Invaluable
advice for the beginning photographer
1.
Get in close
It was the famous photojournalist Robert Capa
who once said “If your photographs aren’t good enough, you’re not close
enough.” He was talking about getting in amongst the action. If you feel like
your images aren’t ‘popping’, take a step or two closer to your subject. Fill
the frame with your subject and see how much better your photo will look
without so much wasted space. The closer you are to the subject, the better you
can see their facial expressions too.
2.
Shoot every day
The best way to hone your skills is
to practice. A lot. Shoot as much as you can – it doesn’t really matter what.
Spend hours and hours behind your camera. As your technical skills improve over
time, your ability to harness them to tell stories and should too.
Don’t
worry too much about shooting a certain way to begin with. Experiment. Your
style – your ‘voice’ – will emerge in time. And it will be more authentic when
it does. — Leah Robertson
Leah Robertson is a super talented
Melbourne based photographer and videographer, specialising in music and
documentary photography.You can see her work here.
3.
See the light
Before you raise your camera, see
where the light is coming from, and use it to your advantage. Whether it is
natural light coming from the sun, or an artificial source like a lamp; how can
you use it to make your photos better? How is the light interacting with the
scene and the subject? Is it highlighting an area or casting interesting
shadows? These are all things you can utilise to make an ordinary photo
extraordinary.
4.
Ask permission
When photographing people,
especially while in countries with different cultures and languages, it can be
hard to communicate. In certain countries if you photograph someone you are not
‘supposed’ to photograph, it can get ugly and rough very quickly if you are not
careful. So out of respect you should always ask permission.
I
have started shooting a series of school children in Pakistan. These are all
posed portraits and they are looking down the lens. My guide helps me with the
language and I limit myself to smiling, shaking hands, giving ‘hi-five’ and
showing them the image on the back of my camera once it is done. You would be
amazed how quickly people open up. — Andrea Francolini
Andrea Francolini is a well known
Italian born, Sydney based sports photographer. He is also the founder of My First School,
as trust which has the aim to facilitate educations in Northern Pakistan. You
can see his work here.
5.
Use flash during the day
You might think that you should only
use flash at night time or indoors, but that’s not the case at all. If it is an
extremely bright day outside and the sun is creating harsh shadows on your
subject, switch on your flash. By forcing extra light onto your subject, you
will be able to fill in those ugly shadows and create an even exposure.
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