When it comes to taking a great picture, a lot goes into the process as we have seen and heard. Us at Captured, love taking photos and hope that all you do too. But when it comes to photography, we can divide people into three categories.
Firstly, you have the people who take photos just for plan enjoyment, seeking no recognition for them, but just for beauty's sake. Then, you have those who take pictures maybe to make money or to show how good their pictures are to others, or even just to make other's laugh and bring happiness. And the third is a combination of the two. Some may take pictures for beauty and want to share them, and so on. I want to focus on the idea of sharing photos with others, despite whatever category you fall into.
Nowadays, there are many ways to share photos with friends. Facebook is a great way to do so. But a new and easier way to share photos is on Instagram. Instagram is a fast and easy way to share photos with friends, something that you can even do right from your phone. Instagram also allows you to put filters on your photos and add personal bits to your photography. And it's just plain fun! We highly recommend it and suggest you give it a try.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Things to Consider Before You Take a Photo
At Captured, we love new ideas and perspectives, even when they are not our own. We found this article from the Digital Photography School ( http://digital-photography-school.com/10-questions ) that offers great things to consider before you press that button and take a shot. Enjoy and learn.
What story am I telling?
This is an important
question and one that should help you to make any number of decisions in terms
of composition, framing, exposure etc. In essence what you’re asking is ‘why am
I taking this shot? What is it’s purpose and what am I trying to convey?’ Is it
purely a way to keep a record of a moment, are you trying to capture the
emotion of a moment, is it possibly a shot to give to someone, is it part of a
larger series of shots or will it be the only shot to commemorate the moment
etc.
2. What is the visual focal point of this shot?
What will viewers of
this picture naturally have their eye drawn to in this scene? Once you’ve
identified this focal point you can think about where to place it in the frame
(consider the rule
of thirds for example).
There are a variety of
ways that you can enhance a focal point – some of which we explore
here.
3. What competing focal points are there?
Once you’ve identified
what you do want your viewers eyes to be drawn towards and have placed it in
the frame – scan your eyes over the shot and see if there are any competing
focal points and ask yourself whether they add to or take away from the image?
Secondary focal points can add depth to shots but they can also be very
distracting and so you might need to reposition yourself or adjust your focal
length and/or depth of field to accommodate or remove them from your shots
(read more on removing
clutter from photography). Also keep in mind that if your shot has
more than one focal point that it might be worth taking two shots, one of each
focal point, in order to keep things simple.
4. What is in the background and foreground?
One of most common places
for distractions in digital photography is the background of your shots. Run
your eyes over the space behind your subject to see what else is in the image
(do the same for the foreground). Consider whether you want the background in
focus or nice and blurry.
5. Am I close enough?
Another common mistake
in digital photography is taking shots where your subject is too small in the
frame. Shots that fill the frame with your subject tend to be much more dynamic
and show a lot more detail of your subject. To get this effect you have the
option of moving yourself closer, moving your subject closer or using a longer focal
length to give the effect of closeness.
6. What is the main source of light?
Always give
consideration to how your subject is lit. Without light you’ll lose detail and
clarity in your image and your camera will have to compensate by doing things
like increasing ISO and lengthening shutter speeds (which could lead to noisy
and blurred images). What is the main source of light, where is it coming from,
is there enough light, do you need artificial light sources (flash etc), do you
need to stabilize your camera on a tripod to stop camera shake due to low light
etc.
7. Is my Framing Straight?
It’s amazing how many
otherwise good photos are spoiled by framing that is slightly offline. Sloping
horizons and slightly leaning people or buildings should always be in the back
of your mind to check. Read more on getting
horizons horizontal and getting
other lines straight.
Also related to this
question is that of ‘Am I
holding my Camera correctly?‘ Many people don’t and as a result
suffer from camera shake and framing mistakes.
8. What other perspectives could I capture this subject from?
Put 10 digital camera
owners in front of a scene and most of them will take exactly the same shot
from the same position. Make your images stand out from the crowd by
challenging yourself to not only take the standard shots that everyone else
will get but to find
creative and fresh angles and perspectives to shoot from.
9. How would holding the camera in the other format change this
shot?
Many photographers get
into the habit of always holding their camera the same way
(horizontally/landscape or vertically/portrait). While it’s OK to have a
preference one way or the other it’s also worth remembering that changing the
format can drastically change the impact of the shot. Don’t forget you can also
hold your camera at an angle for an effective result too.
10. How will the eye travel through this image?
This is related to
asking about focal points but gets in touch with the fact that while you’re
photographing a still image your viewers eyes don’t remain still as they look
at an image. People tend to follow lines and are attracted to shapes and colors
so considering all of these different visual elements and cues can help improve
your shots considerably. Of course you probably won’t remember all the
questions and you’re unlikely to go through each of them with every shot you
take – however next time you head out with your digital camera concentrate on asking yourself at least one or
two of them as you take your shots. As you do you’ll find that they become more
automatic and in time you’ll naturally take digital photography shots that take
into account all of these elements.
Variety is the Spice of Life Part 2: Themes
There are so many ways that you can expand your skills as a photographer and keep things fresh and exciting at the same time. All of us at Captured share a common goal that we want for our readers and just all the photographers out there. We never want you to lose passion for taking photos. That's why we want to promote creative thinking in any way we can.
In our last post, we talked about ditching our bubble, and seeking a better means of making beautiful photography. I hope you all took us up on our challenge, and even more importantly so, I hope all of you had fun with it as well. We want to run a few more ideas by all of you, just in case your creative juices aren't quite flowing yet. Our challenge was a very broad means of breaking from the norm, but now we want to focus back on some specific themes that will produce great pictures.
The first photo theme that you should try is taking "mono-pictures." Mono-pictures is when you only take pictures of one specific color in them or even just black and white. This is a great way to switch things up a bit, and make you see pictures in ways you haven't yet seen. If you have never tried mono photographs, I highly recommend it. It forces you to see pictures in a new light, and you might find you like a picture much better than if it was all in color.
Next, if the photo walk challenge was a little too broad for your tastes, and you prefer specific points of interest or even just more guidelines on what to look for, we suggest the A-Z challenge. The A-Z challenge is when you take 26 photos, each one starting with a different letter of the alphabet. This seems easy until you get to letters like Q, X or Z. If it makes it easier, set themes for the photos, instead of what the picture is. For example, you could take a picture with someone with their hands over their ears, and call the picture "quiet."
Lastly but definitely not least, you could have a good old scavenger hunt. Similar to the photo walk, you set up a list of pictures to take and assign point values to each. This allows more specifics then the photo walk and you can do it and have fun with a bunch of your friends. Go out and take as many pictures as you can in a specified period of time and the person with the most points win. Plus, you also get to look at everyone's pictures, which always makes for a good time. Continue to think of new ways to keep your passion for photography alive and well.
In our last post, we talked about ditching our bubble, and seeking a better means of making beautiful photography. I hope you all took us up on our challenge, and even more importantly so, I hope all of you had fun with it as well. We want to run a few more ideas by all of you, just in case your creative juices aren't quite flowing yet. Our challenge was a very broad means of breaking from the norm, but now we want to focus back on some specific themes that will produce great pictures.
The first photo theme that you should try is taking "mono-pictures." Mono-pictures is when you only take pictures of one specific color in them or even just black and white. This is a great way to switch things up a bit, and make you see pictures in ways you haven't yet seen. If you have never tried mono photographs, I highly recommend it. It forces you to see pictures in a new light, and you might find you like a picture much better than if it was all in color.
Next, if the photo walk challenge was a little too broad for your tastes, and you prefer specific points of interest or even just more guidelines on what to look for, we suggest the A-Z challenge. The A-Z challenge is when you take 26 photos, each one starting with a different letter of the alphabet. This seems easy until you get to letters like Q, X or Z. If it makes it easier, set themes for the photos, instead of what the picture is. For example, you could take a picture with someone with their hands over their ears, and call the picture "quiet."
Lastly but definitely not least, you could have a good old scavenger hunt. Similar to the photo walk, you set up a list of pictures to take and assign point values to each. This allows more specifics then the photo walk and you can do it and have fun with a bunch of your friends. Go out and take as many pictures as you can in a specified period of time and the person with the most points win. Plus, you also get to look at everyone's pictures, which always makes for a good time. Continue to think of new ways to keep your passion for photography alive and well.
Variety is the Spice of Life Part 1: Photo Walk Challenge
All of us at Captured wanted to issue a little challenge to all our devoted readers out there. This challenge is designed to not only spark creativity in you, but also shake you out of what we like to call the "photographer's bubble." If you look through your photos in your camera, what do you see? Is it mostly pictures from around your house, or of the same friends over and over again? Even if they are good pictures, which I'm sure they're great, there probably isn't much variety to your picture taking.
So our goal in this challenge is to break you out of your "bubble," and into the amazing world of wonderful, creative pictures. So here's the challenge. Firstly, set a location where you want to shoot your pictures. Whether it's a specific place in your town/city or just all over the place; just remember to never limit yourself. Secondly, diversify your picture taking, meaning don't take fifty pictures of the same thing or same type of thing. Thirdly, don't be afraid to be spontaneous! Ask to take pictures of people, even if there complete strangers, unless you prefer taking them from a distance; just don't look like a creeper! Capture feelings, emotions and the many interesting sides of people. Maybe even create themes that you want your photos to fall into.
This type of spontaneous photography usually produces your best work, because it's not constricted or limited by anything. Improve your skills by practice, practice and yes more practice!
So our goal in this challenge is to break you out of your "bubble," and into the amazing world of wonderful, creative pictures. So here's the challenge. Firstly, set a location where you want to shoot your pictures. Whether it's a specific place in your town/city or just all over the place; just remember to never limit yourself. Secondly, diversify your picture taking, meaning don't take fifty pictures of the same thing or same type of thing. Thirdly, don't be afraid to be spontaneous! Ask to take pictures of people, even if there complete strangers, unless you prefer taking them from a distance; just don't look like a creeper! Capture feelings, emotions and the many interesting sides of people. Maybe even create themes that you want your photos to fall into.
This type of spontaneous photography usually produces your best work, because it's not constricted or limited by anything. Improve your skills by practice, practice and yes more practice!
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Profile Pics
In this month's issue we have an article on profile pictures and what they say about you. We thought that we would post our profile pics and let you know what we think about them. Feel free to leave a comment if you agree/disagree or with your own pic and what it says about you!
Rebekah
This is a picture of me on the beach a few months ago during vacation. My sister took this picture of me when I decided to go play in the water even though it was pretty cold and windy out. I feel like this picture shows I like to have fun and enjoy the outdoors.
Lynn
This is a picture of me that was taken by a photographer friend of mine, outside of the Carter Glass Mansion In Lynchburg, Virginia on a warm, sunny day. My friend has told me this reminds him of France for some reason. :) I guess it's because of the fence, but I'm not sure. I feel like this picture shows that I enjoy the outdoors, sunshine and warm weather.
Kirsten
What does my profile picture say about me? I am someone who changes my profile picture often because I like to change it up a bit and I am always taking pictures. This pictures is with one of my best friends and it shows our personalities exactly. When we are together we laugh constantly and are always making faces. The funny thing about this picture is that we were not planning on taking this picture, and my friend just snapped it and this is what we were doing. This picture describes my personality in that I am crazy and fun!
Dan
This is a picture of me running a Tough Mudder event in Pennsylvania. This was probably one of the tough physical challenges that I have ever had to do. My brother's fiance took this pic I think, and it was right as I was coming out of the trail of fire. I like this photo and not to flatter myself, but it makes me look pretty awesome, and says that I am always up for a challenge.
Aly
I chose this profile picture because this was my first time in Washington D.C. Yes, I lived 21 years without visiting our nations capitol. I was so excited to go, and Lincoln is my favorite president, so I was especially thrilled to visit the Lincoln memorial and then use this photo for my profile picture!
Andrea
This is a picture of me and my boyfriend Jake. I feel like it shows that we both enjoy to have fun. Also, since I am a photographer I enjoy taking and being in photos. Here we are both just hanging out and having fun!
Jesse
This picture shows that I am fun loving and don't care if I occasionally make a fool of myself. It also shows my "best side!"
- Captured Magazine Staff -
Rebekah
This is a picture of me on the beach a few months ago during vacation. My sister took this picture of me when I decided to go play in the water even though it was pretty cold and windy out. I feel like this picture shows I like to have fun and enjoy the outdoors.
Lynn
This is a picture of me that was taken by a photographer friend of mine, outside of the Carter Glass Mansion In Lynchburg, Virginia on a warm, sunny day. My friend has told me this reminds him of France for some reason. :) I guess it's because of the fence, but I'm not sure. I feel like this picture shows that I enjoy the outdoors, sunshine and warm weather.
Kirsten
What does my profile picture say about me? I am someone who changes my profile picture often because I like to change it up a bit and I am always taking pictures. This pictures is with one of my best friends and it shows our personalities exactly. When we are together we laugh constantly and are always making faces. The funny thing about this picture is that we were not planning on taking this picture, and my friend just snapped it and this is what we were doing. This picture describes my personality in that I am crazy and fun!
Dan
This is a picture of me running a Tough Mudder event in Pennsylvania. This was probably one of the tough physical challenges that I have ever had to do. My brother's fiance took this pic I think, and it was right as I was coming out of the trail of fire. I like this photo and not to flatter myself, but it makes me look pretty awesome, and says that I am always up for a challenge.
Aly
I chose this profile picture because this was my first time in Washington D.C. Yes, I lived 21 years without visiting our nations capitol. I was so excited to go, and Lincoln is my favorite president, so I was especially thrilled to visit the Lincoln memorial and then use this photo for my profile picture!
Andrea
This is a picture of me and my boyfriend Jake. I feel like it shows that we both enjoy to have fun. Also, since I am a photographer I enjoy taking and being in photos. Here we are both just hanging out and having fun!
Jesse
This picture shows that I am fun loving and don't care if I occasionally make a fool of myself. It also shows my "best side!"
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Photo Gifts for Mother's Day
I'm sure that we have all at one point been face with the dilemma of what to give mom for Mother's Day. It can be difficult to pick out the perfect gift for mom that shows her just how much you love her.
This year save yourself the stress of figuring out what kind of flowers to buy and give mom something that will last forever. This year give mom a photo gift specially picked out (and maybe even designed) by you! The best part of photo gifts is that many most can be made with online companies. And even better, most companies have Mother's Day deals!
When I'm shopping for photo gifts, I most often use Shutterfly. The website is fairly easy to navigate and they typically have the best deals. And if you sign up for a free account, you'll get emails with special offers and sometimes even free gifts! The site offers options such as simple photo prints, canvas prints, photo cards, photobooks, mugs, and even iPhone cases, all of which can be fully customized with your memories!
Shutterfly is currently having discounts for Mother's Day that you are not going to want to pass up. Some of these discounts include, 20% off of photo books, 50% off of calendars, 50% off of notebooks, 50% off of prints and posters, and 20% off of desktop plaques. And if those deals were not enough, they are also offering free shipping for orders that are over $30. You'll get great deals on gifts that your mom will want to show off to all her friends.
Some of my favorite Shutterfly products are their photo books and desktop plaques. Both products are classy and practical. Photo books can be put on the bookshelf next to your other photo albums, or left on the coffee table for guests to view. Photo book design is also incredibly easy on Shutterfly. They allow you to fully customize and design your book yourself, or you can pick a template and they will design the book for you in a matter of seconds. And a nice extra piece to photo books is that you can share them online! So your mom will be able to email all her friends and post your photo book all over Facebook. It's a low stress, simple project that your Mom will cherish. Desktop plaques are a cute modern spin on a picture frame. It's a simple photo printed on an easel back plaque. It looks great on an office desk or on a side table or shelf in your mom's house. What I love most about the desktop plaques is that it saves me the hassle of framing. There's no need to worry about what frame would look best in your mom's house, the desktop plaque looks great anywhere!
This year save yourself time and stress and just order online. You cannot go wrong with photo gifts for Mother's Day. Your mom will cherish the memories that you put together in a unique photo gift for her this year!
-Andrea, Captured Magazine
This year save yourself the stress of figuring out what kind of flowers to buy and give mom something that will last forever. This year give mom a photo gift specially picked out (and maybe even designed) by you! The best part of photo gifts is that many most can be made with online companies. And even better, most companies have Mother's Day deals!
When I'm shopping for photo gifts, I most often use Shutterfly. The website is fairly easy to navigate and they typically have the best deals. And if you sign up for a free account, you'll get emails with special offers and sometimes even free gifts! The site offers options such as simple photo prints, canvas prints, photo cards, photobooks, mugs, and even iPhone cases, all of which can be fully customized with your memories!
Shutterfly is currently having discounts for Mother's Day that you are not going to want to pass up. Some of these discounts include, 20% off of photo books, 50% off of calendars, 50% off of notebooks, 50% off of prints and posters, and 20% off of desktop plaques. And if those deals were not enough, they are also offering free shipping for orders that are over $30. You'll get great deals on gifts that your mom will want to show off to all her friends.
Some of my favorite Shutterfly products are their photo books and desktop plaques. Both products are classy and practical. Photo books can be put on the bookshelf next to your other photo albums, or left on the coffee table for guests to view. Photo book design is also incredibly easy on Shutterfly. They allow you to fully customize and design your book yourself, or you can pick a template and they will design the book for you in a matter of seconds. And a nice extra piece to photo books is that you can share them online! So your mom will be able to email all her friends and post your photo book all over Facebook. It's a low stress, simple project that your Mom will cherish. Desktop plaques are a cute modern spin on a picture frame. It's a simple photo printed on an easel back plaque. It looks great on an office desk or on a side table or shelf in your mom's house. What I love most about the desktop plaques is that it saves me the hassle of framing. There's no need to worry about what frame would look best in your mom's house, the desktop plaque looks great anywhere!
This year save yourself time and stress and just order online. You cannot go wrong with photo gifts for Mother's Day. Your mom will cherish the memories that you put together in a unique photo gift for her this year!
-Andrea, Captured Magazine
Let's Talk Lenses
Buying lenses can be incredibly overwhelming. It seems like the best ones are super expensive, but you don't really want to waste money on cheap lenses every few years. There is also a wide variety of lenses out there, that it can be near impossible to make a choice.
When it comes to buying camera lenses I struggle with the same things. I find myself spending hours upon hours on the internet searching for good, decently priced lenses that will do what I want it to. And because lenses cost so much money, it makes it so much more stressful. I tend to want a lens that I could take out for everyday shots, but also something that I could use when shooting portraits.
I recently discovered the beauty of a 500mm f/1.8. I never thought I would find myself buying a prime lens. I was convinced that it would limit me when shooting. I was sure that I would find myself claustrophobic when using the lens because I would be unable to zoom in and out.
I was incredibly wrong. I have the hardest time taking the lens off of the camera. I am absolutely in love with it.
It's great for everyday use because it's small and light weight, I can just grab my camera and head out the door. My clunky camera almost feels "compact" with the lens on. It's also great for indoors and outdoors. The wide aperture range allows you shoot in lower-light situations without the flash, which I absolutely love. It's great for portraits because you can get a great or small depth of field easily. And it can even take a decent close up shot. It produces great sharp images and the price makes it great for a starter lens. Most 50mm lenses run around $100, which is one of the cheapest lenses out there. You can't really go wrong with a price that good, and let's be honest, it sounds pretty sweet telling your friends that you shoot with a prime lens.
When it comes to buying camera lenses I struggle with the same things. I find myself spending hours upon hours on the internet searching for good, decently priced lenses that will do what I want it to. And because lenses cost so much money, it makes it so much more stressful. I tend to want a lens that I could take out for everyday shots, but also something that I could use when shooting portraits.
I recently discovered the beauty of a 500mm f/1.8. I never thought I would find myself buying a prime lens. I was convinced that it would limit me when shooting. I was sure that I would find myself claustrophobic when using the lens because I would be unable to zoom in and out.
I was incredibly wrong. I have the hardest time taking the lens off of the camera. I am absolutely in love with it.
It's great for everyday use because it's small and light weight, I can just grab my camera and head out the door. My clunky camera almost feels "compact" with the lens on. It's also great for indoors and outdoors. The wide aperture range allows you shoot in lower-light situations without the flash, which I absolutely love. It's great for portraits because you can get a great or small depth of field easily. And it can even take a decent close up shot. It produces great sharp images and the price makes it great for a starter lens. Most 50mm lenses run around $100, which is one of the cheapest lenses out there. You can't really go wrong with a price that good, and let's be honest, it sounds pretty sweet telling your friends that you shoot with a prime lens.
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