Exploring Georgetown

This week's post is going to be slightly over the place. I went to Georgetown's waterfront in Washington, DC to take some pictures. This post will show you the best images, with also critiques on them. This way, you guys can see what I did wrong, and now you'll know not to make the same mistakes I did. I went around sunset time, which can be a hard time to take pictures if you miss the nice lighting window, because then subjects become too dark and shadowy.

I also sincerely apologize for all the duck pictures. They are just so cute, swimming around like they do. I couldn't help it!

Look at these two pictures. Which one looks nicer? The second one, right? That's the correct answer, so just pretend you said that one. Sunsets can be so pretty, but if it's not the only thing in the frame, the non-sunset subjects can be difficult to capture. For instance, with the second picture, the sky looks pretty sweet but you can barely see the details of the trees and buildings. In the first image, the trees and buildings are properly lit, but the sky is extremely washed out. Mess around with your ISO or shutter speeds until you get a combination that you like.

This was the best I could get, in terms of capturing the nice sky and the architecture and trees in the frame as well.

Birds in the air with a nice sky backdrop are a hit or miss shot. You guys can decide if this passes the test. On the plus side, at least it's not a duck picture... not yet anyways.

(Photo Credit: Jad Tabbara)

While all three of these pictures seem very different, I actually took them all in the same place. I literally popped a squat on the edge of the boardwalk and just stared into my viewfinder until I saw something I liked. Also, this lady in the last picture is not a model. She was demanding that the man with her take pictures of her while she posed awkwardly in the middle of the busy boardwalk. It was quite hysterical. But it made a good image, so I took it!

Here are a few out of many duck pictures I took. The water looked especially pretty, and the ducks filled out the frame nicely. Also, when taking pictures of water, try to work with ripples or waves, like the last picture. It looks very symmetrical and appealing to the eye. Granted, I wouldn't want to get anywhere closer to the Potomac River, but at least it looks pretty with the sun setting on it!

Recap:

• Be aware of when you're planning on going out to take pictures. Never go mid-day; that's the absolute worst time to take pictures outside. Go right after sunrise, or a little before sunset; that is going to be your prime lighting opportunity.
• Do the best you can to balance out the vivid colors of a sunset and proper lighting to show detail in buildings or trees
• Don't be afraid to just sit down and wait for pictures to come to you, especially if you're at a busy place like the Georgetown Waterfront on a Friday night. You don't always get lucky like I did, but sometimes good things to happen to those who wait.
• As I mentioned in my animal photography post, slow-moving or sitting animals can be extremely easy to take pictures of, so try to make the image even more interesting by off-centering the animal or working with the background instead of making the focus solely the dog, or cat, or in this case, a duck.

So get out there, be a creep. Take your camera out. And tell people about my blog. That last one is really important.

Thanks guys!

Seeing in Black and White

When taking pictures in black and white, there's a lot of grey area, no pun intended. Crisp, clean photos need the blackest black and a true white, with varied shades of grey in-between. This week's pictures have all been taken with a 35mm film camera, and I developed both the film and pictures myself.

Don't be afraid to have multiple objects in the image to create a nice full frame. Look for balance and make sure all the attention in the image is on one side.

With black and white photography, it is very easy for detail to be washed out and things to be lost from parts of the image being too dark or too light. For example, it's very difficult to see the snowman's arms in this pictures because the tree background is too dark.

This picture is cool and all, but it could be better. Can you think of anything right off the bat? I'll give you a hint: there really aren't any true whites or blacks in this image, it's almost all grey. Greys are fine to have in a black and white photo, but when that's all there is, a picture can seem very flat and not very appealing. 

Don't be afraid to try new things. If you're using a film camera, you are limited to how many pictures you can take, but if you're using a DSLR, snap away! This picture I took as an experiment and I think it looks pretty cool. I have a feeling though that it wouldn't have looked as cool if it was in color. 

Black and white pictures are excellent for showing extreme detail in subjects, especially in nature. Focus can be on drops of water or each leaf on a bush.  Look for cool textures and patterns to make a really rad black and white image.

Tips to Remember:

•   To have a really nice-looking image, make sure to have true blacks and true whites, with varying greys. If a picture is all grey, it appears to look washed out and not very appealing to the eye

•   Shadows look exceptional with black and white photos, so if you can play around with lighting and shadows, do it!

•   Watch out for things being too washed out from objects in the image being too dark or too light. Because it's harder to see slight changes in color in a black and white photograph, things can appear to be washed out or hidden, so watch lighting when taking pictures (example, the snowman picture)

•   Because we live in a digital age, it is easier to take a picture in color, and then edit it to a black and white photo. I obviously could not do that with these film pictures, but don't be afraid to take a picture and then alter it to black and white to see how it looks

That F Word.... Family

Oh no, the dreaded family picture. The entire clan has to shower, put decent clothes on, and even do their hair. It's a big struggle for some families; I know it is for mine! This week's post will give some helpful pointers for when you are trying to take pictures of several people or just a picture where the people in the frame pretend they like each other...

Frustrated already? Yah, it happens.

Take things in baby steps. First, plan a time and a central location. It's always awkward if someone doesn't show up... 

Meeting outside is better, as long as the weather is good. Natural lighting is prime, as I've mentioned several times. 

Aww, how nice, right? Guess how many shots it took? 27. One person would blink, or one person didn't smile, or SOMETHING would happen. Don't be afraid to put your camera into a burst mode, so your camera will take several shots, giving you options when picking the best photo. It's so helpful because people can't help but blink.

When you think you have enough shots to satisfy the subject or whoever wants the pictures, goof off. 

 This is my best friend Jimmy's family. (VISIT HIS BLOG: http://www.batch-photography.com). This picture captures every personality in his family so accurately. and honestly, static group photos can be quite boring. Everyone enjoys an awkward family photo, right?

Ooh, one thing before I forget! NO. DUCK. FACES.

Eww. Look how dumb, right?

If you want to do a funny picture, do this:

 Hahahaha, so funny, right? I just hate duck-faced photos, and I wanted to share my hatred with the internet world.

Guys, don't I have the cutest family? These two pictures took over 40 minutes to get. And that's not even including prep time for all of us to look semi-decent. If you can, try to coordinate outfits, not over the top or anything. 

Now for the recap:

• Make sure everyone knows the correct time and place for the photo shoot
• Try to take pictures outside if you can, if not make sure there is decent lighting inside
• Use a burst mode to help offset the pictures where people blink
• Make funny faces, BUT NO DUCK FACES
• Try to coordinate outfits, or at the very least, make sure there aren't mismatching prints and patterns
• Themes are always fun, especially around Christmas time.

Spread the word about me!

Thanks everyone :)

Who Let the Dogs Out?

This week's post is going to be about..... ANIMALS. As I blatantly gave away in last week's entry.... And I am apologizing now, but some of these pictures are going to be of my adorable doggie Riley. She's the black lab border collie who has a derp face in almost all her pictures.... BUT SHE IS JUST SO WONDERFUL AND YOU CAN'T HAVE HER BECAUSE SHE'S MINE. Now that that's established, time to talk photo.

So, you're out and about, you have your camera with you. You see an energetic, fast-moving dog and want to snap a few pics of it. Are you going to set a low slow shutter speed?

NO.

Great, now you know to use a fast shutter speed if it's a fast-paced animal. But you're asking yourself, "They won't stop moving! How will I ever get a good shot?"

STAY. You sit and wait.

Until you have the perfect shot. These pictures below probably each took at least 15 snaps before I got one I liked.

But Merideth, what if they're not moving? AWESOME. Less work for you. You can move around, find good angles, and snap away. The animals are sleeping, you say? EVEN BETTER. Everyone loves sleeping animals, so snap away. JUST DON'T WAKE THEM UP. A shutter can be noisy, so keep that in mind before you get too close.

This week was kind of a short, but hopefully informative post. I will recap for you

Animal Photography

• Use a fast shutter speed when trying to capture a fast-moving animal, not unless you want a motion blur
• Don't be afraid to wait awhile or to snap a lot of pictures. It's better to overshoot, then delete the bad images later.
• Even if an animal is sleeping, it's still interesting. So hit the shutter!
• If you're trying to take a picture of an animal through a cage, say at a zoo, it's going to be almost impossible to not have the fencing show up in the image. I try to have the animal's eyes not in a line of the fence, so that the eyes aren't crossed out by a black line (If confused, look at the mountain lion and lion pictures above).
• MAKE SURE WHATEVER ANIMAL YOU ARE PHOTOGRAPHING DOES NOT LICK YOUR LENS. It sucks. It happens, but try to prevent it if you can. Why am I mentioning this? Because my dumb dog did this.

Yes, this adorable doggie licked my lens. SO DON'T LET IT HAPPEN TO YOU.

Also, call me shameless, but please share this blog with your friends, family, and anyone you know interested in photography.

Thanks guys!

Au Naturale

This week's post will focus on nature photography. These pictures will not include animals, which will be next week's post topic (Spoiler Alert).

As shown above, landscape pictures do not need to be taken in a landscape orientation. You can have a picture going vertical (portrait style) as well. It all depends on what you want your frame to be. The time of day you take a landscape picture is crucial. If you go out to shoot at noon, all of you pictures will look flat, not dynamic. Good times to take nature pictures would be right around when the sun comes up or right around when the sun goes down. Sunsets and sun rises are really easy and really fun to take pictures of. As you can see from above, I love taking them. But just be careful, there is a limited amount of time when taking pictures of sunsets or sun rises, like 20 minutes max. You can notice differences within one minute of each other. So wait for the right moment.

 





Close ups are also a neat way to capture nature's beauty. Blurring out backgrounds by lowering your f-stop really adds emphasis to your subject. In this case, it is with flowers, an excellent subject for beginning photographers to shoot. They stay put, always look pretty, and will look good from a variety of angles. It gives you time to adjust your exposure settings and find different angles.

Here are the key takeaways:

• Don't be afraid to turn your camera sideways to get a portrait orientation as opposed to a landscape
• Really think about the time of day you go out to shoot
• Flat lighting looks boring
• Try for sunsets and sunrises!
• Don't be afraid to get up close!
• Blurry backgrounds can really emphasize a subject, such as with flowers

Look forward to next's week post on photographing animals!

And if you ever have recommendations for topics, please let me know. Just a busy college student who is quickly running out of ideas...