The Post About Photography: A New Series

I'm starting a new series on photography. 

Let's dissect, shall we?

1. "I'm starting..." Please know this means nothing. Don't ever be foolish enough to think it means I'll continue or finish anything that follows that phrase. 

2. "...new series..." Again, this indicates there will be more than one. Who promised that?

3. "...photography." This is the big one. I'm not a photographer. Do I own a camera? Do I take pictures with it? I know answering "yes" to those questions has raised up a generation of people who call themselves "photographers" but are no such thing. I bow at the feet of professional photographers who capture moments in time with skill and talent I do not possess.

Still...I'm starting a new series on photography.

It will include tips, tricks, suggestions, and lessons learned by an amateurish photo snapper who stumbled into a hobby she quite adores. 

There will also be guest posts by real photographers with wisdom for amateurish photo snappers like her.

As a preview...

Tip #1: Always fix the things you can before you click.

My sweet friend, random greasy hiking stranger on the Makapu'u Lighthouse trail in Hawaii, should have done just that.

What could he have fixed? Or rather asked me to fix so I didn't have to blow my rape whistle?

Yep, I wore pocketless everything on that hike so gadget storage was minimal. Now I'd need to spend quality time in Photoshop in hopes of making this picture usable.

Here are things you can check on the front end:
1. Subject: Make sure hair is in place, teeth are clean, clothing is covering important bits and pieces, and hair ties are in the hair, not on the wrist.
2. Background: Are there people with weird faces? Is there a pole coming out of your subject's head? Does this particular background take away from your subject at all? Sometimes we get so focused on the subjects that we forget to look behind them.
3. Personal Space: Don't be afraid to zoom, whether with the button on your camera or your feet. This is especially true when the background has a lot of "noise." Why crop later when you can crop now?
4. Lighting: It's crucial to think about the lighting in a scene. Is it too harsh? From which direction is it sourced? An amateur rule is keep the lighting to your back as the photographer. However, with practice you can learn to bend the light to your will in the most delightful ways.

Bonus: Be Bossy! You're holding the camera so you're in charge. Don't be afraid to tell people how to stand or where to look or how to remove that iPhone from their dainty parts.

So stuff like that there in the new series I'm starting on photography.

But don't get your hopes up...

What questions do you have about photography that we could answer together?

{image: random greasy hiking stranger on my camera}