Longs Peak, from Sugarloaf Mountain #3, Colorado. 2011
Well, the world didn’t end as per the Mayan calendar theory. Oh, well, so much for that potentially awesome photographic opportunity. Here we are then, another day older…and the winter days, post-solstice, will now start getting longer for those of us in the northern hemisphere. I wonder when those apocalypse fanatics will set the next date for the demise of humanity? One of these years, I suppose, they may actually get it right–after all, even a broken clock is correct twice a day. But, me…well, I’m not quite yet ready to build that underground survival bunker just yet.
More importantly, last night was the Colorado Nature Camera Club’s end-of-the-year party and photography competition. Our judges were Glenn Randall, Weldon Lee and Rob Palmer. All three are excellent, experienced, pro photographers specializing in nature photography (check out their web sites!) and it was wonderful to have them at our meeting.
As usual, the judges had some great comments about our images–very often they were the common, oft-repeated mantras we have all heard many times before. (You’d wonder why we keep repeating the same mistakes!) So, in the interest of improving my and our photography I’ll lay out my take on the night’s highlights in five quick points:
1. Distracting elements–avoid these! Some examples are: a distracting background (not out-of-focus enough, distracting colors or high contrast areas, etc.), poor border patrol control (sticks, rocks, blurs, etc. sticking into the image edges for no reason), not cropped tight enough (distracting elements included instead of being cropped out). SOLUTION: Pay as much attention to the edges, the background and the foreground as you do the main subject of your photograph–maybe more.
2. Poor lighting. This could include harsh lighting, harsh shadows, blown highlights, blocked shadows, and just generally shooting at a time of day or a place with unflattering or uninteresting light. SOLUTION: It’s all about the light–good lighting can make even a toilet bowl look good, so seek out beautiful light!
3. Uninteresting subject. Boring subjects don’t make good photographs (unless you have spectacular lighting–see #2). SOLUTION: Who was it who said it? “If you want to make interesting pictures, put yourself in front of interesting subjects.”
4. Wildlife shots with nothing happening. Just a picture of a bear, an eagle, or a bobcat is not sufficient, even if the image is technically perfect and made with good lighting. There is so much great wildlife photography out there these days that you need to show something very unique (in pose, expression, or behavior) in order for your image to stand out from those of the Facebook or Flickr masses. SOLUTION: Patience and many hours in the woods (or the wildlife refuge!) to catch that interesting behavior when it happens.
5. Not focusing on what caught your eye. This is related to #1. Too often, a photograph will have a part that is interesting or beautiful, but the whole frame includes more of the scene than necessary. SOLUTION: At the moment you frame the scene in your viewfinder, ask yourself specifically what it was that caught your eye and make sure you have zeroed in on that and that you have excluded all other extraneous elements–and don’t feel restricted by standard crop ratios.
There you have it…Just a few more key things to put on your New Year’s resolutions list, subcategory “photography”.
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