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Monthly Archives: February 2010

Of photographing animals

This has been one of my most celebrated shots to date.


It was a completely opportunistic photograph, if I’m honest. This little guy is called “Shadow”. He belongs to one of my neighbours, and he’s friends with absolutely everyone!

I’ve been getting used to shooting with a Nikon D3s, so I was mostly curious how the AF would track the cat, as it started coming toward me, more than anything else. In the end, my curiosity was satisfied : the camera nailed all the shots, save one.

Yet, to my surprise, when I was inspecting the results, I saw this one. I always knew that this was a gorgeous animal, but now I have proof! In the end, all I did was adjust the composition a bit to guide attention to the important parts of the shot.

The cat did the rest.

Posted in Personal Photography

Photographing people on the street

Taking candids of strangers on the street is an artform in itself. The requirements to perform well are:

  • Be there with a camera (pretty much rule #1 in anything)
  • Spot the activity
  • Capture it in, or out of (your call), context

Oftentimes, however, you also need to interact with your subject, either to extend/elaborate on what just occurred, or to obtain consent for the photographs. In most cases, this is an easy task. Within the boundaries of common sense, people, if approached properly, and respectfully, will more than agree to pose for you. In this example bellow, for instance, all that was required was an exchange of nods between the man, and myself, and I shot off 30-40 shots in the span of 2 minutes.

Never alone
I come in peace

Beware, however, that there are, also, people that react badly to any sort of lens being pointed at them. In such cases, it is best to apease and avoid the confrontation, as your “opponent” is not approaching you from a rational standpoint.

Posted in Learning Photography, Personal Photography

Royal Botanical Gardens

A few days back, I joined a group of photographers of all skill levels on a walk around Melbourne. It was a very interesting experience, and I would recommend it without hesitation. The event affords one the opportunity to exchange ideas, play with other people’s gear, and have a blast. The more accomplished of the group always teach the newcomers, be it through conversation or example.

I took a fair few shots that day, so here are a few examples.

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We also went past a skating park, which gave us the opportunity to see kids show off in front of 20 big lenses. Example:

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Posted in Personal Photography

Silhouette

Shooting for a silhouette is an interesting way of presenting your subject. In short, you obscure most/all details of your foreground, allowing for your background to define your subject, instead, as a simple outline.

I will save the technique for this for another blog post. For now, enjoy a simple example.

Just need some peace

Posted in Personal Photography

Some street photography

Street photography never ceases to amaze me. With a keen eye you can walk the same street over and over, and some new detail will, quite often, present itself.

Home of a titan

Home of a titan

View from below

View from below

We await your patronage

We await your patronage

Posted in Personal Photography