Photography class #5 – framing, shadows, reflection, perspective and pattern

The last class we were all looking for more compositional elements rather than just proper light metering in different situations. We were aiming for the following:

  • framing – use natural effects in the picture to frame your subject (bars, fence, trees…)
  • shadows – taking a picture of an object and its shadow (try to keep yourself out of it)
  • reflection – find a reflection in a mirror or water
  • perspective – take it from an interesting angle – above or below
  • pattern – find something repetitive and hopefully interesting

For these things I mostly hit the playground and the children’s museum and got lucky enough that we had sunny days again. Somehow not a single picture of Josie.

Overall the class taught me how to take manual pictures and now I feel much more confident with the camera and it makes having an SLR much more worth while compared to a point and shoot since I actually change the controls. I think I’ll get some much more successful photos in some tough spots that I could never have taken before and hopefully have a better eye for more interesting photos.

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