Lessons

Once you have your photo,what are you going to do with it?

Store it on your hard drive,post on the web,put it in a digital frame,print it out?

Lots of choices these days. When I was a lad,we had them chiseled onto stone tablets. well perhaps not,we had black and white grainy fuzzy snapshots,then went into the giddy world of inappropriate colours,looked like they had been hand painted after a while.

But now,you youngsters have it all and your not grateful are you?

Seriously,its a great time to take up photography,look around you. buses.trains,t shirts, mugs,newsletters,shopping bags,sides of vans,trucks. all probably started on someones camera memory,then into a computer.

If you do want to print,be careful what paper you choose. Photocopy paper is cheap but has long fibres to catch the toner powder,inkjet paper has shorter fibres tighter together,coated with clay and less absorbent. Costs more but looks better,sharper,does'nt bleed like cheaper paper.

You can also print on other materials, you can of course get iron-on transfer sheets that go in your printer and can be transferred onto almost anything. But remember that the image will be reversed,so you have to flip it horizontally in your editor.

You can print directly onto cloth,which will not get reversed,by using freezer paper ironed on the back. Of course you can only use cloth that will fit in your printer and absorb the ink,silk or cotton.

Lessons

Lighting.

This is a huge subject all on its own.

Try to remember,amongst all the other things,that if the light source-sun,or artificial,comes from behind you straight onto the subject,it will be flat and a bit boring.

I know,for those of us who have been using a camera for a long time,we were told to have the sun behind you. Older cameras could'nt cope with the sun in the picture at all. It would show up as a great big solar flare.

Cameras are better now and can deal with a lot,even shooting with the sun in front of you. But the most pleasing and complimentary light is oblique,falling across. adding shape,shade and depth,another dimension to your work of art.

Consider also what type of light you have to work with. The sun is a point source of light,most else is diffused.point sources cast strong contrasting shadows. Diffused light casts more blurred less contrasty shadows.

This is useful,strong contrasts are more alive,less strong are more restful. Try to keep this in mind,whats the picture about? Do you want lively shadows adding to it,or more subtle,restful tones? Try not to contradict yourself.

Lessons

How to take good photos.

Most digital cameras will take care of exposure,speed,even colour balance. But thats not all there is to it.

Never put your subject in the centre of the picture.Ok if its a portrait or a close up of a flower,but if there are more elements to it make sure YOU position THEM.

The rule of two thirds. You may,or may not have heard of this,depending of course on what experience you have. But it is a very important part of constructing a picture.

For those who don't know; mentally divide your viewfinder,or screen into squares.9 squares to be exact. Dont put your main subject in the centre square,as most snappers do. Try and put it in the area where one of the corners of the middle square is.Not exactly at that point but somewhere between there and the outside corner of the picture.

Imagine a circle somewhere there and thats what you should try for. Now,thats not all. Of course not. Then try to include smaller items of interest in one of the bottom corners that will lead the eye from there to your main subject.

A path starting somewhere near the bottom left corner,meandering through from left to right upwards to a house. Is a classic.

Always remember,your main subject should be the most prominent,and all else should interest the eye but not detract it,just lead it along to where you want it go go.

You are making the picture. There are millions of images out there but you are deciding which to capture,so you have to take responsibility for how it looks.

Tips

Always have a camera on you. Nothing so frustrating as seeing a great photo opportunity and you have nothing to record it but your memory.

Nowadays I always have my phone,which is great and has more pixels than a £400 camera I bought a few years ago!

Of course a phone camera can't give you much in the way of choices,like switching between close up and portrait,landscape and action,but it does encourage you to move about and get what you want in the picture,which is what you should do anyway. Don't rely on functions,digital zoom and the like too much,put some effort in.

Come on you lazy lot,hup,hup,hup!

Tips

Of course it depends on what you want to do,photography is a huge subject. People,places,pets,close-up,sports etc.

But the most important thing I learnt was to look around the viewfinder,or screen now and see what you are including in the picture.

I had many a disappointment in my film days to finally get those prints from the shop,or in the post,only to see dustbins,telephone poles,rubbish or someones arm,or head taking prominence and ruining the shot.

These days,of course,with digital its easy to view and delete anything that does'nt work. But you can never get that exact shot again. Try to get the habit of seeing what the camera sees. Cameras are very clever these days,but still just a tool,it does'nt know that you did'nt notice that empty beer tin next to those lovely roses.

Sometimes,of course,you have'nt got time to look and it can be sorted out later. But,if you have the time,do take it,theres nothing so satisfying as seeing that slice of life exactly as you saw it and it is just right.