I grew up in a family of photographers. My grandfather used to love to tell the story of how he made his first pinhole camera, and how he stole developing paper from one of the merchants at the Sunday market, and how the owner called after him Ill box your ears in, young lad, Ill box your ears in. I spent hours in my youth, posing for still photographs in the garden, with my brother and sister. It was my sister that inherited his passion and went on to graduate from a photography diploma course, having successfully photographed over 100 door knobs in black and white. Take a nature hike with her and shell stop to photograph unusual plants (she also likes to steal clippings from peoples gardens and replant them!).
Here are a few tips of how to take or appreciate photographs:
1: Follow the natural eye movement from the bottom left corner to the top right corner. This ones from my grandfather, who at my sisters request wrote a how-to guide to take a good picture, for my sister, in his painstakingly meticulous hand-writing. The other day, in the doctors waiting room I tested the reverse, and concluded that I seldom look right-to-left. The idea is to put the focus of attention in the top right-hand corner.
2: Ask permission afterward. About a year ago, I went into a hole-in-the-wall bar/cafe with Richard, a photographer friend of mine, who proceeded to show me a stack of, literally hundreds, of photos, for a business project in mind. He then got out his camera and took the bartenders photo. The bartender was actually not at all pleased with this, and had to be placated. My best people pictures have been taken when the persons not aware that Im about to take their picture. Its more natural, and a lot more fun.
3: Take a cerebral snapshot first. Seasoned globe-trotter and travel writer, Paul Theroux, wrote how once he was in Italy and he saw a dozen white doves spill out of the eaves of a cathedral, but he didn't have a camera with him to capture the moment. He invites people with cameras to try capture the picture in their mind, and to see if its story-worthy. If you can imagine taking out the snapshot and talking animatedly with friends or other photographers about what you managed to capture, then you've got something.
I may not have inherited my grandfathers passion for taking pictures, but I do like the eye for colored doors of quaint town cottages, and for a face of someone who's lived an interesting life.
More Information:
Categories
