Hello everyone!
It feels good to be back! Not that I actually went anywhere, but it's good to get back to blogging. Nothing has really happened over here. Which I assume is the same for everyone else. Just the same old stuff that I've mentioned in every other post so far...cleaning, cooking/baking, walking the dog, watching lots of shows, and eating. I have tried to tone down on the snacks, so that has been really good. Before these past few weeks, I feel like I was always out and it's been nice to have some homemade meals.
Yesterday was my big "cleaning" day. I swept, mopped, did a few loads of laundry, tidied up, and gave Gracie a bath. I felt so accomplished! Anyone else feeling that way about simple house work? I certainly do. However, when I finish everything in one day, I then have nothing to do for the rest of the week (or at least for a few days until everything piles up again). This then causes me to have to find things to do on these "non-cleaning" days that I have following my very accomplished day. Being a very creative person, I find myself writing, painting, singing, or doing some sort of photography work.
As a photographer, I always want to photograph something. Whether that be my dog, the trees, or a meal that I have prepared (which is what I photograph most these days, because business is slow). It's actually been really fun trying to find the not so "glamorous" things and turn them into pretty pictures. For all my photographer friends out there, this is a great way to practice some detail skills.
This then brings us to todays post! I had two motives in mind when creating this blog, 1. to show you about perspective in photography and 2. to show some photos that I took today during a photography challenge (which you are welcome to join in on! I'll put the details in this post).
1. Before I tell you about my photo adventure today and show you some of the pictures that came out of that, I wanted to do a quick lesson about persepective. This actually goes along very well with the photos that I took today and once I show them, it will all make since.
So what is perspective? In the dictionary, there are two definitions for it. The first definition says that "the art of drawing solid objects on a two-dimensional surface so as to give the right impression of their height, width, depth, and position in relation to each other when viewed from a particular point". I know that is definition is associated with drawing or painting, but it can also be used in photography. This is true, because when taking a picture, it is our job as photographers to make it interesting to the viewers. Thus, we need to show our viewers the height, width, depth, and position that we want, as we decide how we want our picture to be represented. For instance, in the second definition it states that perspective is "a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view". This then leads us back to understanding that perspective for a photographer is a point of view that depicts the best qualities of an object or individual (such as height, size, distance, depth, etc...).
The best way to show you, would be to give you three photos. I want you to look at them and identify which picture is more appealing and shows the best perspective.
Did you take a good look at all three? Which one do you think looks best out of the three? (Keep in mind, that the perspective means everything here). Let's try one more.
This one may be a little more difficult. However, the idea still stands.
Let me explain it this way, when dealing with details (such as flowers, bugs, animals, reptiles, and even people) it is important for you as a photographer (this could include a mom wanting better photos, someone who takes pictures for fun, or a professional photographer) to take photos that capture viewers attention. This idea of "capturing the details" can set you apart as a professional photographer, because it shows a focused area in your picture.
Think about it this way, the first picture of the lizard is very cool. It's clear and you can see what the picture is trying to tell us. However, there are other things in the picture such as the pole, grass, a wood wall, and a bush. These items aren't necessarily "bad", but it creates a very cluttered and distracting photo. Also, if you look again, your eyes don't focus on the lizard do they? What do you look at first? That weird purple blob in the top left corner don't you.
Now I want you to look at the second lizard picture again. This picture is much better, we no longer see tons of grass, the wall is gone, and so is the bush. However, there are still some issues with this image. Do you see what's in the background now? Now we can see some tall grass and a metal top of a fireplace. The second thing that I want you to notice is that your eyes are more drawn to the pole than to the lizard. This is something that you need to be aware of as a photographer, because you want the eyes of the viewer to focus on the eye of the subject (or on the focal point of the picture).
Finally, take a look at the third picture. You should now be able to clearly see that there is no clutter in the background. You will also notice that your eyes focus on the eyes of the lizard.
Can you now see the difference between the three photos? Go back and see if you can do the same process we just did on the purple flowers as well.
When taking photos, always remember that the focus of the viewer should land on the most important point in your picture. This would be the eyes of a subject (such as a person, animal, insect, or reptile) or the center of a flower or landscape. Instead of taking a picture of everything you see, try getting closer or zooming in so that you can focus the attention on one subject. This helps viewers know where to look, it also helps them find the story behind the pictures.
The next best thing would be to go try it out. Experiment with some photos by starting close up and backing away (or vice versa). See if you can identify the things in your pictures that we discussed in this post. If you take the time to look at your surroundings and focus in on a subject, you'll be on your way to becoming a professional!
2. So earlier I mentioned that I wanted to show some photos that I took today during a photography challenge, which you are welcome to try yourselves if you are up for braving the pollen. I will put the score system and instructions below (my little "contest" with my friends and family ended, but it would be a great thing for everyone to do with their own families):
If you are up for a challenge....
Goal is to find a nature pic that represents each color of the rainbow.
1 point for each color flower or berry.
2 points for Blue flower (harder to find)
2 points for each interesting tree close up.
5 points for each different insect (don’t get stung)
5 points for any other wild life
Once completed, send a collage of your pics to a designated "counter" and they will tally up the points!
Have fun!🌺🌻🌸
Super fun, right?! I certainly enjoyed walking around and finding fun bugs and flowers to take pictures of. I also used the ideas about perspective, that we talked about, as I tried to get as close as I could to the subject that I was focusing on. I found a lizard, a mosquito eater, bees, and an aphid (the aphid's picture is a little blurry, but he was really, really small). It was also a really fun way to connect with some friends and family, as we all enjoyed sending each other our finds of the day. I have the pictures that I took below, remember the goal of this challenge is to take as many pictures as you can of different flowers and bugs, with different colors. I know my family "contest" is over, but I'd still love to see your photos! If you do the challenge tag me in or email me with your finds! My instagram is @thats_darling_photography and my email is thats_darling_photography@yahoo.com
Bye for now friends and have fun exploring!
Talia :)
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