There are many qualities that continually set apart a professional, sought-after professional photographer from the competition. But one very important quality is the ability to see important, story-telling details in a scene.
So why is it important to take photographs of details? Because it allows the person viewing the finished photo to tell their own story and complete the whole picture. When we see a photo of a person’s face, not much else is left to the imagination. We already know exactly what that person looks like, how old they are, what kind of smile they have, etc. But when we see a pair of tiny feet splashing through a puddle, or see wrinkled hands holding an old book, our mind immediately begins to imagine and expand the story. We can imagine that the feet belong to a strong-willed, carefree child, breaking free from the indoors to enjoy the puddles outside. Or we can image that the hands belong to a great-grandmother who has served many people over the years.
As with any photo, there’s no one right way to take detail shots. But there are a few tricks to keep in mind to get the best photo possible and stretch your creativity.
- Get in as close as your lens will allow. Many professional photographers will invest in wide-angle or macro lenses in order to take great detail shots. These types of lenses allow you to get in really close and get amazing detail and clarity.
- Consider your angle. For example, I love to take pictures of feet but will oftentimes struggle with the angle of the shot. Do I have the person stand or sit? Do I take the picture from above or at ground level? Do I take it from the side or the front? Consider what the most interesting, story-telling angle will be and then try several different ones. There’s no reason to commit yourself to just one particular angle.
- Let your subject be natural, especially when photographing kids. A lot of times I want to get a shot of my kids running and playing, and usually that’s not a hard thing to do when I’m taking a photo of the whole scene. But when I want a photo of little feet running, or busy hands playing, then that movement is hard to freeze. Just make sure you’re using a lot of natural light and a fast shutter speed, and keep on trying until you get the right shot.
- Learn to see details, even without your camera. Many times I’ll watch a person doing something and think, “Wow, I love how her hands move as she knits,” or, “Look how tiny his feet are next to mine.” Everyone notices those types of things, but not everyone thinks to capture those moments with a photo. Try to always keep your camera close by and ready to go so that when those precious fleeting moments arise, you’re able to take a picture before the moment is gone.
Want to see more of Elisha’s work? Check her out on Instagram at @elishasnowphotography or her Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/elishasnowphotography
GIVEAWAY - DAY 8!!!
As we continue into the second week of celebrating all our industry partners, we are thrilled to be featuring Lawn Fawn today! We adore their very creative coordinating stamps and dies not to mention their sweet paper collections, ink pads, twine and more! Armed with a very talented design team, Lawn Fawn continues create beautiful products and inspiration you'll want to check out! And today, maybe you could win some!
Our sweet friends at Lawn Fawn loved that they were featuring them today and have provided this very lovely prize to thank YOU, the SCT reader, for all your support! It's take a village right? Look at today's giveaway...
How sweet are these fish and THAT crab?! For an opportunity to win today's prize, be sure to leave a comment below by September 2nd! Winners will be randomly selected and announced on September 4th. Good luck!
Once you've left your comment, we would love it also if you could take a moment to tank our friends at Lawn Fawn (pun intended!) on their facebook page HERE. All our partners have loved hearing from you!!! You can also find Lawn Fawn:
On their website: Lawn Fawn
On their blog: Lawn Fawn
On Facebook: Lawn Fawn
On Pinterest: Lawn Fawn
On Instagram: @lawnfawn
On YouTube: Lawn Fawn
So you have our full permission to drop what you're doing (unless you're holding a child or eggs!) and spend some time checking out Lawn Fawn. We're pretty confident it will make you'll feel inspired to create a sweet card or project today!
~ Catherine, Publisher, Scrapbook & Cards Today magazine
Love the little fishies! Thanks for the opportunity to win.
Posted by: Karen Lingel | August 10, 2015 at 06:10 PM
Wow, this is amazing,,,,,such inspirational stuff,,,,and it can be funny,,,,,better get my skate on and check this out
Posted by: jenni | August 10, 2015 at 06:17 PM
Lawn Fawn always has such adorable stamps and I love that they have matching dies. This is an awesome set!
Posted by: Donna Rinckel | August 10, 2015 at 06:19 PM
Those photos are great. I should try to capture some like that of my son. The stamps and dies are a great prize.
Thank you
Posted by: Helen Van Daalen | August 10, 2015 at 06:21 PM
These look like so much fun to play with! Thanks for the chance!
Posted by: Cristy | August 10, 2015 at 06:28 PM
Hello there darling!
Posted by: nikki devita | August 10, 2015 at 06:32 PM
Love matching dies and stamp set especially from lawn fawn. Thank you SCT for the chance to win.
Posted by: Sharon T | August 10, 2015 at 06:40 PM
This stamp set has been on my wish list so would love to win it!! My hubby owns an 80 gallon tank so this would be lots of fun to use.
Posted by: Brenda | August 10, 2015 at 06:41 PM
Fintastic card, stamps and company to celebrate day #8. Thanks for the tips in photographing. I envy these great shots.
Posted by: Maye M.L. | August 10, 2015 at 06:46 PM
So adorable and cute.
Love the tips too.
Posted by: Karin Leveillee | August 10, 2015 at 06:49 PM
Fabulous photography pointers!
LOVE Lawn Fawn and LOVE their generous giveaway....GREAT SET! ♥
Posted by: Brandi R | August 10, 2015 at 06:55 PM
Super cute; could have lots of fun using these in my creations!
Posted by: Maria | August 10, 2015 at 06:56 PM
If I don't win the giveaway I want to get this set soon. The fish and crab are really cute!
Posted by: Kristine Connor | August 10, 2015 at 06:57 PM
Love Lawn Fawn and thanks for the chance to win these LF goodies! ;-)
Posted by: diana | August 10, 2015 at 06:58 PM
Thank you for the great photo taking tips! Lawn Fawn is my favorite company! I just love their products! Thanks Lawn Fawn and SCT!
Posted by: Carey Nusbaum | August 10, 2015 at 07:06 PM
This has got to be one of the cutest Lawn Fawn sets yet. I fell in love with it the first time I saw it. I would love to win this! Thanks for the chance!
Posted by: Regina Furman | August 10, 2015 at 07:06 PM
These are just so cute!!
Posted by: GlitteryKatie | August 10, 2015 at 07:12 PM
Tanks for da fun!
Posted by: Suzi Metcalfe | August 10, 2015 at 07:14 PM
Such a cute set. Love Lawn Fawn! Fintastic photo tips today.
Posted by: Pam in Oregon | August 10, 2015 at 07:18 PM
Love the photos and hints. The stamps and die cuts are great too
Posted by: Linda Roy | August 10, 2015 at 07:20 PM
I love Lawn Fawn and this set is so cute!
Posted by: Nichol | August 10, 2015 at 07:24 PM
I love Lawn Fawn! Great stamps & dies!! Fantastic customer service!
Posted by: Lisa Naples | August 10, 2015 at 07:37 PM
Love that cute set!
Posted by: Jackie | August 10, 2015 at 07:46 PM
Love Lawn Fawn stamps and dies, thanks for the giveaway.
Posted by: Roseanna Crawford | August 10, 2015 at 07:56 PM
Lawn Fawn is one of my all time faves!!!
Posted by: Cathi Carpenter | August 10, 2015 at 07:58 PM