| I improved my photography by carefully reading and
observing photographs printed in many books about photography that the library
at BITS, Pilani had. There are many books available in the market, most
of the libraries in colleges and other institutions also keep such books
in their collection. Coffee table books are also very helpful as one can
see how other photographers take pictures. While looking at photographs
one should try to study lighting, angle, composition, background etc. Photography
is an art and one would improve at it with practice. Keep taking photographs
and keep studying the results, when you read a book on photography try to
internalize the techniques but at the same time don’t forget there
are no ‘rules’. If a photograph appeals to an eye, it will be
appreciated.
If you are shooting outdoors…different lighting conditions can make significant difference, you can get amazing results on a cloudy and overcast day. Morning or late afternoon sun means longer shadows and just after rain you may expect better sky color and clearer pictures. Serious photography also requires lot of patience, during my trip to Greece; often I had to wait for 20 or 30 minutes for crowd to move before I could take pictures. Some times I even waited for clouds to move and light to improve. Plan your photography sessions well, keep enough time at hand so that you are not rushed. I still use films a lot and have not adapted to digital cameras. It is better to use 100ASA film as these films have smaller grain size which means better enlargements. I typically go in for 5" X 7" prints, though a little expensive, but I find this size to be the better than post card size or 4" x 6" size, to ascertain the quality of picture, sharpness etc. It is always better to use tripod to avoid the problem of camera shake. When using a 70-200 mm zoom lens a very minor camera shake will make the picture blurred. It is better to use a tripod if you are operating with shutter speeds lower than 1/100 (the chances of camera shake are very high at speeds like 1/30 or 1/60). It is very easy to hold the camera to your eye in the normal standing position. But if the camera is held either below 4 ft or higher than 7 ft, you will find the pictures more appealing. Try climbing on a ladder or sit or lie down on the ground, depending upon what suits the subject, you will find a great deal of difference in your photographs. Eiffel Tower must have been clicked millions of times; I took this picture of Eiffel Tower almost lying on the ground. A shorter depth of field also adds a lot to close-ups. You can do this by keeping the aperture wide open, this will bring your main subject into sharp focus and the background will get out of focus. Of course you will have to use faster shutter speeds when the aperture is wide open. About choosing a right camera - an SLR is the best choice. These days you get fully automatic SLR cameras, but if you can get one with a manual over-ride for aperture and shutter speed setting it can be a real asset to fuel your creative skills. If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to write to me on agendra@silhouettesetc.com |