Telling a Story with an Image - Here's How.

Recently I was in Melbourne (Australia) for four days, so naturally I took my camera along. On the last morning I had just finished taking some morning shots when I walked past the bike seen below. It intrigued me because it had seen better days but it was still locked to the railing.

I sat on the decking, poked my camera through the fence and started to create a story. Here were my thought processes.

1. Let's crop it so the scene is balanced. So I chose not to have the left vertical support but instead used the vertical nature of the lock to echo the right hand support. The trees in the background were not clashing with the foreground so the background fits well.

2. I initially used f1.4 to make the bike standout, but I had an idea to put a cyclist into the background. This would add a nice juxtaposition to the shot. I shot a cyclist as they went past, but it was too blury (due to f1.4 not the 1/100 s shutter speed). So I stopped down to f4 to give more clarity to the scene, but not wanting total clarity (not everything in an image needs to be in focus). I balanced the f4 with 1/20 second shutter speed to add that motion in the bike going past.

3. Time to wait for a cyclist moving from right to left. Early in the morning, this part of Melbourne is busy with cyclists so there was little fear of not seeing another cyclist again.


The final image now has a story to it, with elements connecting. For me, the image reminds me of aging. When young and fit, we run around with boundless freedom and energy, but when old, unwell or frail, we are tethered to machines, people, and medicine and no longer as free as we once were. What does this image say to you?

This bike intrigued me, but I needed to add good composition.

This composition worked for me.

I had an idea to have a cyclist in the background but I see that the f stop is wrong.

Composition needed re tweaking to remove object in the bottom right corner. 

Composition, fstop, time and secondary subject all together. Note the placement of the cyclist.

Next time you're out with your camera and spot something different, wait around and let a story unfold.


have fun! ☺



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Confused about Digital Cameras, DSLRs and Mega pixels? This Q&A session will help.

Here are some quick fire answers to ten common questions. I’ve challenged myself to spend no more than 200 words on each answer. Let us see how I go.

Question 1: Why do some digital cameras have a delay – it’s painful when you want to capture a nice shot?

Back in the days of film (ie just before the digital era) SLR cameras had a lens, body and a view finder. Light travels through the lens bounces off a mirror, through a pentaprism and we see the image. If we swap the film with a light sensor (CMOS or CCD), we get the Digital version ie a DSLR.

A digital camera is not a DSLR as it uses a sensor to “see” what is in front of it (not a lens and mirror to reflect the light back to the photographer). DSLR only use a sensor to “capture” the image. This difference in how an image is seen means a DSLR is better in low light situations (less noise) and optical zooming is typically better than digital zooming. DSLRs do not have lag but digital cameras will.

Question 2: Why do I need to buy a camera when my phone and tablet take awesome pictures?

From question one we know the main differences between a DSLR and a digital camera. The important one to consider is how an image is seen: using light (in a DSLR) or a sensor (in a digital camera). Smart phones and tablets use a sensor to “see” an image before it is captured. These in theory make them ok for well light conditions but flash is needed in low light conditions. Noise in low light would be worse in smart phones and tablets than a DSLR. There is also another element worth thinking about.  I’ve just looked up the lens details of my phone and tablet:

Samsung galaxy S3: f2.6

Nexus 7: f2.4

The f number (2.6 and 2.4) mean that they are set up for “selfies” and family shots ie portrait images sharp but the background not very sharp. This is not ideal for holiday shots where you want to have sharp scenes like all of the people in a street, together with buildings and clouds. For these shots you need lots of sharpness throughout the depth of the image (close up and far away from the phone or tablet).

What would happen if you wanted to print out an image taken from your phone or tablet? That brings me onto the next popular question.

Question 3. I’m thinking of buying a camera should I go for the camera that offers the highest Mega Pixels in my budget?

Good question. The answer will probably surprise you though. I’m guessing that most people think that a 22 or 30 Mega Pixel camera will yield amazingly sharp and large images good enough to print and put on the wall.

The sharpness of an image is influenced by four elements. I use the acronym NACR to remember them. N is for noise – we need to reduce the noise so choosing the correct ISO is important here. A is for acutance that is the ability of the sensor-lens combination to alter tonal values quickly. C is for contrast that is showing that the border between light and dark tones is more pronounced than between mid tones; and finally R is for resolution which is the ability of the sensor-lens system to reproduce (resolve) the finest detail in a scene. The lens quality matters here, as does the size of the sensor and the number and size of pixels the sensor uses.   

Ok, so if you want to produce large sharp images here is the nuts and bolts version – invest is the best lens your budget can handle and learn how to use the camera to produce sharp images. If you can only afford to buy a 12MP camera body and put a decent lens on it rather than a 22MP camera and a cheap lens, you will have more success with the first kit. In short, the lens and camera skills matter more than the number of MP lying on your sensor. 

Question 4. Why should I learn to take pictures without the Auto feature on my camera?

The auto feature on a camera is a “play it safe” feature. To explore the full creativity that a camera affords us,  getting out of the comfort zone and pushing the time and aperture settings is where it is at.

Question 5. What is the difference between CMOS and CCD sensors and should the type of sensor affect my buying choice?

CMOS stands for complementary metal oxide semiconductor.

CCD stands for charged couple device.

If you think of a camera’s sensor as a chessboard with each square only being one colour, these two sensors use R,G and B “squares”. How many blue squares, green squares and red squares and how they are arranged follows a pattern called a Bayer Array. CMOS and CCD sensors differ in how they transfer information to the camera’s processor. CMOS sends the information 1 square at a time, where as the CCD sends the information one line at a time. This difference affects things like the amount of noise produced (CCD is better here), the speed of processing the images (CMOS is quicker and more versatile) and cost (CMOS is cheaper to make and is also used in other technologies like PCs).  You will see CMOS sensors on small format cameras, where as CCD are used on medium format cameras.

If you are interested in another type of sensor, do a google search on triple well sensors used in sigma cameras. They use a green, red and blue layers to cover the sensor.

Question 6 What is the difference between ppi and dpi?

Ok here is a quick way to understand this. Below I have inserted twice a 1000px wide by 667px long image.

The image only contains 1000 pixels of information across it and when displayed on a monitor the VGA card determines how best to display the image or this can be controlled by the user as I have done here choosing to show it as a small and large image. The pixel per inch is measured (diagonally) across the image, so using some mathematics this image has 1202 pixels along the diagonal. If you measure (in inches) how long the (diagonal of the) image looks on the screen you will get ppi.

Now if you want to print out an image. If it is only 1000px wide and your printer is printing at 72dpi it uses only 72 dots/pixels of information per inch of printing paper and so this image (1000px wide) at 72 dpi will be spread 13.9 inches wide. If I print the same image out and this time the printer is set to 300 dpi those same 1000px is used up very quickly not even 4 inches of paper are used – so you get a smaller but higher resolution image.  Dots per inch is used for printing an image, ppi is used for displaying an image on a monitor.

Question 7 I’m just starting to get into photography – what gear do I need? Should I find a local professional in my area to learn from or by a book or go to a course run by a local community centre?

Everyone dives into a new venture with gusto and wanting the best equipment and lots of it. My advice is buy some good second hand equipment first up and learn how to use it. The functionality of Cannon cameras is different to Nikon and so on. Test each out and see what you like. After a time your favourite form of photography should come through eg portraits to capture the essence of the sitter, or sport shots to frame and hang over the bar. Maybe is it macro photography shooting insects, food and flowers, or maybe landscape photography. Then you can decide what sort of gear you need and what your budget is.

Who to learn from? If you are new to photography, a cheap option is to buy a general photography book to learn the general techniques, but if you prefer to learn from someone, joining a photography group and doing projects, or taking a course or subscribing to a photographer’s email list who gives tips and tricks is a good idea.

Question 8 I’ve been taking photos using film and understand things like the rule of thirds, sunny 16 and the golden ratio, so how is shooting with a DSLR different?

First up, those composition skills will never be a waste of time, but shooting with a DSLR is different:

1.     first up once the light sensor is full, no more information can be recorded, so over exposing a DSLR is not a good look when you go to print it out!

2.     Setting the ISO for an entire roll of film is a thing of the past. As is not knowing until the film is process to find out how the images turned out. We can set the ISO differently for every shot and see the image almost immediately.

3.     More creativity in post production without paying for prints until you choose to print them.

4.     Digital has noise where as film has grain. Learning how to remove noise and add grain is like having the best of both worlds!

So have fun!

Oh just remember, you cannot take a lens off a SLR film camera and put it directly onto a DSLR (even though the mounts my be compatible) and expect to get sharp images!

Question 9 I’m confused about raw, tiff and jpg – do I need to know the difference or can I shoot in jpg and still get awesome shots?

Jpg is the camera’s way of figuring out the correct colour profile for the image shot.  The file can be compressed and printed out at your local store or uploaded to the web. But if you want to open this jpg file, do some editing then resave it as a jpg then think again – it loses information quickly. TIFF can be edited then saved as a jpg before uploading to the web or printed off.

The most versatile approach is to learn how to shoot in raw (digital negative), do any post editing of colours etc and then save as a jpg to be uploaded to the web or if you want to do more editing in the future, save the image as a tiff.

Question 10 Why do professional photographers cost so much to use for portraits, weddings and other events?

Here are some reasons that quickly come to mind.

1.     Camera gear (body, lenses, cards, lights, screens) are expensive to buy or higher. High end pro camera bodies can cost $50,000 before buying a $4,000 - $10,000 lens.

2.     Insurance for all this expensive gear is not cheap.

3.     Depending on the amount of post editing needed and the shear number of images to process, this is very time consuming part of the job.

4.     Buying expensive camera gear and using it for the family shot against commissioning a photographer who knows how to use its full features, set the light, and composition to create something special are two different things. Photographers take years to refine their craft and establish their style for people to enjoy.

have fun! ☺



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I'd thought I had learnt all of the rookie mistakes, then I do this and almost miss a gorgeous scene

Here is the shot I waited hours to get ....

A good indicator that something cool was going to happen was that the sky started to turn yellow 3 hours before sunset!

Ok so with 3 hours until show time, here was my thinking:

About a little over an hour until sunset I would head off. It takes me about 40 mins to drive to this location giving me time to set up and choose a good spot.


Sounds good - well I left at about the right time, dialled in the location into my GPS and chose the shortest route. The route took me into the city. Sadly roadworks halted the traffic chewing up a lot of time. I got to the beach with about 20 minutes to go, so I wasn't too stressed, but I did not plan on not being able to find a parking bay. In the past parking was easy. With less than 10 minutes before sunset I found a parking spot and I ran to the beach with my gear. Minutes to go I didn't have time to check out what was happening at the beach and find a good spot to frame the sunset . I got tunnel vision ie found a spot and started shooting. Then I realised that the night before I was shooting under artificial lights and so my white balance was all wrong! I adjusted the white balance and took some more shots. Finally after a minute or two I starting to open up my vision to find a story to tell and shoot other types of images.

So as you can tell, this image nearly didn't happen.

Lessons to relearn.

1. Be at the location and then wait for sunset or sunrise, because they won't wait for you.
2. Alter your WB before you head out of the house.
3. It takes time to find stories in a scene, so get there early to find the story.
4. GPS devices do not know everything!
5. Factor in time for events you cannot factor in.


Have fun! :-)


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Throw away the tripod!

Tripods are awesome bits of equipment, but I've gone out and about and deliberately left it in my car. Here is what I'm reminded of now

1. Make sure the ISO is high enough for speed shots, but not too high otherwise noise will be a factor;
2. I am actually allowed to crouch down or lie down to take a shot :-)
3. walls, tables, chairs and so on are good to use if long shutter speeds are needed.
4. I can actually hold a camera still but making sure that the speed multiplied by the focal length should be less than one just to be safe.So if I'm shooting with a 200mm lens I need to make sure that the speed is faster than 1/200.

I dare you to throw away your tripod, well at least for a few trips out anyway!

have fun! ☺



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You took a photo portrait style but then redid it in landscape and it became so much better - huh!?

We have at our disposal the ability to zoom in, zoom out, swap lenses, shoot vertically (ie portrait style) or horizontally (ie landscape style). But what to do when? Here are some pointers.


1. Tell the story - if the story is stronger when shot in portrait style - leave it. Likewise, if the story is stronger when shot landscape style - leave it.
2. Horizontal lines emphasis the horizontal elements in the image.
3. Vertical lines emphasis the vertical lines in an image.
4. Some shots are better cropped square and so when shooting leave space around the story so you can crop. With Instagram being so popular, cropping to a square format requires a little pre thinking before you press the button.
5. Classical landscape images work well with an aspect ratio of 3:1 or 2:1, so experiment with a few images.
6. Don't forget you can also affect the story in many other ways, for example by having the camera low (to reduce emphasis on the foreground) or high and looking down (to enhance the presence of the foreground).

Let us have a look at a few images.

This image shows space, lots of it and isolation. Does shooting in landscape enhance the story or do you think portrait style would have told a stronger story. I think this has a stronger story.

This scene of the mountain range at sunrise needs to be shot landscape and to enhance the view I think 3:1 aspect ratio who do this gorgeous scene more justice.


Here it is again cropped to 3:1 ratio and put on a black mask. Does it look different? Better? Worse?

Here in this shot of two trees, I chose to shoot vertically to emphasis the vertical lines and give strength to the story. Unlike the first image above, the space and isolation were secondary elements to the story.

This Perth skyline image shows lots of vertical lines from the buildings to the colours on the water. Using landscape removed lots of unwanted sky and I could get in all of the buildings and reflections.

In this city shot, I used a square format (for Instagram) but still managed to emphasis the strong vertical lines.

This shot of the bouncer was cropped square and works well as the vertical line of the pole and the horizontal line of the door mat and rope create a nice natural square frame. If I wanted to emphasis the story that he was alone in the line, then shooting landscape with him on one end and letting the rope guide our focus to the rest of the red carpet would have told that story.

In this early morning shot of a rainbow with the sun illuminating the cloud works well vertically because firstly it removes any unwanted elements; it strengthens the linear elements in the scene and connects the clouds to the ground and gives a nice sense of scale to the shot.

In this shot, I framed it all square as I wanted to give everything a "contained" or cramped look. I shot pretty much on the ground as the ground didn't add to the story.

In this shot of an escalator (yes it is an escalator), the square format adds a sense of stability to the image and creates a nice focal point at the end of the elevator.

And finally, a square subject cropped square. Our eyes do not wonder off and the story is enhanced.



 So hopefully, I have given you a few ideas when deciding how best to shoot something.


Have fun :-)




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One location, many opportunities

How many times have you arrived at a location to take a photo you have in mind?

Well why not use the opportunity to experiment with different techniques. For example, you could try:

1.  landscape shot
2. up close bordering on macro scale
3. when was the last time you lied down to take a shot?
4. silhouette shot
5. long shutter speed, maybe panning with a bicyclist as they go past (1/20 is a good place to start for this shot)
6. fast shutter speed to catch a bird taking flight.
7. using the zone focus method instead of auto focusing
8. framing a scene and then waiting for someone or something to complete it. 
9. capturing people and their expressions

Hopefully this will give you some ideas for next time. 

 Here are some different types of images taken from the same location during a visit. I experimented with a few different ideas, some worked, some didn't - but I did have fun!

have fun! ☺

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It's 2am and now what?

It's 2am and my part of the world is asleep ... time to head out for some night shots.

Do you have beautiful buildings and churches near you? Try shooting them at night without people around.


Here are a few tips

1. up the ISO to 800 or more.
2. take a tripod and torch
3. use the mirror lock up and a remote release if you have one. 
4. push the exposure right to reduce the noise in the shadows- you can always fix this up afterwards
5. think about how you want the finished product to turn out - what creative bend are you going to use
6. shoot in "raw" formant you get a few more stops dynamic range.
7. take a flask of hot coffee :-)

It is worth the effort ...

have fun! ☺

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