Getting to terms with photography

I’m running a month long poll and asking you the topics you like to read about. And so far photography clearly emerged as the most popular choice. Photography is an interesting subject because it does not require God-gifted skills like in singing etc. It is a hobby pursued by amateurs and pros alike. Anyone with a firm grasp of the basic principles can shoot like a pro. But this is true provided you have a firm understanding of the underlying concepts. So without much adieu here’s a list to get started on the foundation.

Keep the camera away

Gizmos and gadgets like the camera can be very distracting, tempting and will steer you away from gaining more knowledge about the subject – photography per se. You’d be shooting the walls and the stars and the bushes only to get strange unexpected results to utter dismay. So take a break, keep the camera away and take time to read, absorb and understand the subject of photography.

Read between the lines

Photography tips are very different from the top ten blogging tips or the top ten Firefox tips. Photography is a specialized subject. To be a pro you need to be thorough. That is the sole reason I put these two points at the top.

Understand light

Photography means capturing the light. The understanding of light is the way to the brighter world of photography. Without it one would end up fiddling with the camera’s controls no end finally getting frustrated. You need to have a radical approach to light. Can you quote an example of such a person?  You are right; Einstein was one. He understood light beyond its luminescence and colors and glory. He understood it purely in terms of energy. And that’s what it is for the camera. The human eye perceives light relatively. After 5 mins in the bright sun you find your room dark as a grave. Within no time you are able to see everything. But the sun outside comes out to due too bright for your eyes. This illusion can trick you into using the wrong settings even when you are able to see every thing clearly.

A camera is very different from the human dye. It measures light as a absolute quantity of energy. And it can only handle as much at a time.

Understand movement

There’s a great book by Bryan Peterson titled “Understanding Exposure”. It contains some very interesting thoughts.  Everyone wants to get sharp and perfectly still pictures. Everyone wants to avoid shakes and movement and in order to counter the issue they tend to shoot at high shutter speeds. With that kind of a shutter speed any one can get results like a pro’s. The essence of the art is not in shooting at high shutter speeds but in understanding the effect, influence and implications of movement. A blur is some time intended. And one needs good knowledge of several variables to achieve that effect. Pros are able to capture light to their imagination in the most challenging conditions. You can test a pro by lending them a $ 15 camera and they will deliver the results. This is the art of photography.

Befriend the Equipment

We tend to get carried away by the ads of the latest DSLRs. I carry a Nikon D80 myself. But there was a time when I had a consumer-end Nikon film camera. But a lot of my shots could put the D80 to shame. The objective of the equipment is to remove itself as a barrier from between the photographer’s imagination and reality. Its job is to aid you in achieving results as the you visualise them to be. A good photographer knows his equipment and is able to achieve the results as he visualizes by exploiting technology and machinery to the best.

I hope you take the time to absorb the information in the post. Bookmark it to come back and refer to it later. The upcoming posts on photography rest on this foundation. Do subscribe to the feed to keep updated about the latest here.

Michael McDonough