P Is For Photography
A friend recently asked me what were some tips for photography. I started rambling off a few things and suddenly realized they all started with P. So avast! I thought I would share a few of my suggestions (keyword) that I have learned to be helpful starting points for anyone who is looking to be challenged in their photography skill.
P is for Perspective.
Perspective is what separates you from the next person. You can give two people a camera and put them in the same situation, with the same restrictions and they will still take two different pictures. That’s because your worldview, the perspective with which you view the world through your own lens of experiences and emotions, cannot be replicated by someone else. That’s what makes your pictures powerful, when you allow us to see the world through your eyes, or through the way you see someone. So next time you pick up a camera, ask yourself, “What is my perspective?”
P is for Position.
Position is perspective in action. Once you understand that half the battle is finding your perspective, the next challenge is position. Great images find positions that capture the perspective you want to tell. Your immediate reaction when taking pictures will be to stand there and shoot everything at eye level. Don’t. Sean says it best, “Cameras give you permission to be ridiculous.” If that means laying on the ground to get an angle, ninja rolling under bushes or climbing a wall - do it. The first angle you pick is not always the best, move around until you find the ones that screams, “THIS IS IT!”
P is for Priority.
Priority demands you’re choosing to place content at the forefront. Once you know your perspective, part of positioning yourself in the right spot is knowing what’s a priority to your story. That is, what are you trying to say and is your focus on conveying that message? When you frame up your image ask yourself “Is what I’m seeing a priority to what I’m saying?” It’s easy to find a cool angle, it’s hard to find an angle that tells a story, where content and technique merge.
P is for Patience.
Patience is a tip that no one ever told me and I’ve had to learn from every time I rushed myself taking a picture. For some reason whenever I take pictures this adrenaline hits my blood veins and I feel as if there is some hidden time bomb ticking down in my head and I have to race against time to get my picture. DON’T. There is nothing worse than when you rush and later look at your image and see it’s out of focus, an unexpected person walking into your frame, or the your subject wasn’t fully ready when you took it. Nothing worse than knowing that if you had slowed down, it would have been a killer photo. Take a deep breath, take your time to get what you want, and sometimes the best pictures will be the ones you have to wait for.
P is for Photography.
Ultimately these concepts are for anyone, for any kind of camera, from professional digital cameras to your iPhone. What makes a great picture is what you bring to the table, and that’s you. You already have everything you need to take great pictures, you just need to understand your perspective, put yourself in the right position, keep your priority on that perspective, and be patience, willing to find or wait for the right shot.