Your photos 99

Your photos (99)

Take Better Photos

Hints and tips
by Philip Grosset

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with comments from Philip Grosset

"Hello Philip. My name is Stella, I cannot say that "I am in photography", but I always loved to make photos, I like whole process and results :-) Don't know what to say about these pictures that I'm sending to you. I made them in Sun City, South Africa. These are just views of the places, I like to make this kind of pictures. Please let me know what do you think about them. Thank you very much." (Stella Galperin)

Assuming you tilted this deliberately, I don't really think it was a very good good idea. All it means is that we lose part of the interesting area below, and see more of the blank blue sky. Sorry, but it just looks a muddle!

Your photo on the left seems to show an interesting place, but from rather far away. On the right, I've come in closer in an effort to make the photo just a bit more dramatic. The pillar and the tower are now at the intersection of thirds and this adds to the interest.

Reply from Stella Galperin: "Thanks for your comments :-) Regarding pic1 - this picture was taken from the mountain and building was located below. There is no interesting area below, just trees, and I didn't take them thinking they might mix with palms near building...
pic2 - I went over your site and saw all your comments about getting closer...well, you're right :-) Photo on the right indeed seems to be more dramatic, actually I wanted to take as much of the place as I can to one photo....Thanks a lot, Stella."

"Hi, I was at your website and would like some tips with the following two pictures of my daughter and son. I dressed my daughter up in my veil along with holding a rose, and my son with my husbands shirt and tie. I'm sure my lighting is far off and I would like help with that... Thanks a lot." (Cindy Kutchey)

The simplest way to improve your photo of your son on the left is to come in closer, as on the right. You can't really see the shirt and tie sufficiently clearly to recognise what it is, but I don't think this really matters. It's a happy picture.

The photo of your daughter, on the left, is again taken from slightly too far away. Move in closer, as in the middle, and you not only see the girl more clearly, but you lose distractions such as the top of the sheet at the extreme top left of the picture, as well as most of the sheet itself. Even better, if you can arrange for the wrinkled sheet to be completely out of focus, as in my version on the right, the result looks more pleasing still. If you can't do this, try having a darker background, or, if you want a light background, use a wall but watch out for unwanted shadows, and keep it less well lit than your main subject.

"trying to take a photo in my garden of a rose the film was 200asa slide taken with minolta 404si 0.38/1.3ft macro glad for your comments" (bob casserly)

The actual rose in your photo on the left is fine and sharp, but I'd have been inclined to have come in closer, as on the right, to concentrate just on it. The lighting is attractive, although a slightly higher camera position might have let us see a bit more down into the rose.

Here I've experimented with a more revealing camera angle - but, of course, it's not the same rose!

Reply from Bob Casserly: "Thanks for yours comments improved the photo 100%. Could you look at this photo of my grandson taken with a Tokina 70-210 I think it could have been sharper.When using a zoom lens with a big aperture never can get the focusing right should I use manual focusing it also looked a bit under exposed so i converted it to black and white. I will be glad to hear what you think of it. All the best."

Yes, his face isn't really sharp, but this makes a lively picture. Try to focus on your subject's eyes (you shouldn't have to do this manually). When using the 210 end of the zoom, find some support for the camera, and remember that the depth of field will be very limited - and even more so with a large aperture. Take some test shots to convince yourself that it can be done!

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