'Flamingo Reflection' This image was taken (not as shown) but the other way around. What you are looking at is the reflection of the flamingo standing in the water, creating the illusion of a painting. This photo was taken at the Hope Zoo.
Howard Moo Young, Contributor
IF YOU want to take interesting pictures, you have to learn to see them, and I don't mean being aware of, but literally absorb your surroundings. There is a difference between seeing and looking, and it surprises me how little of their world people actually see. The average person shoots from their own eye level, but there is so much more to it than that.
A DIFFERENT POINT OF VIEW
There is always another way of taking a picture a fresh approach, a less obvious, and therefore surprising, creating an image that will have a great impact on the viewer. Before you press the shutter, ask yourself the question "How else could I take this picture?"
HORIZONTAL OR VERTICAL?
How many photographers consciously decide which way round to turn the camera when they are about to take a picture? Ask yourself this question every time "Vertical or Horizontal?" Recently, the editor of a well known magazine fell in love with one of my photographs, requesting a vertical format of the image for use on the front cover. Unfortunately, all the other pictures in the series were horizontal, so I lost out this time around, having learnt the valuable lesson of not taking time out to shoot a few vertical frames. I usually photograph both formats, but this time around it slipped me, it won't happen again!
MUNDANE CAN BE BEAUTIFUL
Every day we walk, drive past mundane, even ugly, things. Recently, many of us were confronted by discarded 'stuff' ruined by 'Ivan', and even on a daily basis we come across neglected 'stuff' usually left behind by our fellow Jamaicans. But is it really all ugly and worthless? Look through a macro lens at pictures of old cigarette butts in the gutter, or a crushed 25 cent piece embedded in the asphalt, take a fresh look at the garbage, get the picture?
MANAGING COLOURS
Colours affect our emotions deeply. Different colours and different combinations of colours produce different emotional responses in all of us. Unfortunately, only a few photographers use this knowledge in their colour work. As individuals, we become attracted to different colours and their compositions.
Cool colours (blues and greens) may have a calming effect on highly strung persons, while at the same time, these same colours can have a depressing effect on people of a depressive nature. Hot colours (reds, oranges, yellows) can stimulate and have a positive effect on laid-back people, and yet, stimulate and heighten tension in violent persons.
Exposure can considerably affect the density and contrast of your colours. A polarising filter or underexposure produces saturated colours and high contrast, while overexposure produces washed-out colours and soft contrast.
THINKING COLOUR
Whether you are setting up a portrait or still-life, you must be aware that every colour you introduce will influence the mood of the picture. Experiment with background and colour combinations to see what moods you can create. Take note of the skin colour and the clothes being worn. Train your eyes to become increasingly selective.
Look at objects in their tonal value, rather than what they are, study their colour and shapes. For example, a red vehicle parked in a green field is a red rectangle against a green background. Now ask yourself, "Where should I place that red rectangle?" instead of thinking, "What a crissers, I must take a picture."
Driving through the town of Falmouth many years ago, I glimpsed an old yellow Gleaner bicycle against a green and blue wall. I stopped the car, reversed, got out my camera and took three pictures. What caught my eyes at first was a yellow object against a blue background. It is one of my favourite still-life images.
Howard Moo Young is an Advertising/Graphic Design/ Photography Consultant with over 40 years experience. Email: mooimages@yahoo.com
