Photography Class
Well, as I continue to try and move from "taking pictures" to "making photographs", I am trying to keep track of the things I learn as I go. This week, I have learned a few things.
Lesson #1. Polarizing Filter. This is used for eliminating or at least reducing glare from windows and glasses. That much I knew. Just leaving it on your lens and not making adjustments is not considered a good idea. That much I either learned (or relearned as I probably knew that at one time with my old film camera. You can see the difference a polarizing filter can make by comparing the glare in the store window here
and the lack of reflection in this shot here
. There are times when you may want the reflection, but there are also many times when the reflection is unwanted and distracting from the picture.
Lesson #2. Camera grip. While a tripod is a great tool to keep the camera steady while shooting, the inconvenience of carrying an extra piece of equipment and being limited to shooting at specific heights as well as the delay involved in adjusting the tripod between shots makes a tripod less than ideal. A shaking camera can lead to blurry shots, so it is important to be able to hold the camera steady and to use a solid grip and position as a practice so that you don't miss any shots. I went to a class today and the instructor demonstrated a good way to hold the camera. Use your left hand as a base and to zoom and your right hand to press the shutter and any other buttons you need to press. Next, tuck your elbows in close to your body.
This gives you a solid grip to shoot and keep the camera steady. I had read about part of this earlier this week in an article, so hopefully this will stick in my mind.
Lesson #1. Polarizing Filter. This is used for eliminating or at least reducing glare from windows and glasses. That much I knew. Just leaving it on your lens and not making adjustments is not considered a good idea. That much I either learned (or relearned as I probably knew that at one time with my old film camera. You can see the difference a polarizing filter can make by comparing the glare in the store window here
and the lack of reflection in this shot here
. There are times when you may want the reflection, but there are also many times when the reflection is unwanted and distracting from the picture.Lesson #2. Camera grip. While a tripod is a great tool to keep the camera steady while shooting, the inconvenience of carrying an extra piece of equipment and being limited to shooting at specific heights as well as the delay involved in adjusting the tripod between shots makes a tripod less than ideal. A shaking camera can lead to blurry shots, so it is important to be able to hold the camera steady and to use a solid grip and position as a practice so that you don't miss any shots. I went to a class today and the instructor demonstrated a good way to hold the camera. Use your left hand as a base and to zoom and your right hand to press the shutter and any other buttons you need to press. Next, tuck your elbows in close to your body.
This gives you a solid grip to shoot and keep the camera steady. I had read about part of this earlier this week in an article, so hopefully this will stick in my mind.
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