- Location
- Often for me, picking a location consists of being somewhere with both my camera (Olympus e500 Digital SLR) and time. So really the location picks me. However, I do continually, almost subconsciously, look for locations. As I'm driving just about anywhere, images jump out at me. I keep mental note of these places sometimes for months on end until I can get to the location when I have time and the conditions are right.
- Shoot
- Ok, sure there is the technical aspect of taking a photo (setting shutter sped, f-stop, etc.) that one needs to know to take good pictures. I'll admit that very often I let my camera do most of this work for me. The purists out there are probably gasping about now, but in most situations, the camera is going to pick settings that optimize the picture just as well as I can. It isn't until lighting conditions are challenging, or I want to play with depth of field or set some mood that I'll adjust settings. I put almost all my focus (no pun intended) on what is in the picture. I will mostly refuse taking a photo, even personal photos of my family and friends, if something distracting is in the background. I work to get various angles when taking a photo to see which provides the most interesting shot. I usually take hundreds of photos in one shoot (thus the reason I need the time.) This is a result of taking multiple shots of the same image from different vantage points. When I take photos for panarama compositions, I will often take anywhere from four up to twenty to make one picture. And I'll take the same panorama from different angles, so I'll end up easily with one hundred photos to get one panarama that I'm after. I usually take a photo of my hand or the ground in between panoramas as I can easily confuse myself later when I edit with so many photos all of the same setting.
- Crop
- Yes, cropping is a function of editing, but cropping is esential to me. Before I do any editing of a photo (except for stitching together panoramas) I crop the photo. There are two reasons not to crop a photo, printing and framing. It is more costly to print and frame a non-standard print. To me the dimensions of a photo can be just as important as the photo itself. Cropping alows me to place an object where I want it (although I usually do this when actually taking the photo), remove unessecary background, or get balance with the background and central object. More importantly it makes a photo unique. Compare:
- Edit
- A great abount of work goes into digitaly editing photos. It is an unbelievable and powerful tool. It is the modern day darkroom. I easily spend upwords of three hours or more editing for every hour in the field. This time consists of first reviewing the shots taken, cropping, make simple adjustments, working with panoramas, and much more. In the future, I'll include some of the techniques I use on my photos. Please check back.
- Print
- I have been using Adorama to process my prints. They have been doing a great job. I use Kodak Endura Lustre which seems to provide great colors and is reported to last a long time. I typically order 20"X30" sheets. This works well with my panoramas giving me up to about 29" in length or height when all is said and done. I will print two or more per sheet to get my monies worth. Ordering prints in this manner alows me to crop to any dimension I want. When I want a print, I open an image 20" X 30" in photoshop and start copying the images I want into that area.
- Frame
- I order my frames online as well. I have the frame itself assembled and the mat cut and shipped to my home. I use a photo safe spay adhesive and mount the photos on a mat. I assemble the entire unit which consists of the frame, glass (which I buy locally), the mat, mat mounted photo, a foam backer board, dust cover, and wire for easy handing. It is a lot of work to say the least to get one piece framed. I often thought that the price to have something framed was insane. After doing some of the work myself, I now know why it costs so much. I hope to get more efficient at this process.