Photography Inspiration, Part II

The following is part II of VI to give you some ideas for photography inspiration. Again, this list is my personal take. Read on to learn something new (there's actually something I disagree with the photopreneur, and you may find my awesome suggestion in item #15).

11. Watch a Sports Event
This is a great idea. One of my favourite things to do is to check out baseball games. It is one of my life's goals is to visit all 30 major league ballparks. I have been to eight ballparks already. It's fun to buy the cheap seats and sit in the upper deck because it allows you to wander around the area and take impressive wide-angle shots, such as this one of Dodger Stadium by sunset. Of all the stadium shots I've ever taken, this shot of Turner Field is by far and away my favourite:


So yeah, go to a baseball game and see what you can capture. I've also been to hockey and basketball games, but they are much harder to shoot because of poorer lighting conditions.

12. Visit the Zoo
Hey, here's an idea where you can probably get hundreds of shots. Don't forget to bring the telephoto lens(es) to capture portrait-like images of animals. And as the entrepreneur recommends, "you don’t have to try to squeeze your lens between the bars. Shooting the kids in awe at the monkeys can create some interesting images too." Speaking of visiting the zoo, it's on my to-do list to visit Zoo Atlanta soon.

13. Shoot Fast at a Race Track
I haven't been to a race track in a long, long time. However, what I can tell you is that it allows you an opportunity with a technique called panning. Basically pick a shutter speed that's a bit "slow" and move the camera and lens in the direction of the motion of the speedy car. Although difficult to perfect this technique, the finals results will be worth it in the end! Essentially, if you are successful, the main subject will be sharp against a blurred background. Again, the idea is to follow the subject as it passes in front of you and continue to follow it as you press the shutter button on your camera. Try it out sometime!

14. Visit an Exhibition
Visiting an exhibition is a lot of fun and very informative. Not only would you be exposed to creative techniques, but it's possible you'll end up talking to the photographers who made the picture happen. And how much more can you be inspired than by the artist himself?

15. Browse Google Images
I mentioned this idea in #7 (typing in "wedding photography" in google), but of course you can search for whatever you please. However, I actually will recommend against google images because so much stuff that comes up is garbage (low resolution or otherwise very crappy). I have a much better idea. Go to www.pbase.com, a site dedicated to hosting photos (usually by full-time photographers and excellent amateurs), and do a search (in the upper right there is a search box) for whatever you like. A search for "Yosemite" (as in Yosemite National Park) produces a gallery of tagged "Yosemite" images. And they are spectacular, such as this one of Yosemite in winter. So again, pbase.com is your friend for inspiration!

16. Join Flickr Groups
I won't comment on flickr too much because I don't spend much time there, but according to one photographer, "flickr is photography gone viral." I have checked out a few discussions and threads related to techniques for composition and lighting, and they have been very insightful. I'll probably switch over to flickr eventually (more exposure of my photography is always a good thing).

17. Just Step Back and Watch
This is such a great suggestion, and one with which I absolutely agree. Too many times I see photographers just snapping away, hoping to end up with a killer shot. But if you just sit back and explore the surroundings first, you'd be training your eyes to find something noteworthy to shoot. What I like to do is to hold my camera and lens on my shoulder (or in my photo bag) and walk around with the camera looking for photographing opportunities. As the photopreneur states, "Stepping back and watching the subject can reveal whole new sides. That’s true for portrait photographers, wedding photographers, animal photographers… in fact just about any photographer!" and I couldn't agree more.

18. Roam the World with Flickr Maps
The geo-tagged images on Flickr are pretty awesome. I was exploring images of Zion National Park the other day, and people post very accurate locations (for example, Angels Landing is certainly at a different location than the Temple of Sinawava, headway to the Narrows hike). Flickr Maps is a bit slow (certainly slower than Google maps), but it's a lot of fun exploring.

19. Change your Angle
This suggestion is pretty cool and something I enjoy experimenting with on a frequent basis. While on a recent vacation to St. Petersburg, Russia, I was photographing the area around the Winter Palace (Hermitage Museum). The area is absolutely breathtaking, but what really can set the image apart is if you get down on the ground and capture the cobblestone-covered street, with the Hermitage Museum in the background. And that's exactly what I did! It made for one dynamic image! Again, there's so much you can do by changing the angle!

20. Change your Time
I will admit that most of my shooting occurs in the daytime (I don't shoot enough in the dark). However, night photography is a lot of fun. During my recent visit to Zion National Park, I broke out the camera and tripod and captured a cool (or should I say hot?) scene of campers around their campfire:


If you are shooting with a digital SLR, and if you are going to explore night photography, make sure you use a tripod. Also, sometimes manual focus will be required. In that case, set your lens to the "infinity" mark to make sure everything you shoot will be in focus (this suggestion is applicable to landscape shots, in particular). If you're not keen on shooting in the dark (for whatever reason: you're afraid of the dark, you don't have or can't afford a tripod, etc.), try shooting in the early morning, just before and as the sun is coming out. Morning light is incredibly diffuse and creates an amazing backdrop to your images. Light is worst (for photography) in mid-afternoon, so I'd avoid shooting too much in the daytime. Again, experimentation is key! Just get out there and do something you haven't done before (incidentally, this suggestion applies to life in general), and who knows what wonders you will discover...

Photography Inspiration, Part I

I've recently stumbled upon the photopreneur blog, and they had an excellent piece about inspiration for photography. The 60-item list is certainly comprehensive, and I am going to make six posts providing my own take.

Here are the first ten things you can do to experiment with photography.

1. Play with Photoshop
Without a doubt, Photoshop is the industry standard for photographers. Whether you are a beginner or a pro, there is always the possibility of bringing out the best in your photos with some help in Photoshop. One of my favourite Photoshop features is the "lens correction" feature, whereby I can straighten buildings (i.e. so that they aren't falling away from the viewer) which have been distorted when shot via a wide-angle lens (such as the Canon 17-40 f/4L). Also pretty awesome are dodge and burn tools, which allow the user to selectively lighten or darken portions of an image, respectively.

2. Read the Manual
Reading the manual is probably the first thing you should do when you get your first camera. So many people ask me the most basic features of their camera, such as what "Av" or "Tv" stands for; with just a little bit of effort (maybe thirty minutes), one can learn the basics of their camera by reading the manual. Don't know how to set the timer on your camera to take pictures? Well, that's covered in the manual. Also, another thing which people struggle with (especially those with point-and-shoot cameras set on auto mode) is how to disable flash. Again, reading the manual will clear things up!

3. Watch a Movie
I love movies. They can certainly give you some excellent ideas of places/locations to shoot, for example. Sometimes, you may be inspired by a movie and try to capture a similar shot. Other times, however, you take a shot and realize later that your shot is similar to a scene from a movie. This realization was a recent occurrence for me as I was looking through my archives and posted an image on my photoblog that resembles the introductory scene of Gladiator:

4. Read a Newspaper
Reading the newspaper (usually on the web but certainly a paper version a couple of times a week) is something I do on a regular basis. The Los Angeles Times has some excellent editorial images in their Calendar and Guide sections. One of my favourite destinations for photojournalism is the "Today's Pictures" section on slate.com. They have something new everyday, and it usually relates to some kind of theme. For instance, the theme for November 30, 2007 is "International Day for Abolition of Slavery." The theme for October 12, 2007 was The Mexico City Olympics in 1968. What I like about the pictures posted on slate is that they are always dated and usually have a brief caption describing the image.

5. Visit a Flea Market
It has been a while since I've been to a flea market, but I have been to outdoor markets in Russia and other places around the world. They have a lot of neat objects which you can photograph (I'd ask for permission first, but if you're shooting with a long lens, then you can probably get away with it)! While I was in Riga, I came upon an outdoor flower stand and captured this image I posted on my photoblog. When going to a flea market or some kind other outdoor market, my suggestion would be to bring a macro lens so that you can take some shots of details. And of course, if you're lucky, you may end up with a nice souvenir or a gift.

6. Shop at a Farmer’s Market
Farmer's Markets are pretty awesome. If they are indoors, make sure you bring a fast lens and shoot at large enough ISO to prevent motion blur. And as the photopreneur blog states, "At a farmer’s market, you know you can find colors, spheres, people, and displays. And dinner too."

7. Check out Some Wedding Photojournalism
Photopreneur suggests checking out the images on display at the Wedding Photojournalist Association’s website. Another idea would be to just type "wedding photography" on google and see what kind of results you get. Wedding photography is certainly a major business for photographers, and there are thousands upon thousands of photographers who have their own website where you may find inspiration, be it in terms of lighting, posing, or whatever else.

8. Hit the Water
I've never actually shot anything in the water because waterproof housing is really expensive for an SLR camera. For instance, the waterproof housing device for a digital Rebel will set you back about $1,150. If you own the Canon 5D camera, the waterproof device for the 5D will set you back more than the price of the camera; a solid system costs about $2,600, or about $500 dollars more than the 5D itself! That said, if you really want to try underwater photography, your best (i.e. affordable) bet would be to stick with a small point-and-shoot; in that case, the waterproof housing systems cost between $100 to $400, certainly much more affordable than the systems for digital SLR cameras.

9. Hit the Streets
Street photography is one of my passions. It's a lot of fun just walking around town (whether close to home or abroad) and photographing the sights around you. To see examples of some the shots I've taken while out about on the town, check out these images: "scenic tour"; "observations"; "a pause"; "street mistakes"; and "taking off." To see more images, just look through the archives on my photoblog.

10. Join a Demonstration
I can envision how demonstrations would be a great place to shoot as they offer a combination of banners, signs, and lots of colours. If you bring a long lens, you can focus on a particular individual's expression during a tense moment. Or bring the wide angle lens to showcase the sense of scale of the demonstration. I like that "the only cause you have to support is photography."

Stay tuned for Part II!