Union Station and Washington DC Metro: Repetition as Leading Lines

I have written separately about using leading lines in photographic composition and repetition as a composition tool.  In this post, we have examples of the two composition techniques in combination.  In other words, examples of repetition forming leading lines that draw the viewers eye through the photograph.  In the first example, a photograph of the Union Station Metro, there are leading lines in abundance – the ceiling pattern, escalator, train tracks, and the ceiling seams.

We are naturally drawn to consciously or subconsciously discern patterns – it gives us another level of information about our environment.  When repetition and leading lines are combined in photography, the result can be very compelling.

In the second example, taken at the Farragut North Metro Station, we have some of the same elements along with the dimples, lights, and tiles in the floor.

Moving outside of Union Station, the repetition of arches and lamps again form leading lines that guide your eye through the photograph.

Finally, moving a bit further outside of Union Station, the line of bikes at the Capital Bikeshare rack are yet another example of repetition forming a leading line.

Have fun, and go make some great photography.

Craig

Food Photography Tips (1 to 5)

Over the last month I have focused almost entirely on food photography to support my food and wine pairing blog “Craig’s Grape Adventure.”  Over this intensely dedicated period my food photography has improved tremendously and I have learned quite a bit along the way.  A number of you have asked for some tips to improve your food photography, so over the next few posts I will share what I have learned.  These are not presented in any particular order, so don’t interpret any of the tips as being more important than others.

Tip #1:  Shoot Low – Angle Matters

One of the most uninteresting food shots I can imagine is one taken from directly over the plate – looking straight down.  This type of shot takes away any notion of depth and just looks flat.  At the other end of the spectrum, shooting horizontally “across” the food at 90 degrees is an approach that leaves you missing a lot of the dish.  If you accept this premise, the “right” angle is somewhere between 0 and 90 degrees.  Personally, I rule out everything above 45 degrees.  My approach is to go as low as possible while still maintaining sight of the parts of the dish I want to feature.  So here is the tip; start with your camera at completely horizontal, then continue to elevate it until you are comfortable with the composition.  Most mistakes happen by shooting from too high an angle, so concentrate on staying low.

Tip #2:  Composition Rules Work for Food Too

I’m not big on “rules” but nonetheless there are a generally accepted set of composition “rules” for photography composition.  Those that I feel are particularly important for food photography are the rule of thirds, leading lines, simplicity, and texture.  I won’t bore you with definitions here, but I reserve the right to bore you later.  These topics have been beat to death by me and the rest of the photographic world.  If you don’t understand any of these terms, the answer is just a quick search away.

Tip #3:  Fill the Frame

Filling the frame falls under the heading of composition, but for food photography it deserves special attention.  A common mistake I see is including too much “stuff” in the photo.  Remember, the food is the star, not the centerpiece of flowers, the wine glass or other props.  Including these other elements on the table can make for a pleasing shot, but resist the temptation to include the whole wine decanter, or vase, or glass of wine in your composition.  Including portions of these items along the edges of the frame is sufficient.  Let the viewers mind construct the rest of the decanter, glass, vase or whatever else.

Tip #4:  Find Some Action

Activity always makes shots more interesting.  This can be a challenge in food photography, but yet possible.  A spoon stirring in a pot.  Steam rising off a freshly cut loaf of bread.  A knife slicing through a piece of meat.  Flames from a grill.  Use your imagination, I am sure you can find some activity (or at least the appearance of activity) to bring to the food.

Tip #5:  Eat Well

I don’t know about you, but ply my culinary skills for the purpose of eating it.  This implies two things.  First, organization and timing are key.  If you are cooking a dish, plating it attractively, photographing it, and still want to eat it (and not upset your dinner company), you need to think out the process ahead of time including pre-staging any lighting, props, wine glasses etc.  If you do all this, you can still eat well.  Professional food photographers generally do not have this end in mind.  They are intent on making the food look as good as possible and use a number of tricks to make food look more attractive such as misting or brushing oil onto the food to make it appear juicy and glisten.  Not me – the photography is standing between me and a great meal.

The second implication is that you will need to plan your shots – visualizing them before setting the plate down and clicking the shutter.  This is good practice independent of the photographic subject, but particularly important if you want to make a good photograph and yet eat while the food is hot.

Come back soon for the next installment of food photography tips.  I have a whole pocket full.

Have fun, and go make some great photography.

Craig

Noise is Not Evil

There are many people in the photography world that would have you believe that noise in a photograph is and undesired evil.  I disagree.  To put it simply, noise is the digital revolution’s equivalent to film grain.  Why was grain in film considered acceptable, an artistic choice, and even desirable in many cases?  Yet the noise in digital photography is considered a technical flaw?

I will concede that noise is not a characteristic one should routinely pursue.  But there are unquestionably times when noise not only fails to distract, but actually offers a desirable artistic element to the photograph.

Each of the photos I offer here as examples contained noise when shot.  I then leverage the noise through sharpening, increasing contrast, and addition of grain in post processing.  The noise/grain in each of the shots plays a different role, but I believe the noise works well in all.

If you want to consider avoiding noise as one of “the rules” of photography, fine.  And just like any other “rule”{ in photography, it is OK to break the rules as long as you know the rule and break it with intention and purpose.

Have fun, and go make some great photography.

Craig

Banished to the Fire Escape

The Best Camera – Win number 2

I cheat on the love of my life…and I hate to think what my Canon 5D would think if it knew I were photographing with my iPhone.  This is not my first confession of this transgression – three other posts about my infidelity with my iPhone can be found by following this link.
This entry revisits the iPhone because for the second time, my peers on “The Best Camera” recognized one of my photographs (the one featured at the top of this post).  I don’t take this too seriously, because I don’t take my iPhone photography too seriously.  In other words, I generally don’t plan a day of shooting with my iPhone.  However, because it is always with me, I take quite a few photographs with my iPhone and send most of them to “The Best Camera".”  Mostly, these are random things that catch my attention and do not represent any form of intention…just things I see.
You can see more of my iPhone photography on my portfolio on thebestcamera.com.
Have fun and go make some great photography…with whatever camera you happen to have with you.
Craig