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