Chris Barksdale nears Wall Street on the Full Exxum Ridge of the Grand Teton,
Wyoming.
Photo by Shaun Roundy |
One of the most useful and
easy-to-follow concepts to improve your photography is the rule of threes. This rule
instructs you to draw two imaginary horizontal and vertical lines through the picture.
The focal point of the photograph should fall near one of the four crosshairs that
these intersecting lines create. This makes the picture far more comfortable and
interesting to look at. To decide which corner to place the
subject in, consider the "psychological weight" of other elements of the shot.
"Heavier" items are often darker in color, closer to the camera, more
interesting, more textured, etc. |
Friends Shaun and Natalie at Point Dume, CA. |
The depth of field is the area of your
picture that's in focus. Use a wide depth of field (lots in focus) for landscapes
where you want to show off all the details, and a narrow depth of field (little in focus)
for portraiture or any shot where you want to draw the viewer's eyes to specific features. To get a narrow depth of field, use a wide aperature - which means you set
the f-stop on a low number like 2.4. For a wide depth of field, use a small
aperature, which means setting the f-stop on a high number like 22.
F-stop steps are exactly calibrated to shutter speeds. So
if you open the aperature one step wider, you'll need to adjust the shutter speed one step
quicker to allow in the same amount of light.
In portraiture, focus your lens on the subject's eyes. (note:
the example photo was actually taken with a wide depth of field and the background later
blurred in photoshop.) |
Shaun Roundy carves a turn on the backside of Cascade Peak,
Utah.
Photo by Robert Decker |
A primary consideration in action photos is shutter speed.
Too slow and the action blurs. 1/500th of a second is quick enough to stop
most action. On the other hand, you may want to blur the action intentionally, to
really show the speed. You can even follow the subject with your camera and press
the shutter to make the background blur while the subject stays more in focus. 1/60
of a second is slow enough to blur some details of even a slow-moving target. |