The following content was animatedly presented by me at BabyBuzz Cafe in San Jose on 2/3/2009. It's a lot of stuff, but I put a lot of thought into and if you're OK with reading stuff without having me there waving my hands around excitedly, please give it a read over and let me know what you think. It's catered towards people who may have taken a lot of photos, but don't have a clear, basic understanding of photography. Any questions? Contact me! (chung.nguyen@gmail.com)
Equipment - What to BuyI found this story online and I don't know whether or not it's true, but I can see something similar to it happening every day to any given photographer out there:
When Jack London had his portrait made by the noted San Francisco photographer Arnold Genthe, London began the encounter with effusive praise for the photographic art of his friend and fellow bohemian, Genthe. "You must have a wonderful camera. It must be the best camera in the world. You must show me your camera." Genthe then used his standard studio camera to make what has since become a classic picture of Jack London. When the sitting was finished, Genthe could not contain himself: "I have read your books, Jack, and I think they are important works of art. You must have a wonderful typewriter." {
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People always ask me what camera they should buy. Regardless of my final recommendation, the bottom line is that I think it's more important to know the basics of taking great photos than to have a really awesome camera.
The reason why I don't like the equipment game is it gets people complacent and makes them focus on what's totally unimportant. "I have the best camera, I don't need to practice." If you think that a fancy camera will allow you to shoot in pitch-black conditions with moving subjects and you'll have perfectly crisp images with wonderfully captured emotions, you might not want to listen to the next part because I will burst your bubble. Psst, no such camera exists, only photographers who make it happen, seemingly effortlessly. That's not meant to dissuade you, but to motivate you to practice, take photos, and keep trying because even without the best top-of-the-line equipment, as long as you have proper understanding of lighting and a willingness to practice taking photos, you will be able to take some truly amazing images yourself.
Using EquipmentMy most common advice, which was the piece of advice given to me by someone who's been photographing a little longer than I have, is possibly the most insanely boring piece of advice to learning how to use the camera ever:
READ THE MANUAL. Just look it over once, at least. It's got some amazing tips on how to use the thing as well as notifying you of very cool features you didn't even think you had. Give it a once-over while you have your camera in hand. I promise it won't take longer than an hour, more or less.
Understand how cameras work, generally-speaking. The three terms you need to know are aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. These three things work in tandem in order to dictate how much light gets captured. My two-minute summary:
- Aperture - This is the lens' opening, which is labeled as an f-#. Small number (f/1.0) = large aperture; large number (f/22) = small aperture. The two things you need to know: (1) Large aperture lets in more light, but the focus area (the place in the photo that is "in focus") is also much smaller. It will probably also blur the background out a lot. A small aperture doesn't let in as much light. (2) If you're using a point-and-shoot camera, you probably don't have control over this.
- Shutter Speed - This is the period of time your camera's shutter is open. The speeds are presented in fractions of seconds, for example 1/8 or 1/60 or 1/250. The faster the shutter (e.g. 1/500), the more "frozen" the image. The darker the setting, the slower the shutter speed needs to be in order to allow the sufficient amount of lighting to get captured in the image.
- ISO - Sensitivity to light. Back in the film days, this was the film speed, for example, ISO 800. Now, you can definitely control this. Basic settings:
ISO 100: Great for bright sunny days, at the beach or on the snow. Produces clean images that are great for enlargements.
ISO 200: Great for overcast daylight pictures (noise levels may increase, but in most cases not noticeably)
ISO 400: Great for lower lighting conditions (indoors, night time) or when you need to capture faster moving subjects in lower lighting conditions. In many consumer cameras, ISO 400 can make photos look very noisy in dark areas of the
picture. The reason a higher speed ISO helps you capture fast moving subjects is because a higher ISO makes the image sensor of the camera more light sensitive. This forces the camera to use a higher shutter speed to compensate for the
extra brightness, which in turn helps to "freeze" movement in the captured frame. {
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Please note that high ISO is great for low light situations, but it will be grainier (the amount of noise and grain depends upon your camera).
Those are the things within the camera that need to be in balance to take a proper photo. When you take a picture in the automatic setting, it's automatically balancing all these things. But a camera doesn't see what you see. Practice changing settings based on what you see with your own eyes and get out of automatic mode!
Why do you need to be out of automatic? Because sometimes you need to turn on the flash in broad daylight. And other times, there's plenty of light indoors, even though your camera automatically thinks otherwise. Trust your eyes, and tell your camera what to do. You're the boss!
Most importantly, taking a photo is ALL about the lighting. I can't emphasize this enough: it's ALL about the lighting. Well, at least 90% all about the lighting. What's the most agreeable lighting for portraits? Diffused lighting. In the shade, by the window with indirect light from the sun. When there's not much light and you have your camera set to automatic, the flash will come on. If you know, based on the scene, that the flash is not necessary and you get an in-focused photo with a slightly higher ISO, you can bypass the flash by going manual and turning off the flash. Note: this may mean that your picture might be blurry if your hands aren't sturdy.
It's all about balance. And practice. Practice. Practice. Practice.
Taking Candid Images & PosingMy brothers and sisters all do this with their kids and I'm convinced most parents do it, too: "Honey, look at the camera! Smile!" Don't get me wrong, this technique produces incredibly cute photos. But (1) you're training kids to become one-trick ponies and they're so much more diverse in expression and personality than that and (2) the genuine moments are so much more fun to capture and treasure.
Tips on getting candid images like a photo ninja:
- Silence. Do not disturb the scene. Capture it as-is. Make your camera as quiet as possible. For point-and-shoots, consider turning off all sounds and minimizing flash use. And, you know, don't announce you're taking a photo.
- If possible, try to take a continuous series of photos, especially if your subject is a fast mover or just very expressive. You never know if the fourth photo is the one that will be hanging on your wall.
- Interact casually with your subject. "What did you do at school today?" And as your child is answering, snap a few photos (you should already have your camera out so the kid doesn't freak out and wonder what's going on). "Do you like your new toy?" "Can you help me mix the flour with the sugar?" Ask them open-ended questions, have them do things, ask them to explain things to you, and generally just engage the subject so you're not necessarily faking a setting because it's real, they're doing it!
- You are in a prime position to take some amazing everyday shots of your kids because they're there doing their everyday things already. When I meet up with families for portrait sessions, they know that is the one, express purpose for being there and that's my single role. I have to break through and be their friend, allowing them to play, run, scream, laugh, cry, and everything in between and especially be comfortable around me. You've already got that going on. Use your access to them to your advantage. Snap a photo when baby has a bottle. Get a shot when he's drooling uncontrollably in his sleep. Make sure to get a photo of Jane doing her homework at the dining table with her dad's help. These are everyday moments that should be cherished.
Tips on composition:
- Up high, down low, in the middle. It's cute to take photos of your kids from up above because they look like those cute little puppies with the huge, huge eyes. It makes them look small and fragile. But for more casual portraits, get down to their level. And for really impactful and fun portraits, go down low and make them look like giants.
- Rule of thirds. Imagine a tic-tac-toe-like grid on your picture. This basic photography rule says that you should place the points of interests (e.g. eyes, a horizon, etc.) along the lines and/or where the lines intersect:
The theory is that if you place points of interest in the intersections or along the lines that your photo becomes more balanced and will enable a viewer of the image to interact with it more naturally. Studies have shown that when viewing images that people’s eyes usually go to one of the intersection points most naturally rather than the center of the shot - using the rule of thirds works with this natural way of viewing an image rather than working against it. {
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- Get close. Try filling up most of the picture with a face, or hands, or some other detail.
- Use props. Hats, toys, books are all great everyday props available. Involve the family pet for some spontaneity.
- Try something new. Look at photographer blogs and mom blogs for inspiration and try it out. You don't need to copy an image - take the inspiration and make it your own, with your subjects.
- Scale. Provide a point of reference for size. Stand your child next to the pet. Capture the baby on the sofa or dining table ("Remember when you were so small?"). Use everyday furniture or objects and even other people and animals to provide a sense of how small (or large) your subject is, for example, a little child in his dad's shoes, tie, or hat.
The two most important things to remember: (1) You need to have your camera with you. That's half the battle right there. (2) Remember to take photos. Keep practicing.
Editing & Post-ProcessingSometimes a little post-processing can make a good photo great. I think editing in moderation - to clean things up, lighten and darken appropriately - can greatly enhance your enjoyment of an image. And you don't necessarily need expensive software to get the job done.
Picasa, an incredibly user-friendly editing tool available through Google, is FREE! When I first started looking into photo editing, I used Picasa and it works very well and it's very easy to use. Even more convenient is that Google ties in its products beautifully. You can upload your edited pictures to your online photo storage option through Picasa/Google. Or, you can even blog your photos directly to Blogger.
Edit your images right in your browser with
Pixlr,
Adobe's Photoshop Express, or
Splashup.
I personally use Adobe Photoshop CS3 and Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. If you want a more heavy-duty version of Picasa, I would suggest using Lightroom ($299). It's an amazing tool, but it might be more than most people need.
Do Something and/or Make Something With Your PhotosLet me preface this by saying that I'm not a print-snob. Don't get me wrong - when I put in print orders for my clients, I ensure the files are perfectly edited and they're getting printed at a top-notch printer. But, you know what? I've also gotten prints at Walgreens and regularly use Ritz Pix if I want something local and for casual, personal use. So if that's where you want to take your images, do it! It still beats just having a file that you hardly ever look at! What are some ways to "do things" with your photos?
Share your photos. Some resources:I like online storage because it provides the peace of mind that - knock on wood - if anything should happen to your computer, at least someone, somewhere has a back-up copy of your images. That helps me sleep at night. Really, it does.
A couple of other do-something recommendations:
- Social networking, especially through Facebook. If you're concerned about security, only add real friends and family (and not random people willy-nilly, for example). Plus, there are other privacy settings available that you can use to strike a balance between security and sharing. Post photos online. Share "notes" about your family life. Invite people to events. The best thing is, a lot of people are on Facebook, so you're apt to find friends and family and have a community there.
- Blog! One of my favorite blogs is Dooce.com. She shares EVERYTHING. I don't necessarily recommend that per se, but it's refreshing to read about people's lives and their struggles, which a lot of times are similar to yours. Every month she writes a letter to daughter about their lives that month. Can you imagine getting all this content later in life, to see your life as you grew up? What an amazing gift.
Speaking of gifts,
MAKE SOMETHING with your photos:
Prints. Simple enough. Make big ones and frame them. Make small ones and put them in a yearly album, or just a large album and continually put new prints in (I love the old-school ones with a little space on the margin for a note; write a note, it'll make the memory sweeter). Locally I've used
Walgreens (it's OK),
Ritz / Wolfe Camera (it's OK, I like that they have matte prints within one hour). On the Internet, I've used:
- Smugmug - It's great and the customer service is excellent. The shipping is a little pricier so small orders may not be worth it. Plus, you need to pay for an account in order to use their printing service.
- Snapfish - Similar to Kodak Gallery and Shutterfly. The prices are very good and I like the quality of the matte prints. Note: I've received a few very unacceptable prints (and I had the same images printed elsewhere and they looked just fine!), but they saythat they have a 100% guarantee....
- Winkflash - Quite affordable and the print quality is not bad, not bad at all. I'd recommend them over Snapfish, actually.
- MPIX - An amateur and professional site. The prices are a little higher, but I think the quality (and offerings) are pretty nice.
Magazine-style Albums. A lot of sites offer this service, including the ones I listed above.
Blurb offers really nice book printing for lay-people. I'm slightly frustrated with their lack of page layouts, but you might enjoy their service. For books, I definitely recommend
MPIX. You can get a 10x10, 20-page album with a custom image on the cover with linen pages for $50 (without shipping). The quality is very nice.
An important tip for easy album creation: Hands-down, one of the toughest part of making an album is picking which photos to put into it. In fact, I think it's a huge deterrent for most people. But if you organize your photos ahead of time, this process can be very easy peasy. As you're organizing your files, make a "favorites" folder. As you download photos from your memory card to your computer, pull copy your best shots, must-print photos into the special folder. Around the time you're ready to make your album, the photos are there, ready to be arranged! Great book ideas: birthday party, family christmas, family get-togethers throughout the year, a year-in-the-life, or a picture-a-day for a month (or a year if you're driven and ambitious).
Assorted Gifts. Check the different sites for other gift ideas, including greeting cards, notebooks, calendars, and collages. I love collages - they are a fun way to commemorate one day or one event with a few photos automatically arranged for you. (Try
Winkflash or
Snapfish.)
OK, that was a lot of info. But I want to give you just two final take-away points.
- Always have your camera with you and remember to take photos. This might seem like the easiest task or the most difficult, possibly somewhere in between. As a cube-dweller, I'll let you know that office work is very consistent, and sometimes dull. But when you're raising a child, you know better than I do how quickly they change. Don't just wait for the special occasions to whip out the camera. You have my express permission to be a shameless shutterbug. Don't let it get in the way of you enjoying your time together, of course, but augment your time together with a quality photograph regularly. Kids grow up so fast. So I hear. (:
- DO SOMETHING WITH YOUR PHOTOS! Share it online, blog it, make stuff out of it, or simply get prints! I really, REALLY insist you do something with your photos other than just looking at it sporadically.
P.S.
