Constable Cutout
Alberta, Canada

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Assignment:

Below you will find some new terms and examples to add to your photography vocabulary.

At this point you should be familiar with the following: rule of thirds, phi grid, Fibonacci spiral, texture, symmetry, depth of field, lines and patterns.

Our new terms are over-the-shoulder shot, low angle and high angle shots. You will also be reading about composition techniques for photographing buildings, people and landscape. Review carefully, as you should be able to articulate how a photojournalist uses these devices to convey a story.

Assignment: at the end of the blog are 10 images. Select 5 and write a thorough, well-written analysis of each of the photographs, incorporating the photographic vocabulary we have covered in class.These should be approximately 50 words each. (note that this is a writing grade. Due by midnight on Thursday, May 16.

The over-the-shoulder shot

over the shoulder shot (also over shoulder OTS, or third-person shot) is a shot of someone or something taken from the perspective or camera angle from the shoulder of another person.

The low angle shot

The low-angle shot, is a shot from a camera angle positioned low on the vertical axis, anywhere below the eye line, looking up. Sometimes, it is even directly below the subject's feet. Psychologically, the effect of the low-angle shot is that it makes the subject look strong and powerful.

The high angle shot

A high-angle shot is a technique where the camera looks down on the subject from a high angle and the point of focus often gets "swallowed up." High-angle shots can make the subject seem vulnerable or powerless when applied with the correct mood, setting, and effects.

HOW TOs!

People and Portrait Photography Tips

People pictures fall into two categories: portraits and candid. Either can be made with or without your subject's awareness and cooperation.

However near or far your subject, however intimate or distant the gaze your camera casts, you always need to keep in mind the elements of composition and the technique that will best help you communicate what you are trying to say.

1. Get Closer

The most common mistake made by photographers is that they are not physically close enough to their subjects. In some cases this means that the center of interest—the subject—is just a speck, too small to have any impact. Even when it is big enough to be decipherable, it usually carries little meaning. Viewers can sense when a subject is small because it was supposed to be and when it's small because the photographer was too shy to get close.

2. Settings—The Other Subject

The settings in which you make pictures of people are important because they add to the viewer's understanding of your subject. The room in which a person lives or works, their house, the city street they walk, the place in which they seek relaxation—whatever it is, the setting provides information about people and tells us something about their lives. Seek balance between subject and environment. Include enough of the setting to aid your image, but not so much that the subject is lost in it.

3. Candids: Being Unobtrusive

You may want to make photographs of people going about their business—vendors in a market, a crowd at a sports event, the line at a theater. You don't want them to appear aware of the camera. Many times people will see you, then ignore you because they have to concentrate on what they are doing. You want the viewers of the image to feel that they are getting an unguarded, fly-on-the-wall glimpse into the scene.

There are several ways to be unobtrusive. The first thing, of course, is to determine what you want to photograph. Perhaps you see a stall in a market that is particularly colorful, a park bench in a beautiful setting—whatever has attracted you. Find a place to sit or stand that gives you a good view of the scene, take up residence there, and wait for the elements to come together in a way that will make your image.

If you're using a long lens and are some distance from your subject, it will probably be a while before the people in the scene notice you. You should be able to compose your image and get your shot before this happens. When they do notice you, smile and wave. There's a difference between being unobtrusive and unfriendly. Another way to be unobtrusive is to be there long enough so that people stop paying attention to you. If you are sitting at a café order some coffee and wait. As other patrons become engrossed in conversations or the paper, calmly lift the camera to your eye and make your exposure.

4. Shoot from their eye level or higher, and at an angle

For the most flattering set-up, shoot at their same eye level or above. Taking pictures of someone straight on is both unflattering and uninteresting. Asking them to twist at the waist, shoulders, or neck and not face their body square-on, but rather follow their face’s direction will not only be much more forgiving to any subject. Every single human has one eye that is smaller than the other.

5. Don’t command a smile

Don’t command a smile, or instruct “cheese!” or say “hold still!”, or anything that could be interpreted as you attempted to force your feelings, or agenda, onto your subject. Even if you are going for a serious tone, and are trying to catch an image when they don’t realize or least expect it, you are much better off engaging them in conversation than setting up the moment and expecting a single second of utter perfection. A true portrait is genuine at its very least.

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Capturing the landscape

1. Location, Location, Location

Landscape photography is as much about planning, as it is about the actual process of photography. You should always have a clear idea of where you are planning to go, and at what time of the day you will be able to capture the best photograph.

2.Be Patient

It’s amazing the number of times that the elements conspire to ruin a perfectly composed photograph. Landscape photography requires patience, just in case that white cloudy sky disperses just long enough to allow the sun to break through for you to take your shot. The key is to always allow yourself enough time at a location, so that you are able to wait if you need to.

4. Use the Best Light

Light is one of the most important factors in any photograph, but even more so in landscape photography. It really doesn’t matter how great the location, is or how you compose your photo – if the light doesn’t do the scene justice, then the image will fail. The best light for landscape photography is early in the morning or late afternoon, with the midday sun offering the harshest light.

But, part of the challenge of landscape photography is about being able to adapt and cope with different lighting conditions, for example, great landscape photos can be captured even on stormy or cloudy days. The key is to use the best light as much as possible, and be able to influence the look and feel of your photos to it.

5. Think About the Composition (rule of thirds, phi grid, Fibonacci spiral)!

6. Where is your horizon line? Is it straight?

7. Think about framing variations.

Photographing buildings

PERSPECTIVE.

Most buildings have straight lines: the floor is level, the walls go up and down at 90 degrees to the floor, and roof lines are flat or at a consistent angle to the walls. Depending on where you view the building from, the perspective changes. Try taking an exterior shot of a tall building from close up. It looks like the building is falling backwards, doesn’t it?

You can control horizontal perspective by shooting from the center of the building. You can also shoot from a distance, but that is not always possible.

Composition Tips for photographing buildings

1. CREATE LEADING LINES.

Sometimes you can use the perspective (particularly on interiors) to create leading lines — lines that move the viewer’s eye through the photograph toward a focal point. Look for patterns and breaks in the patterns that give visual interest.

2. USE SYMMETRY.

Use symmetry in your photo, as most buildings are designed symmetrically.

3 REMOVE UNWANTED OBJECTS.

If you are able, remove objects that do not add visual interest to a building or interior space, such as trash cans.

4. INCLUDE ENVIRONMENTAL CONTEXT.

Include as much environmental context as appropriate. The space around a building can say a lot about it, so don’t be afraid to show neighboring buildings or land also.

5. CREATE A SENSE OF SCALE.

And don’t be afraid to include people or other recognizable objects in your photos. Sometimes this helps create a sense of scale, so the viewer has a point of reference to the size of the building.

6. SHOOT DURING DIFFERENT TIMES OF DAY.

Try shooting during different times of day. Dawn and dusk can give you beautiful color skies but noonday sun can bring out textures that you didn’t see before.

7. LOOK AT THE DETAILS.