Is your camera a hammer or a scalpel?

Look at a scene, point the camera and shoot... and you  probably have a reasonable image. But you have just used the most expensive hammer you own. Did you set the exposure yourself? Did you set the white balance or use AWB? Did you know what parts of the scene were in focus and what wasn't? Did you move yourself into a better position or shoot from a different angle or perspective? Have you ever taken a shot whilst lying down?

Have fun taking the time to learn how to use your camera as a scalpel, artistically removing unwanted elements from a scene to reveal the beauty you saw subconsciously. Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Learn how to adjust the focal length of each lens you own to control the depth of field in a scene. You can practise this by shooting along the railing of a staircase.

2. How does the perspective of a scene change when you crouch down or lay down? How about experimenting with images that are taken from waist height only?

3. If you usually take big picture shots, how about experimenting with small scale images.

4. Find a scene with a large tonal range and explore black and white photography.

5. Take a  risk and turn your camera off manual. Set the time for an exposure and play with the ISO and focal length to see what happens.


Here is a shot I took - the subject matter is a little left of center. After thinking for a while I decided to turn these sweet potatoes into a conversation, so I worked hard to make sure that only the middle part of the scene was in focus and hopefully the result is the viewer focusing in on this  "conversation".

I would love to hear how you went with your project.


have fun :-)

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