Developing Your Own Style

I'm going to try make this post short and to the point.  Basically, the title says it all: try to develop your own  unique style of taking and editing photos.  It's always a good idea to take pointers from others, but there's no enjoyment in mimicking someone else's work.  It's very likely that your style will come of its own accord as you experiment and improve your skills.  The best way hold yourself back is by trying too hard to replicate someone else's technique!

To illustrate what I am talking about when I say "style," I will post links below to three Flickr photostreams rather than trying to put the differences into words. One photostream is mine, one is my sister's, and one is my mother's.  If you take a look through some of these pictures, you will see that,  despite the fact that we are blood relatives, our photos look quite different.

My Photostream

My Sister's Photostream

My Mother's Photostream

There really isn't much more I can say to add to this topic.  The message is simple: Do your own thing!

Also, I would highly recommend checking out my mother and sister's photos.  My mother only really took up photography a year or two ago and has no training whatsoever.  My sister is only 14, and she's already taking photos that are 1000 times better than what I took at that age.  They both keep me on my toes and make me want to continue to improve.  I want to say that they are my competition, but inspiration is probably a better word to use.

The Frustrations of Night Photography

Just to change things up a bit, I thought I would talk about an aspect of photography that I am nowhere near mastering.  Because this blog is primarily intended for other photography hacks like me, who are still learning techniques and are using cheaper equipment, I decided to touch on a topic that frustrates me and others like me.  I generally believe that you can still take great pictures with a cheap, regular digital camera.  However, when it comes to special lighting situations, like night shots, I have to take that statement back to a certain degree.  The fact of the matter is, even if you camera has a night setting and you use a tripod, you will still struggle with night photography without a nicer camera.

I don't attempt much night photography, and when I do, my results are not consistent.  I have used many different settings, and none of them consistently yield good results.  I don't own a tripod (I really need to get on that), but I have used flat, stable surfaces to take night shots, and it still isn't a guarantee.  I tried to do some night photography this winter, and out of dozens of shots, I only got a couple worth keeping (see below).

My main problem is blurriness, and I have to resort to editing to fix the photos as much as I can. Stability is improved with a tripod or hard surface, but even then the picture often doesn't come out how I want.  If anyone out there has good advice for getting better pictures with TYPICAL digital camera at night, I would love to hear it.  The reason I use the word "typical" is because suggestions for a fancy camera aren't going to help me or anyone else who has no plans to upgrade anytime soon.  If you have any advice to offer, you can go ahead and leave a comment to this post. If it is good advice, I may mention your suggestions in a later post for those that might have missed them in the comments.  Remember:  You don't need an account to comment on my blog.  Anyone can comment!

When to Take Outdoor Photos

For those of you who enjoy outdoor photography, whether it be nature photography or other subjects that are outdoors, you may have noticed that the time of day you choose to take pictures can have quite an impact on the final result.  It's possible to take good pictures at any time of day and in any weather, BUT I feel that the lighting at certain times is superior to others.

To put it simply:

Sunny sky > Overcast sky

Mornings/Evenings > Middle of the day

In my personal experience, I have found that it's much harder to get the photo I want if the sky is dark, gloomy, and overcast.  The lighting tends to be dull, and even with editing you can't easily fake the shadows that a sunny sky would have created.  When at least some sun is shining, the colors appear more vibrant, interesting shadows are created, and the overall product is much more interesting.  Also, morning and evenings have always produced more impressive results for me.  The middle of the afternoon is okay, but once again you lose shadows when the sun is directly overhead.  In addition, the mid-day sun tends to be harsh and washes out colors rather than enhance them.  If I take photos in the middle of the day, I usually try to find areas where some shadows are created by trees or or buildings.  It seems to lessen the impact of the sun and soften the light.

Most of the photography I do is either nature or still-life, but I think that the same idea would apply to photographing people.  I would expect that when taking outdoor photos of people, that they would tend to look better in morning or evening light on a sunnier day.  Clouds or overly bright light would wash out a skin tone the same way that it would wash out the color of a flower.

As an example, here are some photos taken at different times of the day and in different lightning situations.

This was taken near sunset.  As you can see, the photo would not be the same if taken in mid-day light rather than the softer, more yellow evening light tone.

This photo would have been pretty lame without the evening light.  None of the shadows that make this shot interesting would have existed.

This shot was taken in the morning.  However, you can tell that it is later morning, and the light is beginning to wash out the colors a bit.  It's still not a bad shot, but it may have been more interesting about an hour earlier.

Here is an example of how you can find sheltered, shadowed areas to take pictures on a bright sunny day.  I actually took this in the early afternoon, but there is no direct sunlight in this area.

This was taken on a mostly overcast day.  It's a good photo, but I can't help but think that it would have taken less editing if it had been taken on a brighter day.  It took some work to get the colors to really pop the way I wanted.

Here's a perfect example of what you get when you take a picture at noon, in direct sunlight, in the middle of the summer.  Not bad, but just a little harsh.

As I said before, good shots can be taken any time of the day, but I think you can increase your chances of a worthwhile shot if you stick to days with sun and go out to take photos in the morning and evening.

Side Note:  I was reading a book on digital photography awhile after posting this, and there was an interesting section on the time of year that is best to take photos.  I have to say that I agree with the author:  Winter > Summer

In my experience, for some of the same reasons that I mentioned about shooting in the middle of the day, summer lighting is not always the best.  The light is harsh and there's often an ugly haze in the air.  Something about winter light is excellent for taking outdoor photos.  I can't remember having any issues with winter photos at any time of the day.  Anyway, that was just something I wanted to tack onto the end of this post for those that are interested.

Let's Talk More About Editing

I've talked about editing photos in the past, but this time I want to talk about how different a photo can look depending on how you edit it.  You can take the same photo and evoke a different idea or feeling from that photo depending on the effect you choose.  A photo can go from looking bright and cheery to dark and mysterious with a couple clicks of your mouse.  I'm going to stop typing now and let a few pictures do the talking.

For this demonstration, I will take the same photo and edit it in a variety of ways to show the endless possibilities.  Most of this editing (except for basic, maintenance editing) was done on Picnik.

The original, with very little editing.

The 60's effect.  Obviously, it gives it that aged photograph from the 1960's kind of feel. You can even choose to have rounded corners on the photo if you want.

This is "gritty".  It adds a harsher look to your photos.  I don't personally use this one much, but it can be interesting with the right photo.

This is the Ortonish effect.  It brightens the colors and gives everything a hazy, ethereal look.  I use this one frequently, though I often use the "fade" bar to lessen its impact.

This one is a little crazier.  This is the posterize effect, which gives photos the look of a poster or painting.

This is an effect I discovered recently called "Dramatic Sepia".   It can be found in Curves under the Advanced tab. It's basically a darker, gloomier looking sepia effect.

Another wild effect.  This is the HSL filter.  You can use it to play with the colors in the photo.  It allows you to slide the bar back and forth until you get the hues you so desire.

As you can see, you can choose from a wide range of effects which each present the photograph in an entirely different way.  You can make small, subtle changes, or go crazy with the wilder effects. As always, I really encourage you to try out different effects for yourself on www.picnik.com.  Photo editing can be a lot of fun with this website.  You will be shocked by how easy it is to use to site and will be addicted in no time!  Check it out!

Don't Be Afraid to Look Stupid

This blog post has a simple enough message: Don't be afraid to look a little silly (and possibly crazy) when trying to get a good shot.  I guarantee many great photos you have seen were not taken by someone standing straight up and holding the camera out in typical fashion.  There is a strong possibility that the photographer was lying flat on their back, on their stomach, crouching, twisting, reaching, or climbing when they took the photo.

I'm not trying to say that you can't take a good photograph in a normal position, but many times you can achieve a much more interesting angle using strange body positions.  You might look a little odd to passersby, but who really cares?  If you get the awesome shot you were seeking, it's worth it to appear a tad eccentric.

Here are a couple examples of my own work that I took in rather odd positions.  Most of these involved sitting, kneeling, or laying down.

I know for a fact that I was sitting in dirt for this shot.  Hopefully, not in white shorts.

I chased this squirrel 50 yards across a construction zone for this picture.  Talk about difficult...  I think he knows what a camera is and was trying to hide from the paparazzi.  He's the only black squirrel I've ever seen on campus, and people are always whipping out cameras to take pics of him.

I got the strangest look from a guy who was walking by as I took this photo.  He was probably wondering why I had my camera in an ashtray.

Once again, I encourage you to get creative with your body positions as well as your angles.  I think you'll find that you get more interesting shots that way.  However, I do want to make something clear.  I believe that you should not be afraid to LOOK stupid, not that you should go out and DO something stupid.  Standing perilously close to a cliff edge or a dangerous wild animal may not be worth the spectacular shot if you sustain serious bodily injury.  If you're willing to take the risk, that's great, but don't blame me if something goes terribly wrong!

To finish out this post, I want to share a few pictures I found of photographers on Flickr.  None of these pictures are mine, but I thought they would illustrate my main point quite nicely.  Take a leaf out of these people's books:

Depending on whether or not this guy can swim, this might an example of a risky photography position.

Clearly, this woman is not afraid to look insane.

Nice flexiblity.  She clearly stretches before a photo shoot...

Senior Picture Money Savers

In a few short weeks, there will be high school seniors graduating all over the country.  Along with graduation come senior photos, which are often taken professionally at a hefty price.  Some photographers are cheaper than others, but either way you'll be forking out a decent amount of cash.  I've known people that have spent hundreds (if not close to $1,000) on senior photos.  However, thanks to an idea my family got from one of my friends, we paid $0 for my brother and me to have our senior pictures taken (and only a small amount for them to be printed).

How was this possible?  The answer is simple: we took the pictures.  My mom was responsible for my pictures, and my brother's pictures were a combination of work by me, my younger sister, and my mom.  We took the pictures outdoors in our backyard, at parks, golf courses, etc. with our own digital cameras, uploaded the pictures, and edited them on Picnik.  To print the photos, we simply sent the photos to get printed at Walmart's photo center (these prints are very reasonable priced) and picked them up later.  

In other words, the pictures could be taken on our time, in a location we chose, and could be uploaded/printed as quickly as we wanted.  My mom would be better equipped to provide more detailed information on the exact cost of printing at Walmart, but I know it's not very much.   All in all, this is a great way to cut hundreds of dollars from the senior year budget.  I've included a couple examples of my brother's senior photos below.

This photo was taken in our backyard and edited by my mother.

This one was taken by me in a local park, and later edited on Picnik. 

Finally, this shot was taken by my younger sister (a freshman in high school) and later edited by me in Picnik.

You can also cut corners on graduation invitations, converting one of the pictures into a party invite. Below is a mock graduation invitation made from one of the senior pictures my mother took.  All of the editing and text was added in Picnik.

I'm not good with invitations, so the words I chose are a bit lame, but you get the idea.  Just like the regular senior photos, invitations can also be printed off at a local Walmart or Walgreens for a low price. 

Overall, I think taking your own senior photos is an ingenious way to save money.  The hundreds of dollars that you would have spend on photos can be put towards something else like college, textbooks, or other post-high school expenses.  One last thing I would like to point out, though, is that this method is not the best for studio portraits.  My family prefers outdoor shots, so this was not a problem.  However, you can still save money and get studio headshots.  My suggestion is to take your outdoor photos yourself and get a one or two studio shots at a professional.  It may not be as cheap, but it's not as expensive as getting ALL of your photos taken professionally.  

Taking a Picture of a Picture

If you're a member of the "older" crowd that was born in the era before digital cameras were common, you probably possess a large number of real, physical photos.  Most of my childhood photos (except high school and beyond) were taken with film cameras, so there are literally hundreds of hardcopies of photos in boxes in our basement.  Although I appreciate "real" photos, the fact that they are printed on paper is often inconvenient if you want to share them online, put them in a slideshow, or use them in some other project.  This is an easy fix for those who own a photo scanner, but is a bigger problem for those who do not.  In this post I will provide a simple way to digitize images for people who, like me, are too cheap to buy a scanner.

This solution is laid out pretty well in the post title: take a picture of a picture.  When you're in a pinch and don't have access to a scanner, you can use your digital camera to snap a picture of the picture you want to put on the computer.  Through trial and error, I've found that the best way to do this is to follow these steps:

1) Find a room that has a lot of natural light if taking the picture during the day.  If it is dark outside, find a room with a bright overhead light or lamp.

2) Lay the picture flat on a tabletop in a way that there is not too much glare on an important part of the photo from either sunlight or a light fixture.

3) Aim your camera directly above the picture.  Make sure your flash is OFF!  All it will do is create a massive bright spot in the middle of your photo, especially if the photo finish is glossy.  Using the macro setting might be a good idea for greater detail, as well.

4) Try to keep the camera as steady as possible.  I often use my elbows for stability when taking the picture.  Those of you who have a tripod will probably find it immensely helpful if you can get it positioned correctly.  

5) Take the picture.  Take a few different shots in case you moved too much and ruined the picture.  Just because the picture looks clear on the LCD screen, it doesn't mean that it won't be blurry when you upload the picture.

6) Upload and edit.

The first few times I did this, the results were not always spectacular.  However, now I feel like a combination of practice, using the correct settings, and mastering the art of holding the camera perfectly still makes my pictures of pictures look a lot more like something that was scanned onto the computer. In fact, many of the photos that my family and I have converted to digital in this way actually look better than they did originally. Here are a few examples of pictures of pictures taken by my mom, sister, and me:

As someone who knows what the originals look like, I can tell you that these look pretty much identical.  This technique is definitely not as consistent because the lighting/glare and how steady you hold the camera can affect outcome of the photo.  However, I think the benefits outweigh the costs in this situation.  This is a great cheat for those of us that don't want to pony up the cash for a scanner, and I strongly suggest giving it a shot!