Photography Tips and Techniques - #1

Since I have recently joined a great photography club and have been busily taking pictures, I decided to start a new series about photography that I shall affectionately shorten to "Photography T & T" :)  First off, thanks to the president of the photography club that I am in.  Though she shall remain unnamed, I shall be sharing her words with you throughout this series.  Each # in the series will have 2 main parts:

1) What I learned

2) How I accomplished it (my own picture examples)

Here goes!

Photography T & T #1

Part 1 - lesson

The first lesson on photography was about 

Texture, Detail, Symbolism, Colors, and Uniqueness 

(I was late to class so this is really just my interpretation of these terms :)

First, lets start with texture.  Lets say I want to take a picture that really brought out the texture in an object.  I might choose something like yarn or fabric to photograph.  In order for your picture to look like the yarn feels, you will need to zoom pretty close into the yarn.  You might even take a close up of one strand of yarn alone.  In the end, however, the soft and fuzzy feel of the yarn should speak clearly from your picture.

Here is an example picture of something with texture (from the internet):

Though this picture is not a perfect example of texture (it is a little bleary), it is sufficient to show what I mean by texture.  

Next is DETAIL.  Generally, all pictures should include some amount of detail so this one is quite easy.  Detail really is just the crispness and quality of the picture.  The dictionary meaning for "detail" is:  "an individual separable part of something..."  Basically, you want to define each detail, separating them.

This picture really focuses on the detail of the water droplets and the vibrant color of the leaf.  It is good example of using detail.

Third, we have SYMBOLISM.  This attribute of a picture is hard.  Essentially, you are symbolizing something greater than what is presented (much like in literature).  Here is an example of using symbolism in photography:

 Again, this is not a great picture, but you can see the symbolism:  cross, Jesus, Salvation, Bible, etc.

Now we have COLORS.  If you use a editing software or even just your own computer, one way to easily make your picture more vibrant is to increase the saturation.  This, however, does not necessarily better your photography skills.  For starters, pick something simple, like flowers, and focus on the most colorful part.  Though your picture may not turn out quite like this, it is a good example of using color (along with editing):

Colors that agree with each other on the color wheel are aesthetically pleasing to the eye.

Finally, we have UNIQUENESS.  Have fun with this!  I have not included an example because it is just a huge category.  Your personal style plays a key role in your photography.  Try taking pictures at weird angles and step out of your comfort zone...you never know, they may turn out to be really cool!  :)

Part 2 - what I did

Part of our assignment was to:

"Make the Mundane Beautiful"

use "Personal Touch"

and I added a picture that I took that represents texture.

 I made the "mundane beautiful" by taking a picture of a gorgeous weed :)

Texture: bark

Personal: my horse 

Your challenge: incorporate texture, detail, symbolism, color, and uniqueness into your photos....and try to add all of them into one photo!  :-)

What do you think of my photos?  What was good about them?  What aspects could I change or have done differently?

Remember:  we are created in the image of God and each one of us has been given a unique sense of creativity: push your limits!  See what you can do to God's glory, even through something as small as photography.

Have a wonderful week!

~Lillian Kate