This is National Geogrpahic's photo of the day. It features a man sitting on a bench overlooking Bourtzi Castle in Nafplion, Greece.
What is unique about this picture is its color tone. The photograph has a very sandy-like tone, which makes it seem like a more old fashioned photograph. The sandy color also suggests a more solemn feeling. If the colors were brighter, the photo would suggest a happier feeling. Photographers often use photoshop or put a filter on their camera lens to alter the color tone of their photographs in order to strategically suggest the feeling they are trying to portray.
What is also unique about this photograph is the man sitting on the bench. By including the man, the photograph becomes more real and relatable. It makes you realize that the beautiful scenery the man is looking at is an actual place in the world. Sometimes including humans and animals in photographs makes it easier for the viewer to connect to the image.
This is National Geogrpahic's photo of the day. It features two black-browed albatrosses in West Point, South Georgia.
Nature photography is one of my favorite types of photography. Photographing nature forces you to become more connected to the environment around you. The subjects are also often not still, which puts more pressure on you to focus on the subject. Also, the movement of the subject forces you to become accustomed to trial and error.
Having a moving target makes it more difficult for you to capture the photo you are aiming to capture. Therefore, you must take several pictures of your subject. I almost never get the image I am looking for the first time I press down the shutter release. I have to take several pictures before I am fully satisfied.
This photo seems to be a product of that trial and error. The birds are caught at the exact moment they are touching beaks, which is a rare occurrence that strengthens the bond between the birds. This means that the photographer either had to wait for the perfect moment to capture the image or the photographer took several pictures of the birds.
Nature photography, although it takes patience, does produce rewarding and unique photographs.
A new form of photography that I find very interesting is light graffiti. This type of photography allows you to create your own subject by moving a light in front of an exposed shudder. You can create anything from a simple string of designs to a detailed image. Here is a tutorial on light graffiti:
All you really need is a somewhat dark area, a light of any color (usually a small flashlight), and a tripod (or a very steady set of hands). Then, set your camera to have a long exposure time (the settings are different on each camera). Once the shutter has opened, step a few feet from the front of the lens, and begin to move the light to form a design or a picture.
This type of photography is very interactive, as instead of searching for an image as photographers usually do, you are making the image yourself. Light graffiti, although something that may seem difficult at first is rewarding, fun, and will allow you to feel more connected to your photos.
This is today's Photo of the Day from the National Geographic webpage. The photo, entitled "Moonlit Canoe" captures a canoe resting on the calm waters of Allagash River located in Northern Maine. What I love about this photograph is the fact that it almost doesn't look real. It is the moonlight that does this to the image.
The way in which the moonlight affects the photo in such a way that it almost seems unreal really says something about how important lighting is when taking a photograph. To capture the perfect scene, you need the perfect lighting. An image that is too bright or too dark will cause people to miss the details of the photograph, which will cause them to simply look at an image rather than look into it or see it.
What I also noticed about this photograph is the detail on the canoe at the bottom right corner. The black and white decorative design can almost be overlooked, but when noticed, it really adds something to the photo.
If you have been considering buying any type of camera, lens, or other camera accessory, Black Friday is the day to do it. There are sales on cameras almost everywhere, and no matter where you look, on the internet or in the actual stores, you are bound to find a deal. Here is a guide to some of the best places to buy cameras on Black Friday.
Not every camera is on sale, but you are sure to find some deal. There is even a "Find Your Perfect Digital Camera" function, where you can enter the megapixels, brand, and optical zoom you are looking for and find the camera that is right for you.
For Target, there is currently an "Almost Black Friday Sale" happening on their website, but you can also find deals in their store starting at 12 a.m Friday morning. For example, the Cannon EOS Rebel Digital SLR camera is on sale for 479.99 dollars from 599.99 dollars.
Like Target, there are both online and in- store deals. Sales start at 12 a.m. in the store for electronics, but sales have already start online. There is a sale on a Canon PowerShot Digital Camera Display Holiday Value Bundle for 170 dollars from 287 dollars.
At Sears, there is a deal that will save you almost 300 dollars. The Canon EOS18.1 Megapixel Digital SLR Camera is on sale for 1598.99 dollars from 1898.99 dollars. This camera is still very expensive, but to save 300 dollars on a camera this professional is a good deal.
One of my favorite things to do is visit the National Geographic Magazine web page and look at their photos of the day. The photographs are always magnificent and are usually of sights I have never seen before. For example, todays picture was of a blue cod in the shallow waters of New Zealand's Long Sound.
You can visit everyday to see new photos, and some may even give you inspiration. I love this photo because the scene seems unreal. The cod looks as if it is glowing, and the orange entities scattered around look like tiny flames.
With technology getting more and more advanced, there are very few people in the world who know how to use a film camera. I think learning how to use a film camera, however, is one of the best ways to get you to see the world differently.
When you look at the world through the lens of a camera, everything is a little bit different. You don't see the things you normally see. You see the beautiful yet unnoticed things. Like the pieces of grass sticking through the cracks in the pavement or the way someone looks when they laugh. You see the things that you don't see everyday. There is something about looking through the lens of a camera that looking at the screen of a digital camera cannot provide.
Using a film camera, however, is not an easy task. First, you should try and learn about the different parts of the camera.
Then comes learning how to load the camera with film.
Next comes focusing on the image you are trying to shoot. To manually focus a film camera, you must move the focus ring (number 5 in the above picture) either left or right depending on how close you are to the image.
With most film cameras, looking into viewfinder (number 19 in the above picture) and through the lens at the image will look something like this before it is focused:
There is a circle with the line through the center of the lens, and when the camera is not focused on the image, the image look disjoint. By moving the focus ring left or right, you should be trying to make the image look not disjoint.
Next, you should set the exposure of your camera, which will effect the brightness or darkness of your photograph. In order to set the exposure, you will have to adjust both the aperture ring ( number six in the above picture) and the shutter speed dial (number 8 in the above picture).
In order to set the aperture ring and shutter speed dial, start by slightly pressing the shutter release button (the button used to take a picture, number 11 in the above picture) and looking into the viewfinder. When you look into the viewfinder, there should be some form of dial, such as a red "x" or "o" on the right hand side of the image. Adjust the aperture ring and shutter speed dial until the "x" and "o" disappear or until a green symbol appears. This means that your image is not underexposed or overexposed, which will make you image look clearer when it is developed.
To finish the job, simply press the shutter release button all the way down until you hear the shutter move. To take another picture, pull back the film advance lever (number 9 in the above picture) and repeat the same process.
Although it seems like this process is tedious, learning how to use a film camera is important, as it will not only teach you more about photography, but it will force you to look into and see an object or scene rather than just look at it.
Friday, November 11, 2011
One thing that has helped me do more looking into rather than looking at is taking photographs. Looking through a camera lens forces me to see every element of the scene, person, or object I am taking a picture of. It forces me to focus on what it is I am really trying to take out of a situation. Is it beauty that I see? Is it a memory I am too afraid to let pass me by? Taking photographs forces me to see rather than look at.
I took this dragonfly photograph in July last year. I was enjoying the sun in my backyard when I saw this dragonfly fly past my face and land on an almost dead dandelion. I had my camera near by and began to take pictures of the dragonfly.
Taking this photograph made me notice details that I had never noticed before. I had never really seen a decaying dandelion. I had never seen the way its yellow petals curled above the white seeds almost ready to emerge. I had never really noticed the way a dragonfly's wings were detailed with lines and boxes. I had looked at a dandelion and dragonfly before, but I had never really seen either.
This is one of the best examples of how looking through a camera lens allowed me to really see and fully appreciate the beauty before my eyes.
"A photograph is usually looked at - seldom looked into." -Ansel Adams
We look at pictures everyday. On Facebook, in the news, on the internet. We look at faces and places. We look at happiness and tragedy. We look at nature and technology. But how often do we really see what we are looking at?
I know that for me, I seldom truly look into anything. I go day by day looking at an endless sea of objects and faces but I rarely ever truly see them. It is my goal to do more seeing, to do more looking into rather than just simply letting things pass by my eyes.
I feel that all photographers have some sense of seeing rather than looking when they take pictures. I think it is our responsibility to try and do the same when viewing their photographs. This blog is to help others (and myself) become more accustomed to looking into rather than looking at.
