Lesson #1

Did you know that photography can be a rather violent profession/hobby? First we “shoot” our subjects, then we “frame” them, then “hang” them! :)

Elements of an exceptional image

An exceptional image requires technical as well as artistic elements.
Technical:
The subject must be properly in focus
The subject must be properly exposed
The image must be color balanced
Artistic
There must be good composition
There must be an interesting subject
There must be attractive lighting

Technical
Once mastered, technical elements take the least thought and preparation, but you cannot create an exceptional image without them.
This week, we are going to discuss focus.

The subject must be properly focused. Generally this means that the subject of the image must be “in focus” or “sharp”. Many times a subject, or the entire image will have a “soft focus” finish, but that is not the same as “out of focus”.

Virtually all cameras today have an autofocus feature; however, if not used properly, it can ruin your image. In order to have the subject of your image properly focused, you need to make the following principles a habit:
1. Hold the camera steady/squeeze the button
2. Make sure the autofocus icon is on what you want in focus.
3. Use a tripod in low light
4. Keep the lens clean
5. Keep your hair, fingers and anything else off the lens!

1. Hold the camera steady/squeeze the button.
Almost everyone jabs the shutter release (the button you push to take a picture!) This can’t help but move the camera slightly, creating camera shake. You probably won’t notice anything if the image was made in bright sun and printed to be a 4” x 6” print. But when you start taking images in window light or in other low light situations, or you want to make a large print, you will notice that the image is out of focus. No matter how artistically beautiful it is, the image that is out of focus can never be exceptional. You must get in the habit of squeezing the shutter release, while holding your elbows tight to your body and holding your breath until you are certain the camera has finished exposing the image. The amount of time is only a fraction of a second.

Many of the point and shoot (P/S) cameras don’t have a view finder. I hope yours does, because if you get in the habit of using the LCD display as a viewfinder and are shooting while holding the camera out in thin air, it will be very difficult to avoid camera shake. You make compose the image using the LCD display, but when you are ready to push the shutter release, find a way to anchor the camera.


2. Make sure the autofocus icon is on what you want in focus. Most cameras have autofocus brackets in the center of the viewfinder. That results in the subject always being in the center of the image – not necessarily the best composition – or the subject is out of focus because the camera is focused on whatever is in the center of the image.

I bet it has happened to you: you are photographing two people who end up both out of focus and the background is perfectly in focus because there was enough of a space between the two people that the brackets fell on the background.




I liked the above image so much that I wanted to enlarge it to 20” x24”. However, when I looked at it carefully, I discovered that the background was in focus rather than the subjects. DRAT! I know better than that, I just so involved in the composition that I neglected the technical.

Some cameras allow you to move those brackets around. If yours does, get in the habit of using that feature. Or simply press the shutter release down halfway to lock the focus (you should be in the habit of doing this for every image anyway), keeping it pressed, recompose the image and then press it down all the way.

There are times when the autofocus may not work well. For example, the subject has extremely low contrast to the surroundings. Or perhaps the subject is moving quickly. In these cases, aim the camera at an object that is at the same distance from the camera, lock the focus and recompose the image.

The other day, Diana was photographing Sophie’s very light wispy hair. The camera just couldn’t focus. In this case, I just held up my hand near Sophie’s head so that Diana could lock in the focus, and then moved my hand so she could take the picture.




3. Use a tripod in low light. You can not expect to be able to hand hold the camera at night or in low light situations, even if you are very steady. Since most of our cameras are small, it’s pretty easy to carry a small tripod. If you don’t have a tripod with you when you need it, you can brace your camera on something that is anchored, like a wall or a rock etc.

4. Keep the lens clean. Keep your hair, fingers and anything else off the lens before, during and after taking the picture! It’s very difficult to have a sharp image shot though fingerprints! If your lens should become dirty, use a blower to remove any loose dust. (Don’t blow on it – you might end up with saliva on your lens!) Then place a drop of lens cleaning fluid on a piece of special lens cleaning paper and gently wipe off the lens. DO NOT put the lens cleaning solution directly on the lens. The fluid can seep around the lens and damage the camera. You can also use a special lens cleaning cloth – they work great.


This Week's Assignment:
#1 Inspect & clean your lens, if necessary.
#2 Check your manual and see if your camera allows you to move the focusing brackets, and if it does, master changing it. Also, check your manual and find out what the minimum focusing distance is for your camera.
#3 Take 20-25 images this week of anything you want. Concentrate on placing the focusing brackets exactly where you want them. Take some of them with the subject off center. Take a few in low light. Try something you haven’t done before with your camera.
#4 In every image you take this week be conscious of:
a. Squeeeezing the shutter release,
b. Holding your arms tight to your sides,
c. Gently pressing the camera to your face and
d. Holding your breath.
#5 Of the images you took this week, post 1 or 2 of your favorites.


A creative element of focus is called selective focus or depth of field. This occurs when part of the image in sharp and part(s) of it are out of focus. Several of the images you submitted in your first assignment are great illustrations of this principle. We’ll talk about that next week!