Susan Solo – Photographer | Traveler | Adventurer

Tag: photography tips

  • Photo Friday – Dandelion Wishes

    Sometimes Chris and I set out with our cameras looking for something to photograph, and sometimes we don’t go much farther than our own neighborhood where we find things like dandelions. They actually make fascinating macro subjects! So here is a dandelion that I photographed with a macro lens – you didn’t see that one coming, did you?

    Photographing tall flowers (or weeds in this case) with a macro lens when there’s a breeze can be a bit of a challenge. When you’re focusing at a close distance with a macro lens, the slightest movement can result in a mis-focused image. The best thing to do is to at least steady your camera on a tripod so that you aren’t also moving in addition to the subject, but I didn’t have one with me. So in lieu of a tripod, I steadied my camera over the dandelion by sitting down criss-cross (applesauce) style and propping my elbows onto my knees, camera in hand. Whenever I’m shooting with the macro lens, I tend to take a deep breath and hold it so that I’m not shaking the camera with my own breath. It was a bright day so I was able to use a fast shutter speed. I also overexposed by about a stop since my subject was mostly white.

    It reminds me of fireworks, so I thought it would be a good photo for July 4th!

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  • That Time I Went To NYC…

    That Time I Went To NYC…

    …and took the worst, most boring pictures EVER. Honestly.

    I have been looking through old archives of photos (hence the recent Switzerland, Italy, and England posts from trips I took a decade ago) and I came across my “NY 2005” folder. It’s seriously embarrassing. You might wonder, how is it possible that I went to NYC and came back with such boring photos, especially when photography is my thing?! Oh, and not to mention I was in one of the most interesting cities in the country. Granted, I was there for a business trip and I didn’t have a ton of free time for sightseeing or taking photos, but I did spend an afternoon in the city wandering around a bit with my camera. Not only are the photos boring, they’re mostly unacceptably underexposed. I’m mortified, but I’ll show you a screenshot of the folder.

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    Awful. *Shaking my head.* What happened? In plenty of trips prior to this one, I came back with beautiful photos. Why did I (photographically-speaking) stink up NYC so badly? Well, this was one of the first times I had traveled with my very first digital SLR (a Canon 20D). Oh how fun it was to see instant results instead of waiting for film to develop! Seeing instant images on the LCD right after pressing the shutter button, I immediately fell into the bad habit of thinking, “it’s digital and it’s freeeeeeee to take a picture, so my settings don’t matter! Whee! I can take as many as I want and I don’t have to think about it!” Whereas with film, each frame incurred the cost of the film itself and then also the processing and printing, so I was certainly more careful and thoughtful about my settings, my composition, and the story I was trying to tell in each image. Each image on film was very much on purpose, whereas each instant image on my shiny new magic digital SLR was basically disposable.

    Thankfully, I started to learn that if I want good results, digital photography requires just as much care and purpose as shooting on film. Wedding photography especially has taught me that each digital image does count. In a moment that only lasts for a few seconds (the first kiss, for example), there’s no room for experimenting with settings even on a digital camera – you either know what to do or you don’t. Not to mention the hours and hours I would spend correcting images in the post-processing phase if I didn’t understand how to at least get close to a proper exposure. All of this is to say that if you are trying to improve your photography, a digital camera is an awesome learning tool if you are willing to learn why your first image didn’t turn out the way you wanted, shoot it again, and then apply that knowledge to getting it right the first time on your next shoot. And it’s a constant learning process – I’m still learning and improving, too (the day I stop learning and improving is a sad, sad day).

    So there’s that, and also – don’t be too hard on yourself! It’s actually awesome that my digital photos were so awful nine years ago because it means I need to go back to NYC for a proper visit and a reshoot! Next time I’ll shoot with more purpose and inspiration. Sing it with me…these streets will make you feel brand new, big lights will inspire yooooou. And speaking of big lights and singing, perhaps the highlight of our weekend was seeing a show on Broadway, Movin’ Out, which crosses that item off my bucket list! (Seeing a show on Broadway, not specifically seeing Movin’ Out.)

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    Okay and just for funsies, here are two images that crack me up. On the left is a guy that Chris and I saw on the train. He’s working (?) on his laptop whilst draping a jacket over his head. What’s the story? Is he doing top-secret work? Can he breathe in there?! And on the right, I wish I had audio to go along with this sign – there were plenty of cars honking and no fines being handed out, so clearly this law is not heavily enforced.

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  • Photographing Sunsets and Flowers

    I’m often asked how I learned about photography or for advice on how to go about learning. I’m mostly a self-taught photographer – I learned from reading books and practicing on a 35mm film camera (before digital cameras were around), and I’ve probably learned the most just by practice, practice, practice. Seriously, if you want to learn, go out and shoot as much as possible. Take your camera with you everywhere. Examine your resulting images and the settings you used. Identify what you like about the photos and what you don’t. Figure out why an image worked or why it didn’t. If you’re having trouble and wondering why a certain image turned out blurry or underexposed or uninteresting, show it to another photographer to get feedback. Feel free to even send it my way! I certainly don’t know everything there is to know, but I can help you try to figure it out and point you towards some resources for learning the basics.

    In addition to self-teaching through books and practice, I did eventually take formal courses to round out my photography knowledge and skills. Wanting to soak up as much knowledge and experience as possible, I signed up for a couple of workshops and eventually for a certification program. I especially loved the studio and darkroom classes – two facets of photography that I might not have otherwise had the opportunity to study. Depending on the specialty in which you’re interested, formal schooling and/or certification may or may not be necessary for a job or career in photography, but it certainly can’t hurt. (If anything, business classes are probably most valuable for running a photography business, but that’s a different story.)

    One of the most helpful lessons came from a favorite instructor who challenged us at the beginning of the program NOT to photograph sunsets or flowers. Ever. His reason being that sunsets and flowers are two of the most over-photographed subjects, and unless we could figure out a way to photograph them in a completely new and exciting way, don’t photograph them. I remember being sort of bummed and embarrassed that I had brought in an image of some daisies for our homework assignment that day! But now looking back, I can totally appreciate the request. By forcing us to continually explore new subjects, we grew as photographers. So if you’re new to photography and you’re wanting to improve, look through your images and see if you tend to stick to the same subjects. Are most of your photos sunsets and flowers (or your pet/spouse/lunch/etc.)? Are your images usually taken within a one-mile radius of your home? If yes, try to “ban” yourself from photographing that subject or location for a while. Stretch yourself outside of your photography comfort zone and see what happens!

    Of course, if you’re on an island vacation (say, Tortola) and there’s a stunning sunset happening as you enjoy a cocktail from your rental villa balcony, please feel free to photograph away guilt-free.

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  • It’s Not the Camera…

    Today’s post is mostly for my fellow photographers, but I hope it’ll be interesting even if you’re not into photography. One of my very favorite instructors from the professional program at the Washington School of Photography, Sam D’Amico, wrote a fantastic article in his newsletter this week, “It’s Not the Camera That Takes the Pictures.” I especially love his carpentry analogy. Read on, and note that photographers shouldn’t be afraid to take credit for their work, and people should give photographers more credit for the art they create!

    It’s Not the Camera That Takes the Picture
    by Sam D’Amico

    When, during the course of a conversation, people mention that their camera “takes good pictures” I politely suggest that their camera usually has less to do with a good picture than they think. If cameras took good pictures, wouldn’t they be good pictures all of the time? It’s the person working the camera that’s responsible for the picture.

    If the photograph comes out good or bad, assuming the camera is operating correctly, we (the photographers) are ultimately responsible for the photographs we make.

    When people ask me what camera I would recommend, I’m reluctant to make a suggestion. I can tell them why I prefer the cameras I work with, but I encourage them to research different types of cameras and to make choices based on their individual approach to picture making. I usually add that if they want to realize the full potential of making photographs that they should make sure that their cameras could operate in a fully manual mode. (Set ISO, F-stop and shutter speed.) I also suggest that they should also consider a model that doesn’t lock them into a particular product line. For example, if you wanted to purchase a separate flash unit, could you use a flash unit such as Vivitar 285? A Vivitar 285 is under $100.00 and, in my opinion, is easier to work with than a more complex and expensive flash unit that some camera models require.

    There are many equipment choices out there. If you want to work with a disposable point & shoot that’s fine. I think, since there are no exposure or focus controls, that’s a great way to work on framing, a major component of photographic composition. Whatever works for YOU is what you should be using. But you need to make thoughtful choices based on the way you want to work. It’s not the equipment as much as it is the photographer. If you gave me a hammer, saw, wood, and some nails I’d probably injure myself. If you gave those things to someone skilled in carpentry you’d get a piece of furniture. The camera is just a tool. It’s not the camera that makes the photograph it’s the photographer.

  • Photography Close to Home

    I have a few friends who are interested in learning more about photography, and the one piece of advice I always give to anyone just starting out is, “shoot, shoot, shoot!” Get out there and shoot as much as possible. And this doesn’t have to mean going very far away. A lot of really fun images can be found right close to home. I took these images near the trail right behind our house:





    And my husband, Chris, took these images (for those that didn’t know, he is a photographer as well, and an amazing one at that!):



    His nature photography is incredible, don’t you think so? (Feel free to leave him some blog-love to tell him!) I think I’ll have to print that gorgeous blossom photo.