Addendum to 99.5 Presentation

Three Steps to Better Photos Illustrated

And

Seven Things For the Beginner to Do to Advance as a Photographer

Three Steps to Better Photos

• One) Like a sentence, every photo should have a subject.

• Two) Focus close to the subject - then get even closer….(this will eliminate distracting objects and things that do not enhance the subject).

• Three) Compose the photo applying the Rule of Thirds.

• (If you compose it wrong while shooting, you can often “fix it” during post processing with cropping and cloning.)

Three Steps to Better Photos Step 1 – Choose a Subject – In This Case it is the Pocahontas Bronze at Jamestown – Do You See

Distracting Elements in the Scene?

Three Steps to Better Photos Step 2 - Get Close to the Subject

However, There are Still Distracting Elements in the Scene

Three Steps to Better Photos Step 2 Continued - Get Even Closer & Go Vertical

The result will be to put all the attention on the subject by removing the distracting elements in the scene.

Step 3 - Compose the Subject Using the Rule of Thirds

Three Steps to Better Photos Step 2 Continued - Get Even Closer & (Maybe Even) Go Vertical.

The result will be to put all the attention on the subject by removing the distracting elements in the scene.

Step 3 - Compose the Subject Using the Rule of Thirds

Three Steps to Better Photos Step 3 Continued - This Shot is Maximum Use

of “Get Close & Then Get Even Closer”

Caution – Please Note

• Just as some shots should not be composed to a Rule of Thirds orientation, some shots do not call for getting close and then even closer. There are times that the whole scene is important and needs to be shown to tell the whole story. An example could be the clothes a person is wearing or a stance they are taking – these could be vital to viewer and could be lost in an extreme close up.

Seven Things You Need to Do to Advance

• 1. Get a DSLR camera that will allow you to shoot in Manual, Aperture Priority, and Shutter Speed modes. These modes, and the ability to interchange lens, will allow you to become more creative.

• 2. Learn to use all of the basic functions of your camera. There is a wealth of information in the camera manual, aftermarket books, and in on line tutorials and videos to help you. Also, find a mentor.

• 3. You must have a basic understanding of the Exposure Triangle - Aperture, Shutter Speed and ISO. One must have a working knowledge of these determinants of proper exposure.

• 4. Along with understanding exposure, the advancing photographer must also know the basic principles of composition. These three are good starters: have a clear subject, get close to that subject, and compose using the Rule of Thirds. These are my “Three Steps to Better Photos”.

• 5. Start shooting in RAW – CR2 (Canon) and NEF (Nikon). There is nothing magical about RAW shooting; it simply allows you to have more data when you post process your images.

• 6. Learn to use the basic functions of a post-processing program, such as Adobe Photoshop CS6, Lightroom4, or Elements 10. At a minimum, use PICASA, a free Google download. It will process RAW images.

• 7. Get a tripod and ball head. You cannot do successful night photography, long exposures, and HDR imaging without a tripod. $150 is a minimum you should spend. Inexpensive tripods are not steady and put your equipment at risk.