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Article:Using the Fundamentals |
Using the Fundamentals - Bill Talarowski
Photography is the art and craft of blending many creative elements into a single successful image. While elements may vary from image to image, in every successful photo the fundamentals of photography have been used. It may be over simplification, but many of us forget the importance of these fundamentals. To help make you more successful in club and international competitions, I have outlined the five fundamentals that should improve your fine art images. 1. Focus: Your camera system is a tool that you must learn to use. When you see a possible image, that is not the time to consult the manual or to dive blindly into the process with no idea of what you are doing. The thought process should be totally on the image and not on the equipment. The first lesson of critical focusing is to use a tripod. No matter how steady you can hold a camera, it will never be as good as when you use a tripod. If your image is out of focus, throw it out and don't waste your time and that of your audience. Giving the excuse that you wanted to show movement or an arty look is lame at best and only amplifies your lack of understanding of critical focusing. Even a soft focus image has a critical point of focus. Bite the bullet, put it out of its misery and file it in that great garbage can in the sky. 2. Light: Light to a photographer is what paint is to a painter. Light, and its manipulation, is at the heart of all good photography. Be aware of all types, directions, and forms of light and learn how to record or expose for each condition. Correct use of lighting will make the difference between ordinary images and those that grab at you for your interest. Remember, good photographers don't take pictures, they are creating good images. 3. Composition: Closely following light is composition. Photography is a two dimensional media. Your efforts should be towards making it seem three dimensional. Good composition includes viewpoint, rule of thirds, background/foreground considerations, S-curves and many other creative elements. It may mean simplifying your photo by cutting out extraneous objects, or point of view, or getting lower or higher, or to one side. Composition, once learned, makes taking a bad image very difficult. 4. Exposure Control: Focus control, lighting, and good composition are nothing if the image is not correctly exposed. Proper exposure allows for density, saturation, tone and contrast control. Learn to measure light, what ever type is used, because proper exposure control is essential for a successful image. 5. Presentation: If you plan to be successful in competitions your work has to display a neat, organized appearance. In the case of prints, spotting for dust and blemishes is a must. Proper mounting techniques, color of mounts, and placement go a long way in the presentation of your print to the judges. It is the total packaging of your work that pushes it to the front and goes a long way in it's success. Prints that are haphazardly placed in slip mounts without properly securing them in place or just tacked temporarily to a mount is counter productive to all your work. In the case of transparencies, cropping to the main essentials and making sure your horizon is level always makes for a stronger image. Remember, first impressions are lasting impressions and are in turn, the key to successful imaging. Though more than the fundamentals go into creating great images, by beginning with these basics, your images will be received by the judges with much more of an open mind. |
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Apr. 2000 