Developing The Eye: What can I take pictures of?

(Introduction: Welcome back to bucketyourphotos.blogspot.com ! This is a page for beginners who just pick up on photography and also for people to know more on how to improve in photography!)

(Now to continue where I left in my previous post!)

What can I take pictures of?

That might be the next question in your head right now. I mean, now you have a camera that works well. 

But what am I going to take pictures of? Surely not just something random and pointless such that people will criticise you for that. You want to take something that is eye-catching and captivates people right?

Well not to worry! I am here to give some ideas on topics you can take up to start your photography journey!

Photography isn't just restricted to some topics, there is endless exploration for photography.  

There are a lot of topics to choose from, but let me just name some of the topics i would like to share that might help the beginners (which will be explained at the later part )

• Portrait
• Architecture
• Sunset/ sunrise 

( more topics might come in the future posts! sorry about the delay)

All of these requires you to explore. Exploring around your surroundings is one of the most important characteristics of a photographer. Reason being is that the 'perfect' moment only happens for a few seconds ( especially portrait photography). 

Now, you might wonder what i mean by 'the perfect moment' ? 

For example, a person is doing something that you think is 'cool' and you wanna take a picture of it. You got to do it immediately. Most likely chances are that 'pose' is not going to be there forever. You might regret that you didn't grab the chance when you had it 

Let's see an example below. When I was exploring the room I saw one of my teacher's band members practicing. And the spotlight shined above him at that point in time. I found it 'cool' and then i decided to take a shot. Luckily, I did it before he changed his pose.

Hope that would make you realise why you have to be aware of your surroundings

The 'perfect moment' is only for a while, in MOST cases for a few seconds. You got to be fast and make sure you grab it before you lose it! Remember, grab it or lose it!

Portrait Photography

Portrait photography is taking pictures of people (duh). Mainly it's taking a picture of one person who is expressing their feelings, mood through facial expressions or physical actions. 

In events, it is highly recommended to take pictures of the people who are performing, or audience who are watching the performance ( but make sure they don't see you with a camera aiming at their faces! Some might not like it and some will come after you and i'm so not kidding about that )

For portrait photography, make sure the subject is the one that is being focused, and nothing else. (ie: try to blur out anything that is distracting and when people see the photo, they automatically see the subject and nothing else)

To just focus on your subject, make sure you have a lower aperture value on your DSLR/ hybrid camera. Also, set your focusing system to only focus at one point ( some  cameras call it a one point focus/ single point focus, but you get the idea)

Here is an example of a portrait photo I took during my first public photo shoot

To make things even simpler, just follow this simple rule 

1) observe and wait for the moment

2) If you think there's something that is going to make people's expression change, prepare your camera and the setting required ( fast shutter speed, lower aperture, 1 point AF focus and so on )

3) Focus the camera at them and make sure all background details are blurred

4) shoot!

Sounds easy, doesn't it?

Architectural Photography

Architectural photography is relatively easy, if you take a picture of an infrastructure that just make people go WOW when they see your photo. The hard part? Finding an infrastructure that is unique and/or taking it correctly (ie: no shakes,  not under/over exposed, focused) and also most importantly, impressing your audience with your shot.

But for architectural photography, you do not need to be very fast in taking photos, as the object is still going to be there, so you can take things at your pace and achieve the shot you desire patiently. No point going fast in shooting and getting less impressive shots in the end. So yea, just go slow and steady.

Here is an example ( well this is just an average shot. I took this when i was a beginner )

But of course, for architectural photography sometimes it's best if you can show a variety of design, showing the most ATTRACTIVE AND UNIQUE part of the infrastructure than the whole building which looks not so impressive. 

Also, the setting. Be it cloudy, raining or anything. Sometimes, the natural background behind your architectural shots can make a difference. After all, 'nothing looks majestic without a touch of natural element'

The general equation, to be exact is as follows:

Nice architecture design + Natural background   = higher chance of the WOW factor among audience

Here is an example on how Natural background can make your photo nicer

(PS: the second one was post edited )

See? when you compare the shot I took when I was a beginner and these shot, which I took 2 weeks ago, the second set seems better, doesn't it?

That's what I meant, people, when i meant the fact that sometimes you need a bit of natural element on your architectural photos!

So yeah that's about it for architectural photography! Sounds easy ain't it? Just keep practicing and also look out for examples from real professionals on instagram, facebook etc and I'm sure you will also take good photos!

Summary

1. Look out for nice and unique architecture ( be it the full building or a part of it)
2. adjust camera settings and take the shot
3. If you can, try to add the little bit of nature's touch in your shot ( eg reflections of cloud patterns while taking a glass building or nice orange sunset sky etc )
4. if you wish, you may experiment and take pictures in different angles, and see which is the best among those you take. ( trial and error, it works sometimes)

Key thing is, NEVER GIVE UP, TRY, TRY AND TRY TILL YOU GET IT RIGHT :)

Sunrise/ Sunset Photography

This is pretty basic. Just adjust your camera setting to take it clearly, with details of clouds. It doesn't matter if the buildings aren't being seen. As long as there is an outline of it and it looks good it's fine ( this technique is mainly used in silhouette photography, but you can use it for sunset/ sunrise photography too! Photography can be of a mixed genre. )

Here is an example

For sunset photography, the detail of the sky and the surrounding matters the most. If there are people/ building that are just blacked out, make sure the outline of the object is there (the silhouette of the object). The main focus should be the setting: the cloud pattern, the colour of sunset and so on.  It's pretty basic as all you need to do is take a shot that is able to impress the audience.

Key notes
1) look out for really captivating sunsets
2) adjust camera accordingly and focus well, mainly on the details of the sky during sunset ( and also the silhouette of the person/ object if any )
3) shoot! :)

It takes tons of practice, so don't be disheartened if results doesn't turn out well. You can check out examples of sunset photography on the internet to have a better understanding

sounds easy doesn't it? :)

Well, that comes to the end of my post. Please do feel free to give feedback on how to improve my blog and what else you think i should cover on my next post!

Cheers!

Starting The Journey

So now you have the interest to pick up photography as your new hobby but don't know how to start? Not to mention these myths are making you even more confused?

Common Myths

1. You DEFINITELY need to attend photography classes to learn the basics of photography
2. you need very high end cameras and those really big and expensive lenses to be good
3. you cannot learn by yourself and definitely need a tutor or someone to be babysitting you until you get it right
4. You need equipment such as tripod, flashgun etc to even start photography

Well I am now here to tell you that the myths are both true AND untrue

Now, what do i mean by that?

1)  You might need photography classes to have a better understanding, but it is not LIMITED to that. You can even self teach yourself Photography by seeing online tutorials, books and so on. Classes might help, but if you know the basics more or less, I would recommend you to Self learn or ask your fellow friends who are also into photography

2)  True, high end DSLRs do deliver better photos compared to entry level DSLRs and entry level DSLRs deliver better photos than a normal compact camera. But as the saying goes 'Just because you are a striker doesn't mean you can score goals' . What matters most, in fact is WHO is using the camera. An Example would be A total rookie using a EOS 1DX performing not as well as a professional photographer who is using a EOS 700D, even tho it's clearly evident that the EOS 1DX outperforms the EOS 700D in many ways.

EOS 1DX, used by real professionals, costs a bomb 

(cr: cinegrafistas.wordpress.com)

EOS 700D, an entry level DSLR, mostly used by beginners and intermediates

(cr: www.expertreviews.co.uk)

    It doesn't really matter what camera you use to start your photography journey. You can even just start out with something like a canon Powershot SX60 or Panasonic LUMIX ( these are hybrid cameras, which is both compact and offer most functions of a normal DSLR except that lens is IRREMOVABLE) and then upgrade to a entry level/ mid range DSLR like a EOS 700D or better

Canon Powershot SX60 HS, an example of a hybrid camera. 

(cr: www.fotosklad.ru)

Panasonic Lumix FZ-18, another example of a Hybrid camera. Hybrid cameras have a pretty much same functions like an entry level DSLR but the lens is irremovable. 

(cr: www.dpreview.com)

    Then Lenses. If you are not going to take it full fledged or just a beginner, just go with the lens that comes with your kit. Lens does not really matter till you bring photography to the next level.


3) This is  bulls**t. Please Don't ever heed to this at all. You CAN INDEED learn by yourself. That's how I did, with occasional feedback from teachers, friends and photographers whom i met during events. What matters is whether you have the discipline and full will to learn by yourself. Remember, NEVER GIVE UP :) that is the most important and basic principle to follow.


4) Again, true AND untrue. tripods are essential if you want to reduce camera shakes, but don't rely on it too much. If you do that, eventually You will be a cripple without your tripod. At some places, you aren't even allowed to USE your tripods, so what will you do then? It's best to Practice without the tripod at the beginning. It's just like learning to ride a bike. You fall now and then and eventually you can ride steadily. Low light areas are really tricky so you can't avoid using a tripod. Only for THAT is an exception.

An example of 'NO TRIPOD' sign. it's very common to find in places like museums 

and exhibitions (cr: www.flickr.com) 

     Flashguns aren't really of a need unless you are taking it to the next level or being those event photographers. You can consider these at a later point in time, after you have developed the skills of photography, as you need to operate, sync etc with your DSLR. Moreover it isn't really cheap to get those so it's best to buy them when you feel you are ready and feel that you want to bring it to the next level




Hope that the misconceptions have been cleared. Now the question you might ask now is 'What do I do next?'

Well look out for my next blog coming real soon!

Introduction of this blog

BucketUrPhotos? Waddaya mean bucket your photos?

That's what you might have thought and don't worry it is the right thought to have in mind.

Yeah I know the feeling. I have no idea why I even used this name.  But hey, no one used it, so i won't be sued by anyone! So I'm safe from the legal aspects (well, i hope).

The thing is this. I set up this Blog to share my works, and to also give advice on common places for errors. Also, to prove that you can also learn photography by yourself and one day you can open a blog, like me!

It doesn't matter where, when or how you start. What matters is whether you can reach your goal or not. If you don't, go back to the drawing board and plan a better route. I'm sure you will be able to succeed in your journey of becoming a good photographer and eventually a freelance photographer for hire and earn some bucks.

Oh yeah, if you have any thing you would like me to cover for my next blog article or any feedback, do feel free to comment! I'm all ears open for improvements :)