Hey, if I can’t be self-indulgent on my own blog, where can I? In May of 2010, I aspired to post a photography-related item every day. I called the project Photomayo, even if that only means something to me. I stumbled almost immediately that year, but have attempted to do better since. Today, I’m declaring Cinco de Photomayo and inviting you to explore any (or all — hah!) of these topics from prior years:
Most of the time, we hold our cameras horizontally, creating an image that is wider than it is high. Anytime, you can turn your camera 90 degrees for a vertical shot. Which is better? It depends …
Either of these photos could be called a landscape or a portrait, as far as the subject is concerned. But the orientation has some impact on the resulting photo. Don’t hesitate to experiment and compare the results.
These two photos were taken at about the same time of day. Although they are two different flowers, they are near each other. Neither has been manipulated after taking except for cropping. Compare the effect of the two backgrounds.
Move around your subject, if you can. Be mindful of the background. Point and shoot cameras have such a deep depth of field that you may not be able to blur the background to minimize it. Depth of field refers to the area in focus in front of and behind the subject. Shallow depth of field blurs foreground and background to emphasize the subject and minimize distractions. (Although some people find the blur distracting. You can’t please everyone.) With deep depth of field, everything is in focus. However, try moving away and using zoom, and moving in close and using macro – both of these change the depth of field and the area of the background.
A skilled photo editor can do a lot in post production. I prefer to focus on taking photos. Look. See. Move. Take lots of pictures. Show only your best.
In particular, this photo caught the eye of my old friend and Droog, John Merck, originator of the eponymous Merck shot, an extreme close-up that extends beyond the frame of the photo. I consider John the first skilled photographer I knew personally. I learned a lot from him and his photos, including the rule “Take lots of photos but show only your best.” I’m still learning the second half of that rule.
This was taken near one of the Tingley Ponds in Albuquerque. I used a zoom lens. I also cropped it tight even for me (nah, this is typical for me, especially on the Web. I don’t usually crop square but it suited this subject. (No, it is not a “box” turtle. It’s a red-eared slider, I believe.) Check out those nails.
