The Break of Dawn

Shooting Like a Pro–

Most musical pieces have what some people refer to as a recurring theme – a bit of music that sets the tone of the whole, bigger piece and comes in at certain times acting as a string, tying everything together. It works wonders really and, for really big pieces like Les Miserables, a story that spans a few decades, it gives people a sense of continuity. It’s especially effective when, as Jean Valjean is about to die, the same melody that was sung when another tragic character Fantine was about to breathe her last, is heard once more albeit with different lyrics.

 

Come with me,

where chains will never bind you,

All your grief, at last,

at last behind you.

Lord in heaven, look down

on him in mercy.

 

Forgive me all my trespasses

and take me to your glory.

 

Take my hand and lead me

to salvation.

Take my love for love is everlasting.

And remember, the truth

that once was spoken.

To love another person

is to see the face of God.

 

It’s amusing that the same technique lends itself so well to things like writing. We began discussing Scott Kelby’s Digital Photography Book 1 last week and we continue with it today. His refrain for the volume is “Shooting (something) like a pro.” That’s a very enticing because that’s exactly what so many dream of doing.

Kelby uses a problem-solving approach that goes directly to the heart of a situation. For example, when he discusses how to shoot flowers, he doesn’t just give you a few pages on theoretical know-how on shooting the subject matter. What he does is he deals with different aspects of it. He deals about how people shouldn’t shoot the thing, for one. Most people look at flowers and they like how they look and they snap a photo then walk away. The result is a shot taken from the top with the other elements around. Do this with a cheap point and shoot or a Nikon D3 or Canon 1Ds Mark III and it’ll still come out plain and forgettable.

What Kelby does is tell you how to get down on your knees to get a shot from underneath the flower or at least at the same level. The major idea here is that regardless of who you are, you can get pro-looking results as long as you’re willing to do what the pros are willing to do. Those of you who still wonder what separates pros from the amateurs just need to know that pros, in general, are willing to go the extra mile or two to get the shot they want and already have in their heads. Most amateurs won’t.

Some of his more interesting entries here shake what most people consider to be set in stone – shooting in bright sunlight for one. He suggests shooting when there’s an overcast sky. This actually really works and worked super well when you shot with slide film like Fuji Provia or Velvia. The colors (especially green) seem to be on high saturation. One reason is that though there may be a good amount of light, the overcast acts like an enormous soft box or diffuser. One other good thing here is that there isn’t that much of a distance between the brightness level of the sky and the foreground’s. Haven’t you ever noticed that the sky tends to be nothing but white in your landscape photos? If you suffer from this, chances are you tried shooting when things were very bright and some of your subject matter wasn’t in the same light as the background. The digital sensors of cameras and even film only have a limited amount of light it can record. When you have a very bright object in your shot along with something that’s close to shadows, chances are, one of them will suffer. Either your bright areas end up white or your shadows end up nothing but black.

Can’t you also get a balanced look when you shoot in bright light and have your subject and foreground in the same light? Yes, you can but you do lose the diffused look giving softer light, again, like a soft box.

A very, very good suggestion of his is bringing a black jacket. He admits this idea comes from a friend photographer who, when it seems advantageous, will ask either an assistant or his wife to wear the jacket and stand as a background to the flowers. This will not only work with flowers, mind you. Having some luxurious cloth in your camera bag to act as a background of sorts can work wonders for you. Is black the only useful color? Other colors can come in handy but you should know when and what to mix. For most situations, however, you can’t go wrong with black. I once used my wife’s blue shirt as a background for flowers and some butterflies. You just have to notice what is available to you.

Another cheat he proposes is bringing along a small spray bottle so that you needn’t wait for real dew to form on flowers for that early morning look. You can just use a macro lens, come in really close and people will hardly know that you were shooting late in the morning or even the afternoon to achieve an effect usually done when things are early. Here’s my tip: You don’t really need a spray bottle. You can use your finger, dip it in water and then gently get that drop of water on the flower. Alternatively, you can dip all your fingers in water and create a spray as you close in your fingers and then quickly release them. Didn’t you play with your friends like this trying to get them wet? Oh, a toothbrush will also do fine.

 

More next week!