Adding graphic power to your photographs

 

I enjoy using visual communications in my photography. I like to think It’s not what you photograph, but how you photograph the subject.  Some photographs have that talented eye to notice and add that little bit of extra graphic ingredients to a photograph that makes your eye look longer. This type of visual smack is what makes some photography stand out from the ordinary.

Crop for impact: If you want add graphic power, you must crop in on those story-telling elements. Study everything in your viewfinder, the entire frame, not just the center.  You can get rid all the distracting elements in the sides, corners or background by changing camera angle, shooting distance, or zoom settings.  I try add a better graphic impact by moving in and singling out specific features using a zoom lens or a macro lens to photograph small details.

When taking long or medium shots, I’m always on the lookout for pictures within the picture. Seeing interesting details inside the overall frame, I sometimes make separate pictures of them.  By closing in on the light striking a maidenhair fern, I was able to bring out the graphic patterns on the fronds.

Look for reflections:  Reflections can help you create striking compositions. They can be found them anywhere:  car door  windows, even, in water puddles after a rainstorm and in the calm surface of a lake as such as the boater’s reflection in the marina as he washes off his sailboat.

Silhouettes: Look for eye-catching graphic shapes that can be silhouetted against a bright background, such as a sunrise or sunset. For a good silhouette effect, shoot against the light and expose for the bright area, so that the foreground goes dark such as I did of the Salmon fishermen at dusk and able to capture the light reflecting off the fishing lines.

Use of lines: Use lines to make your compositions more graphic to express the mood you want as they curve and lead your eye right into the subject.  But using a micro lens to capture the dewdrops as they transform the graceful curves of a spider web into a deadly looking diamond necklace.

Subject placement: Where you position your subject or center of interest within the camera’s viewfinder can also add to graphic impact. According to years of advice that you should never center the subject in the middle of the picture, that’s just plain crazy. It does sometimes create a static composition, but also can produce a powerful bull’s eye effect that pulls the viewer’s eye right into the center ring such as this portrait of an Azorean girl before she went to her first Communication.

Using shapes, patterns and colors: Colors also produce a life of their own.  I like to use contrasting bold colors to work with one another, as the contrast of the white daisy against the color of the purple lavender.

The repeated line and patterns of repeated lines, shapes, tones and colors within a scene adds that extra bit of graphic power to your photographs.  Sometimes those visual lines may be orderly as the outlines of hills at Hurricane Ridge that create a step ladder leading up to Mount Olympus.

Covering non-photographic events

 

While working for newspapers, photographers shoot a variety of assignments ranging from spot news, general news, sports, feature and documentary. But, there’s nothing more dreaded than being assigned a why I love where I live, my favorite chef, a fine romance, check passing, ground breaking and of course, the school assignment. To the news photographer these are commonly know as “non-photographic events”, but they have to be covered and it’s up to us to capture a story-telling photo.

Most are pretty boring event to cover, so if only teachers would plan ahead and contact the newspaper’s education beat reporter and inform them of an ongoing class project. That would actually make better pictures than kids standing next or pointing to a finished science project. The same goes for ground breakings, instead of having to capture pictures of local officials moving dirt with a shovel, how about stopping by ever so often at the construction site to make pictures of workers. I tried to train our reporters on what makes a visual assignment or not. From time to time I had to tell them, that this is one assignment where 5,000 words is a lot better than one crappy photo.

Once I received an assignment to cover Presidential Candidates at The Islander Middle School . Eight graders were taking part of a social studies class using Story path, an educational program in which they create an election campaign, with candidates, platforms and posters. Sounds pretty boring and why yes it was. I could have gotten a few shots of the candidates standing at a podium giving a speech, but for some reason I decided something there might make a good photo. Besides, if I returned to office after this assignment, there might be a worse one waiting. I have this thought, if you’re out of the office your working, you know out of sight, out of mind to the editors and another photographer would get handed a “last minute” assignment.

I’ve been following this one group from classroom to classroom when the candidate, dressed as Herbert Bobman, for the Peace Party, had her nose tweaked by a classmate. So, instead of handing in a speaking at a podium pictures, I stayed longer and the paper published a nice story telling feature.

The excitement of covering spot news

 

To some news photographers there’s nothing like getting the blood pumping than having to jump up and rush off to photograph a spot news event. Spot news photographs are pictures of unscheduled events for which no advance planning was possible. These news situations are normally spontaneous photos of a fire, traffic accident or a rescue. This type of event puts pressure on the photographer to produce while working under trying conditions, even through a little humor can be found near the end once those emergency personnel on the scene deems the situation isn’t life threatening and a lighter type of photo can be taken. So, if you don’t make it on time to photograph the trauma situation, a story telling photo can always be made.

I’ve found while out covering spot news events, stay out of the way of police, fire or medical personnel. A long lens helps so that you can move in closer to make photos that might show emotion.

Most of the time it’s often difficult to gather caption information at spot news events, so I try get the names and contact phone number of an police officer, firefighter or paramedics and what fire station they belong to, so that I can later phone and get more details.

Here are some details of the posted photos:

A SWAT team member and his dog provides cover for the rest of the team as they search house to house for a suspect in the after a Seattle Police Officer was shot in his car about 9:30 this morning. Since the scene was still active, I was forced to use my 400mm lens and stand back across the street behind a police line.

South Kitsap fireman knocks back a house fire in Port Orchard. While working for the Port Orchard Independent I got to know most of the local emergency personnel well and actually able to move in closer to a fire, emergency situation using a variety of lenses, ranging from a wide angle to a telephoto.

Emergency personnel stabilize an injured woman after an accident.  While covering this accident I was told to get back by a Washington State Patrol Trooper, but the Fireman Lieutenant informed the officer that I knew what I was doing and wouldn't be In the way. I guess all those times I dropped off containers of ice cream at the fire station paid off.

A fireman carried a 50-pound English bulldog up a steer embankment after his owner lost control on an icy road.

A sanitation worker pours coffee from a thermos after turning over his garbage truck while traveling through a roundabout.

"Oh Wow!"

Living in the Pacific Northwest provides photographers not only chance to capture a variety of scenic attractions, but also never ending challenges in shooting under a variety of lighting conditions.  While cruising around Port Orchard one day I came upon this scene of the snow capped Olympic Mountains. What made it pop out was the ever changing sky conditions and the dark layer of the gathering cloud line.  To me, a scenic picture or “Oh wow!” is one of my favorite types of photo subjects. This shot is another type of pictorial as it grabs the viewers’ attention and is easier to take than any other, for it is the type of subject that shouts out to you. “Just take me!” If the light is right, if the composition comes together to make the kind of eye-catching shot that captures the spirit of a place, then take it quickly because the scene may change momentarily. And if the lighting changes for the better, take it again. Being in the right place at the right time is one of the secrets of capturing the “Oh wow!” shot. Luck has a lot to do with it, but carrying your camera around with you and spending time out taking pictures will increase your chances of capturing this type of scenic picture.

Adding story telling items to portrait

 

While attending Syracuse University's photojournalism program, one of our professors gave us an assignment, go out and shoot four rolls of 36 exposure film, (yea…I’m dating myself) 144 pictures of people, but, the clincher was we could only photograph the subject with a 50mm lens and only shoot that individual once. So, we had to shoot 144 different people. That's one way to break one's shyness.

Photographing strangers requires being sensitive. People, especially in this day and age, don't like having a camera stuck in their faces. Instead, try to calm suspicion. Introduce yourself and communicate in a sincere way why you want to make a photograph of them-because you're interested in what they are doing. Once you make that connection as a human being, most people are flattered by your interest and open up to you. Also your body language can do the trick: There's no cultural barrier to a smile or expressing your admiration for a pretty child.

My style is to surround people in their environment with things that make them different from other people. When you go into someone's environment to shoot a portrait, there is something around the subject that makes them special. Everybody has something that is symbolic of what they do. To establish a working relationship with the subject, ask them to explain what they do. That gets them relaxed, while at the same time, gives you ideas for pictures.

When shooting people I like to travel light and use my 16-35mm, 28mm-70mm and 70-200mm zoom lenses.  One of the keys to successful people photography is the ability to work quickly when needed. And the zoom lenses help me do that: I can compose my scene, and then “shoot and move to another angle.”

Here are some examples where I used my 16-35mm to make environmental portraits. When photographing people, I try to take a headshot and an environmental portrait.

Ride em Bulls

Rodeo events make for great picture taking. While covering last August’s Kitsap County Fair Rodeo Xtreme Bulls event I captured a picture I’ve been waiting for years to get. Normally, photographers always take photos of the cowboys riding the bulls and horses until they either get bucked off or reach the qualtilfiying time limit. Here, in one event I was able to get a shot of what seemed like a bull riding a cowboy after he was bucked off. Go figure, of getting a picture such as this. Needless to say, the cowboy wasn’t hurt, but he sure did get to the safety of the fence in record time.

Included is the capture info:

Model: Canon EOS-1D Mark II

Serial #:

Firmware: Adobe Photoshop CS3 Macintosh

Frame #: 135

Lens (mm): 300

ISO: 250

Aperture: 2.8

Shutter: 1/4000

Exp. Comp.: -0.3

Flash Comp.:

Program: Aperture Priority

Focus Mode:

White Bal.:

ICC Profile: Adobe RGB (1998) (embedded)

Contrast:

Sharpening:

Quality:

Get the ball in the frame and in focus

As a sport photographer, my job is to capture that peak, action that tells the story. 

I like to do is use my longer telephoto lenses, normally I use the 400mm f2.8 for baseball, football and soccer, and the 300mm f2.8 for basketball.  That way, I can shoot at f2.8, which throws the background out of focus and high enough shutter speed to capture the peak action and good facial expressions. 

However, in this digital age, it’s good to capture both. It’s all about seeing pictures possibilities and capturing both those action and reaction moments that lead to great photographic moments.

Here's a few pictures: Oakland Athletics' shortstop Marco Scutaro forces out Seattle Mariners' Jose Lopez at second base and fails to make a double play in the third inning in Seattle.

Seattle Seahawks' defensive end Parick Kerney (L) knocks the ball out of Washington Redskins' quarterback Todd Collins hands in the first half of their first round NFC Wildcard playoff game at Qwest Field in Seattle.

Seattle Sounders' Kyle Smith (11) performs a bicycle kick past L.A. Galaxy's Simon Elliott and towards the Galaxy's goal area during the second half of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Quarterfinals on Wednesday at Seahawks' Stadium in Seattle.

San Diego State tight end Steve Schmidt, left, catches a pass over defending Washington State corner back Chima Nwachukwu for first down yardage in the second quarter of their football game in Seattle.

Seattle Supersonics' Earl Watson, right, knocks the ball away from Atlanta Hawks' Zaza Pachulia, from the Republic of Georgia in the third period at Key Arena in Seattle.