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| Photo Credit | http://www.backuptrust.org.uk/volunteerphotographer |
Funny but true! No, that's not for the title of this blog post! What I really wanna say is that I see a great deal of people walking around with DSLRs (digital single-lens reflex cam), flaunting it for others to see but fully set to auto mode. You see them everywhere with their camera – poking it into random areas and trying to look sophisticated adjusting the settings. Of course they may just be fiddling with the buttons but in reality are really figuring out the buttons functions. For many, having that DSLR cam makes them feel like they're gods.
Seeing these funny episodes of life reminded me again, that owning a DSLR doesn't make one a photographer.
Many people who own expensive DSLRs have it somehow just to be accepted. Just to be "in" with the crowd. It's like having a branded shoes used by the gang, or an expensive smartphone used by the social class. The worst part of it is that lots of these so-called "photographers" don't even have any real knowledge or had had any training on how to properly use their cameras. Some don't even know how to hold the camera when taking the shots. And everyone in their posse exalts them to high heavens, as if they were some kind of well known photographers.
I'm serious! I really want to be a good Photographer. But I don't have any DSLR cam. I used to have simple digi cams before but my girls asked them for use in their school projects. The first DSLR camera I bought was a Canon EOS 1000D (the cheapest one) which I gave to my son Kevin Jethro as a gift some few years back. One day I was shocked to learn that he sold it! I really thought that cameras were for keeps. I remember that there were only 2 photography studios in the town that I grew up. It seemed that each studio had only one up to a couple of cameras... Hahaha, most of the studios before were only for ID photos and studio portraits. They were lucky if they were hired to take photos of weddings, baptisms, community affairs, burials, local beauty pageants, etc. I'm not really sure if my hometown photographers ever upgraded their cameras. If I remember it right, in my 15 years of growing in my hometown, I have never seen their cameras upgraded. That was the reason why I was shocked to learn that my son sold his camera. I thought upgrading was just for laptops. LOL. He sold his camera to upgrade to a new one. That didn't stop there. His attendance to photography seminars and workshops, while still a student at the university, was synonymous to camera upgrading. Anyway, he now he maintains his Photography portfolio at Kevin Jethro.
Everyone with a cell phone thinks they're a photographer!
I want to be a Photographer. But that doesn't necessarily mean that I need to have a DSLR! Do I? I have 2 smartphones, both having good cameras. I am happy with the quality of photos that I take... My three cats, the sand dunes, the gorgeous sunset at the desert, my workplace, my breakfast, lunch, and dinner, my friends, and my selfies seemed to be the subjects that my phone cam have been set to only revolve around.
I've been quite happy with my shots...so I thought! I take photos of friends and people, of food, cats, and nature, and they're showered with praises. Hahaha! True Facebook friends...real friends, indeed! :-) You'll get many likes for the same cat, the same sunset, the same sky! But after seeing a video clip on photography composition, I knew that my friends liked my photos because they are my friends! Hahaha!
I want to be a Photographer! And the only way I will ever be is to go through the hassle of learning the techniques and improving the skills to transform this photo hobby into a career! I hope this will hold true for many striving photographers and not to hold on to their expensive Nikons and Canons to be the loves of their lives!
9 Great Photography Composition Tips based on the work of Steve McCurry
Each of the 9 composition tips is illustrated in the video with examples from McCurry’s impressive body of work.
1. Rule of Thirds: Place points of interest on the intersections and position important elements along the lines.
2. Leading Lines: Use natural lines to lead the eyes into the picture
3. Diagonals: Diagonal lines create great movement
4. Framing: Use natural frames like windows and doors
5. Figure to Ground: Find a contrast between subject and background
6. Fill the Frame: Get close to your subjects
7. Center Dominant Eye: Place the dominant eye in the center of the photo
8. Patterns and Repetition: Patterns are aesthetically pleasing, but the best is when the pattern is interrupted
9. Symmetry: Symmetry is pleasing to the eye
I would like to be a photographer. And I'm working on that.
J u s t t h i n k i n g o u t l o u d !
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