Written by I.J Hudson
I apologize if I’ve been too preachy in these blogs. My main message has always been to shoot more pictures. Look for new angles, better backgrounds. Try to show subjects in natural environments, as well as natural light. Try to catch natural situations. Staging usually gives you staged pictures.
The basic rules don’t change when you’re shooting with a camera phone. Being creative is not confined to a standalone camera. Art comes from what you “see,” not the equipment. And many newer cameras can shoot in RAW, as well as Jpeg. Jpeg?! RAW?!
Jpeg is what most cameras give you. It’s the camera software’s idea of what the best picture might be. The image is “compressed” and limited. RAW doesn’t make a lot of decisions for you. It collects ALL the information from the sensor. It does show you a picture to look at, but it retains all the original information captured so you have the latitude to tweak – a LOT. There are apps to use with RAW on your cellphone.
Okay, back to mistakes and RAW to the rescue. Often, the art is in saving a terrible picture or what you thought was a “lost cause picture.” A decent photographer can make mistakes and come back with a picture that looks pretty good. And making that happen involves NOT deleting any pictures until you’ve had a chance to see them on a bigger screen and in a creative mind. Even then, revisit the pictures in a day or two. It’s easy to overlook the possibilities.
Example 1: I spotted someone walking a dog down a utility’s easement – you know, those wide patches in the woods for utility towers or gas lines. SNAP! Oh my. Looks almost totally black. I had been shooting something very bright and had failed to reset.
But shooting RAW enabled me to go from BLAH! to a decent picture that had a little artsy flavor.
Example 2: I was set to shoot a bright sunset, when a Great Blue skimmed along the surface of the water. It was way underexposed, but through RAW tweaks and noise reduction software was able to produce an interesting looking picture.
I hope this blog has provided a few tips that will make you a better photographer. Take more pictures, be more selective in what you how you shoot, and most of all, have fun.
Watch for the Poolesville Seniors Heart ‘n Soul Auction on February 11th including a work by IJ Hudson.