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Three Ways to Improve Your Photography By Cardell Phillips There's a big difference between a picture and a photograph. To take a picture you just point and shoot. And the result is always boring. To take a photograph requires skill and planning. And the result is always memorable. Below are three rules for taking great photographs. Rule #1: Look Beyond the Obvious When you look at your scene, what do you see? The best photographs express the photographer's vision, such as beauty, anger, humor, or loneliness. You have to know what attracts you to a scene before you can capture that vision on film. Once you connect with what you see, you can combine the elements of a scene to express your vision. Rule #2: Master Your Tools Your ability to make your vision come alive is in proportion to your level of expertise with your tools. The main tools in a photographer's gadget bag manipulate light. In photography, light is everything. Rule #3: Look for the light The most interesting photographs are taken at the edges of things. Such as, places of transition (beaches and mountain meadows), or times of transition (springtime and fall). The most popular times to hunt for the edge is at dawn and dusk, where the subject is light. The best photographers see the image they want in their minds eye before they see in with their physical eyes. They may return to a location at another time, when the conditions are more condusive to what they want to say. Some photographers produce work that expresses the grandeur in nature, others like to shoot in violent weather, and still others are known for the quality of light in thier work. What do you see? Home |