Photo Tutorial: Back to Basics/Improving Our Photos

[Pea-n-Me]

There’s nothing wrong with using a smartphone, but….

Why not strive to take really GOOD pictures with it? :

(This, of course, can also be said of using ANY camera.)

This thread is meant to be a relatively quick, fun tutorial for our casual Dis photo enthusiasts who want to improve the pictures they take. Hoping the Dis more serious hobby enthusiasts will kick in here, too, to help, but I really want to keep things relatively simple for the casual user so people don’t get too intimidated join in.

I would also love to see your photo examples as we go along! Don’t be shy, we’re all learning and improving all the time!

The type of camera you use matters not.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Where to start?

Well, how about from a viewer standpoint?

When you look at a photo, can you tell what the subject is? Or do you have to look around a bit to figure it out?

Choosing A Subject

https://www.photographytalk.com/how-to-choose-a-strong-photography-subject

- Think about what story it is you’d like to tell when you are taking a picture.​

- Take a few extra seconds to compose your photo. Get closer, if possible, or fill the frame.​

- Consider whether your photo is too busy and therefore confusing to the viewer.​

- Think about trying to eliminate clutter from your photo - this could mean waiting until random people get out of your shot, shifting your position a bit, zooming with your feet, or maybe even a little cropping later on if needed, etc.​

- Remember, though, that a crowd of people could actually be your subject!​

- Always choose good lighting.​

- Think about what elements there are to make your subject stand out - is it color, visual interest, humor, emotion, beauty, oddity, etc.?​

- What other things do you think about when choosing your subject? Discuss.​

I think we’ll stick with just that for a little while to see where it goes.

We can get into more one step at a time.

So - let’s see examples, good and bad! No judgement, just learning!

Next up is Composition, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet.

 

[SM1992]

OOOOH I like this idea! So I'll go first. One of my favorite rides in my favorite park. I wasn't happy with the 1st picture, and remembering something I was taught -crop in camera- I moved around, recomposed and waited for people to move and got the 2nd shot.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

OOOOH I like this idea! So I'll go first. One of my favorite rides in my favorite park. I wasn't happy with the 1st picture, and remembering something I was taught -crop in camera- I moved around, recomposed and waited for people to move and got the 2nd shot.
View attachment 749994View attachment 749995

Great example! Thanks for posting these.

Yes, in the first pic, you have to search around a little to try to figure out what the photographer’s intention was.

But in the second, there is no doubt.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I found some of my own.

What in the world was this all about?

The cars? The sign? The pole? The sky? Even I wasn’t sure!



But in this one, taken right afterward, I was going for the skyline at sunset.



(And that the first one was to remember where I parked! But a month later, I didn’t remember that and initially wasn’t sure what that photo was about.)

Critique? Thoughts?

Did anyone wonder if the (said in my best Boston accent) parked cars were the subject here? If so, why, or why not?

 

[PrincessInOz]

I'll play.


Sometimes it's all about being patient to get the shot you don't even know you're going to get.

This is all about getting that shot of St Paul's Cathedral. Even though its early on a Sunday morning, there were the early Londoners out and about; getting their early run or heading somewhere. I kinda figured that it was nice to get people in the shot. So I waited for a small crowd to head down my way.






30 seconds later. Who would have thought that the people would have moved in a way for me to get this shot? Certainly not me!!!




For me, the first shot is nice.
The second shot gives me foreground, middle and background interest. Plus the yellow coat was an absolute bonus in what was a very grey and cold morning.

 

[klmall]

Oh! I'm going to have to really look for pics for this thread since I have been extensively culling my photos this past month. I have had a bad case of "you might be able to salvage this poor photo" for many years and I finally convinced myself to toss hundreds of pics!

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I'll play.


Sometimes it's all about being patient to get the shot you don't even know you're going to get.

This is all about getting that shot of St Paul's Cathedral. Even though its early on a Sunday morning, there were the early Londoners out and about; getting their early run or heading somewhere. I kinda figured that it was nice to get people in the shot. So I waited for a small crowd to head down my way.


View attachment 750097



30 seconds later. Who would have thought that the people would have moved in a way for me to get this shot? Certainly not me!!!

View attachment 750099


For me, the first shot is nice.
The second shot gives me foreground, middle and background interest. Plus the yellow coat was an absolute bonus in what was a very grey and cold morning.

I do really like that second shot! One could wonder if the lady in the yellow coat wasn’t the subject here (speaking of subjects), but then you have this magnificent structure in the background, too! It also almost seems like a black and white, but then you have this cool yellow there, smack in the middle. Nice shot.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Oh! I'm going to have to really look for pics for this thread since I have been extensively culling my photos this past month. I have had a bad case of "you might be able to salvage this poor photo" for many years and I finally convinced myself to toss hundreds of pics!

Please do! I would love to see some of your examples! I am pretty good about deleting, so I had a little trouble finding good examples. I have another couple to share but I’ll wait to see what others post (and I do have some things to do today).

Come on, people, don’t be shy!

 

[PollyannaMom]

...the first one was to remember where I parked!

I do that too! I realized right away what it was.

I love the "raincoat" shot, @PrincessInOz.

I'm on a different device right now, but I'll log back in from my phone later if I find a good example to post.

Great thread!!

 

[PollyannaMom]

- Think about trying to eliminate clutter from your photo - this could mean waiting until random people get out of your shot, shifting your position a bit, zooming with your feet, or maybe even a little cropping later on if needed, etc.

Here's one I took of my cat:


I loved her expression (looking out the back slider at something) and grabbed the shot while I had the chance. But I didn't like the distracting elements at the bottom and left sides or the handle of the basket kind of "growing out of" her back, so this is the crop:


It lost a little quality in the editing, but had I tried to get closer in the first place (I love the phrase "Zoom with your feet"!) I would have distracted her and lost the shot all together, so I'll take it.

 

[PrincessInOz]

I do really like that second shot! One could wonder if the lady in the yellow coat wasn’t the subject here (speaking of subjects), but then you have this magnificent structure in the background, too! It also almost seems like a black and white, but then you have this cool yellow there, smack in the middle. Nice shot.

I helped the rest to black and white. Selective colouring, processed in Lightroom, using their new mask capability.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Here's one I took of my cat:
View attachment 750272

I loved her expression (looking out the back slider at something) and grabbed the shot while I had the chance. But I didn't like the distracting elements at the bottom and left sides or the handle of the basket kind of "growing out of" her back, so this is the crop:
View attachment 750273

It lost a little quality in the editing, but had I tried to get closer in the first place (I love the phrase "Zoom with your feet"!) I would have distracted her and lost the shot all together, so I'll take it.

What a beautiful cat! (Seems I’ve seen him before somewhere. ) I am debating whether I like the first or second shot better, and I think I actually like the first shot! Why? Because it gives a little more context - like, yup, kitty sitting in basket watching something out the window! Definitely no doubt here what the subject is! I think more of this might come into play in the next section, composition. So hold that thought.

 

[PrincessInOz]

Here are a couple that contrast the addition of people in the image.

In my early days of taking photos, I used to wait until there was no one around to take my shot.
I'm still like that! I still want to have my "postcard" image ... especially of an iconic subject.





But I've come to appreciate that when something or someone is in a shot, be it a loved one or a stranger, there is added perspective to the image.




These days, I do try and include loved ones to my images.
But that means I rarely (never) share those shots on social.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Let’s go to the marina.

Little doubt this first one was just a quick snapshot, and it’s pleasant enough, right?

But what is the subject? Is it one of the boats? Is it the hanging lights? Is it the skyline, or the sky?

I’m not really sure.



What about these ones? Are we able to readily tell what the subjects are here, in contrast?

What stories did the photographer want to tell?

 

[PollyannaMom]

What about these ones? Are we able to readily tell what the subjects are here, in contrast?

What stories did the photographer want to tell?

I think the first of the three was was trying to capture the quiet of early morning on the water, and the last is all about the sunset colors. Not sure about the middle one.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I think the first of the three was was trying to capture the quiet of early morning on the water, and the last is all about the sunset colors. Not sure about the middle one.

These are right. The subject of the middle one is the solitude and simplicity of the front three dinghies at dusk.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Anything else we want to talk about with subject?

It is hard to separate all there is to taking a photo. In reality, lots of elements have to come together to make a good one.

So this, of course, was just to get us thinking about our subjects when we’re taking a photo, what story we’re trying to tell, and whether it’s clear to the viewer what we’re going for.

Thinking about this, to start, is part of how we improve our photos.

Btw these are just my thoughts after many years of hobby photography. I’d love to hear others’ thoughts, as well.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Assignment for today: Find and post a favorite picture you’ve taken where you think the subject of your photo was pretty clear, and discuss what made this a photo you liked.

 

[PollyannaMom]

Assignment for today: Find and post a favorite picture you’ve taken where you think the subject of your photo was pretty clear, and discuss what made this a photo you liked.

What I like (aside from the sheer luck of catching a hummingbird in flight!)
is how the branches of the Rose of Sharon kind of frame the shot and point right to the little bird as the subject.