High Five Photo Tips for MAY

High Five Photo Tips for MAY

1.  Go take a walk with a prime lens and force yourself to see with that lens.  It will help you understand that focal length.  Do this until you feel comfortable and then creative.  If you do not own a prime lens use your zoom, but restrict your range to short, mid or long zoom.  

2,  Start a Project or Theme.  Anything that gets you thinking and out shooting.  Reflections, colors, shapes, location or meaning.  Let your imagination flow.

3. Try a polarizing filter. This filter increases contrast, takes haze out of the atmosphere, and takes reflections off water surfaces. It is most effective when used at 90 degrees from the sun The filter needs to be turned while you look through the camera to see the effects. Yes, it takes away almost two stops of light, but you can always turn up the ISO to compensate.

4. Light Illuminates, Shadows Define.  A favorite saying of Rick Sammon.  Lots of good photography ideas on the Rick Sammon BLOG  

5. Get Close to your subject.  The most common mistake made by photographers is that they are not physically close enough to their subjects. In some cases this means that the center of interest-the subject-is just a speck, too small to have any impact.   

42nd Street Welcome

Mayor of Arthur Avenue, Bronx, NY

Don't be shy. If you approach people in the right way, they'll usually be happy to have their picture made. It's up to you to break the ice and get them to cooperate. Joke around with them and share the fun. "If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough" as per Robert Capa.   

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,267730,00.html#ixzz1KaBz4y9f