistic photos are just a junk drawer treasure hunt away!
Blogged by: Brian Bruner
Have you ever seen an impressive panoramic photo and thought, “I wish I had a camera that would take photos like that?” Fortunately, if you have a camera–you can take panoramics! This type of photography is easier than you think. All you need are a consistent series of photos and a process called “stitching”. There are several software programs available that include this tool. I prefer to use Microsoft Digital Image Suite.
Start out by setting up a tripod. A tripod is not required, but it does help in keeping your camera steady. Make sure the camera is mounted level to the ground or horizon and zoom out slightly more than you expect the image to appear. The reason for this is because stitching the photos together will require you to slightly crop the image as a final step.
Begin taking your photos from the left (or the right if you are from Europe!) Your first photo should target the extreme end of the scene you are trying capture. For the remaining photos, the thing to remember is to overlap the previous photo by about 30%. Later on when you stitch these together, the software will automatically piece the series of images by detecting that overlap. The example below shows each photo taken with the necessary overlap to create the final panoramic photo.
Click on the image below to see how to overlap your photos.
This photo was taken at the top of Twin Peaks in San Francisco. As you can see, I was able to capture many of the great city landmarks: The Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, Coit Tower, The Oakland Bay Bridge, The TransAmerica Pyramid, and downtown San Francisco.
After taking the series of photos, it’s time to let the software do its job! The process will ask you to select the photos you wish to stitch. After selecting the series of photos, the program will automatically detect the overlap and line up all of your images! The stitched image will have a “fish eye” appearance when completed. The final step is to simply crop the rough “fish eye” edges of the photo and you are finished!
Below is an unfinished panoramic I took at Mt. Abu, India. This is a great example as to why you should use a tripod. Notice the unlevel range of images I took. This photo also shows the “fish eye” effect you get before you crop your stitched image.
I was able to salvage the photo, but I did have to lose some detail of the rock at the bottom of the image.
If creating panoramics is something you would like to try, here are a few hints:
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Make sure not to adjust the zoom while snapping the series of photos.
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Focus each shot exactly the same as the previous shot.
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Use a tripod to make sure your photos are steady, level, and consistent with the horizon.
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Avoid capturing a close moving object such as a person or car.
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Refrain from using a polarized filter. This could affect the color of the sky across your final image.
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Be consistent in the overlap of your photos.
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Crop the final stitched image for a finished look.
For more examples, visit my Flickr page…
Blogged by: Carrie Bruner-Hillyard
Sometimes an artistic photo can come from taking a “bad photo.” In fact, I often take bad photos intentionally by overexposing my digital images.
Overexposing simply means that you are letting more light into your photograph. It whitens your photos and can be an interesting and easy technique for you to make one-of-a-kind images. Often times, the edges of the subject you are photographing will have a softened glow, especially with backlighting. (Yes, ladies, with the right lighting overexposed images of yourself can make you look slimmer!)
Before you try this on your own, you should be aware that overexposed photos usually take minor photo editing. I prefer to use software that allows you to adjust the midtones. Without editing, your photo may appear washed out. But after a quick increase of midtones, prepare to be surprised at what jumps out at you.
Shown above are some pictures I took with different levels of exposure. The top picture, Photo A, shows the type of picture my camera took on the automatic exposure setting. The sky has its natural color and all of the details of the trees are visible. In the middle, Photo B shows a photo that is intentionally overexposed. Notice the sky is no longer blue and everything has a whitened appearance, almost as though it has a thin layer of haze. The bottom photo is also Photo B–with one difference. Using my photo editing program, I quickly adjusted the midtones to reveal the exciting image that was hiding within my overexposed photo.
If you are looking for a way to make your photographs have a clean, edgy look—forget the rules of photography! Try changing your exposure setting to make a strong artistic impression.
