PhotoProject :: Seeing The Bigger Picture

I firmly believe seeing is the most important next step for photographers after the basics of exposure and focus are mastered (and by the way most modern cameras do this already).

Here is a simple task to convince you the difference seeing makes, go to one place you know, it could be inside or outside, look for something familiar but interesting but that you have not photographed before and take a good long look, maybe move around it and then quickly take 10 and 20 well considered photos in short succession. Try to mix up the composition and view, high key, low key, up close, step back, concentrate of capturing what you saw before you picked up the camera.

Have a break perhaps a coffee. Think about a way you can see the object larger than life (or as large as possible). It may be just uploading to your computer with a decent sized screen, or perhaps look at them on your large screen TV, you might have Chrome Cast or Apple TV, a HDMI cable or even via copying the files to a USB stick. You are looking to get the largest possible image, when reviewing your photos.

Now review the photos and delete the photos that don’t show the essence of what you first saw. They might be good photos well exposed or composed but they don’t connect to what you saw.

Cull them, be ruthless. 

You should find at least one photo that amazes you, how well it captures the essence of what you saw.

 

Full Disclosure, I have photographed my espresso machine before, but that was the previous model (sadly it had to be replaced). I have also often photographed cups of coffee it has made. I can promise I did look at the much loved machine with fresh eyes.