Getting started with your Camera
December 2, 2008 by Eastmon Admin
Filed under Amy's Photography
This is the first article in a series of articles by Amy as she treads the path to advance her photographic skills and techniques.
When confronted with the task of learning the more advanced side of photography it can be a little daunting and it is hard to know where to start.
This photo was a complete fluke. When I took it and reviewed it on the camera I could hardly see the image because it was so overexposed, but when I got it on the computer I managed to get it like this by adjusting the contrast and brightness. I really like the way it came out and it just goes to show that you can not write photos off until you play with them a little bit.
I went down to the local library and hired out a few photography books but I found that none of what I was reading was sinking in. My head just wasn’t grasping the terms and techniques in the book as I didn’t know how to apply them or why they were necessary. The more I tried to work them out the more confused I was getting. Eventually I gave up and decided to try a different approach. I went on the Internet and googled photography and just began getting ideas, putting some of my favourites on a word document. You will eventually realise that certain types and styles attract your eye more than others.
Next I decided it was time just to pick up my camera, grab a willing subject, who happened to be my younger sister, find a nice location and just start shooting away. At this stage I still had my camera set on automatic modes as I just wanted to get used to the feel of the camera and see where I was up to. I took along a few pages of ideas from google and just tried a few different poses. It got interesting trying to dodge cars and avoid the harsh, late afternoon sun but I think I got some pretty good shots.
I got the idea for this photo off google. Initially it was a girl lying beside a lake, but I put my own spin on it and this is how it came out. I got right down level with her and got her to look straight down the camera lens. The problem with this photo however is that the camera has focused on the crown of her head rather than her eyes which are supposed to draw you in. This would have been easily overcome if I had used focus lock or manual focus.
When I got back home and had them up on the computer I actually surprised myself. I fiddled around a little bit with the contrast and brightness setting on my very basic photo editing software and came up with some pretty interesting effects. So they weren’t quite magazine type, picture photos but I found them very inspiring. If these were the photos I could take without using manual settings then I was a bit excited about the possibilities ahead.
As much as I was excited about my photos I sat there and looked over them with a very critical eye. I needed to be sceptical so that I could know what I need to improve on and what to watch out for next time. It was also good showing the photos to other people and getting them to give you productive criticism. By doing this I now knew what I was capable of, what I needed to work on and it also helped me to begin to understand some of the jargon in the books. But most of all it was a bit of fun for both me and my subject.
Amy is one of the team members in the Ballina store. You can see her profile here or drop in and see her and the rest of the team for advice or help.
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