We all have those days. Days where you know you want to do something with your camera or photographs, but the motivation tank is on Empty. I’ve been having some of those days recently and came up with a list to help pop me out of the rut and back to being productive. This list is by no means exhaustive and I’d appreciate any additions that work for you, in the comments section.
TIP #1 - Go for a walk
I know, I know. It’s one of the hardest things to do when you’re not feeling motivated. Even worse if it’s raining outside. But getting your bum off the chair or sofa and out the door is a great first step. It is a lot easier to just keep staring at the computer screen and letting your analytical mind wander, sometimes feeling like you’re accomplishing something, but getting your blood pumping and elevating your heart rate will help activate your creative mind. It doesn’t need to be a long or fast walk. Just 15 minutes will be enough to get the juices flowing.
It also helps because it removes you from an environment that is obviously not helping you become creative at the moment. I like this method because it requires no special equipment, clothes or location. Everyone has ‘outside’ out their front door. Just lace up some shoes or boots and get your heart going!
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This is just a quick note to remind readers that we offer a variety of ways to subscribe to and keep in touch with Digital Photography School (DPS). Many of you are new to the site so I wanted to take a moment to give those of you who have just joined us a short rundown on the options to keep up with the latest posts and forum discussions.
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Let me start by pointing out that we have two areas of DPS”
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The following post on The Best Photo Tip I Ever Received is by San Francisco based photographer Jim M. Goldstein. Learn more about him at the end of this post.
Far and away the best photo tip I’ve received to date has been…
“Capture an image with a sharp foreground and the rest will follow.”
What does that mean and why is it so significant?
It means display something in the foreground of your photo that is in sharp focus and the other elements in the mid or background will lend itself well to the scene as a whole whether in soft or sharp focus. By default the human brain strives to find something to focus on and make sense of… a means to put order to the chaos of our surroundings if you will. You can think of this focal point as an anchor. Having an anchor of focus to the scene you photograph is extremely important. In fact I bet most of you don’t even realize you’re looking for a visual anchor when viewing an image. This behavior is an unconscious one, but a very important behavior to exploit in ones photography.
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Have you ever tried to photograph a candle lit scene with your digital camera?
The results can be stunning with the warm glow of flickering flames reflecting off your subjects face (can you feel the romance?) but the shooting in such a low light environment make it can make it a challenging situation.
Here are a few tips on how to get that perfect candle light portrait!
1. Turn off Your Flash
Lets start with the obvious ones and work our way back. We’ve all taken shots using a flash in low light situations and have been disappointed by the way it totally destroys any ambient light in a shot. If you want to get the warm glow of candles it’s essential that you switch your flash completely off. There is of course an exception - see point 15 below.
2. Use a Tripod
Stating the obvious again - but shooting by candlelight means you’re shooting with very little light which in turn means you’ll almost certainly be shooting with slower shutter speeds that increase the impact of camera shake on your shots. Make sure your camera is as secure and as still as possible during shots by using a tripod and by considering the use of a remote shutter release to take out any vibrations from hitting the shutter.
3. Extra Candles
The biggest challenge with candlelight photography is the lack of light you have to work with. Using more candles will obviously produce more light which gives you a little more flexibility when it comes to shutter speed, ISO and aperture settings.
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Weekly Assignment
This week we finished our Low Light / Night Photography assignment. And from the looks of it, there were a lot of photographers out wandering around after dark. There were a lot of great entries, but we’ve managed to pick three of our favourites. Our winner was Sodaman420 for the picture of the ferris wheel which not only had great colours, but also was sharp with a great sense of movement. Our first runner up was gblock for his self-portrait with light trails, a picture that he said he was incredibly proud of, and we have to agree that it’s a good one. Our final runner up is NicholasBrian for his picture of a closed fair gate, which has a great reflection and mood. Fairs are just one of those things that seem to cry out for night photography, with summer coming up in the Northern Hemisphere, maybe these shots will provide some inspiration for people.
This week we also started the Five Senses Assignment. Even though photography is a 2D medium, it can still evoke senses and feelings. So, taste, touch, sound, smell, or sight, how would you make us feel those in a photograph? Maybe it’s a strong cup of coffee or the softness of a blanket, but whatever it is, make us sense it. In order to be eligible for the mini-contest, your picture must have been taken between 15 - 28 May 2008, your EXIF must still be intact, and you must include “Assignment: The Five Senses” somewhere in your post so that we know you want it to be included. Next week’s assignment is Shot from the Hip, so see if you can come up with a great shot without actually looking through the viewfinder.
Weekly Poll
Last week we asked forum members whether they mostly used a backpack or shoulder bag to carry around their gear, and the results were pretty close! Feel free to keep telling us about the bag you use or the bag you want in this thread.
Of course, if you’re like daft_biker, then maybe you don’t even need a camera bag “Most of the time I don’t take a bag as it just gets in the way and slows me down. I usually just hang the camera with lens and flash attached from my left shoulder and walk a mile or two to get where I want to go then put the strap round my neck and we’re good to go. Tripod can hang from the other shoulder if I take it.”
This week, come tell us if you store your camera with or without the lens on? Read the rest of this entry
What do you think of HDR Images?
Over in our forums we have many thousands of reader submitted images in our Share Your Shots, How I Took it and Critique sections (as well as others) but one type of image that has really grown in popularity over the last year has been the HDR image (HDR = High Dynamic Range). I’ve posted a few below for those of you who don’t know what HDR images are.
There are numerous discussion on HOW to make HDR images in our forums but one recurring discussion that I’m seeing around the web is over whether it’s a form of photography that people like. Some people love the effect and others hate it. Some say it’s not ‘pure’ photography others ask what pure photography really is? Some call it ‘fake’ and others see it as a thing of beauty.
I thought it’d make an interesting discussion. Do you like HDR images? What do you like or dislike about them?
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