Hello. I don't know how you amazing photographers do it but I will often times see pictures of a cup of coffee or shoes or whatever; and the way it is shot, it speaks to me..how do you do this?? I tried it today with a pair of boots. I took about 32 pics and either the POV, lighting, or the mood just wasn't right. Any input would be greatly appreciated!!
This is a great shot, love the lighting. I also wondered about that. There are really great photographers out here who can make ordinary subjects look very interesting. Would love to hear their tips :))
I really love shooting anything around me!!!
I don't know if my photos are good. I just do it :)
For me I just do it with my feeling that time.
I don't know how to explain,I am not good at it.
I think this is a GREAT image as is. Sometimes I find that my best shots don't include the whole subject. I see the slush and water on these boot and wonder if just cropping in your image would leave more room for detail ? You did keep your background free of clutter or other distracting things,I think you are off to a good start. I sometimes have to take a couple dozen shots of something before I get it right, and even then sometimes I need to pick another subject, because I just can't get it. I took a peek at your album and you have lots of wonderful images!
@elizabeth264 Just and idea, but maybe just shooting an image of the bottom of the boots. Getting the slush and water.Or maybe just a close up of the laces? Turn in the light till you get it the way you want it and if not move on and photograph something else. You're doing great and I would love to hear what others think..... :)
@farrah Thank you so much!! I actually did try just portions of the boot. I love your advice. I get so frustrated..and should move on at times. I am going to post the other shots tomorrow and the next day and would you mind telling me which you think is best?
@elizabeth264 I think it's about simplification. The light in your shot is great, but the shot looks a bit cluttered. I can see how the backlight embraces the back boot but its partially hidden by the front boot.
The "Mundane Challenges" are great for getting your mind around making the ordinary extraordinary; if you aren't involved with them already I highly recommend it!
Here it is. Haha. Funny you asked me to reply. I read your post but did think of this image. Why not? Well, it's just a colander... Nothing special. But maybe you're right after all because I didn't take this shot only by lack of subject. There is also something interesting about the lighting and composition. That's it probably, there must be some appealing detail... In this case it was the retro look and the repeating roundness. I use hipstamatic only (app on my iphone) and the outcome is mostly a surprise. In this case I wasn't happy with the high contrast and the colours so I made it b&w with lower contrast using snapseed, another app.
I think you have to try different crops and see what they look like. I'm not good at knowing which one will be good until I see it all alone. My first try would be horozontally right below the end of the lace. Keeping the white fur and the lace and the light ... but that may not be close to the best one once you try some others.
You said you took 32 pics but each time something wasn't right. I think that's a great way of learning, IF you take the time to think about what wasn't right and then try experimenting with ways around those things that don't work. Like in this pic that you've posted, it's very cool, but as someone noted, the foreground boot is kind of lost in the shadows. So let's say that was something I didn't like and I were experimenting, I'd find some white paper and try seeing if I could reflect some light back at that boot, or I'd try a very low percentage of fill flash. Or if I liked that particular arrangement of the boots I may try rotating them where they are until the light is lighting them up in a way that's pleasing to me. Hope that helped to get your mind playing!
@m9f9l thank you very much!! I had never heard of reflecting the light back with white paper. I did rotate all around, different angles, different ISOs..
I agree all the suggestions above - especially the ones about cropping and framing. For me, the most important element of a photo, even if the subject is a coffee cup or a pair of boots, is creating a mood. The light in your pic is really great for that, as is the bit of melting snow on the toes. What if you tried taking the pic again, thinking that the boots' recent trek through the snow is the subject, not the boots themselves? Maybe you'll get a different result.
If you want the shot to be more visually oriented, instead of story oriented, things like symmetry, color combos, light/shadow patterns, etc can make the pic more engaging. Sorry if I seem to be writing a mini-essay :) But what I've noticed is that, when it comes to aesthetics, the human brain connects with a lot of the same stuff, from still lifes of shoes to sunsets to portraits. Hope you find something useful in this :)
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I don't know if my photos are good. I just do it :)
For me I just do it with my feeling that time.
I don't know how to explain,I am not good at it.
Here it is. Haha. Funny you asked me to reply. I read your post but did think of this image. Why not? Well, it's just a colander... Nothing special. But maybe you're right after all because I didn't take this shot only by lack of subject. There is also something interesting about the lighting and composition. That's it probably, there must be some appealing detail... In this case it was the retro look and the repeating roundness. I use hipstamatic only (app on my iphone) and the outcome is mostly a surprise. In this case I wasn't happy with the high contrast and the colours so I made it b&w with lower contrast using snapseed, another app.
If you want the shot to be more visually oriented, instead of story oriented, things like symmetry, color combos, light/shadow patterns, etc can make the pic more engaging. Sorry if I seem to be writing a mini-essay :) But what I've noticed is that, when it comes to aesthetics, the human brain connects with a lot of the same stuff, from still lifes of shoes to sunsets to portraits. Hope you find something useful in this :)