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ADOBE BRIDGE
BE SELECTIVE AND BE CREATIVE
BREAKING THE PEOPLE BARRIER
COMPOSITION: THE CREATIVE EYE
COPYRIGHT-FREE PHOTOS
FRAMING YOUR SUBJECT
GREMLINS
KNOCKOUT
NEAT EFFECTS
PAINTING WITH LIGHT
PARTING SHOTS
RULE OF THIRDS

COPYRIGHT-FREE PHOTOS
Read the disclaimers carefully, because the following sites might include copyrighted material from other sources.

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Will Kirkland A flame tree blazes above a wall in Puerto Ayora on Isla Santa Cruz.

KNOCKOUT (Isolate element by knocking out the background)

  1. Make a duplicate layer.
  2. Add a layer mask by clicking what looks like a front-loading washer icon on the bottom of the layers palette.
  3. Choose the Brush tool.
  4. Set the foreground color to black by first pressing the D key, followed by the X key.
  5. Making sure the mask is selected, click on the white square next to your image in the Layers palette, then paint in on the picture with black to cover the picture and with white to reveal or fix mistakes. Paint around the object you want to isolate. You don’t have to be exact. Make sure the layers underneath the object are turned off by clicking the eyeball in the Layers palette. That way you’All be able to see what you’re doing.
  6. Once you’ve draw a line abound the object, choose the paint bucket and fill the area outside the object with black. The background will now disappear in large chucks. There will be some stuff left over, but all you have to do is switch to the Brush tool and paint away what’s left.
  7. If you make a mistake, switch the paint from black to white to fix the mistake.
  8. You can put a different background in the layer beneath the knockout or jump the knockout to its own layer by first APPLE + clicking the black and white thumbnail next to your picture, then using the APPLE + J to move it to its own layer. Once you do this, you can use the History brush or Eraser tool to make it look perfect.

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Bryan PetersonThis ho-hum tower wouldn’t rate a second look.

BE SELECTIVE AND BE CREATIVE
You can take great pictures with a point-and-shoot camera. The ability to shoot great photos isn’t determined by type of equipment you have any more than a Steinway piano enables you to play like Horowitz or Van Cliburn.

Think of yourself as an artist, even if you can’t draw. The camera is an extension of yourself, just as brushes are the extension of an artist. Just as an artist uses brushes to put pigment on paper, you the photographer use light to paint pictures on film.

To take great photos, you need to learn the principles of composition, but think of them as guidelines rather than hard-and-fast rules. Once you know the principles, feel free to break them and be creative. Sometimes experimenting and breaking the rules will give you your best shots.

Instead of photographing everything in sight, which is neither fun nor practical, choose your shots carefully and thoughtfully. Before you shoot, ask yourself:


Bryan PetersonStand underneath the tower and shoot up for an unusual perspective.
  • Does the image convey a story, theme, mood, or feeling?
  • Have you waited for the best possible light?
  • Does the shot capture a unique moment?
  • Are the subject, pose, and angle presented creatively?

The focus of these questions is mainly aesthetic. The creative value of an image is ultimately very important, but first it must be sound in both composition and technical quality. So let’s backtrack and consider some important elements of design.

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COMPOSITION: THE CREATIVE EYE
Though the principles of composition are often presented as hard and fast rules, it’s better to consider them as important guidelines rather than as rules that must be followed. Sometimes breaking rules results in an especially creative presentation. Photographs would be very dull indeed if all you did was follow a set of rules!


Karen KasmauskiSometimes it’s OK to break the rules.
Why bother with composition? Why not just shoot spontaneously, without thinking about what you’re doing? Well, understanding and using the principles of composition helps you see beyond the eye of the camera and into the vision—the mind—of the viewer.

Think of the shape of your viewfinder as your frame, and try to make an interesting, artistic composition that reflects your personal sense of design. Good photography, like good writing, lets your personality and your vision shine.

Here are several ideas that may help you achieve a pleasing composition:


Carol B. Schwalbe A camel and driver give the viewer an idea of the immense size of Egypt’s Great Pyramids at Giza.
• In photography you’re looking at two dimensions but trying to convey three dimensions. You want viewers to forget that they’re looking at a photograph and instead to think they’re looking through a window. You can add depth and a sense of scale by including things of familiar size at varying distances.

• Don’t get stuck in “horizontal hold.” Every time you’re about to take a picture, check to see how it would look as a vertical. Scenery often looks best in horizontals, but a portrait or any subject taller than it is wide may call for a vertical.

• Try different lenses. A telephoto crops the foreground and tightens up the image. A wide angle emphasizes the foreground and deemphasizes the background.

• Keep the background simple, and isolate your subject to avoid confusion. If the foreground doesn’t add to the photo, crop it by walking closer to the subject or by using a telephoto lens.

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Will Kirkland The wheat not only frames the barn but also provides information about what grows on the prairie.
FRAMING YOUR SUBJECT
Framing your subject with branches, archways, or shafts of wheat calls attention to it. Don’t be afraid to let the frame occupy most of the image at times. Framing also adds depth and interest and pulls the viewer’s eyes into the photo. Don’t overdo it. Framing can become a cliché if overused.

• Have your subject move into the frame. If the subject is going out of the frame, the viewer’s eye travels out of the picture.

• A small spot of vivid color creates a center of interest if backed with large areas of duller tones. A patch of white works the same way.

• Triangular patterns are good for group portraits. They concentrate
attention and keep the eye in the photograph.

• Diagonal lines suggest energy and action, while curved lines signal
grace, youthful energy, and flowing movement. Strong leading lines
take the eye into the picture and add depth.

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Imagine your viewfinder as a tic-tac-toe board. Put the subject in one of the sweet spots.

RULE OF THIRDS
• Divide the image into thirds both horizontally and vertically. Where the lines cross are the four “sweet spots” near which you should try to place the main or subsidiary subjects.

• Place the horizon one-third from the bottom or one-third from the top, but always keep in mind your own personal taste and sense of design. If you like horizon lines smack dab in the middle of your photo, that’s OK too, and in some cases it’s the option that works best.

• Look for contrasts between light and dark, smooth and rough, one
pattern to another, red against green or blue.

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NEAT EFFECTS


Bryan PetersonA tiny subject, such as the farmer in the lower right, attracts attention.
Tiny subjects can grab the viewer’s attention, even if they don’t come close to filling the frame.

• Opposite works as well. Fill the frame. Before you shoot, think to yourself: “What distracting clutter can I remove from the picture?” You can do this by moving closer or by using a telephoto to fill the frame with what’s interesting. Get rid of what’s not interesting. Sometimes the best shots are the simplest shots.

• Pictures of small things—an insect, a mushroom, the pattern of a leaf, an amusing sign—add variety to your coverage.


Bryan PetersonPretend you’re a mouse. Get down on the ground and shoot up for an unusual perspective.
• Get close, get high, get on eye level with your subject—or even lower than eye level. Getting low and shooting upward can add drama and sometimes even block out unattractive elements. Try not to shoot everything at eye level or from your car window!

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PAINTING WITH LIGHT
• Train yourself to notice how the color of light varies at different times of day.

• Don’t put your camera away when it’s rainy or misty. An image of the Tower of London in the fog, for example, evokes its tragic history.


Carol B. Schwalbe Even the ocean off Ambergris Cay in Belize can turn mirror smooth at dawn.
• Though early morning (just before sunrise to an hour or so later) and late afternoon (an hour before sunset to half an hour after) can give you beautiful light, you can shoot all day long. At noon shoot down from a high vantage point; in harsh light move into the shade or indoors. If hard shadows fall over the subject, use a strobe or fill flash. You can make any lighting situation work if you do it creatively.

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GREMLINS
Watch out for “gremlins” you may not notice until you’ve had your film developed.


Carol B. Schwalbe Look what can happen to the horizon after a margarita or two!
• Make sure the horizon is horizontal and that buildings are standing straight (unless, of course, you’re trying to create a certain effect).

• Watch out for telephone poles growing out of people’s heads.

• To hold your camera steady, keep your neck strap very short and turn it around your hand to tighten it against the back of your neck. Put one foot forward. Keep your elbows steadied against your body, and hold your breath as you gently squeeze the shutter.


Bob Caputo Patience was rewarded when this goat herder showed up in Mustang, Nepal.
BREAKING THE PEOPLE BARRIER
A simple smile can bridge a gap of thousands of miles. Think in a positive way, and you can overcome your reluctance to photograph strangers. Make friends, develop a rapport with your subject, and you’ll be on your way to better pictures. Be sure strangers understand you’re not taking pictures to sell to them.

You might find it easier to photograph a family than an individual. Parents usually love to have their children photographed and are often happy to join them. Try photographing people at work or where they live or play—a lonely woman gazing out her apartment window, a boy playing stickball in an empty lot.

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PARTING SHOTS
As film directors say, film is cheap (although it’s not always their money!). Work the subject by taking different shots from different angles. The more shots you take, the more likely you are to get a good picture. Don’t be afraid to take five shots of the same subject and throw four away.


Will Kirkland Always have you camera ready.
Find different, unusual viewpoints. Shoot from above, shoot from below. It’s often said that the only difference between a professional photographer and an amateur is that the professional throws more shots away. At NGM we use only one out of every 1,000 shots.You’ll see things with a camera that you might miss without it.

As the Boy Scout motto states, “Always be prepared.” Have your camera ready, and try to anticipate when the best photo opportunities are about to take place.

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ADOBE BRIDGE
The bridge is a separate program connected to Photoshop. In the bridge you can look through different folders all over your computer. You can edit photos in a slide show and rate them.

    1. Copy the Digital_camera folder onto your desktop.
    2. Open Photo shop. Click the Bridge icon on top right of top menu.
    3. Click the Folders tab on the left, then find and open Digital_camera folder.
    4. View > As Thumbnails OR View > As Filmstrip OR View > As Details OR Window > Workspace > Light Table. You might find it easier to use the icons in the lower right.
    5. Adjust the slider at the bottom to change the size of the image display.
    6. Rotate images by clicking on arrows (clockwise, counterclockwise) in top right.
    7. SHIFT + CLICK all the sky pictures, then drag them to the beginning.
    8. RIGHT CLICK to rename.
    9. To rate photos, launch the slide show (APPLE + L or View > Slide Show). As you go through, type 5 for your top-rated pix. To delete a number, type 0.
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© 2008 Carol B. Schwalbe