Photography Catergories 4

012 Plants/Flowers

Photograph flowers, trees, plants, gardens etc... Get in close to capture textures and shapes.

TIPS:

Watch your light. As with any subject, watch where the light hits and look for side lighting for stronger textures.
Use a reflector to add softened sunlight to your subject.
Select your colours. There are lots of plants in the world. Why choose ones with flat boring colours. Make good use of strong colours by being selective with your subject.
Avoid fake plants. Make the effort to find real flowers or plants.
Remove or move distractions like grass weeds other flowers, dirt etc. Other than flowers in a vase, try to remove man-made elements from your composition.
Just add water. Try using a spray bottle to add drops of water for a nice addition to the texture.
Watch your environmental impact. Take care not to any serious damage to any wild plants or trees for the sake of your photo.
Can't get close enough? Then try one of the 50mm macro lenses. Macro lenses are designed for enlarging tiny subjects.
Watch your focus. When using apertures under f/5.6 your depth of field is very shallow. Moving a millimetre in our out could put your focus out.

Further Learning:

By Mitchell Lange

By Megan Axford

By Miranda Hessels

013 Texture

Photograph as many different surfaces as you can. Look for old surfaces, man-made, natural, patterns, rough, smooth, wet, etc...

TIPS:

Watch out for overly bright reflections in smooth, shiny, or wet surfaces.
Lighting from the side with strong light can exaggerate your texture with shadows.
Get in very close to bring out the detail of the subject.
Try contrasting textures together e.g. Rough vs smooth
You can create interesting subjects from everyday objects by getting close enough to see details our eyes normally miss.
Use a Macro Lens, 'nuff said.

Further Learning:

Texture Photography: Essentials & Tips

By Kelly Melrose

By Emma Surmon

By Dustin Brisson

014 Human mark

Footprints, litter, suberbia, landfills, cave drawings, or graffiti. Capture how humans have left their mark on the world.

TIPS:

Get outside and take your camera on a walk or hike. You are sure to come across something someone left behind.
When you are in nature, look for things left by people.
All graffiti is not equal. Look for street art better than just tags.
Old abandoned items have a charm and can make for a great subject.
Remember what you are trying to capture is a shot that says "people were here".
Worn paths and foot prints show where we have been.
Need an idea? Try and send a message about the environment in your photo. What are we doing to our planet?
Trash offers a lot of interesting and ugly things we don't normally look at. Just be sure to use an interesting angle and to have good lighting.

Further Learning:

National Geographic: Environment

By Austin Bender

By Andrew Chidwick

By Justin Marotta

015 Food

Photograph the things we eat: bread, fruit/vegetables, cooking, or a well plated meal.

TIPS:

Use either Av or M mode to shoot. Be sure you use a lower aperture that offers a shallow depth of field yet gets enough details in focus. Start with an f/5.6 and work your way down to an f/2.0.
Get in close to see the details. A macro lens will let you get closer than the human eye can get. This instantly gives your photo some interest.
Dress your food up as you'd see in a cookbook or advertisement. Make the food look as appealing to eat as possible.
Add utensils into the shot, either as a traditional place setting or being used to sample the dish. Include a large cutting knife to add some reflection or some action.
A collection of raw ingredients can be an interesting subject. Shoot the food midway through making it for a different take on your subject.
It's okay to break, slice, chop, or mince the food. If you have cookies or cupcakes, try taking a bite out of one. Let the crumbs scatter in front to add texture.
What you place your food on matters. New or old wood, linens, etc can bring out the colours and textures in the food. Choose interesting textures and colours to make your food pop. If your food is light in value use a darker backdrop. Place warm colour foods (reds, yellows, oranges) on cool backdrops (greens, blues, violets) and vice versa.
Add garnishes to the dish that match colours in your backdrop or a napkin.
Natural light from a window works best. Place your shot so the light hits from the side. Try shooting near 10:00 AM to get strong side lighting.
To add interest, place some of the ingredients of the food in behind the main dish. Pepper mills/spices, fruit/vegetables, or dry goods all work well.
If you are putting your food in a bowl, place a smaller bowl upside down inside and pile the food on top of it. This will make it easier to mound the food above the rim of the dish. You'll now be able to see it better from different angles without having to use as much food.
When shooting fresh fruits and vegetables, mist them with glycerin (sugar water) to get great beads of water that hold in place than pure water. The beads of glycerin give extra texture and reflect light. Use brushed oil on cooked foods to add extra shine.
Heat it up! Steam coming off your food adds a nice touch and makes it appealing.

Further Learning:

By Massimo Hertzer

By Makaila Wenezenki

By Alex Bean

By Martin Calvo

016 Clothes/Accessories

Photograph the things we wear. Can you say "fashion"?

TIPS:

Make sure the subject is interesting. Just because someone threw it on this morning that doesn't make it photo worthy. Put an outfit together that works. If you are clueless about style, get help.
Textures matter, so get in close.
When shooting wider shots, remember the pose matters. Try getting your model to move their head and body so they aren't overly rigid looking.
Smiles can work, but try a gaze to the side, laughing, yelling or a different emotion on your model.
Where you shoot is just as important as what you shoot. Choose the right light and the right backdrop. A white or other neutral coloured background will really make the subject pop.
Cold weather? No problem! Toques, mitts, scarves, boots etc all can look great outdoors.
Shoot specialty items in the setting they were intended for. Shoot work equipment in a shop or sports equipment where it is played.
Try to shoot newer or cleaned and pressed items. Make your subject look it's best.
Look for strong colours to isolate with neutral colours to create a focal point.
Clothing and accessories don't always need to be shot being worn. Take them off, drape them, or hang them for a different shot.

Further Learning:

By Kayla Brehon

By Kelly Laurie

By Keira Kruse