Joining Forces - My Story

A few months ago (time certainly flies!), a friend and I took pictures together in DC. We had such a terrific time, that we decided to do it again. I was hoping we could go back into the city, but there were a few issues: 1) The Metro wasn't running too well, due to construction and 2) I wasn't feeling well. I therefore suggested to my friend that we stay in the area. I'm not sure if he thought it was a good idea or not, but he went along with me.

We found ourselves in a quiet, residential neighborhood. Our mission? To take abstract/macro pictures only. We didn't do a bad job! Here are my favorite shots:











Some comments, aside from the fact that only one of these pictures is actually colorful:

1) The first and second remind me of the futility of winter, but for different reasons.

2) For some reason, the third picture reminds me of a prison. Maybe it's because there are numbers, I don't know - but it looks kind of eerie.

3) The fourth picture is actually a reflection - if you look closely, you can see windows. Those windows were part of a house. It was really interesting, because the house itself was only windows (to a great extent).

4) This last picture (the only colorful one) was taken off of a construction sign.

I used my macro lens. How did my friend fare? Was he able to take similar pictures? Till tomorrow!

Snow

In my Ugly/Pretty post, I discussed how pictures of snow do not have to be beautiful. However, I did not offer any pointers about technique or technical settings.

Both are very important in this scenario, because shooting in the snow is tough for many reasons:

1) It's cold, so batteries deplete more quickly

2) Reflections on the snow can yield pictures that are too bright

3) White balance issues can cause your pictures to look blue (difficult to correct unless shooting in RAW)

4) If it's too sunny, your subject will look too dark

Corresponding Remedies:

1) Make sure your batteries are fully charged, carry an extra pack, and dress warmly. Protect your camera, too - especially if snow is falling. A simple way to do so is to use a plastic bag.

2) If your camera allows you to, play with the exposure compensation. Point-and-shoots have this feature as well. By "play", I mean go to this setting and decrease it in .5 increments. Start at -.5, and keep going until you have what you like. It's easier to correct underexposure than overexposure, so don't stress too much about this.

3) It's best to adjust the white balance manually, but I don't - everything else is enough work as it is. Depending on the amount of sunlight, try several of the white balance settings that are already programmed.

4) Two tips: Don't shoot into direct sunlight (unless you want to create this effect), and use your fill flash.

What about subjects? Here are some suggestions:

Convert to black and white (post-processing) for a dramatic effect:



In the second picture, it was actually snowing - that's why there were streaks.

Shoot at night, instead of the day:



Shoot ice instead of snow:



Or a few others:

Footprints in the snow, wildlife, children playing (preferably wearing bright-colored clothes for contrast), and anything that adds more dimension than just a white picture. Here's what I mean:



I admit I took this, but it's not my favorite.

I hope these tips are helpful! Please "like" my facebook page (Beauty Through Photography), and feel free to post here or there with questions. Till tomorrow!

Ugly/Pretty

Okay, I admit - I'm a huge fan of America's Next Top Model. Without going into too much detail about my obsession, I'll say that there is one theme that resonates really well with me. It's about “ugly/pretty”. What does that mean? Well, essentially, it means that even things with a less than a sunny/shiny/pretty context can still be pretty.

Confusing, huh? Well, I'll illustrate. Here is “pretty/pretty”:



Or this:



In both pictures the weather is great, the sun is shining, and life is good. The colors are nice, and they're just happy pictures.

Now, here is a classic example of “ugly/pretty”:



This was the night before one of DC's infamous snowstorms last year. I was in a terrible mood. I stood on my balcony and took dozens of pictures. I was surprised to see how well received this picture was, though. And, now that I think about it, I still focused on composition and telling a story - but it isn't the same happy story I like to tell. And that's a REALLY important message.

Compare it with this picture, which was also of the snow:



I think it's obvious (to me, anyway) from this picture that I don't like the snow. If I did, I think it would have come through, so to speak. Instead, this is just a generic picture of the snow with two people and a dog. Not bad, but others (as in people) have done much better.

I have to keep all of this in mind, as we head towards winter. I hate this weather. So, I normally don't take many pictures. However, I can't go six months (or however long it will be before the weather is actually civilized again) without taking pictures, so I have to balance between my emotions and reality.

In other words, if you don't think you like a subject, take a picture anyway. You may surprise yourself! Just stay true to your emotions, be realistic, don't forget your composition, and tell a good story.

Till tomorrow!