Photo Tips from Jim Richardson

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Oswin Jefferson
5 years ago
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These charming ducklings in Cornwall are a good example. My first shots were zoomed in tight while looking down on them. Then I kicked myself into creative gear and started moving around.

1 Photo Tips from Jim Richardson Move, don t zoom Don t get me wrong. I love zoom lenses and carry them all the time. But it s all too easy to succumb to their charms and use the zoom ring when we should use our feet. Nothing improves pictures like moving around and finding a better angle. These charming ducklings in Cornwall are a good example. My first shots were zoomed in tight while looking down on them. Then I kicked myself into creative gear and started moving around. Soon I found I could set the camera on the quay and move in really close with the lens zoomed back to a wide angle. Suddenly, it was a much more interesting picture, with the village houses filling the background and momma duck eyeing me with suspicion. Add some light Photography is light. While a bit of a cliché, it s a good truism. So don t be afraid to add a little light to your pictures once in a while when nature hasn t quite provided everything you need. This Buddhist Temple in Lhasa, Tibet is a good example. Everything about the scene was nice, the golden roofs glinting in the sun, but the colorful prayer flags were in deep dark shadows. This was a perfect opportunity to pop a little flash into the scene, lighting up the flags just enough. (You ll need to know how to adjust your flash exposure compensation.) Besides a flash unit, I carry a small flashlight in my bag, which can come in very handy for lighting small objects. Explore the night

But the day had been cloudy and gray, the pictures pretty ordinary. But as evening fell and the lights came on, the place came to life.

2 Digital cameras are amazing and can just about see in the dark. Exploring what the cameras can do not only makes great pictures - it s a lot of fun. Suddenly, we don t have to put away our cameras when the sun goes down (or resort to dull flash shots either). When I was in Provence last year I fell in love with the Roman Coliseum in Arles. But the day had been cloudy and gray, the pictures pretty ordinary. But as evening fell and the lights came on, the place came to life. The fading blue sky balances out with the street lights perfectly. Couples on their evening stroll probably thought I was weird, lying there on the ground, but I was happy. Wait for moments, anticipate action While on the National Geographic Endeavor cruising the Arctic, the captain came over the intercom at about 2:15 a.m. with the news we had all been waiting for they had spotted a polar bear out on the ice. The moment had come, finally! Waiting for the right moments is an essential part of making great pictures. The ice floes in Svalbard were beautiful, but the bear made the picture. But when that moment comes, it is time to turn up your ambition. Don t be satisfied with a static picture. The bear s leap elevated the picture. Getting it depended on being ready with my motor drive camera, shooting right through the action with the motor drive going, then picking just the right image during an editing session later. Look, I ll tell you honestly, great action pictures and perfect moments almost never come from seeing something and grabbing a camera. They come because the photographer anticipated the action and was ready. Experiment in advance

The photo tricks that pros use to make really unexpected images do take practice. If you see a stunning image and wonder how the photographer did it, there are two answers.

For example, I had done pictures back in our kitchen with the sink sprayer to see what running water would like if it was totally stopped in the picture.

3 The photo tricks that pros use to make really unexpected images do take practice. If you see a stunning image and wonder how the photographer did it, there are two answers. One is the technical part, but the real trick is this: They probably developed and practiced the technique back home before they ever went in the field. For example, I had done pictures back in our kitchen with the sink sprayer to see what running water would like if it was totally stopped in the picture. So when I got to the coast of Cornwall one evening I already knew how to stop the water and where to put the flash. What I hadn t learned yet, however, was just how wet I was going to get. But the way the crashing waves are revealed made it all worthwhile. Weather and light are worth the wait Machu Picchu lives up to its billing! What a magical place (and what a wonderful morning I had there). But I ll be honest, the kind of weather and light I had for this picture doesn t happen all the time. So I fell back on a photo technique I use a lot: stubborn doggedness. I just set up my camera in one location and waited it out. Light changed, shafts of light came through the clouds, fog that totally blotted out the scene came and went, clouds gathered and dissipated, and still I hung on, in one spot never moving, just standing there and waiting for three hours. While I took a lovely photograph, the scene, as captured, lasted for about 30 seconds. Lighten up!

(What was I going to do with a big telephoto here anyway?) Just getting around in the crowded pub was much easier, and I didn t have to wrestle with my big bag.

4 Lighten up is advice I give to other photographers and advice that I have to remind myself about all the time. And I mean it in two ways. First, there are plenty of times when having less equipment is a big advantage. Going into the Café Royale with my friend Jim, I was glad to have just one camera and lens. (What was I going to do with a big telephoto here anyway?) Just getting around in the crowded pub was much easier, and I didn t have to wrestle with my big bag. Second (and sometimes more important), I mean really lighten up! Have some fun! The only way your pictures are going to convey the great, rollicking nature of the place is if you join in the general hilarity. So have a good time, and your pictures will probably be better too. Explore reflections Reflections are fun, and they are all around us. They are ready tools we can use to add flavor and texture to our photographs. This museum in Marrakech had a grand central pool that let me doubleup on the ornate Islamic architecture, with the added bonus that I also got the pattern of the tiles in the pool s bottom. My trick is to get the camera right down to water level (but still dry) where the reflections are most symmetrical. Look around for other reflections like buildings reflected in shiny car tops, mirrors in historic museums, oddly distorted reflections in silver tea sets, whatever. Looking is the essence of photography. Frame it up

Frames announce that something is special. Pay attention, they say. Certainly the Taj Mahal doesn t need fanfare to proclaim its grace, elegance and grandeur.

But then my Indian photo guide said he wanted to show me something and took me inside the mosque to a spot where the magnificent white marble tribute was perfectly framed. He was right!

5 Frames announce that something is special. Pay attention, they say. Certainly the Taj Mahal doesn t need fanfare to proclaim its grace, elegance and grandeur. It s tough to take a bad picture of this monument of devotion. But then my Indian photo guide said he wanted to show me something and took me inside the mosque to a spot where the magnificent white marble tribute was perfectly framed. He was right! It added depth and context to the picture. Using frames in photography often do just that, they let us step back and draw attention to something in a more subtle way (without shouting ). Some frames are perfectly overt, like this one, and some are very subtle, hardly frames at all. But, done well, they add depth and meaning. Find better subjects I often tell photography students one simple truth: If you want to be a better photographer, stand in front of more interesting stuff. I confess. I m a better photographer standing in front of the Grand Canyon than I am when I am standing in front of a car wash! (My apologies here to the great car wash photographers of the world. I m not one of them.) So, one of my tricks is finding better subjects. I do a lot of research before I ever leave home, reading books, searching the internet, trying to arm myself with great locations and interesting photo opportunities (you should see my maps all marked up). It is this simple: No amount of dial setting will make up for a boring subject.

Jim Richardson Top Ten Photography Tips

Jim Richardson Top Ten Photography Tips ENERGIZER ULTIMATE PHOTO CONTEST Wait It Out: Patience Pays 'Twas a lovely day for watching life go by in Ireland. And I think I saw most of it as I sat there in