May 16, 2010................................................................................HOME................................................................................."FOCUS"
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Technical details
Nikon D300
Nikkor 105mm micro F 2.8 lens, extension tubes
ISO 200, 1/90 @ F8
Really Right Stuff BH-40 Ball Head
Velbon El Carmagne tripod legs
Helicon Focus Software, Photoshop CS 5
Nikon D300
Nikkor 105mm micro F 2.8 lens, extension tubes
ISO 200, 1/90 @ F8
Really Right Stuff BH-40 Ball Head
Velbon El Carmagne tripod legs
Helicon Focus Software, Photoshop CS 5
I’m always looking for new ways to communicate my approach to making photographs. I find that one of the most common pitfalls for novice to intermediate photographers is not having a reproducible thought process for making photographs. There’s a lot to remember in making a fine image. Having a mental checklist better prepares you. It’s a photo rich environment out there and can be challenging if not overwhelming. So I came up with a simple little acronym... “FOCUS”.
Any photographer can remember that, right? But it’s not about focusing your lens. It’s not even about focusing your attention on the task at hand, though that's a good start. It’s your checklist.
F = File Format
This is generally a philosophical choice you don’t have to make often. Shoot Raw or shoot JPG. Your style and intended use will favor one or the other.
O = Optimize ISO
Evaluate the ambient light level. Choose an ISO that makes your camera sensitive enough to give you a suitable range of shutter speeds and apertures. If your camera isn’t sensitive enough for the available light, you can’t make pictures. End of story.
C = Creative Choice
Think about the demands of your subject. Do you need a fast shutter speed to freeze action? Shutter priority. Do you need control of depth of field to isolate, or ensure frame wide sharpness? Aperture priority. Are you shooting a multi-frame panorama where exposure must be consistent from frame to frame to blend well in Photoshop? Manual exposure.
U = Unleash Imagination & Inhibition
To function as a creative artist (and you are!), you can’t be multi-tasking and worrying about picking the kids up from soccer, or whether the tires need to be rotated on the car. Put reality on hold and concentrate on the creative process. (FOCUS!)
S = Shoot, shoot, shoot
ANY subject worth shooting deserves more than one shot. Not only should you take multiples of the same shot, you should shoot from different positions, angles, with different focal lengths, different exposures, etc. Exhaust yourself exhausting the subject matter. You may never get another chance to make this shot. Shoot, shoot, shoot.
This morning as I stepped off the front porch on the way to the newspaper in the driveway, a wet shrub caught my eye glistening in the low angle of the morning sun. When I saw the magic of light in the heavy dew, I left the newspaper where it was and headed for my camera, macro lens, and tripod. The light did all the work. All I had to do was “FOCUS”.
F: I shoot RAW 99.9% of the time for the file quality.
O: I was using a tripod and the shot was a still life. I could afford the luxury of a low ISO for optimal quality.
C: I knew this shot required good depth of field, so aperture priority was my creative choice.
U: It was early Sunday morning and I was “home alone”. Bingo! Nothing else on my mind but making a great photo.
S: You bet I shot, shot, shot. In fact I used 25 frames and special software to achieve this depth of field (see June 29, 2008)
This is my strategy every time I pick up a camera. It can become second nature for you too. When you can quickly dispense with preparation for a shot, you free up your energy for the really important decision you need to make: what to put in the viewfinder and how to portray it. The really important thing of course is that this checklist makes you start thinking, and thinking is the foundation of every great photo. Put what’s between your ears into your photographs and watch watch happens... Magic!
Mark Alberhasky is a Nikon Mentor for the Mentor Series Worldwide Photo Treks.
Join him as he travels and share his enthusiasm for photography and learning.
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