As you look at the title, you are probably wondering what in the world am I talking about. Let’s get into it.
When you take a scenery photo, there is something called “detail overload” in which a photographer will think that they need more “stuff” in the photo to give it dimension, when in reality, it’s just the mountain that you should have in the photo.
Let’s give you an example of what I mean by showing you a video. Audio and Video are the best way to learn, I think. I have used video more and more in my blogs so you can really learn what I mean….
Click on the center arrow, and learn what we mean by overloading your photo.
What do you do when you’re presented with a scene that appears like a wonderland? You’re probably tempted to photograph all that you see, capturing everything in one frame, right? Well, as Popsys puts it, this is pure greed. A better approach would be to be selective and compose in a way to include only the things that are unique to that location. This draws the viewers’ attention to the unique qualities of the particular place, making the image more interesting. And no, this doesn’t mean that you should never take wide shots. Opt for wide-angle shots if the subject in itself stands out from its surroundings. This could be due to lighting, color, contrast, or any other factors.
“By including too much, you actually weaken all the other elements that could stand out if you focused on them more.”
And when it comes to editing an image, we’ve become used to recovering the shadow and highlight details too much. While doing so isn’t essentially a bad practice, keep in mind that sometimes an image can appear better if it doesn’t reveal everything. Take for instance silhouettes. In this case, you improve the image by not revealing all the details. Even an overexposed sky can look natural and give the image an ethereal look..
The above article was mostly written by Sunny Shrestha, from Picture / Correct
Here is a few great examples of what you should do in your landscape photos: Keep it simple.
Street photography is a genre that is gaining in popularity, but, there are certainly certain rules that you need to be aware of. Plus, understanding what type of equipment you will need is big key to street photography:
Here is an amazing video of what is needed in becoming a great street photographer. Please watch closely:
Click on the link above to learn all you can from Street Photographer KingJvpes
Street photography is undoubtedly one of the most popular genres of photography, mostly because you don’t have to go very far to find subjects. However, don’t make the mistake of believing street photography is simply photographing people on the street—the genre is much deeper than that. If you’re looking to getting started with street photography, the following video by photographer Jonathan Paragas is a must-watch. He shares tips and tricks for street photography that are equally useful for beginner and advanced street photographers:
A great thing about street photography is that you don’t need a lot of gear. Just a camera body and lens, or even a smartphone will suffice. Don’t let heavy gear drag you down; remember, you’ll be walking quite a lot when taking street photos. And instead of spending too much money on gear, invest it in traveling. You’ll get to shoot in new locations, photograph different people and achieve a greater variety in your portfolio.
“No matter what lens or camera combination you’re shooting, when it comes to street photography, you have to remember that less is more.”
It’s not easy going out with a camera and photographing strangers. You need to be confident. Otherwise, you’ll be shying away from a lot of photo opportunities. For beginner street photographers, Paragas suggests going out with other photographer friends. This way you will also be mistaken for tourists, which will make taking photos much easier.
Finally, go through street photography books and the works of other street photographers. You’ll get a sense of what subjects to look out for and how to shoot them. Their work will also help you develop a vision and an eye for street photography.
I have a friend street photographer in France that takes incredible photos. Here are just a few:
Photo by Elisabeth Engels / FrancePhoto by Elisabeth Engels / FrancePhoto by Elisabeth Engels / FrancePhoto by Elisabeth Engels / FrancePhoto by Elisabeth Engels / FrancePhoto by Elisabeth Engels / France
There seems to be a new trend in photography often called minimalism, or negative space. It happens when there is a lot of background and very little subject. It reminds me of putting a photo in a frame that has a huge matte around the photo. It is very appealing and I think a lot of people will enjoy this type of photography.
If this is something you would like to try, read this below from fellow photographer: MANGO STREET, as posted on Picture/Correct.
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Negative space draws more attention to the subject by simply isolating it. At the same time, negative space lets your photos breathe and also conveys a mood of solitude. When used correctly, negative space itself can be the subject of your photograph. The following are things to keep in mind when working with negative space:
1. Location
Get to a location where you can find plenty of open space or unobstructed sky. Locations like the beach, an open field, or a place where you can see hills work great.
2. Light & Time of Day
The lighting and time of day dictate the mood conveyed by the negative space. For instance, during foggy conditions, the grey negative space will convey a moody feeling.
But, if you take a similar photo during the colorful hours of sunset or sunrise, the feeling will be more joyous.
“Think about what type of light will reinforce the mood you want for your photos.”
3. Perspective
The perspective from which you shoot plays a huge role in isolating your subjects. For instance, if you want to isolate your subjects with the sky as the backdrop, shooting from a lower perspective will help. Place your subjects on higher ground and shoot from below.
On the other hand, if the ground is clear of distractions, you can shoot from a higher vantage point with the subject placed below.
4. Focal Length
The choice of focal length will entirely depend on the location and the style you’re going for. A longer focal length will let you photograph subjects that are farther away. Another advantage of using a longer focal length is that the compression will draw the background closer to the subject and make your work a bit easier.+
That doesn’t mean wide-angle lenses aren’t fit for the job. If the background is clean, you can shoot with a wider perspective to place your elements against that background.
5. Post Processing
If time and resources are constraints, it’s always best to get the images right in camera. By photographing in locations that are free from distractions, you’ll save yourself a lot of time. But since conditions aren’t ideal every time, you can get away with editing the images.
Use Lightroom or other similar software to adjust parameters like exposure, white balance, and contrast. But, to do more of the heavy lifting tasks like removing elements from the image, you can switch over to Photoshop. The clone stamp tool and healing brushes in Photoshop work great to get rid of distractions.
Notice the distracting elements in the background.Distractions in the background removed in Photoshop.
In Photoshop, you can even create some extra negative space by extending the background. This works best in images that have a really flat and uniform background. Here’s how to do it:
Using the Crop tool, extend the crop in the direction of the background.
Then, select the blank extended area and hit Shift + Delete.
Choose Content-Aware fill and hit OK. This will do most of the heavy lifting and fill the empty space with similar content to the background.
If you notice hard lines along the fill, use the healing brush tool to give it the finishing touches.
6. Bonus Tips
Feel free to break any traditional rules of composition. Rather than investing your time in abiding by the rules, see how you can convey your message. The image below doesn’t comply with the rule of thirds but shows the openness and the vastness of the sea very well.
If your subject is colorful, it will stand out better from the background.
If there are lot of elements in your image, have the subject placed closest to your lens. This will help in directing viewers toward the subject rather than leaving them wondering.
These simple yet effective tips will definitely help you make better use of negative space to draw more attention to your subjects.
If you like a video version of this example, click on this link:
Click on this video to get even more information.
Here are some more “Minimalist” or negative space photos:
