SEPARATING SUBJECT FROM BACKGROUND

THERE are times when the subject faces the sun from its back....the term can be called as backlighting effect, against lighting or contre-jour effect...The effect is again used as rim lighting, making a halo on the borders of the subject's body.

2. In broad sense, this can be used to define your main subject, making it stand out against, particularly, dark background....this subtle rim lighting simply defines the shape of the subject, a stronger effect can help u create a beautiful halo around it, as stated above...This adds a magical touch and can make an otherwise normal subject look extraordinary.

3. Here the monkey is well defined with the subtle backlighting effect and has its independent identity, separated from the background.

SHOOTING IN BLACK & WHITE

THE FIRST TONE, THE MAN LEARNT AFTER DISCOVERY OF PHOTOGRAPHY PROCESS WAS THE MONOTONE IMAGE....The development brought us to digital stage and still it is the favourite medium of thousands of photo enthusiasts....colour cud not beat monochrome.

2. no doubt, colour presents the true representation of the atmosphere on the earth...but to talk from an artist's point of view, many of them still do not like the full presentation of the colours and turn to monochrome for solace....Monochrome images are more evocative becoz they rely on differences in tonal values, irrespective of colour. You need to visualise the tonal differences in the frame while composing ur picture because when colout contrast fades away, subject that usually stand out clearly from one another, begins to merge...Learning how to visualise tonal values in a scene...Balancing them in the essence of making great monochromatic image which consists of white, black and the grey as can be seen in the above picture of Taj Mahal---representative of all three tonal ranges..........gshroti@gmail.com

STILL LIFE PHOTOGRAPHY WITH A PUNCH--2

6. TRY TO KEEP MOVING THE LIGHT SOURCE UNTIL U GET THE MOST ATTRACTIVE EFFECT.

7. Top lighting is a very good way to start, since this resembles the natural light best.

8. The light from the source can be softened either by the use of translucent material or a tracing paper if needed...

9. Add a second or third source only if u have clearly realised the need for it.....

10. The same method can be applied using reflectors... Use it only if u need it and watch the reflections are playing on the subject.....Use them when u need light in darker areas or to separate the tones.

11. The most important is the arrangement of the subject...GEOMETRICAL patterns such as form, lines, rows and gentle curves in the subject appeal to the eye.......therefore, if u have not started still life photography, start now with the points noted above keeping in mind.

STILL LIFE PHOTOGRAPHY WITH A PUNCH

1. THIS subject has a people with particular bent of mind....The best choice for them is to photograph inside a home, or in their studio.....no disturbance--but full concentration.

2. Simplicity is always the best. IN THE BEGINNING, ONE SHD START WITH A SIMPLE SUBJECT.....The most important is the background and that shd be plain.

3. The set shd be rigid such that it cannot be modified or reconstructed as the shooting progresses.....BESIDES a range of options shd be explored to determine the best angle....besides instead of a table, one can choose to place the subject on the ground for a better viewpoint.

4. Do not be too experimental at the beginning...Start with one kind of light until u are more confident --either a tungsten or a fluroscent shd do the job........


5. Begin at eye level, but do not ignore other view points, which could be directly above or below...........to continue.............gshroti@gmail.com
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PHOTOGRAPH....INFANTS/CHILDREN--THE EASY & DIFFICULT SUBJECT

I have encountered many studios and the pro not taking assignment to photograph infants or a child...

I also faught with an incident when the boy being forcibly photographed by the parents...they wanted to send his photographs to relations outside...The boy kept weeping and the mother was furious....i tried to console her, she replied that he does like this and i cannot get him photographs....and lo....the child came down from the small chair and bleeding from nose....I was worried about the mother's disgustment....At last they had to depart for another time.

In another the 3 yr old boy will throw aways all toys, chairs and jump with laughter...he was another kind...the mother and father were happy (see contrast from above), consoling the photographer.....''wait sir, he will be right in moments'' and after half an hour's torture to the photographer, the coupled left with no good photograph to be hanged on the wall.

Another saying goes ''one way to get in to the hearts of every mother is to take lovely photographs of her children.''.....and in this tough competition with camera's in every hand, u have to come out successful with a dozen excellent photographs.....THERE is no doubt that a children's photographer in many was has to be a psychologist.

NATURE ABOUND - TO EXPLORE

I think ours is a busy life and only bird-watchers/photographers are interested in these creatures...but their company soothes our soul...since they are a part of our life--though many of them immigrate and others migrate, but still remain a part of us and this can be vouchsafed by a devoted environmentalist.

2. When we think or nature or wildlife photography, we only think of specialized and extensive shoots that take us to national parks, hill stations, and similar places...Next we must realise that nature is all around us...Photo opportunities exist in our very own gardens or backyard. Your garden is an ideal place to shoot macros of insects, or even abstract photographs of plants and tree branches, dry as well as green, ponds with birds as shown in the photograph..........to continue.....gshroti@gmail.com

DO U LIKE CAMERA SHAKE?

I shd admit that i have a shaky hand, in terms of the weight of the p&s cameras...nearly 3-4 cameras I bought, weighing 100-115 gms...and when i pressed the shutter, the result will be a shaky one, leaving few in sunlight.....Generally, I am comfortable with dslrs OR PROSUMERS WEIGHING 500 gms. and above.

2. Next i want the shutter release button on top plate of the camera, which is common on the front of the hand grip....and also wud like to have a viewfinder in small p&s dcams...The LCD monitor works as a viewfinder, then u have to learn the trick to hold the camera steady, having eye on the LCD panel...which may also result in a shaky shot.

3. The most easy way to use a tripod....but 99 percent, in candid and general photography and fast moving shoots, it is not possible to handle the heavy weight of the tripod....and in public in the market, u become a showpiece....The dcam mfrs. have therefore developed anti-shake systems incorporating in their cameras.

4. PANASONIC has achieved this by getting the sensor to move thereby cancelling the effect of camera shake. Panasonic has further invented a new antishake system, in which the CAMERA automatically boosts the ISO and the shutter speed to avoid the blur....Olympus has followed it by boosting the ISO in order to check camera shake.

5. In dslrs some companies have incorporated IS or vibration reduction system within their lenses....A group of elements move to combat the camera shake....Other manufacturers have adopted a different system...They have incorporated the anti shake system within the camera body...
Therefore, they have their own views for incorporation of the anti-shake system, either in the lens or in the camera body. However, this is a great advantage for people like me.

TEXTURE IN FACES

Find out the subjects who have good texture on their faces, may be man or woman....there are many people around...only u have to click them....

2.Texture makes a significant contribution to the expressive qualities of any photograph whether in support of other visual elements or as the main element on its own....

3. Texture is directly related to the sense of touch...It is a three-dimensional relief of surfaces that is visible to the eye and can be experienced with touch.....

4. U can experienced the above with the photograph of this great grandma (though i do not know her), who posed for me.

A PHOTOGRAPH CAN CONVEY A STORY

A photograph can convey emotion, mood, ideas and messages, all important aspects of story telling...Stories come in all shapes and sizes and u can settle upon the form that suits ur style best....U can make singular, standalone pictures that capture the essence of an event or an experience.

2.Single image stories are powerful not only because of all the elements excluded by them...Unseen elements of a photograph can evoke a lot of thoughts as well. Avoid trying to put every single element of a story in every picture that u make....Instead try shooting a series, each photograph having a few elements encompassed within it.

RAINY SEASON SHOOT

THIS IS A DIFFERENT ENJOYMENT from ur round the year shooting schedule. U are afraid of lenses, cameras being wet, lenses catch fungus...and lots of worries.

2. Leave them aside and find out waterfalls, flowing rivers, lakes, foliage, grass are great subject to shoot in rain...Vegetation comes alive with the rains and new leaves and shoots will have beautiful green colour.

3. The even diffused lighting from the cloudy sky only helps to enhance this. Rain also has the ability to wash dirt and dust away so u can capture the original colours of the subject, be it a tree or a building.

4. Use a polarising filter to remove any glare coming off rocks or leaves, unless u intentionally want to retain the reflections....Avoid including the sky, since an overcast sky will appear white or almost white in ur final picture without lending any depth (can do some pp work on it later on, if shot).

5. Lots of insects growup in the rains which make a good subject for macro.

WATER PHOTOGRAPHY

Water is perhaps one of the most commonly photographed subjects -from waterfalls to ripples, waves, reflections, rivers, lakes, sea and so much more.

2. U can be extremely creative to exposures to bring out different images--use short exposures to freeze water in motion- unexpected shapes and droplets will reveal themselves...

3. In daylight add a Neutral Density filter to increase exposure times and give moving water a glossy marble effect....At dusk or night, u can achieve similar effects without the filter....

4. Try different shutter speeds to control the amount of effect u will achieve....U CAN CHOOSE COMPOSITIONS AND VANTAGE POINTS THAT WILL MAKE IT look like a water is coming right out of the image....Don't ignore rivers and falls in winter, when freezing temperatures turn swirling flows into excellent frozen shapes......The techniques are not difficult, but need some practise before venturing into thr job...

COMPOSING A PHOTOGRAPH PICTORIALLY

Every photographer's desire is to become a popular and esteemed cameraperson in the society....But there are some exercises which u have to observe to keep fit ur photograph to that extent....pl go thru below:

1. one main center of interest shd be there and it shd be placed in a suitable and strong position.(see below).

2. the rest of the things in the photograph shd be in harmony with the main subject and not confusing.

3. there shd not be too many things to compete with each other and distract the attention from the main subject.

4. background and foreground shd be simple and not disturbing.

5. leading lines shd carry the eye to the main subject.

6. tonal gradation shd be well balanced and in proper order.

7. never place the main subject right in the centre. Best wud be to use rule of thirds i.e. divide the picture area, vertically and horizontally into three parts. This way u get four points of intersection., and any of these points are good for the placement of ur main subject.

8. in landscape outdoors,always keep the horizon line either below or above the centre of the picture and never in the middle.

9. if the picture has action, i.e. moving figures in it, than allow more space in front, towards the direction of the movement.

10. similarly in portraiture, leave more space towards the side in which the model is looking.

11. always see that the horizon line is parellel to the base of the picture. Never tilt it to any one side.

12. however, there are times for the subject to be strong in position, that u wish to avoid some of the rules listed above, u are free to do it in the interest of the picture..........gshroti@gmail.com

TECHNICALLY EVALUATE UR IMAGES

Generally the photographers, particularly the enthusiasts become critical over their images, especially in following the pictorial photography rules. We do not deny, that the rules cannot be broken...But first go through the below:

Good images have certain basic requirements, beginning with a good exposure. The focus, control over depth and main subject sharpness are also important properties of a good image. Images that conform to these wud interest a viewer.
Conforming to compositional rules and guides are also quite important and come next...SOMETIMES, u will deliberately BREAK THE RULES. EITHER TO SUIT THE SUBJECT OR TO EXPLORE UR CREATIVITY. Your reasons for doing so shd be strong and valid for the image to stand out.

Also ask, are there details in the image? Is the tonal range, colour rendition, and saturation of colours, true to the original scene? Is the technique that has been used to shoot apt for the subject?......THE CRITICAL QUESTION is: have u managed to capture the image that u previsualised? If not, what exactly went wrong with ur capturing methods?

You answer these questions in ur mind and try to emulate the above to make a picture perfect. Not necessarily u may be an artist, but aesthetically u are mature enough to have a correct judgement.

PHOTOGRAPHY - COPYRIGHT

Many of the photographers are unaware of the copyright of their images and those who are aware may not be serious about their hard efforts in clicking the images which come under their copyright....please note that the owner of the copyright has the unquestioned right to do several acts with regard to his/her created works....This right is the exclusive one ensured in section 14 of the 1957 Act.

Nature of the aforesaid exclusive right or rights varies according to the type of work or works. Grouping of the said works run as under:
Copyright dwells in literary, dramatic, musical and artistic works. It is also found in a cinematograph film and in the case of a record, CD, DVD etc.

A photograph - good,bad, or otherwise - falls into the group in an artistic work. The exclusive rights afforded to the owner under the 1957 Act go as follows:

1. to reproduce the work in any material form;
2. to publish the work;
3. to include the work in any cinematograph film (not to mix cinematograph film and photograph - both are different -and here we concentrate on photographs taken by still cameras and handicams.)
4. to make any adaption of work;
5. to do in relation to an adaptation of the work.-any of the acts specified in relation to the work in sl.no. 1 to 3 above.....besides this copyright is a statutory right. It is an intellectual property right. And offence against it can be set right under the Act and its provisions.

It is obvious that such a right vests in someone and that someone is classified as the owner of such right. AS far as photography is concerned Section 02(d)(iv) states that in relation to a photograph, the person taking the photograph, ''remains its author''.

If a photograph taken in a studio of a client of the photographer, though the client has paid the charges, he cannot claim to handover the film or CD to him by the photographer, unless he had a contract in writing with the photographer about his/her photographs...The copyright vests into the photographer.

EXPOSING DANCE PHOTOS IN AUDITORIUM

Dance itself is a great subject, on which lots have been written....But here I wish to convey my co-photographers some code of conduct and regarding exposure in this sort of photography, where the dancer is giving his/her performance and the auditorium is full of the admirers of this art form.

Some expert said that why the photographers shouldn't have the code of conduct of their own?..there is nothing more annoying that the photographer attending a function or performance disturbing everyone by cutting across their view and firing his flash in their faces.

For an example during a dance recital, the noted Bharat Natyam dancer Bala Saraswati was so annoyed with a photographer's flash that she stopped dancing and refused to proceed till the photographer was thrown out of the auditorium.....Here the clear answer wud be to do away with the flash completely and increasing the ISO of ur camera to 400 to 800.Thus u can standardise ur technique for getting consistently good results. And with the onset of the DCAMs it has become more easy than in the days of film, finding out the higher ISO film of ISO1000...so photographers of that time used ISO 400 film by changing after every 36 exposure...But in dcam just u turn the dial,or press a button and any ISO is ready upto 3200 to 6400. so getting 400 or 800 is easy and set the shutter for ISO 400 as 1/60 AT F5.6 AND WITH THE BRILLIANT LIGHT OF THE STAGE, u can capture the perfect performances....however still in doubt, there is the LCD screen to tell u to increase or reduce the ISO or shutter speed....

Make sure for ur sitting, there is a press gallery, where u can set ur tripod or some solid support if u use big zoom and are afraid that pictures may go blurry...Here the fast lenses are of great help e.g.f2.8 in zooms or if u are close enough to the dancer, the prime lens with f1.4 is again of great value....and hand held shots upto 1/125 can be taken easily....there is no binding in exposure since u already have a 2GB or higher GB memory card....the editing u can do later at ur home since u are not a prss photographer...u can do it leisurely and use them for magazines, brochures etc later on....U are lucky enough, if the background is black where u can shoot multi exposures....with different postures.....so good with dance photography......shroti08@live.com

THE SPORTS photography is the need of today and thousands are specialists in their respective fields and earning a good sum....U must have witnessed in cricket ground the photographers with big-big lenses worth lakhs of rupees....However before u start taking shots of sports , a basic understanding of the sports is important...and particularly, what u can anticipate is when the exciting moments may happen. For example, in football match, the best photographs can be captured near the net when the strickers shoot a fast ball at the goal and the goalkeeper jumps to save in mid-air...Even for fast moving sports such as cycling, bike and martial arts....better to know ur position which angle will suit u for the best shot....As happened in the side photo of bike race, I chose this turn point, where the most excitement was seen in the bikers and the audience....And in fast races, it is also the danger point...so the best shot cannot be missed.

HIT THE CLOUDS

THE most forgotten aspect in photography....generally the clouds are included in landscape, or in cloudscape, where the vast sky is covered....what u see in my photo at left....i was out to shoot this type of dispersed clouds.... This type of clouds happens when the rains are over and the clouds are scattered in bunches sometimes covering most of the sky and sometimes in pieces like this.

BE sure if wind is there the clouds after formation will disperse in seconds, but it is important to note that such formation happens once in a year, and in India, it is in august and september.....be ready with at least a 70-200 zoom, so u can catch well....i recommend 70-200, because sometimes there are small pieces which will not cover with a kit lens.....even ur compact camera can work wonders.....so when u see such play of ''hide and seek'' go in the nearby ground or on ur rooftop......rest is left to ur luck and the target.