Missed it by that much - According to this overlay I should have lowered the frame just a tad.
The rule of thirds is one of the easier elements of composition to master and I like it because it’s easy. Mentally divide the frame into thirds horizontally and vertically and put the subject near the power points. Easy. My kind of rule.
The Golden Ratio is a little more complicated and involves math. For thousands of years artists and intellectuals have studied the Golden Ratio and other constructs based on the Golden Mean and how it applies to art composition. That has yielded tools like the Golden Triangle, the Golden Spiral, and the Golden Rectangle.
This gets deep in a hurry, so I’m going to simplify by saying the Golden Rectangle is one where the short side and long side relate to one another on a ratio of 1.61803. You might recognize the Golden Rectangle by another name, we call it 16:9 (actually a ratio of 1.777, but close enough).
Align the visual elements of a picture to the golden ratio and apparently humans perceive the composition more positively. It’s true. If you look at an older TV show shot in 4:3 it looks boxy compared to a show shot in wide screen format. Once you get used to wide screen it’s hard to go back.
By way of a simple calculation, divide the frame diagonally, corner to corner. Then draw a second line from the lower corner to upper intersection of thirds. That will yield a rough approximation of the Golden Triangle. Do the same drawing a line from the upper left corner to the lower left intersection of the thirds. If you can picture all that in your head, then you’re aligned with the Divine Ratio.
You can see how your pictures measure up to the gold standard at this handy site.
The Rule of Thirds for subject positioning - by Chaky
There’s a reason it’s called the “Rule of Thirds” and not the “Suggestion of Thirds” or the “Very Highly Recommended Concept of Thirds”.
Still, for the most part, photographers don’t like rules. More to the point they like flouting them with reckless abandon. Photographers are frequently the people climbing on street lights to try and get a better angle on the crowds, the ones hauling a ton of gear out into the wilderness at zero dark-thirty to catch that one moment of fabulous lighting, the ones climbing over the fence at the zoo because the frame of the bear exhibit is really better just a couple steps beyond the fence.
The relationship between artists and rules has always been tenuous and contentious at the best of times. Yet the Rule of Thirds ranks right up there as one of the more time-tested concepts in composition, both in photography and in the art world long before photography came into existence.
The general concept is fairly straightforward: Divide the image frame into nine equal sections. Position your subject at the intersection of the dividing lines. Which one of the intersections will depend on what else is in the frame.
The horizon line can be higher or lower, depending on whether you want to focus attention on the foreground or the sky, anywhere but along the center line.
Subjects In Motion
If your subject is in motion, the Rule of Thirds changes somewhat as you want to give your subject room to move in the photograph. Position the subject so their direction of motion is toward the open area of the picture. If a subject is moving left to right, you generally don’t want to frame the subject in the lower right hand corner as it leaves the impression they’re running off the frame.
For every rule there are exceptions. I have seen some pictures when a slow shutter speed was used and the subject positioned at the distant corner, relative to their direction of motion, to make it appear as if they were going so fast the camera could not pan fast enough to keep up with them.
So there are rules and then there are rules in photography. Learn them, break them, find new ways to apply them to your own personal style. At least no one is going to issue you a ticket for climbing on the street light.
You can't do this at your local restaurant - By Elke Wetzig
I once visited what I thought was an industrial machine shop, but turned out be a professional food photographer. He employed metal supports, chemicals like lacquer and linseed oil, compressed air, and scaled down stage foggers.
You probably won’t want to go that far, but food photography is suddenly in vogue. From Flickr groups like I Ate This with over 240,000 pictures from 24,000 members and so called food porn sites like Tastespotting and Foodgawker, photographing your food is no longer reserved for professionals, we’re all becoming food paparazzi now. If you’re going to do it, do it right.
1) Take a camera. While many people are buying the latest iPhone just for food pictures, even a low end digital camera will do a better job. Cameras like the Nikon Coolpix P7100 are popular for ease of concealment and their fast start up time. Some users have upgraded to cameras like the Nikon D90 because they want better pictures of their food.
2) Be fast. Cold food isn’t going to look good, so try to shoot while it’s still steaming and before anything melts, wilts or changes color.
3) Use natural light when possible. Side lighting from a booth window is going to be better than a pop up flash. If you’re buying an SLR for food pictures, then take the next step and get a diffuser for the pop up flash for those times you can’t avoid using the camera flash.
4) Use a low angle. The big mistake a lot of food photographers make is shooting from too high of an angle. Most people don’t view their food from straight down, so don’t shoot it from that angle. Get down as low as you can without drawing too much attention to yourself.
5) Get close, go macro. Getting a shallow depth of field on macro settings will put the focus on the food and blur out the table in the background.
6) Style it. Many chefs spend an entire year in school just on presentation. Most local restaurants will not have that training, so don’t be afraid to dress up your food a little. If you get lettuce on the side it won’t wilt by the time it gets to the table.
Everyone loves fireworks, with the 4th of July just around the corner we thought that we would put together a list of tips for taking great photos of fireworks.
Photo by SJ photography
Location: You should try to get to your location early, so you can avoid the crowds and find the perfect spot. When selecting a location consider a vantage point that is behind and above the crowd or where you can photograph a local landmark as well as the fireworks.
Photo by amrufm
Equipment: In addition to your camera, a wide angle lens and freshly charged batteries, you should consider bringing a good tripod and a remote shutter. Consider bringing some black fabric (a shirt maybe), we will talk about this later.
Aperture: The fireworks are quite bright, so unlike most low light photograph, you are going to want to us a low aperture of between f/8 and f/16.
ISO: Set your ISO to 200.
Shutter Speed: Set your camera to bulb setting and use the remote shutter. This way you can hit the shutter just as the fireworks are launched to get the light trail and release it after the explosion has occurred. For a more dramatic image, take that black fabric and place it over the front of the lens. Hit the shutter and remove the fabric as the fireworks explode, then replace it between explosions. This will give you a interesting look with multiple fireworks in one image, but do not go overboard or you might overexpose the image.
Focus: Turn off auto-focus and set your camera to infinity. If you don’t have infinity on your camera than just manually focus on the first few burst.
Things to keep in mind:
Through out the fireworks show make sure you check your results, after all the 4th of July only comes once a year
Try taking photos of people watching the fireworks, or from a different perspective.
Try to take your photos up wind of the fireworks, so that the smoke doesn’t take away from your photos.
The first set of fireworks will have less smoke, so be ready for the first volley of fireworks.
Make sure you flash is off.
Consider using a zoom lens, once you have a general idea of where the fireworks will be going off. You can zoom in and change the way your photo is framed to give you a different look.
Just get out there and have fun with your family and your camera.
Photo by focusshoot
Here are some more tips from Pixiq has some more tips to make your photos stand out:
Using a reference point like a building or other structure will add to the magnitude of the fireworks display and add interest in the image.
Try to capture as many different frames as possible. It’s really hard to tell which ones are going to look best while your shooting.
Take a few images of the people watching the fireworks as well. The light from the fireworks themselves will create interesting light casts on the observers.
If you’re near water use the reflection of the fireworks in the image to create some truly magical pictures.
This is our last in our three part series on photographing your children as they grow up. Today we bring you some tips on photographing teens. You might want to look back at our tips on photographing babies and taking photos of children. We hope you enjoy.
Photo credit: Tiffany Joyce
Teenagers can be very, very particular about their appearance in a photograph. It has to be “cool”, it has to show them at their best, and the photo needs to capture their own unique personality and style. As such, working with teenage subjects can be quite a challenge. Photographing a teenager in a more formal setting, such as prom or yearbook pictures, can be somewhat easier than working with younger subjects, as the teen is able to comprehend your instructions and can demonstrate more patience for the photographic process. Action shots, such as sporting events, are also important to fully capture this time in the teen’s life. Always remember to have fun and encourage dialogue to fully understand the goals of the photo shoot. The next time you have the opportunity, try out these tips for photographing a teenager.
One – Set the goals and expectations up front. Have a detailed conversation with the teen about the expected outcome of the photo shoot. What kinds of poses do they want? Will there be multiple outfits? Will the shots be just for fun, or are they going to be used as their class picture or in their yearbook? Settle on how long the photo shoot will last as well, to control “scope creep”. Most importantly, discuss the details with the teenager as their equal.
Photo credit: Tiffany Joyce
Two – Compose multiple portraiture shots. Get in close for a head or head and shoulders shot by using the long end of a telephoto lens (such as a 70-200mm) or a long prime lens (such as a 200mm f/2.0), and use a shallow depth of field (f/5.6 or lower). Use a tripod and remote shutter release to ensure tack-sharp photos. For full body poses, a 18-55mm lens is a great, flexible lens. Photograph at f/11 to ensure the entire subject is in focus. For indoor portrait shots in continuous light, shoot at ISO 400 at f/11. For outdoor portrait shots shoot in aperture priority, also using ISO 400.
Three – Use a fast lens for sports photography. Choose a 70-200mm f/2.8 or a 300mm f/2.8 (unfortunately this is out of reach of pretty much everyone $4700! so using a non prime 300mm lens is still an option – you might just need to push up your ISO, or go where there is more light – here is a list of 300mm lenses less than $500), and set the camera to shoot in continuous or “burst” mode. A fast lens will allow you to use a faster shutter speed even in lower light levels. This will ensure that the subject in the photograph is sharp even if captured in motion, and is a good choice whether you’re shooting an indoor event or an outdoor event. Shooting in burst mode will capture a succession of motion shots, and also increases the chances of capturing a tack-sharp, correctly composed and correctly exposed shot.
Photo credit: Tiffany Joyce
Four – Plan ahead for the special events. Talk with the teenager about their plans for homecoming, prom, championship or rivalry games, and the like. Remember to bring the camera with you for their test to get their driver’s license. They’ll suffer through the “embarrassment” of first-date pictures if they know about them ahead of time. Also, consider documenting a “day in the life” – follow the teen around for a day taking photographs, so they can look back upon this time in their life and recall how they used to spend their free time.
Five – You can handle multiple teenagers! Many times teens would like to create a group photographic project with their friends. Be open and friendly, and solicit suggestions and ideas. Set expectations up front to encourage the process to keep moving forward. Anticipate several hours for multiple poses, locations, and outfits. Pay equal attention to each individual – in group shots, photograph multiple poses and rearrange the subjects so that they each have a turn being in the center or being the “featured” subject. Be sure to take individual shots of each teenager. Consider breaking up larger groups into multiple smaller groups for variation. Take candid shots of the teens interacting with one another to capture more natural poses.
