Photography Workshop
Dr. George Damon
October 5, 05
(Notes taken by Yearbook Staff)
* Light:
We need to be careful about light and shadow.
Black and white for Old ACS??
The most effective light to work with is diffused window light.
Where is the light meter? (what it sees is what is exposed correctly).
* Frame:
Boring photographs? Because we focus on the middle.
Throw away photographs of people looking at you.... take action shots, informal ones.
MOST POWERFUL PLACE: upper left hand-corner (for English pages) and the opposite for Arabic.
Look at the outside frame of your photographs, and this will get you to make outstanding changes to your photos.
Feel good pictures: The context of the photo is very important (he has just proposed to her and she has a wide smile on her face).
Odd numbers are much more dynamic... always! If I have no odd number, I make things dynamic by using the rule of thirds.
We need to create an imbalance in the frame for a better composition. One dominant item only.
Solve shutter speed options first.
Flash stops all action! It flattens everybody/everything (your subject). That is why flash photos do not look as real as the others.
* Space & Perspective:
Rule of thirds: move the center of focus away from the middle (upper hand corner, lower bottom, ...); keep the center empty.
Energy is between the edge of the frame and the lower part of the frame; don't be afraid to cut somebody's head's off, unless there is a very good reason for keeping what is behind the head.
How you can take excellent and exciting pictures for
this year’s Al Manara?
(Notes taken by Catherine Moutran)
· Main mistake most beginners make: Centeritis
o Putting the subject in the dead center of the frame
o Instead, try creating tension by looking at the edges and ignore the center
o Notice in newspaper or magazines the best pictures
· Use rule of thirds
o Put main subject in one of those spots
· Sports photography
o Don’t chase action
o Sit patiently under the basket and look at action through view finder
· Take lots of pics, pick best
o Lucky if one out of 30 is ok
· Point of view
o Try from above
§ Bird’s eye
o Try lying on the ground
· Detail
o Get in close
o Invade their privacy, their space, be pushy
· Expression and personality
o Capture the essence of the person, not just their public persona
· LOOK AT SOME GOOD & BAD EXAMPLES FROM LAST YEARBOOK
o What are good?
o What do we have too many examples of?
Now we’re going to take our own photos around the campus and bring them back to critique
Good
Web Sites:
http://www.soyouwanna.com/site/syws/greatphotos/greatphotosFULL.html