Saturday, June 04, 2011

Becoming a Better Photographer

Earlier this week I read an article entitled "3 Stupidly Simple Reasons Why Mot People's Photography Does Not Improve." Reason #1 was "you don't take your camera with you." As my mom so aptly said "ouch, finger in the chest."

In Italy I took my camera almost everywhere with me - it was, after all, Italy. Since I've been back in the States I've fallen out of the habit.  Certainly the sights here are different, but are they any less photo-worthy? Probably not.  I just need to slow down and look (Reason #2). Additionally, I feel a bit conspicuous walking down the street with my DSLR slung around my neck. People don't carry big cameras around like they do in Europe - or perhaps in Europe I didn't mind looking like a tourist because I was one (Reason #3).

With these reasons in mind it isn't surprising that coming up with an image for Photo of the Week (hosted by Jessica Rogers Photography) is a challenge. Earlier this week, the evening that the Photo of the Week was due, I was really upset with myself for not having an image to share. So, instead of sitting there being mad, I poured myself a glass of vino, set out a few objects on my dining table, and started playing with a few of the photo apps on my iPhone. Here is what I came up with:


This image was created and edited entire on the iPhone using TiltShift Generator.  This app allowed me to take an image, choose a focal point, blur the rest of the image, play with the exposure, saturation, contrast, and vignette.  I LOVE how it turned out! In case you are wondering what you are looking at this is a photo of napkin rings on a place mat.  So simple!

In the future I'm going to try and be more photographically aware - I WILL take my camera with me, I WILL slow down and actually look at what is around me, and I WILL not care so much about what other people think. And if push comes to shove - I almost always have my iPhone with me.  Its no DSLR, but I can still make good images with it. After all, the best camera is the one you have with you!

2 comments:

Sheena said...

LOVE this! I fit all three of those reasons, too. =) I got re-inspired with my camera at the hippie party I went to last weekend. I really need to start taking mine out more.

anglouise said...

Thanks, Sheena! It looks like you had a great time at that party. You take great photos so I look forward to seeing your future pics! Miss you, my friend :)