Holga Blog

In part one of this article I included some photography basics.  This second part will have more tips on how to make good pictures.

Good and better pictures

To help you figure out what makes a good picture, the book gives examples of good and better pictures for all sorts of scenarios.

What are the subtle elements of appeal that make people exclaim over a picture, and then follow their exclamation with those sweetest of all words, “You mean you took this picture yourself?”

In this chapter, we’ll try to answer those questions, at least in part, by comparing a number of good and better pictures and analyzing the features that make them successful.

points to remember

Every rule in portraiture has its exceptions, but these usually hold true:

- Keep the background simple.  Outdoors, the sky is one of the best backgrounds.

- For an effect of candor, let your subject look directly at the camera; for a dreamy or detached effect, let the subject look beyond the camera.

- Don’t center your subject.  The picture at the top of this page would be better if trimmed or “cropped” at the right.  Block off half an inch, and see for yourself.  In your first pictures, try placing the subject’s head about halfway between the center and one corner, s in the picture above.  And don’t crowd the subject’s head against the top of the picture; leave enough room for comfort.

- Sunshine lends sparkle to an outdoor portrait – but keep the sun out of your subject’s eyes.

- Avoid noon sun.  Mid-morning or mid-afternoon sun tends to give a pleasing 45-degree lighting.

points to remember

- Pictures are more interesting when they tell a story.  And all it takes is a subject doing something… doing almost anything!  Make a list of small every day events – a boy putting on his skates, a pup greeting a kitten, Dad putting cream in his coffee.  Make it as long as you like- and you’ll find a “story” picture in every item!  Never forget this, because it’s the basic secret of interesting snapshots.

- Back lighting and “open shade” are very pleasant for pictures of children – and adults with blonde hair.  Give abotu twice the normal direct-sunshine exposure.

Some picture suggestions are a bit dated – I think ‘hands’ might have passed out of favor as a popular photography subject.  Perhaps the modern reincarnation would showcase hands with technology?  Perhaps hands on a laptop or iPhone or Nintendo DS…

Trains are still a photographer favorite:

Pictures taken in mist and fog will probably always be in fashion, but are hard to get right!  Fear not, here are some hints:

points to remember

- A “strong” foreground – a prominent shadow, figure or dark object – accents the feeling of depth or distance in a picture.  It adds “third dimension.”

- A dark object against a light area, or a bright object against a dark area, helps create a “center of interest.”  It attracts your eye; and the stronger the contrast, the stronger the attraction.  Artists speak of “placing the brightest highlight against the deepest shadow” – as the best way to force the observer’s attention just where they want it to go.

- Foreground figures commonly help a scenic picture, city or rural.  They should look at the scene, not at the camera.

- Usually, the most important object in a picture should be placed about halfway between the center of the picture and one corner.  Note the placing of the heads and umbrella, in the picture above.

Pictures in full color

points to watch in color shooting

It’s easy to “shot it in color” – if you heed a few elementary points of technique.

First – use the right film for the light.

Second point of technique – correct location and lighting of your subject, for best color rendering. Use bright light while avoiding harsh shadows.

Third point – correct exposure.  Color films demand more exact exposure than do black-and-white films.  Err in exposure, an dthe color goes “off” – it turns pale and weak with overexposure, or dark and muddy with underexposure.

other points for fine work

The most important of these points are color harmony, color arrangement, and contrast – both color contrast and contrast of light and shade.

In nature, most of the color combinations tend to be pleasing and harmonious – not clashing, garish, noisy.  You will do well, when you select or arrange your subjects, to follow that example.  Most beginners crowd too much raw color into their pictures – violent reds, greens, purples, yellows.  That’s not only unnecessary, but dead wrong.  A very small amount of color will produce a pleasing picture.

Color arrangement follows, in some measure, the rules of black-and-whte pictorial composition.  The picture, as a whole, should appear pleasantly balanced and well-organized – not too “heavy” on one side, nor scattered.  Your eye should be led in, and should go naturally to a center of interest, and rest there.

odd angles – their risks and uses

The normal camera level is the subject’s own eye-level – a bit higher sometimes if he ha s a too-prominent chin, or a bit lower if his forehead is too prominent.  However, a very low position can sometimes be used outdoors if you want the sky for a pleasing plain background.  A very high position may be used for a picture that’s interesting and different, worth while because of its novelty of presentation.

That’s all the tips I’ll be sharing in this article – I hope you find some of it useful, or at least entertaining!  I’ll leave you with this at-the-zoo tidbit.  :)