Every wide aperture blurs out the background and keeps the focus on your subject.
Again, if you’re friendly and open, people are usually quite willing to follow your directions.
In many situations, it’s fun to create and print a photo montage. If you photograph a wedding, for example, choose several pictures that you can put together to tell the story of the day. Another good exercise is to see if you can tell story—with a beginning, middle, and end—in a single shot. Learn more at http://spanishinperu.org/nantucket-wedding-photographer-2015/ and https://erinjgz.wordpress.com/2014/05/07/nantucket-massachusetts-wedding-photography/
Many cameras allow you to set a number of autofocus sensor points, anywhere from 1 to 64 and beyond. But for portraits, it’s
44 Fundamentals of Photography II
Consider making portrait montages for gifts or display.
We often a good idea to use single-point autofocus to avoid having the camera focus on too many things in a busy field.
Assignment
Use horizontally and vertically. A good trick for making your subject stand out is to use an extremely shallow depth of field. Learn more at http://pommettphotography.com/
Lesson 10
Animal Photography
Anyone who has pets around the house has probably done some animal photography. The keys for getting unique shots of your pets are to have your camera ready at all times and to get down on eye level with the animal. It’s also fun to try getting some studio-type shots of your pets or even other animals, such as insects, you find in the backyard. This lesson describes some relatively simple setups for studio shots of animals. An important benefit of photographing animals is that the images you create may move viewers to a deeper appreciation of our fellow
The creatures on the planet and a greater interest in protecting and conserving wildlife.
Take pictures of your pets from their eye level.
Consider your setting. Make sure your animal doesn’t blend in with the background. With an unusual animal, such as a snake, photograph the fiill body first, then go after the detail shots—the coil of the tail or the patterns of the scales—with a macro.
Studio Portraits of Animals
A shooting tent allows you to photograph small animals in an environment that is safe and comfortable for them and easy for you.
50 Fundamentals of Photography ll
A higher-end light set really shows its advantages with animal photography, providing a fast flash burst that enables you to stop even the quickest motion and lots of depth of field. For animals or insects that tend to run away, use a cloth shooting tent, which also serves to soften and diffuse the light.
Assignment
The Decisive Moment in Photography
Benri Cartier-Bresson called attention to the “decisive moment” in photography in the 1950s. For Cartier-Bresson, this was a fleeting
image—a scene that took place in a fraction of a second—combined with great composition. Capturing such a moment in a picture is the highest achievement of photography. In this lesson, we’ll look at some attempts to catch decisive moments and learn some tips that might help you reach this pinnacle yourself.
Connect with us
