Anna Saverimuttu's Photography Blog

Oxford in the rain

There's nothing like visiting a new place to get inspiration; most people take hundreds, if not thousands of photos when they go on holiday because everything is new and they're seeing it with fresh eyes. 

But you don't necessarily have to go to the furthest flung corners of the earth for inspiration.  Anywhere that takes you away from the familiar spaces outside your front door will do.  So last Thursday I decided to visit Oxford - I've always loved it here anyway, and the buildings and all the architectural details are great for photography.  I wish I could say the same for the weather which was, in a word, WET.  However, a bit of rain is no excuse to stop taking photographs, and I actually managed to take a surprising number both during and in between the downpours, which varied from light sprinklings to torrential cloudbursts, complete with thunder and lightning.

There are some things you just have to photograph and get out of your system in Oxford, and bicycles are one of them.

Using selective focusing and a shallow depth-of-field is a great way of homing in on a particular detail in a shot and leading the viewer's eye into the frame.

I really liked the design of the grille outside this window.

When the rain was at its heaviest I joined the ever-increasing numbers taking shelter underneath the canopies outside Blackwell's bookshop.

The Bridge of Sighs - another of those shots that you just have to take.

I seem to have an aversion to keeping the camera straight. 

More architectural details!

This shop was stuffed full of everything you can imagine.

And of course, Oxford wouldn't be the same without its secondhand bookshops (although they are disappearing fast).

How to Photograph Groups

Whether it be the family group at a wedding, the local football team, a school party or a corporate team picture, photographing large groups of people presents its own particular challenges.

Top Tips for Successfully Photographing Groups

1. Do your preparation - find out at least roughly how many people will be in the group; that way, at least you can plan your shot in advance and decide on what (if any) lighting you are going to use.
2. Make sure people know who's in charge right from the start.  A large gathering of people with no one to direct them will descend surprisingly quickly into chaos.  Your job on the day is really one of chief entertainer, so while you're working out how best to arrange them and all the other boring technical details, don't forget to keep talking to people; personally, I find that I'm generally talking a lot of nonsense, and can never remember afterwards exactly what I've said.  But if I've kept people amused, then that's all that concerns me.
3. If you're having to arrange people in rows (not my favourite arrangement, but sometimes a necessary one), with a mixture of some sitting and some standing, I find that it's better to have the taller ones sitting down. Having a row of tall people standing and shorter ones sitting in front increases the gap between the two rows of heads too much.
4. Rows of people often look better if the rows are curved in slightly at both ends to create a semi-circular arrangement.
5. Try and photograph them from slightly above.  This can really help ensure that everyone's faces will be seen, particularly with larger groups;  it also provides a more interesting angle.
6. This should go without saying, but take lots of pictures - the more people there are in your shot, the more pictures you should take, since the more likely it is that a) someone will blink or b) someone won't be looking in the right direction: and if you're really unlucky, it could be both! Obviously, there is a limit to how much you can shoot of the same set-up, since people's expressions will quickly start to glaze over if you just put the camera on 6 frames-per-second mode and fire away.  You need to direct them between shots, so that as well as always looking at you, their expressions are engaged and interested.
   
7. Try to avoid placing everyone's eyes on the same level.  It's probably the least exciting option as the viewer's eye will travel in a straight line across the picture and the arrangement lacks any kind of dynamism.
8. Again, with family groups, show the relationship between different members of the family and have them move closer together so there are no awkward gaps.

What Makes a Professional Photographer?

I came across this quote the other day, and its relevance to the practice of professional photography really struck me.

"Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives." William A Foster

This post is linked to several categories in my blog - Photographic Equipment is not one of them :)

Are your photos boring?

"The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera." Dorothea Lange

Why is it that sometimes when you look at your photos, the results are disappointing and don't quite live up to your expectations?  Somehow, the scene or the subject seemed much more exciting than it appears in your final image.

Much of this comes down to the gap between the inspiration which made you take the picture in the first place, and the techniques you employed when you took it. The more you can close this gap, the better your photography will become.  You've seen the picture you want to create in your mind's eye, but you need to use the right techniques to do it justice. Here are some common mistakes and some simple remedies which should help sharpen up your picture-taking skills, and increase your success rate.

Photos that look no different from what was in front of you at the time. 

Taking a photograph as opposed to a "snap" means that you should be interpreting and reacting to what's in front of you rather than just recording it.  So if you have different lenses, use them to create different effects.  Vary your angle. There's no reason to shoot everything from eye level - that's the lazy option; instead, try crouching down and shooting from below, or stand on something and shoot from above.  Experiment, experiment, experiment and breathe some life into your photography!

Lacklustre landscapes.  

If you feel that your landscapes are missing a certain something, try varying the position of the horizon.  Many beginners place the horizon slap-bang in the middle of the shot; this can have the effect of creating quite a static image, with little drama in it.  Instead, try using the Rule of Thirds, and placing the horizon in either the lower or upper third of the frame.

Shooting at the beginning and end of the day can also add some oomph to your landscape shots; the colour of the light is warmer and, when the sun is low in the sky on a winter's day, the long, raking shadows it casts can create a lot of impact.

Too much contrast.

Avoiding excessive contrast will give you a wider range of tones in your photographs, and will help you avoid the problem of bleached out highlights and blocked up shadow areas which lack detail.  Even lighting is much more flattering for portraits in particular.

Subject too small in the frame.

"If your pictures aren't good enough, you aren't close enough." - Robert Capa

Subject placed centrally in the shot.

Again, consider the placement of your subject; whether it be a person, a tree, or a building, try positioning them away from the centre of your frame, with an uneven area of space around them.

Disappointing close-ups.

If you've ever tried to take a really detailed close-up shot of a flower on a point-and-shoot camera, or one with just a standard lens, the results probably won't have been quite as impressive as you'd anticipated. 

For extreme close-ups that show every hair on a leaf for instance, you need a special macro lens; a macro lens both magnifies your subject and allows you to get really close and focus properly on the detail.  A basic camera with a standard fixed lens, however, just won't be able to do such small subjects justice. 

But that's not to say that you can't take interesting photos on a point-and-shoot or with a standard lens; it just means that if you know your camera's limits, then you can use these to your advantage.

So, instead of picking very small subjects, pick something larger and fill the frame with it to create an abstract pattern. Use lighting and composition to your advantage - these can be far more powerful tools than owning the "right" camera.

 

 

How to take great outdoor portraits

• Look for the light. Make sure that it's not too harsh and that it's not shining into your subject's eyes. Photographing in the full glare of the midday sun will cause you all sorts of problems from "panda eyes" to excessive contrast in your shot. Remember, you don't necessarily need a sunny day for successful outdoor portraiture. In fact, a little cloud is a good thing as it will act like a giant diffuser, softening the unflattering effects that strong sunlight can produce. If the sun is very strong, then look for an area of shade in which to position your subject, such as some trees or a building, so that their face is evenly lit, with no harsh shadows.
  

• What's in the background?  Whether it's trees growing out of people's heads or ugly street signs - check before you take the picture. A cluttered background is not going to add anything to your portrait.  Make sure that whatever is in the background complements your main subject - if in doubt, leave it out. 

• Make the pose comfortable. This is especially important if your subject is standing and you are taking a full or half-length portrait. It's quite disconcerting for someone to simply stand, with no form of prop or support; instead, get them to transfer their upper body weight by leaning on something, such as a wall or a railing.  This immediately gives a more relaxed feel to the pose and will make people feel more at ease.

• Expose for the main subject. The principles of photographic exposure can seem quite confusing at first, and I'll be discussing them in more detail in future posts. In the meantime though, the important thing to remember is to take your exposure reading from the person's face since they are the most important part of your photo. This means that an excessively bright or dark background won't mislead the camera's meter into either under or over-exposing your main subject.

Photographic composition - the rule of thirds and how it can improve your photography

Where do you position the main subject in your frame?  And why does it matter?

Photographic composition is a huge subject on its own, and involves many different elements. The rule of thirds, however, is a great place to begin, because when you understand how it works you have the potential to create a much more powerful photograph.

When you've decided what should be included in the frame, you also need to consider where it should be positioned, as this will lend mood and meaning to your shot.

The rule of thirds works on the principle of placing an imaginary grid of two horizontal and two vertical lines over an image, thus dividing it up into nine equally sized rectangles; by positioning the main elements of your picture at or near any of the four off-centre points where these lines intersect, you can add a dynamism and tension to your pictures which might be lacking if you simply placed your subject squarely in the centre of the frame. You can also use the lines themselves as guides to the placement of your subject, depending on the effect you want to create. You may find yourself applying this rule quite unconsciously to your picture-taking anyway, but it's good to understand how it works and why it works.

So for instance, in the photograph below, placing the subject to the left of the frame, at two of these  intersection points, has the effect of leading the eye from him into the surrounding space, which is composed of the colourful background. The background is also relevant to the subject and serves to put him in context. If he had been placed in the centre of the frame or if the picture had been taken in a vertical format, the impact would have been reduced considerably. Here, both the composition and the subject's pose complement each other to create a dramatic shot.

Similarly, with landscapes, positioning your horizon line in the top or bottom third of the picture will create more dynamism and drama than if it were placed exactly halfway up from the bottom of the frame.  Although the human eye likes symmetry and resting places within a composition, it is also attracted to contrasts, spaces and asymmetry. In the picture below, for example, the horizon has been placed in the bottom third of the photo, whilst the building lies at the intersection of two lines of our grid.

However, as with many things in photography, the rules are there to be understood, but not followed religiously, and for every picture-taking situation where the rule of thirds works, there are numerous others where breaking the rule would be better. If you feel that the picture is right, then you should take it.  Part of the fun of photography lies in knowing the rules and then using them, bending them or breaking them where appropriate.  As Edward Weston said: "Consulting the rules of composition before taking a photograph is like consulting the laws of gravity before going for a walk".