Developing the Art of Photography
9
by Alec Hartman
Digital cameras make photography easy these days, and many, many people take good pictures. So, what makes a photograph really interesting and lifts it above the level of others?
Personally, I don’t think it’s the number of pixels your camera has or how many lenses you use. Someone with a point-and-shoot camera can take a remarkable photo. I believe it’s in the eye of the photographer. You need to see the world from a different perspective. You need to look at the world as if you’re looking through the frame of a camera.
Many everyday slices of life come alive when you focus on them. Sometimes it’s seeing something small that most people miss, sometimes it’s catching the drama of a split-second, sometimes it’s seeing the humor in something right there in front of you.
How do you develop that split-second skill, that ability to see drama or humor? First, take lots and lots of photos. You’re using a digital camera, right? There’s no cost in snapping the shutter. For anyone over 30, this goes against how they’ve always used cameras. When you have to pay for film and then pay for each and every picture you develop, you approach photography differently. Many people say to me, “You must be incredibly patient to get photos like this! Do you wait for hours to catch just the right image?” This is the old way of taking pictures. When I see something that interests me, I take picture after picture of the same scene. It’s not unusual for me to take hundreds of photos of the same thing, one right after the other, changing the angle, the shutter speed, the color balance, and the light exposure. After you’ve taken thousands of photos in this way, you learn which speeds, angles, light levels, etc. work in which way, and give which effects.
Also, this experience sharpens your eye and shows you how things look to the camera. As you develop this skill, you develop the ability to look at the world and see it in snapshots.
Click below to see examples of Alec’s work:
Angel and Spider
Dancing Bear
Asleep
If you are creative, you’ve got an advantage over other people, but even if you don’t consider yourself naturally creative, you can develop your creativity by using your camera often and in many different places.
So keep your camera handy and work it hard! You’ll be surprised what you can capture.
Alec Hartman of Alec Hartman Photography is a guest blogger.
Editor’s Note: Try out some of Alec’s suggestions and submit your photo in the “Volunteers in Action” Photo Contest! We invite you to submit any photo depicting volunteers serving the community. Entries are due by March 17, 2010. Winning entries and honorable mentions will be displayed at the State House during the Governor’s Volunteer Service Awards on April 22, 2010. For contest rules and information on how to enter, click here.
