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Position: 1- $50	Position: 2 – $30	Position: 3 – $20
One Lazy Smile	Linx	hot dog
by Hristo Pavlov	by Troy Musson	by Dobrin Dobrev

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In our photography forums we’ve got a creative group of photographers – many who set themselves all kinds of photographic projects and then share how they took the shots. Here’s 21 from our ‘How I took It‘ section. Click pictures to read the story and techniques used behind the shots. 1. Light Sugar Cube 2. Dart Shot 3. Know When to Fold’em 4. How I Shoot the Moon 5. Bubble World 6. Digital Unmasking | Ripping one’s face 7. Bottles on Fire 8. Light + Clothes dryer 9. Partial Solar Eclipse on Feb 7 in New Zealand

10. Parabolas

12. Long Exposure While Driving

13. Light Painting “Love”

14. Master Chief’s Bad Day

15. Splash of Color

16. Make Your Own Cadillac Commercial

17. Chuck Norris Eyedrops

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by Christina N Dickson

Every on-location portraitist is faced with the challenge of paying attention to the details regarding his or her subject, such as posing, lighting, composition etc. Perhaps the greatest mistake made by amateur on-location portrait photographers is the lack of emphasis placed on a portrait’s background surroundings.

Photographers who do not closely examine the surroundings within the frame of their image are those who come away with images that have great distractions. No high school senior or bride will purchase a portrait in which a tree limb is sticking out of her head. Such distracting elements take emphasis off the subject, and are detrimental to the portraitist’s sales. There is nothing more painful for a portraitist than taking a portrait that is beautifully posed, gorgeously lit, and absolutely unusable … simply because no attention was given to background composition!

Posing and lighting both play enormous roles in the creation of a dynamic portrait. However, background composition is a forgotten component that requires an equal amount of time and thought.

Some things to consider when creating a perfectly composed portrait:
1. Fill the frame with your subject

A portrait is about the person, so don’t be afraid to zoom in close! Remember that zooming in does not mean capturing only face shots. You can also capture “tight”, close up shots of your subject sitting on a stool or leaning into a tree.

2. Keep eyes in the upper third

This is the most natural spacing for a portrait. Try not to divert from this rule unless you are deliberately creating tension. Another exception of this rule is when a subject is full-bodied in the bottom third of the frame.

3. Use framing to concentrate all attention on your subject

Rather than eliminate the environment, use it! Doorways, arches, windows, gazebos are all creative solutions that allow for maximum subject focus and heightened visual interest.

4. Create texture

Once again, if you can’t eliminate a distracting background, use it to your advantage! By pulling the subject away from the background and shooting on Aperture priority (f4.0), you will create a small depth of field to blur the backdrop and allow for artistic texture. Your subject will stand out of the background without completely removing all creative interest in the shot.

5. Use lines

Brick is the perfect background for a portrait! The lines add creative interest, but they also draw attention to your subject. Keep in mind that any “line” used in a portrait is strongest when it comes outside the frame and leads to the subject.
6. Change your angles

Sometimes eliminating a distraction is simply a matter of moving the camera to another position. To make the best use of perspective, work to change your camera-to-subject angle. Often by moving a little to the right or left, or getting higher or lower, you can completely abolish that distracting tree branch or telephone pole.

You will be guaranteed to sell your portrait creations when you concentrate on background details, make your subject stand out, and invest creative interest in the portrait’s composition.

Read more from our Portrait Photography Category.

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As a new photographer, these are some of the ideas that have helped get me going.

1. Don’t go crazy buying the most expensive equipment right away.

It’s possible to get very nice photos with an inexpensive point and shoot. See these examples on Flickr. The more photos you take, the more you’ll know about what kind of camera to get when it’s time to upgrade.

2. Consider a tripod.

On the other hand, an inexpensive tripod is worth getting, especially if you have shaky hands like mine. When I got a tripod, my satisfaction with my shots skyrocketed. For even more stability, use your camera’s timer function with a tripod (read our introduction to tripods).

3. Keep your camera with you all the time.

Photo ops often come when you least expect it. If you can keep your equipment relatively simple – just a small camera bag and a tripod – you might be able to take advantage of some of those unexpected opportunities. Or, if your phone has a camera, use it to take “notes” on scenes you’d like to return to with your regular camera.

4. Make a list of shots you’d like to get.

For those times you can’t carry your camera around, keep a small notebook to jot down places you’d like to come back and photograph. Make sure to note any important details, like the lighting, so you can come back at the same time of day or when the weather’s right. If you don’t want to carry a notebook, send yourself an email using your cell phone with Jott.com.

5. Don’t overlook mundane subjects for photography.

You might not see anything interesting to photograph in your living room or your backyard, but try looking at familiar surroundings with fresh eyes. You might catch an interesting trick of the light or find some unexpected wildflowers in your yard. Often a simple subject makes the best shot.

6. Enjoy the learning process.

The best part of having a hobby like photography is never running out of things to learn. Inspiration is all around you. Look at everything with the eyes of a photographer and you’ll see opportunities you never noticed before.

7. Take advantage of free resources to learn.

Browse through Flickr or websites like the Digital Photography School Forum for inspiration and tips. Also, your local library probably has a wealth of books on all types of photography. If you’re interested in learning about post-processing, give free software like the GIMP a try.

8. Experiment with your camera’s settings.

Your point and shoot may be more flexible and powerful than you know. Read the manual for help deciphering all those little symbols. As you explore, try shooting your subjects with multiple settings to learn what effects you like. When you’re looking at your photos on a computer, you can check the EXIF data (usually in the file’s properties) to recall the settings you used.

9. Learn the basic rules.

The amount of information about photography online can be overwhelming. Start with a few articles on composition. Be open to what more experienced photographers have to say about technique. You have to know the rules before you can break them.

10. Take photos regularly.

Try to photograph something every day. If you can’t do that, make sure you take time to practice regularly, so you don’t forget what you’ve learned. An excellent way to motivate yourself is by doing the weekly assignments in the DPS Forum.

11. Don’t be afraid to experiment.

If you’re using a digital camera, the cost of errors is free. Go crazy – you might end up with something you like. You’ll certainly learn a lot in the process.

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One of the great advantages of a digital image sensor is its extreme capability in low light. With a digital image sensor, you can work at light levels far below what is possible with any type of film. This sensitivity opens up a lot of photographic possibilities, such as shooting landscapes by moonlight. However, while your camera can be very sensitive to low light, your eyes might have trouble getting by when shooting in the dark. As such, you’ll need to employ some specific procedures when working in low light.

First and foremost, you need a camera that can perform well in the dark. While all digital cameras these days offer a range of ISO options (higher ISO means more light sensitivity) not all cameras are well-suited to shooting by moonlight, because on some cameras, as you increase ISO, you’ll see a marked increase in noise.

Unfortunately, the noise argument that transpires on most digital photography forums can be confusing, because a lot of people will look at a 100% view of their image – that is, one screen pixel per image sensor pixel – and decree that a camera is too noisy. However, when you’re examining individual pixels from a 12 megapixel sensor, you’re looking at individual dots that are far too small to ever see in print.

To accurately judge noise, you have to look at your final output, whatever it may be. If your final output is to crop a 100% view of an image, and post it online, then individual pixels might matter. But if what you’re ultimately aiming for is a web posting, or an 8 x 10″ print, then you need to create those final works before assessing the noise levels of your camera.

Currently, I would offer the rule of thumb that point-and-shoot cameras are unacceptably noisy for low light work over ISO 400. I have not looked at every point-and-shoot camera out there, and have not seen the very latest offerings from every vendor, but as of 3 or 4 months ago, I had not seen a point-and-shoot camera that could deliver acceptable low-light, high-ISO performance.

The latest generation of digital SLRs, on the other hand, are a different story. Entry level SLRs are very good low-light performers all the way up to ISO 1600. Some are better than others, but all are capable of delivering good results from this kind of shooting. Higher-end SLRs are even better, offering reasonable results up to ISO 3200. Obviously, you’ll want to test your camera’s capabilities before taking it on a long night-shooting excursion.

Once you’re out, figuring out how to focus, frame, and expose your shot can be tricky, but this article will walk you through the entire process. And check this out for a more extreme form of low-light shooting.

Posted by: Ben Long

Popularity: 2% [?]

Good photos can happen anywhere. Too often, we think we have to go somewhere special to find pictures – to a landmark location, or a “pretty” place, or a location that’s not well-travelled. But good photographers understand that compelling subject matter can happen anywhere. Consider this image by Jake Basnet:

There’s no telling how many times I’ve been at a gas station, yet never once have I seen this image. In fact, never once have I looked for photos at a gas station, because to my mind it’s a “mundane” place.

Whether it’s simple enthusiasm, the pressure of having two weeks to produce a gallery exhibition, or some combination of both, the students consistently do a great job of finding subject matter amongst the everyday locales that they move through while at the Institute. So, before you think that you have to ship off to exotic ports of call to find good pictures, take another look at what’s in your immediate area. If you can’t find compelling work at home, there’s no guarantee you’ll find it in a more “photogenic” locale.

All photos begin with light. Photography is literaly “writing with light” and, usually, subject matter is secondary to lighting, because good lighting can make an otherwise boring scene into something captivating. So, while it’s easy to get caught up in the process of looking for interesting things, very often what you need to be doing is looking for good light. Maddy Staires found a hallway with a nice overheard spotlight in it, but very little else. Recognizing the potential, she dragged one of her friends into the pool of light, started shooting, and came up with this:

While the hands dominate the image, it was the light that drove her creative process. Maddy also did the other thing that a good photographer should do: once she had her subject in place, she worked the shot. She composed different ways, tried different poses, and experimented until she found what she wanted. It’s the rare photographer who takes a single exposure of a scene. More often, good photos are found by shooting many many frames of a scene.

Portraits don’t have to be about faces. The human body is very expressive, and faces are not necessary to create a compelling portrait. Lauren Kerr took this picture of writing instructor George Bilgere (at OSAI, there are eight disciplines in addition to photography).

While cutting off a subect’s head is usually not one’s first instinct, this portrait has plenty of expression and dynamism. We live in a world that’s flooded with glamour portraits, and journalistic portraits, so it’s difficult to remember that you can experiment with portrait framing and composition, just as you do when shooting landscapes, still lifes, or any other material.

Your subject doesn’t always fit in your frame. The Institute is held at a beautiful resort on a lake in the Quartz Mountain State Park in southwestern Oklahoma. In addition to being a fun, pretty, inspiring environment for all of the disciplines, for photographers the location is especially great thanks to its proximity to a number of very small towns. Each year, the incredibly welcoming people of Mangum give us access to an abandoned 5-story art deco hotel. Long past its heyday, the Franklin Hotel is in a beautiful state of ruin and decay, and is full of textures, colors, depression-era decor and objects, and more. When wandering through it, it’s easy to find yourself trying to shoot entire rooms, and large tableaus. While there are plenty of these that make good subject matter, if you get too caught up in trying to capture the literal spaces of the hotel, you tend to miss out on little details like this fork, shot by Caroline Chapman.

This image is a great example of what can happen when you take your time, slow down, and explore a location in detail. There’s a nice sense of play in this picture, and a wonderful upending of scale. You can’t always contain an entire space within the bounds of a single frame, so remember to take the space apart, and work its details and components.

Look through the camera. This may hardly sound like a tip, since you usually have to look through the camera to take a shot, but when on location I’ll often hear complaints from students (of all ages) who say they can’t find any pictures. But when I watch them search for images, I never see them look through the camera. The world looks very different when viewed through the crop of your camera’s viewfinder. While we all like to think that we can recognize an image simply by walking past it, the fact is that you sometimes don’t see a shot until you look through the camera. “Composition” is the process of arranging the forms in your image, and the boundary of your frame is your first organizational structure. Very often, I’ll look at a scene and think there’s nothing there, then look through the camera, and suddenly see a composition that I hadn’t spotted with the naked eye.

Emily Maxwell shot this chair and pair of mirrors in a furniture store. A wonderful play of geometry, it’s the sort of composition that you often have to look through the camera to identify.

If you have even the slightest impulse that a scene might be photo-worthy, look at it through your camera, and see what kind of composition presents itself.

Over the course of two weeks, all of the disciplines at OSAI (ballet, modern dance, orchestra, acting, writing, film/video, painting, chorus and photography) work toward a final presentation. In the case of the photography class, this is a gallery exhibit that is hung in the Quartz Mountain lodge, and is open to the public. Each student selects three prints that get matted and framed. In addition, for the last three years, Unibind has generously donated their Photo Book Creator materials, so that each student can make a hardback photo book of their work. These also go on display in the gallery, and they allow the students to show a large amount of work. This year, Hahnemuhle donated enough of their Gallerie Wrap kits for each student to do a gallery wrap. These inexpensive, exceptionally-designed kits make it simple to prepare a professional-calibre gallery wrap, and these were hung next to the printed materials.

This year, photography teacher Jill Enfield introduced the students to cyanotype. In addition to cyanotype prints made from film and digital negatives, they did some bedsheet-sized cyanotypes, which you can see hanging over the gallery.

The students were free to move between the traditional wet darkroom, and the state-of-the-art digital lab (an all-Mac lab, generously loaned by Apple).

I’ve collected a small sample of student work into a digital gallery – one image from each student. You’ll find a link to it at the bottom of this story.

While the gallery presents more examples of the lessons presented above (as well as many others) what it can’t show is the less tangible thing that I am inspired by each year. When you shoot for a living, it’s very easy to get hung up on the final product, and whether it will be useful or not. When wandering around, I often find myself not shooting a subject, because I don’t think it has any potential, either commercial, or as a teaching image, or as something I can use in a book. In other words: I’m editing my selects before I’ve even shot them! Even if your livelihood doesn’t depend on photos, it can be easy to get competitive with yourself when shooting, and end up shooting less, or hobbling yourself with a premature editing eye.

While it may seem like teenagers are unfocused, what with their iPods, incessant text messaging, and seemingly scattered attitude, they’re very often far more creatively “present” than they appear. I think a big part of this is simply because that pesky editorial presence hasn’t started yet. Watching them work is to remember that you’re supposed to have fun while shooting. And while this might be a cliché, it can be a surprisingly difficult attitude to practice, if you’re jaded about shooting. So, find some teenage photographers, and see if they’ll let you tag along next time they go shooting. You might find their enthusiasm infectious.

Source :Digital Photography Posted by: Ben Long

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