Woodland & Forest Photography
WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
Bringing the Beauty of Woodlands and Forests to Life
February 18, 2024
WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
Dear Photography Enthusiasts,
Welcome to my weekly newsletter that helps you take your photography skills to the next level. In this issue, I will explore some of the most important photography rules and camera adjustments that can make or break your images. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned pro, these tips and tricks will help you capture stunning photos in any situation.
Photography rules are not strict laws that you have to follow, but rather guidelines that can help you create more compelling and balanced images. They are based on principles of visual design, such as composition, focus, exposure, and lighting. Some of the most common photography rules are the rule of thirds, balancing elements, leading lines, symmetry and patterns, and viewpoint. By applying these rules, you can enhance the impact and meaning of your images, and also develop your own creative style.
Camera adjustments are the settings that you need to control on your camera to get the perfect exposure, sharpness, depth of field, motion blur, and noise level of your images. They are aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. By changing these settings, you can affect how much light reaches your camera's sensor, how long the sensor is exposed to light, and how sensitive the sensor is to light. By mastering these settings, you can achieve the desired outcome for your images, and also adapt to different lighting conditions and scenarios.
Photography is a wonderful hobby, and there are no limitations to who can practice it. As long as you have some kind of a camera, you’re good to go. How you decide to participate in this wonderful form of Art is a personal choice, even though a lot of people would love to tell you you’re doing it wrong. As long as they’re not your client, let their comments fall dead to the ground. As I've mentioned above, some knowledge about composition tools, and also some knowledge about how to adjust your camera will give you a better understanding in how to get the most out of your images, and by that, also enjoy it much more. So, grab your camera and get ready to learn, experiment, and have fun with photography!
Basic knowledge:
Photography rules:
These are guidelines that can help you create more compelling and balanced images. They are based on principles of visual design, such as composition, focus, exposure, and lighting. Some of the most common photography rules are:
Rule of thirds: This rule divides the image into nine equal parts by two horizontal and two vertical lines. The main subject or point of interest should be placed along these lines or at their intersections, creating a dynamic and harmonious composition.
Balancing elements: This rule complements the rule of thirds by filling the empty space in the image with another element of lesser importance, such as a background object, a secondary subject, or a contrasting color. This creates a sense of balance and symmetry in the image.
Leading lines: This rule uses lines in the image to guide the viewer’s eye towards the main subject or a specific point in the scene. The lines can be straight, curved, diagonal, or zigzag, and they can create a sense of depth, movement, or perspective in the image.
Symmetry and patterns: This rule exploits the natural or man-made symmetry and patterns in the scene, such as reflections, shapes, textures, or colors. They can create a striking and eye-catching image, especially when they are broken or interrupted by another element, creating contrast and tension.
Viewpoint: This rule refers to the angle or position from which you take the photo. Changing your viewpoint can dramatically alter the mood, message, and composition of your image. You can try different viewpoints, such as high, low, close, far, or tilted, to find the most interesting and effective one for your subject.
These are some of the most important rules of photography, but there are many more that you can learn and apply to your images. However, remember that rules are meant to be broken, and sometimes the best photos are the ones that defy the conventional wisdom and follow your own creative vision.
How to adjust your camera:
To get perfect images, you need to adjust three basic settings on your camera: aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. These settings control how much light reaches your camera’s sensor, how long the sensor is exposed to light, and how sensitive the sensor is to light. By changing these settings, you can affect the brightness, sharpness, depth of field, motion blur, and noise level of your images.
Aperture: This is the size of the opening in your lens that lets light in. It is measured in f-stops, such as f/2.8, f/4, f/8, etc. The smaller the f-number, the larger the aperture, and the more light you get. A large aperture also creates a shallow depth of field, which means only a small part of your image is in focus, while the rest is blurred. This is good for portraits, wildlife, and sports photography, where you want to isolate your subject from the background. A small aperture, on the other hand, creates a deep depth of field, which means more of your image is in focus, from near to far. This is good for landscape photography, where you want to capture the details of the scene.
Shutter speed: This is the amount of time that your camera’s shutter stays open to expose the sensor to light. It is measured in seconds or fractions of a second, such as 1/60, 1/125, 1/500, etc. The faster the shutter speed, the less light you get, but the more you can freeze the motion of your subject. This is good for capturing fast-moving objects, such as birds, cars, or athletes. The slower the shutter speed, the more light you get, but the more you can create motion blur in your image. This is good for creating artistic effects, such as light trails, waterfalls, or star trails.
ISO: This is the level of sensitivity of your camera’s sensor to light. It is measured in numbers, such as 100, 200, 400, 800, etc. The higher the ISO, the more sensitive the sensor, and the less light you need. However, a high ISO also introduces more noise or grain in your image, which reduces the quality and detail. A low ISO, on the other hand, requires more light, but produces a cleaner and sharper image. Therefore, you should always use the lowest ISO possible for the given lighting conditions, and only increase it when you need more light and cannot adjust the aperture or shutter speed.
These are the basic adjustments you need to make on your camera to get perfect images. However, there is no one-size-fits-all setting for every situation, as different scenes and subjects may require different combinations of aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. Therefore, you need to experiment and practice with different settings to find the best ones for your desired outcome. You can also use different exposure modes on your camera, such as manual, aperture priority, shutter priority, or auto, to help you control these settings more easily.
Pros and Cons:
As a photographer, you may wonder how important it is to know and practice the photography rules and to know your camera. I've made a list below of what I think are the pros and cons of both aspects, and share my personal opinion on how to balance them. Photography rules are guidelines that can help you create more compelling and balanced images. They are based on principles of visual design, such as composition, focus, exposure, and lighting. Some of the most common photography rules are the rule of thirds, balancing elements, leading lines, symmetry and patterns, and viewpoint.
The pros of knowing and practicing the photography rules are:
- They can enhance the impact and meaning of your images, and make them more appealing to the viewers.
- They can help you develop your own creative style and vision, and express your ideas and emotions through your images.
- They can challenge you to experiment and try new things, and to improve your skills and confidence as a photographer.
The cons of knowing and practicing the photography rules are:
- They can limit your creativity and originality, and make your images look too similar or predictable.
- They can make you too rigid and formulaic, and prevent you from exploring your own intuition and instincts.
- They can make you too dependent on the rules, and ignore the other factors that influence your images, such as the subject, the context, the mood, and the message
Knowing your camera is the ability to control the settings that affect the exposure, sharpness, depth of field, motion blur, and noise level of your images. They are aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. By changing these settings, you can affect how much light reaches your camera's sensor, how long the sensor is exposed to light, and how sensitive the sensor is to light.
The pros of knowing your camera are:
- You can achieve the desired outcome for your images, and adapt to different lighting conditions and scenarios.
- You can avoid common mistakes and problems, such as underexposure, overexposure, blur, noise, or distortion.
- You can take advantage of the features and functions of your camera, such as exposure modes, metering modes, focus modes, white balance, flash, etc.
The cons of knowing your camera are:
- You can get overwhelmed by the technical aspects of photography, and lose sight of the artistic and emotional aspects.
- You can get distracted by the settings and buttons, and miss the decisive moments and opportunities.
- You can get too attached to your camera, and forget that the camera is just a tool, and not the source of your creativity.
My personal opinion is that both photography rules and camera knowledge are important, but not essential, for photography. They are means to an end, not the end itself. The end is to create images that reflect my vision, my passion, and my personality. Therefore, I use the photography rules purely as some guidelines, but not as strict laws. I follow them when they serve my purpose, and break them when they don't. I also know my camera well enough to use it effectively, but not obsessively. I adjust the settings when I need to, and ignore them when I don't. I believe that the best images are the ones that come from the heart, not from the head.
Then to some exercises and challenges:
If you want to practice and improve your photographic skills, I have prepared some exercises and challenges for you based on the photography rules and camera adjustments that I discussed in the previous articles. These exercises and challenges will help you apply the concepts and techniques that you learned, and also stimulate your creativity and imagination. You can do them alone or with a friend, at home or outdoors, with any camera or device that you have. The only requirement is that you have fun and enjoy the process of learning and creating.
The exercises and challenges are:
Rule of thirds challenge: Take a photo of any subject, but make sure to place it along the lines or intersections of the rule of thirds grid. You can use your camera’s built-in grid or a post-processing software to check your alignment. Try to create a dynamic and harmonious composition with your subject and the background elements.
Balancing elements exercise: Find a scene that has a main subject and some empty space around it. Then, look for another element that can fill the empty space and balance the composition. It can be a background object, a secondary subject, or a contrasting color. Take a photo of the scene with the balancing element, and compare it with the photo without it. See how the balancing element changes the mood and symmetry of your image.
Leading lines challenge: Look for lines in your surroundings that can lead the viewer’s eye towards a specific point in the scene. They can be natural or man-made, straight or curved, diagonal or zigzag. Use them to create a sense of depth, movement, or perspective in your image. Try to place the point of interest at the end of the line or near the center of the image.
Symmetry and patterns exercise: Find a scene that has some form of symmetry or pattern, such as reflections, shapes, textures, or colors. Take a photo of the scene, and try to capture the symmetry or pattern as clearly as possible. Then, look for a way to break or interrupt the symmetry or pattern with another element, such as a person, an animal, or an object. Take another photo of the scene with the breaking element, and compare it with the previous one. See how the breaking element creates contrast and tension in your image.
Viewpoint challenge: Choose a subject that you want to photograph, and try to take a photo of it from different viewpoints. You can change your angle, position, distance, or orientation to find the most interesting and effective viewpoint. Experiment with high, low, close, far, or tilted viewpoints, and see how they alter the mood, message, and composition of your image.
I hope you enjoyed this issue of the Woodland & Forest Photography Newsletter, and that you learned something new and useful for your own photography. I would love to see your woodland and forest images, so please feel free to share them with me on my social media channels. Remember, every picture has a tale, and each tale can motivate and charm. Let's collaborate to keep spreading the amazing marvels of nature with the world.
Until next time, happy shooting. If you have any questions, comments, or feedback, please feel free to contact us.
PS: What’s the #1 thing that made you want to check out my newsletter? Reply and let me know. I read every reply.
Sincerely,
Jhonny Bakken
Founder, Woodland & Forest Photography
Woodland & Forest Photography,
Nygjerdet 14, 6030 Langevåg
Møre og Romsdal
NORWAY
