Photography is a way of
feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured
forever... it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten
everything.
Much like the American photographer Aaron Siskind, my
passion for photography started when I was gifted a very basic point and shoot
camera at the age of 12. Back then in the 80s photography was an expensive
hobby. You had the initial outlay for film and then getting it developed
afterwards, often to realise a little too late that the pictures taken were out
of focus, too dark or totally overexposed and not useable for anything. Being a
teenager with only pocket money as an income I had to reign myself in and could
only afford to take photos at special events like holidays or celebrations.
How things have changed since then and how lucky we are now!
In the age of digital we don’t even need cameras anymore, our phones can do a
pretty decent job with in-built effects and custom settings that can rival most
digital point and shoot cameras. There is a seemingly endless list of
photography apps available and you can take the shot and upload it straight to
your social networking account of choice for the world to see. Any mishaps go
straight to the bin and there is no money wasted on development fees.
Modern cameras are smart, but they can be fooled into mistaking
the scene and subject and don’t always get the settings right. It is so disappointing
when you travel half way across the world to visit a famous landmark and then
the photos you take look nothing like the real thing you see in front of you.
But there are a few simple things you can try to get a better result.
If you only use the automatic settings option you are
putting all your faith into the digital brain of your device and whilst
technology is getting smarter and smarter, it still can’t compete with the human
brain and the human eye. So sometimes it pays to give it a little help by
selecting the best scene mode for your desired outcome instead of sticking to
auto mode. I don’t want to bore you with technical jargon but here’s a quick
overview of the most common scene selection options and how they can help you
take better photos:
Portrait mode
As the name suggests, this is the most useful mode for
portrait photography. Your camera will automatically adjust its settings to throw
the background out of focus and your subject will stand out more. The same mode
can be used for any other subject where the main focus is in the centre foreground
of the frame, for example a bunch of flowers against a boring background.
Landscape mode
This does exactly the opposite to portrait mode. The camera
will adjust its settings so everything within the frame is in focus and it is a
good mode to select for wide scenes that are far away from the camera. In
landscape mode you will have a slower shutter speed so the use of a tripod, especially
in low light conditions, is encouraged to avoid blurry pictures caused by
camera shake
Sports mode
This mode is so much more versatile than the name suggests
and can be used for many more subjects than sports only. The camera will adjust
its settings to a fast shutter speed which means that all action appears frozen
in time. It is a great way to get sharp images of anything in motion including
children, pets and wildlife. When used in connection with water you can get
some fun shots of the kids playing with the sprinkler where the water droplets
seem to stand still in mid air.
The
word "photography" was created from the Greek
roots φωτός (phōtos), genitive of φῶς (phōs), "light"[2] and γραφή (graphé)
"representation by means of lines" or "drawing",[3] together meaning "drawing with
light".
As the literal meaning of the word photography suggests,
light is the most important aspect of taking a good photo. The most magical
time to go out and take beautiful photos is during the Golden Hour. This is the
approximate hour just before sunset and just after sunrise when the light is
very soft and warm and gives everything a flattering golden glow – perfect for
beautiful portraits. And if you are a fan of sunsets but can never quite get
them right, don’t wait to take the photo just as the sun sets. The real magic
of wonderful colours and patterns often happens in the 30 minute lead up to it
and this is when you should be clicking away. And if your camera has got a
sunset mode – now is the time to use it.
Now go out and shoot, it is free and you’ll create some
wonderful memories and art for your home.
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