Shooting your subject from various positions.

Take a moment to consider what is the motivation behind snapping a photo. What is the driving force that causes you to compose then capture the image? There are many answers to that question; some may not be able to convey the thought in words. A better question then is, "What do you plan on doing with the picture?" The answer to this may lead you to alter your technique.

I enjoy the challenge of capturing the beauty before me in an attractive and pleasurable manner. The subjects of my passion tend to be outdoor places and wildlife of all sorts. Over the years I have developed an eye for knowing what will and won't work, but even then I rarely approach a scene with only one frame of reference. It is not just to render proof that I was somewhere or found something interesting but to capture the essence of the moment in a memorable manner.

One of the techniques I use is to shoot an object of interest from many positions. I actually took twelve images of the old granary but chose only five to display. The others were either not as good as these or somewhat repetitive. Of the five I took, I like the top right one the most. That is the whole point of shooting numerous images of a subject. There are many aspects of doing this in its own right; change your position, change the position of the subject (a little hard to do with a fixed granary), change the environment around the subject, and change the lighting. Each of these varies considerably with the nature of what is being photographed and the time you have to capture it.

I want to emphasize the importance of purpose in this blog. I often will capture an event with a single photograph, not because "I did it right the first time," but rather because I just want the moment recorded for future reference. I have lots of images of people, pets, events, and things that I keep for memories, records, and of course just for fun. It doesn't have to be perfect, it just has to address an issue. The purpose behind an image should affect the manner in which it is recorded.

What is your purpose for taking pictures? I bet there is more than one. Consider what the purpose is behind each image you take and address how you will go about capturing it accordingly. Your photography will improve in doing so as you begin to think more critically about what you are doing.

Thanks for reading.     Ericspix     Eric Svendsen