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(144 votes) Published: Jan 09, 2008 11:49 a.m. In 1 Favorites Lists Viewed 697 times
I see a lot of people on RE making eggs about "exploration", which usually involve a lot of pictures, and to be honest, a huge portion of those pictures are just garbage, so I thought I’d give everyone a few helpful hints and tips on how to take a good photograph.
Now, I’m not a professional photographer, and I’m sorry if I sound like a conceited know-it-all, but I’ve spent a lot of my life taking pictures, and I learned a few things in the process:
1) Think about what you want people to see.
I see a lot of pictures that are about 70% background, with a tiny bit of the subject out somewhere with a red circle around it. If you’re photographing something harmless or inanimate, get up close to take the picture.
^^Good.
If it’s something like a man eating tiger, then get a camera with zoom, because we really don’t need to see the surrounding 300 feet of dead grass and blue sky.
^^Hopefully that guy was using zoom.
I often like to compose my shots (decide how I want them to look), and then take two or three steps forward before snapping the shot, but you can figure out what works best for you and your camera.
2) MAKE SURE THE PHOTO IS INTERESTING TO LOOK AT
I see a lot of pictures (especially in exploration eggs) of things like empty fields, and cement walls.
These things might be interesting or meaningful to the photographer, and that’s great, but not everyone is going to share your passion for the photograph because not everyone was there when you took it. A good way to figure out if your photo is worth taking is to think about whether or not someone would actually pay to see it or take it home, because otherwise, they probably won’t be all that interested in looking at it anywhere, even if it is free.
3) COLOUR IS NOT ALWAYS PHOTO-ENHANCING
It’s funny, in all the pictures I’ve seen on RE, I can’t think of a single one that was in black and white. Colour may be good for photos of that car with the opalescent turquoise finish, but it can often take away from the essence of the photograph if it’s not absolutely necessary. Experiment with black and white, sepia, and reversed colour palettes to see what best suits your photograph or photography style. I went through a photographic phase where all of my pictures were in black and white, and they actually turned out very well, you just never know until you’ve tried out everything.
4) HAVE A DECENT CAMERA
Possibly the most important aspect of your photography is your camera; if you don’t have a good camera, you can’t take good pictures. If anyone here’s ever tried to play a $15.00 guitar with 4 year old strings, you’ll have an idea of what I’m talking about. Now, when I say "good" camera, I don’t necessarily mean "expensive" camera; a good camera is just the right camera for the person taking the pictures. I know a guy who only ever uses the cheap, single use cameras, and a lot of his pictures are just outstanding, but I still wouldn’t recommend doing this, because it creates tons of garbage and uses harsh chemicals to develop the photos. I like to use a digital camera which I got for my birthday, as it doesn’t require the use of harsh chemicals, and I’ve kept it for several years now. Try out all kinds of cameras to decide which one suits you best.
Now that I’ve given you a few pointers on good photography, it’s time you start experimenting for yourself. I don’t know everything, and there’s a good chance that you’ll make more discoveries without me, in which case I would really appreciate it if you sent me those discoveries to use for my own pictures (but of course not take credit for).
Happy shooting.
P.S. sorry I didn’t use any of my own shots, but I’m never able to get them onto RE. If you’d like to see some, give me your e-mail and I’ll send them to you.
A good way to figure out if your photo is worth taking is to think about whether or not someone would actually pay to see it or take it home, because otherwise, they probably won’t be all that interested in looking at it anywhere, even if it is free.
But don’t say that. Beacause then people are going to stop taking lots of pictures on exploration eggs. I couldn’t care less if its something someone wants to buy. I like seeing all the unimportant details.
Jan 09, 2008 2:54 pm - The reason I didn’t go into too much detail is that I find too many rules can (and almost always do) greatly inhibit creative ability. There are all sorts of tips I could give you to make your pictures look identical to the ones that come in picture frames when you buy them at the dollar store, but then the photos wouldn’t really be YOURS. I think that giving you a few basic guidelines and allowing you to figure the rest out for yourself will allow you to really develop your own style and your own ideas about your pictures, but if you would like your pictures to look just like those found at the store, then perhaps you should take a book out on photography, as they can be extremely helpful to anyone who’s really serious about their pictures.
Just thought I’d clear that up.
Jan 09, 2008 3:54 pm - All this is stuff you learn when you take pictures for one day, You just try and make it sound good. There’s no real info in this. 0*
I use an olympus digital camera, and Nikons are possibly my favourite brand, but like I said, it’s all about the person using the camera, and what works for me might not work for you.
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5* even though I wouldn’t pay for any pictures on this earth. Not even porn.
There’s been some previous criticism of that method, but just know that you don’t have to abide to every word I say; pick out what you like and ignore the rest, really all of life is like that, and it helped me a lot when I figured that out.
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All this is stuff you learn when you take pictures for one day, You just try and make it sound good. There’s no real info in this. 0*
If you can figure this out all on your own, that’s great, but not everyone on RE can, and I thought I’d help them out. You’re not the only person who will read this egg you know, and it seems to have helped a number of other people, but thanks anyways for the feedback.
Jan 10, 2008 8:20 pm - most of this info is true, but all those pics that you posted were taken with an SLR camera, its hard to take very good pics with good composition with just a normal digital camera. most people on here are not going for good composition or techniques. 5* tho
Jan 11, 2008 9:58 am - Film camera’s work just as well as S.L.R.s because you can make all the adjustments yourself, but you’re right, theses are better quality than you could get with a disposable or $10 digital, they just make good examples.
Feb 02, 2008 1:26 pm - *5
Good advice, but keep in mind, some people can’t always afford good cameras, but it’s really the photographer that makes a good pic, agreed with that. And I have had trouble getting pics up on RE too, I think it’s the way they’re saved to your comp, I think they only allow .jpeg pics here... or something along those lines. Good egg!
Feb 07, 2008 6:07 pm - Isn’t there an application that changes the format of photos on your computer? I seem to remember hearing about one... If it exists I wonder if it’s expensive?
I just got a wicked cheap DSLR on ebay... It’s in the mail right now, I can’t wait to use it.
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