Photomcgee: Taking Better Pictures

Introduction:

Taking better pictures……

What’s the difference between a snapshot and a portrait, or a piece of fine art photography? For one, probably price; then the photographer’s skill and experience, the equipment used, the lighting, the post processing, the print quality. That’s a start. Normally, a snapshot comes from your own point-and-shoot or camera phone, then is either printed as a 4x6 by your local department store, or simply shared on social media. Hopefully it’s not kept on your device and never shared, then accidentally deleted.

Here are some definitions:

Source: Me

Portrait: Result of the mind of the artist in connection with the subject, taking into account the environment, mood, and lighting.
Snapshot: Result of a camera picked up to capture a moment.

Source: Dictionary.reference.com

Snapshot: An informal photograph, especially one taken quickly, by a hand-held camera.
Portrait: a likeness of a person, especially of the face, as a painting, drawing, or photograph

Then we turn to Wiki:

Portrait: A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person. For this reason, in photography a portrait is generally not a snapshot, but a composed image of a person in a still position.
Snapshot: A snapshot is popularly defined as a photograph that is "shot" spontaneously and quickly, most often without artistic or journalistic intent. Snapshots are commonly considered to be technically "imperfect" or amateurish—out of focus or poorly framed or composed. Common snapshot subjects include the events of everyday life, such as birthday parties and other celebrations, sunsets, children playing, group photos, pets, tourist attractions and the like.

OK, then - Can you get a snapshot that looks like a portrait? Absolutely, and I hope to help you get closer to that goal.

Can a portrait look like a snapshot? Well, of course the goal is “no”. But it happens! Those are the images that you don’t see! They are left in-computer. Deleted? Probably not – I have a hard time deleting anything.

So why hire a professional photographer? To keep me in business of course, and it IS all about me after all, right? But seriously. A professional photographer has the experience to quickly analyze the scene and capture the best shot. She knows how to: Best pose a subject; Take advantage of a model’s best features, and diminish the not-so-perfect features; Use lighting to enhance the model; Capture a child’s personality; and Use props to accentuate the scene. And hiring a professional provides that special experience. It says “this is a special day” and “I can be the star”. And lastly, a professional photographer has a “good camera”. And I say "lastly" and rather tongue-in-cheek because it’s so minor. Equipment is important, but it’s not the most essential element. One of the most frustrating statements I hear when a client sees some of my most prized pieces is “wow, these are wonderful, you must have a good camera” arrrrgggghhhh!!!

So here are some tips for getting your snapshots to look more like portraits. This is the outline I intend to follow, but it may change as I get questions or comments, or more ideas.

1. Composition

2. Lighting

3. subject

4. focus

5. surroundings

6. mood, story

7. pose

8. photo editing

1. Composition.

Since a photograph is simply capturing a scene, a moment, a person, a feeling, etc, the composition shouldn’t matter, right? If you are simply documenting an event so you can remember at a future date, probably not. But how much more feeling and interest would that image have if you put some thought into composing it?

a. The Rule of Thirds:

Rules? We don’t need no stinkin’ rules! But often rules help us organize our landscape for a more pleasing balance. This is one of the more key photography rules, and simply stated: Don’t automatically put the main subject or interest point right smack in the middle of the picture. But remember, rules are made to be broken, as long as you know and understand the rule and are breaking it on purpose.

Imagine an image divided into thirds (so nine sections). Your subjects or points of interest should be placed along the lines, or even better, on one of the intersections points. Or at least close. Studies show that your eye more naturally goes to one of the intersection points. So for instance, the horizon or the seashore shouldn’t cross the middle of your shot. If you look at the images below, you can see that I’ve broken that rule in some cases.

This is one of my favorite “breaking the rules” shots. I admire the work of famous photographer Peter Lik. When I saw this scene in Grand Turk, his style inspired me to capture “Dock”. Yep, the main subject goes right up the middle of the picture. I was careful not to cut the image in half with the horizon, but the wooden dock breaks the rule wonderfully! We present this as a 20x30 metal print at our art fairs, and customers say they feel they can walk right into the image and out to the dock.

b. Add interest

Think of this: What is included in the subject’s foreground, background, immediate area? What colors exist in your picture canvas? Are there any interesting objects, or patterns? Is there a feeling or mood for which you are shooting? Is there a story to tell? Of course, if you are quickly capturing a surprising moment, you won’t have time to think through all of those aspects. But the more experience you have shooting pictures, the quicker you can analyze those possibilities.

Foreground/Background: A photo is more interesting if you plan out the space. Frame your subject, pay attention to the objects around you. Move your subject around and move around your subject. See if you can move an object to a place in the photography (be careful of safety, weight and legalities)

This picture of a sunset is very pleasing.

But take that same scene, and add a rowboat and some sea oats in the foreground, and a sailboat in the background for a much more interesting picture.

Portrait Examples:

This portrait of beautiful Emily is an example of interest in the foreground (she’s holding some of the plants in front of her) and the background (an old building), framing the model.

Foreground and shapes come into play here. The shape of the water spouts in the foreground mirrors Emily’s pose.

Use props:

We bought this seashell from an open-air market, then snuck the towels off our cruise ship for this shot in Grand Turk. (we took them back of course)

Not much explanation needed for this prop. Just the thought process: – this is a beautiful sunset – what could I put in the picture to make it more interesting?

Tell a Story: When interviewing a portrait customer, it’s really important to discover “the story”. I happen to know the story of Owen and Julia (pictured below) very well, since they are my grandchildren. Owen takes great delight in teaching Julia all about the world around them. So all I had to do was let them interact, and be ready.

This shot of an adorable brother and sister is nice. They look comfortable and casual in this park setting.