Foto Friday

I was asked to give a few pointers to some girlies who would like to take better photographs and so I decided to deem Friday's "FOTO FRIDAY" here on my blog in case there is anyone else who might benefit from a few pointers given by someone who isn't all that great at photography anyway.

So this is how it will go: I will post a pointer or TIP on Friday's about taking better pictures, a few examples from my own photograhs and possibly related articles etc. I will not be talking about aperture or shutter speed much, because not everyone HAS those fancy schmancy cameras and I don't believe you NEED those fancy schmancy cameras to take well done photographs (though don't ask me to give mine up! hehe) What I am saying is: Good photographs are doable at ANY level, even with a disposable camera!

Those girls who are participating~try and utilize/practice that tip or pointer the following week as you take photos. Have your Mom evaluate or you can blog it and let me know---and I'll check it out too. Anyone who wants to participate is welcome. Anyone who doesn't want to participate but is still interested in coming on Fridays, cool.

I have been very non-commital in the past to "themes" as far as this blog goes, finding it hard to be boxed in, but the way I figure it, I don't have too many pointers to share so I'll be done in a few weeks anyway! ;-)

Anyone who knows more about photography than I do, bear with me. Any professional photographers out there-don't bother coming on Fridays, it will only cause me great embarrassment. Everyone else? I know nothing. Just remember that.

OK. Disclaimer typed: check!

Let's go.



To kick off Foto Friday, I will suggest something that this very minute could begin to affect the quality of your photographs, if you let it.

Tip #1: BEWARE of your BACKGROUND

When you are taking a photograph, you become so intent upon the subject (the main focus of the photograph) that sometimes, people forget to look around at the rest of the frame (the entire part being photographed). You may think that this isn't that big of a deal but it really truly is.

It's a general rule to have uncluttered a background as possible. Sometimes you can effectively use a background to create feelings of clutter, if that is what you are going for, but often times-the LESS your eye is drawn to the background, the better.

If you are in a cluttered area of your home or a not-very-photogenic spot on a street corner or something, a very simple fix is to zoom in. Fill up the frame with just the SUBJECT and get as little of the background in as possible. (Ever wonder why I like close-ups so much?!)

Sometimes, it just requires a little shift in perspective. The above and below photos are taken at the same spot in the yard~the tree swing. You can see that the first shot is more appealing than the second. This is, in part, due to the fact that the background is uncluttered and clean in the first photo. The second photo has a tire in the background for herbs, chickens everywhere and our neighbors turquoise house in the distance. Not nearly as effective a photograph, if I do say so myself. All I would have had to do was ask them to turn around in the seat and shoot from the other side and the feel would have changed dramatically.


This week, be conscious of the BACKGROUND of your photograph and before you snap it, adjust yourself (by moving) or your camera (by zooming in) so as to create the least amount of distractions in your photograph. Let that subject stand out!