What the Camera Sees

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Florence Booth
6 years ago
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1 Module # 3 Component # 1 Introduction An amateur views a subject with his eyes, and assumes that the camera will see the same thing, while a professional views a scene as a camera would see it.

1 1 Module # 3 Component # 1 Introduction An amateur views a subject with his eyes, and assumes that the camera will see the same thing, while a professional views a scene as a camera would see it. For instance, the human eye is tolerant of uneven light, so it does not worry us to see a subject partially obscured by shade. However, dappled light never looks good in a photograph, and the professional knows that. The human eye is capable of concentrating on a subject and mentally eliminating the surroundings, whereas the background of a photograph is as much of the photo as the subject is. An amateur will look at a subject and not notice a distracting branch in the background, simply because it is far away. In the final photograph, the branch appears to be growing out of the subject's head. The professional is capable of using lens aperture (f-stop) to create a visual balance between subject and background the following photographs illustrate this. The bird on the left is in dappled light - a condition that usually produces bad photographs - as it does here. Notice how the shadows break up the shape of the bird, making it hard for the viewer to see the subject. Furthermore, the twigs in this photo interfere with the subject even more.

2 2 Notice how this photograph is a vast improvement on the previous one. The even light makes the bird stand out clearly, and the disturbing background has been thrown well out of focus by the photographer.

3 3 Observe the careful and clever use of depth-of-field in the photograph above. Here, the photographer has blurred the background only slightly, to emphasise the bird, but the background is sufficiently clear to show how well disguised the bird is in this environment.

4 4 Here, the same technique is used to good effect, showing the bird in its natural surroundings. Notice how the selective focus shows the bird very clearly, while also drawing attention to its excellent camouflage.

5 The two photographs on the left powerfully demonstrate the use of appropriate depth-of field, as these two shots were taken just seconds apart. This photograph was taken at f/5.

The second photo was taken at f/32 and the background here is too much in focus and imposes on the subject. Notice the challenge that the photographer had in selecting the right aperture.

5 5 The two photographs on the left powerfully demonstrate the use of appropriate depth-of field, as these two shots were taken just seconds apart. This photograph was taken at f/5.6 - an aperture that is sufficiently wide to keep the foreground in focus, yet blur the background. The second photo was taken at f/32 and the background here is too much in focus and imposes on the subject. Notice the challenge that the photographer had in selecting the right aperture. On the one hand, you want an aperture wide enough to throw the background out of focus, and on the other hand, you need an aperture small enough to keep both birds in focus, because it is the pair that make this photograph. The easiest way to achieve this - as the photographer has done here - is to move to a position where both birds are an equal distance from the camera, forcing them to be in focus at the same time.

The photograph above has worked quite well, but only because the photographer understood the lighting conditions and exposure constraints well.

6 6 The photograph on the left shows yet another option available to the photographer - choose a viewpoint without a disturbing background. The sky is an obvious choice, but it is usually overwhelmingly bright, making the photograph difficult to pull off successfully. The photograph above has worked quite well, but only because the photographer understood the lighting conditions and exposure constraints well. Even so, the first shot of this series - with the out-of-focus trees as background - is not only the best; it is the easiest to take. While I am discussing what the camera sees, there is another consideration the "Human Factor". As a rule, man-made items and artefacts spoil wildlife photographs, and should be avoided. Lamp-posts, telephone wires and even roads tend to look "out-of-place" in photographs and should be avoided. I know some wild-life photographers who believe that invasive plants should not appear in wildlife photographs either, so where do you draw the line? Especially since many competition judges are opposed to humaninfluence of any kind in nature photographs. In my opinion, the key issue here is whether man-made items look out-of-place in the photograph and appear irksome to the viewer. This is a lovely picture of a sunbird, but the surroundings are all man-made and make the picture appear artificial and unattractive.

7 Where possible, move your viewing angle to obscure distracting man-made items; use depth-of-field to de-focus items that you cannot eliminate and finally, use common sense.

7 7 Where possible, move your viewing angle to obscure distracting man-made items; use depth-of-field to de-focus items that you cannot eliminate and finally, use common sense. I was admiring the work of a keen Dutch photographer who specialises in birds and posts his photographs on his web site. He has posted some exceptional work, but after viewing just a few photographs, it is apparent that the perch is exactly the same in all of the photographs, so he has obviously set this up in his garden. There is nothing wrong with photographing birds in the garden, but avoid tell-tale signs that give you away. Although the human factor should generally be avoided in wildlife photographs, look for opportunities where it can be effectively incorporated. Here, the falcon looking upwards ate its mate with a "what is going on?" expression works very well with the telegraph pole as a perch. Notice that the unusual composition helps the humour, as does the plain background, which removes any point of reference. If there had been a tree, or a building in the background, the viewer would have had some idea as to where this photo had been taking. As it stands, this now leaves the viewer guessing.

The photographer chose a very wide aperture to throw the background completely out of focus. Unfortunately, this did not work as well as anticipated.

8 8 The Black-chested Prinia is a small bird and by referencing it to a wire fence, its size becomes apparent. The bird's pose here is famed nicely by the fence, creating a very pleasing photograph that includes man-made items. This squirrel was photographed in a car-park, surrounded by manmade objects. The photographer chose a very wide aperture to throw the background completely out of focus. Unfortunately, this did not work as well as anticipated. The straight lines of the objects in the background are very characteristic of man-made structures. Thankfully, the "earthy" colours of the background do not make the situation obvious, but if the items had been painted white, pink, or even green, their man-made status would be apparent even to the inexperienced viewer.

9 9 The very tight crop used in this photograph is an excellent example of using the camera's view to make a statement - in this case, about the huge difference in size of the animals.

Essential Elements of a Good Photograph

1 Module # 1 Component # 6 Essential Elements of a Good Photograph In the last Component, we looked at preparing your equipment for the field. In this section, we look at preparing yourself to take a good