2008 - How to Take Effective Photographs

How to take effective photographs

By Raphael Bate, SD France

Paying attention to the following elements will help you take photos that tell the story of your project and promote your work through print, e-mail and the internet.

1. Lighting

 

Light from a Flash: More light does not always reveal more detail. Be careful with flash photographs. They flatten form by eradicating shadows, so everything looks like a police raid. All atmosphere is lost because the background is illuminated, diverting the eye away from your subject in the foreground.

Shadows: If possible, try to control the balance of light and shadow. This is the the medium through which photography tells your story. You can communicate more information with shadow. The shadowless light at midday seems dead. In the evening or early morning shadows are longer so textures and forms seem more substantial. Use doorways or overhanging trees to vary the shadows on your subjects.

2. Framing a picture

Paddy (Series of 3 pictures)

1. This composition gives emphasis to the vast landscape. The people are simply incidental.

2. Here, the relationship between the man and woman becomes the subject. The figures are arranged off-centre, so the composition is less static.

3. This close up makes a strong statement of the man standing on the back of the woman.

3. Figure/Ground

Theme and Variation.

In this photograph most of the children are engaged in a single activity but one child is not conforming. This makes a strong statement.

4. Perspective

Eye Level

From below:

A clear distinction between figure and ground. The subject is in action and we see the context immediately. The low angle of the camera gives status to the speaker.

From above:

The balance of light and shadow gives strong form to the two women; however the eye level of the camera puts them in an inferior position psychologically

5. Subjects

A clear image of a girl and what she is doing without distractions