The Joy of (Point & Shoot) Photography

I love photos and taking photographs, to 'freeze moments' of our life on earth as it were. It all started with posing for my father's camera at the gardens of the Istana Anak Bukit in Alor Star in the 1950's. But I hate all the technical jargon associated with sophisticated cameras, so give me a point-and-shoot (compact) one anytime. Nowadays high end compact cameras produce technically great pictures anyway. I find compact cameras great for travel because they are unobtrusive and need not be dangled around your neck like most DSLRs! (A sure target in some countries, as M knows well enough, having lost two, or is it three already.)

But for me the most important is the composition, to capture the 'raw' moment as aide memoire. No post editing of photos for me, its like cheating, right? Eer ... maybe its the computer laggard in me.

John Hedgecoe's Basic Photography (1993), published in the days of the 35mm cassette film, has been of great help, especially his 'Twenty ways to improve your photos'. I note them down here to remind myself that pictures I take should have "eye-catching quality, something that makes them enjoyable to look at".

1. Look for the light - the basis of all photography, because photography means 'painting with light'. I usually try and take photos in the 'sweet' light of morning or early evening.

2. Use colour for best effect - because colour effects the mood of photographs. Use the effects of dominant colours, colour contrast, colour harmony or just a touch of colour.

A colourful photo taken from the National
Geographic magazine 

3. Make shape the subject - make shape more apparent by removing/suppressing surface details. My favourite is taking silhouettes against the setting sun.

4. Bring out subject form - a trick of the light can emphasize the three-dimensional aspect of the subject's form and make the image seem rounded rather than flat.

5. Emphasize subject texture - one of the elements in a picture that adds extra interest and information about the subject. So take close-ups to show texture. Most of my flora pictures are close-ups.

6. Find and use subject pattern - to add extra strength and sense of purpose to photographs. Pattern may be a repetition of shapes or colours, or a play of light and shade. For me a group or plenty of whatever (children, people, fauna, flora, even shoes/slippers or canoes always make delightful photos).

Another National Geographic picture showing colourful
shape pattern

7. Give your pictures depth - use the visual tricks of linear perspective (as parallel lines extend into the distance they appear to converge), diminishing scale (as things get farther away they appear smaller) or aerial perspective (the tendency of colours to appear more blue the more distant they are).

8. Turn the camera around - decide whether to frame your subject horizontally (landscape view) or vertically (portrait view).

9. Change the viewpoint and angle - find the best viewpoint and camera angle for your subject. I remember the days when an interesting subject in the background is completely obliterated by people posing in the foreground; also of tree branches, and whatever else sprouting or even water spouting out of a person's head. Still happens I guess, like in the picture below.

Help! Something is sprouting out of my head! Oh, its only a
hand holding a telephone - a Sri Lanka telecom sculpture at a
Colombo roundabout (MB 2012)

10. Shoot around the subject - check the composition from every angle to find the best.

11. Keep it simple - make sure the composition is simple and does not contain too many competing elements.

12. Lead the viewer's eyes - a well-composed photograph is one in which the viewer's eye is led from one part of the image to the next until the entire subject matter is taken in.

13. Frame your shot - look for ways of introducing a frame within the broader picture frame, with the object of emphasizing a particular part of the image and heighten the impact of the photograph. Example - doorway, window, verandah, body (hands, hair).

14. Position your subject - a 'rule' of photography is to position your subject off-centre in the frame. The 'Rule of Thirds' is the most well-known principle of photographic composition. Place your subject at one of the four intersections when you divide your picture area into thirds both horizontally and vertically.

15. Decide what to include for a portrait - remember the fundamental rules of taking portraits: do not cut off part of  the subject's head, ensure feet are not cut off at the ankles for full-length portraits, do not crop off at the knees, etc. Ensure also the framing of the figure appears natural and comfortable (within their surrounding).

My eyes! My head! Pic taken by a travelling companion
in Bentota, Sri Lanka. I did notice she was nervous just
 holding a camera! & I forgot to check if it was ok (2012)

16. Pose your subject for a portrait - go for relaxed poses and suitable backgrounds.

17. Alter the pose - for close-ups, get the subject to do several varying poses, to see which suit them best.

18. Look for alternative shots - apart from the standard shots, try alternative views and isolating details from overall views..

19. Create a sense of movement - a little blur due to subject or camera movement (slow shutter/panning) can add extra dimension to a photograph.

20. Use on-camera flash - concentrate on small details within the operating range of your flash in dark or dimly lit spaces.

In these days of digital photography it is easy to delete (and retake) or even edit photos that are not to one's satisfaction. But I guess the most important thing is to ensure that a picture tells a story and is indeed worth a thousand words.

My photography books:
John Hedgecoe's Basic Photography (Collins & Brown, 1993) Ex Libris CNB 0246
Conceptual People Photography 6 (New York Gold, 1993) Ex Libris CNB 1027
Peter Cope: Digital Photography for the Over 50s (Hodder Education, 2010) Ex Libris CNB 1915
Travel Photography; How to Take Striking Images (APA Publications, 2010) Ex Libris CNB 1895
Peter Brooke-Ball: George Eastman dan Kodak (Terj. Asiah Salleh; DBP 1995) Ex Libris CNB 1471
**Update: The Daily Book of Photography (Walter Foster, 2010) Ex Libris CNB 1998