TAKING BETTER PHOTOGRAPHS 101 By Lesley Ouimet It is easy to take a digital picture – and only slightly harder to take a good digital picture. What makes the difference between a good photograph and a poor one? There are three main areas that make up a good picture. They are:  Composition  Lighting  Quality and resolution Work on the details of these three and your pictures will improve. Composition a) What story am I telling? This is always a good question to ask yourself. If you are documenting a training session for your placement, what do you need to convey that to the viewer? If the subject is demonstrating a skill, how do you illustrate the technique? If the event is emotional, how can you respectfully capture the feelings of the participants? b) Rule of Thirds: The basic principle behind the rule of thirds is to imagine dividing the photograph into thirds (both horizontally and vertically) so that you have 9 equal parts. Some viewfinders have a grid built into the camera, making it easy to apply the rule of thirds. The theory is that if you place points of interest in the intersections or along the lines, your photo becomes more balanced and therefore more appealing. Studies have shown that when viewing images, people’s eyes usually go to one of the intersection points most naturally – not the centre of the shot. Taking better photographs 101 1 In learning how to use the rule of thirds, the most important questions to be asking are: ‐ What are the points of interest in this shot? ‐ Where am I intentionally placing them? Note: the bee’s eye is the point of focus. Rules are meant to be broken – on occasion! The rule of thirds will usually result in the most engaging composition, but not always. The beauty of digital photography is the opportunity to deliberately try something different. See what works and if the rule of thirds would have resulted in the best composition, there is always photo editing to shift the subject from the centre of the shot to one of the intersection points. Taking better photographs 101 2 c) Up close and personal A common mistake in digital photography is taking shots where your subject is too small in the frame. Shots that fill the frame with your subject tend to be more dynamic; showing more details connect the viewer to the subject. There are two options here – you can use your feet or your zoom feature. Some photographers are reluctant to move closer and feel uncomfortable getting into the “space” of their subject. Don’t be shy to ask people if you can take their photos. Respect them if they say no, but you will likely find that a lot of subjects don’t mind. A nice feature of the digital format is showing the subject what the picture looks like immediately. Most people also like to see themselves in the view screen. Switch to the review function and let your subject have a look! d) Cropping Like the Rule of Thirds, this one deals with framing a photo – only this time it’s photos of people. It’s a pretty simple rule, and it’s this: If any of the edges of the photo hits a joint, it’ll make the person look funny. For instance, if you cut them off right at the elbows, or at the knees or ankles, they’ll look odd. Instead, crop them mid-calf, or mid-thigh, or midway between their shoulder and elbow. How Not to Crop People Taking better photographs 101 How to properly crop 3 e) Foreground and background One of the most common places for distractions in digital photography is the background of your shots. Run your eyes over the space behind your subject to see what else is in the image (do the same for the foreground). Move yourself or the subject if necessary. Lighting Photography and lighting – they go hand in hand. Appropriate use of lighting will make (or break) a photo. Without enough light you’ll lose detail and clarity in your image and your camera will try to compensate by doing things like increasing ISO and lengthening shutter speeds. The result will often be blurred images. Asking the soldiers to turn around and face the sun resulted in a much better photograph. Both were taken with the same camera and within minutes of each other, but the backlighting in the photo on the left leaves the detail in shadow and the colours muted. Taking better photographs 101 4 a) The Golden hour Photographers sometimes refer to the first and last hour of daylight as the ‘golden hour,’ which, under the right conditions, can often lead to a soft and warm glow on anything in its path. Taking advantage of this while traveling can be tricky, because our daily schedules are often full and dependent on a host of other factors. But if you wake up early enough, or are paying attention as the sun is about to set, you might be rewarded with some spectacular shots full of interesting colors and hues. Shadows also get long and pronounced during this time, so look for angles that feature these contrasts. For landscapes, the best time to photograph is around dusk and dawn. At these hours the sun doesn't burn out the colors of the landscape and you're more likely to have a lively sky. For urban photos some of the best photos are during the iridescent light between dusk and dark. b) Turn off the flash Too many people never learn how to operate their cameras beyond turning them on and off, and while you may never figure out what all the buttons and dials do it is critical in photography to know how to turn off the flash. Too often, we look back at our vacation photos and think, "Wow, I thought the evening light was much softer than that…” The truth is that sometimes the flash can leave everything looking harsh. Learn how to operate your camera and familiarize yourself with it to find out when it’s best to leave the flash off. A few quick tips: ‐ ‐ ‐ Shoot outdoors if possible. Most indoor locations do not have enough light to result in a good, clear picture. If you have to shoot indoors, try to avoid having a window behind your subject. Keep the sun behind the camera. It should be shining on your subject. The natural light in the early morning and late afternoon works well. Taking better photographs 101 5 Quality and resolution Have a look at the instruction manual for your digital camera. In general, it is best to set the resolution fairly high. The memory card will hold fewer images, but they will be of greater resolution and can be enlarged or cropped more effectively. Make sure you also know how to hold the camera steady while taking a photo. One of the common mistakes is “camera shake” where images appear blurry. This is especially common in low light conditions where the shutter is open for a longer period of time. If you will be shooting in low light, using a tripod is recommended. The “action” option on your camera can also help you shoot people in movement (e.g. At the market, a bus, etc.) or shoot from a moving vehicle. Consider taking some pictures on the landscape/horizontal and some in the portrait/vertical format. It is handy to have options in each orientation. Taking better photographs 101 6 General Photography Tips for Volunteers a) Always keep your camera at the ready Many people leave their camera in their rooms or tucked into their backpacks because they are worried about "looking like a tourist” or about having their camera stolen. But being abroad is spontaneous, and that also means that to capture the spontaneity we need to be prepared for it. Keep your eyes open and camera ready! b) Shoot photos that will help you tell stories Think about what your family and friends would like to know about your experience. What would you like them to learn about your work or the country you are in? Pictures of people who impacted you or photos of cultural aspects will help others better understand the context of your volunteer experience. c) Don’t forget that development work is about working with and for people Volunteering is a chance for you to have a different experience than a simple traveler. You will gain a deeper understanding of development issues by working closely with committed people driven by the desire to improve their world. Images of your work colleagues and people your organization works with will help you tell your friends and family about your volunteer experience and the work that is being done in developing countries. d) Make sure you are allowed to take pictures of people, wherever you are Each country has different laws or cultural practices that can influence if it is legally and socially accepted to take pictures of people. When you first arrive in the area, ask a couple of people what they know or think about it. Often, they will say that it is always more polite to ask permission from the people you want to take a picture of beforehand, to make sure the person has no issue with her picture being taken. e) If you are thinking about submitting photos to WUSC or CECI or publishing photos publicly, make sure to ask permission from the subjects before taking their picture Imagine if they wanted to take a picture of you and publish it, wouldn’t you like to know that before they take the picture? Permission can be hard to get afterwards, that is why it is always better to ask people’s permission before taking their portrait. If you organize an event with your organization in the country, you could let people know in your invitation or somewhere at the event that their photo could be used in promotional material. f) Have a great photo you want to share with WUSC and CECI? WUSC and CECI love to showcase volunteers’ work by sharing images of development. Photographs of you and colleagues in action at work and in communities can be valuable additions to the Uniterra website or other publications. g) Enjoy trying different shots and interacting with you subjects! Taking better photographs 101 7