Category Archives: techniques

What’s your POV?

personal, photograph, techniques, , , , ,

It pays to have a different point of view

Most everyone has an opinion – a point of view if you will. But in photography, the POV acronym has a special meaning.

Point Of View refers to the position of the camera when you click the shutter. By varying the camera’s position you can easily change the composition and “interest quotient” of your image. A simple change in the position of your camera can turn your photograph into a winner.

And of course you’re the key to making this happen.

Try moving closer or further away from your subject. Bend at the waist. Get down on your knees. Turn the camera from the horizontal to the vertical orientation. Lift your camera above your head. Point the camera downward. I think you get the point.

For some suggestions, check out a few of the examples below.

[ Click on any image to enlarge ]

Look Down

For these shots, I’m viewing the subject from above. I’ve filled the frame to emphasize the subject rather than the background. All of these are shot using a standard focal length.
Eye Level

Lowering your camera to meet the subject’s main feature gives a more intimate feel. Moving closer or further away from the subject changes the scale (size) of the subject. Just a few steps can make a noticeable difference. Kneeling or bending over may be part of the routine to get the shot.
Look Up

By shooting upward you can get a very different capture that alters the facial aspect in portraits. Doing so may also emphasize or exaggerate the height of the subject.
How Low Can You Go?

For a couple of these shots, we had to lay prone on the ground to produce a more dramatic view. Some of the newer cameras have a swivel viewfinder for composing low or ground level pictures.

After you’ve paid for your camera, photography is just about FREE. So get out there and show yourself and others that you have an interesting POINT OF VIEW.

Written by: Arnie Lee

First Snow … get out there and enjoy

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Today was the first day of appreciable snow in West Michigan with Mother Nature blanketing us with a foot or more.

It’s cold outside – about 20 degrees – but if you bundle up you might appreciate the beauty that comes with the first snowfall.

Here’s a suggestion for the photographers among you. The white fluffy stuff usually “tricks” your camera’s automatic exposure into thinking that it’s brighter outside than it really is. I usually set the camera to add an additional one stop of exposure (+1 exposure compensation) when shooting in the snow so that my pictures don’t appear overly gray and washed out.

Following are a few snaps that I made on a short walk down the street to get my morning coffee.

DSC02749 DSC02752 DSC02753                 DSC02754

                    
DSC02756   DSC02760 DSC02762

Bundle up to stay warm and then get outside to enjoy the outdoor sights!

Not Afraid of the Water

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There’s a few weeks still left on the summer calendar so jump on in – the water’s fine.

After seeing a demo of this camera last January, I took the plunge and ordered this Nikon 1 AW1.

What’s unique about this camera is that it uses interchangeable lenses and can be submersed – the specs say down to 50 feet. But I’m not a diver so I haven’t used the camera that deep. Instead, I wanted a camera for snapping the family on the beach or in the water.

A sandy beach isn’t a problem – just dip the camera into the water to clean it off. Underwater shots are easy – especially if you’re wearing a pair of goggles – the LCD screen is very visible beneath the surface.

This camera is also built to be rugged. Nikon says that it can withstand a fall from 6 feet, but I didn’t test out this “feature”. When winter arrives it can withstand freezing temperatures down to 14 degrees.

The camera with an 11-27.5mm interchangeable lens sells for about $750. I bought the orange silicone protective sleeve which makes it easier to hold underwater.

The AW1 is mirrorless with a 14.2MB sensor. It’s very compact. Two lenses are submersible: the 11-27.5mm zoom and a fixed 10mm. You can mount other Nikon 1 lenses but they are not submersible. The built-in flash works underwater too so you can add light should you find the subsurface water dark. If you’re using the AW1 in an outdoor pool, the photos and videos are excellent.

This is a lightweight, compact camera that takes good quality photos and videos and as I’ve experienced is really a blast to use. And a lot of splashing won’t hurt a bit.