2011 Photo Tips and To Do List

By Finbarr Wilson

I hate looking at great photographs. Because lets face it, someone always has an incredible shot, and I am the jealous type.

Still, after a few decades of clicking I do have some good shots and a few ideas about how to make them better. So here is 2011’s photographic self-improvement project to help vault Red Queen images into another category altogether.

Imitation is the greatest form of flattery and I intend to flatter a lot of photographers this year. I am going to buy a few photo books, take a much closer look at some of the great portfolios on the web and broaden my creative range. This sounds a lot like stealing ideas, but I prefer calling it participating in a communal creative process!

Breathing is good. And I need to stop and do it rather than rushing into the fray clicking madly. Stop. Look. Think. That’s my plan. And then when the shutter fires, be still and calm. I say all this because I have thousands of images which are simply okay. But with a few steps to one side or the other, they could have been great. And then there is the small mountain of images with motion blur. Perhaps not drinking triple espressos might have helped too! Okay, maybe I will cut out the coffee next year.

I love those gadgets! But this year, they will collect more dust than usual. In spite of the small super computer in my camera, there are still only a very few variables at work – shutter speed, aperture and focus being the main ones. I need to work directly with them, rather than switching to autopilot. Perhaps it’s just a retro flashback to my old manual film cameras. Whatever it is, I know that when I take control of my camera, I think more about light, shadow, depth of field and motion. I really get into it. Of course, that’s only after whining about all the extra work.

I have this horribly expensive zoom, but like the camera’s computer I am giving it a rest. Sure, there’s tons of flexibility with a zoom, but it’s time to get my older fixed length lenses out. Fixed length lenses are super sharp and take in tons of light. Check it out sometime. If you have a 50 mm lens take a pic, and then do the same with the zoom lens. Nine times out of 10 you’ll see a big difference. It may mean you move around more to get the right image, but that’s all to the good and it gets me thinking more carefully about what I want from the photo.

The last thing I plan to do is be incredibly mean to myself. If a photo is okay, then it gets chucked, because photos should sizzle!

Of course, this is just my list of tips for 2011 – if you are thinking your photos need some help just Google "photo tips" on the Internet. You will be inundated with advice. But for some Calgary content check out www.thecamerastore.com. There are some great articles from local photographers who can make a Calgary winter look pretty amazing.