Simple Photography Tips - Looking and seeing
- Michael Blyth
- Mar 21
- 5 min read
Updated: Mar 25
Seven Simple Photography Tips on on looking and seeing - Camera and Phone Camera
Take time to look at a scene, big or small, and notice what you see
Don't discount a scene as without visual value
Be aware of how the light changes, and use it
Re-compose to avoid distractions
If you like the composition, take the picture
Try to avoid post-adjustment
Work as if you are shooting on film, only 24 images to use!
If you've been reading some of my other 'Simple Photography Tips' blogs you'll know the importance i put upon looking long enough to actually 'see'. Monet, that wonderful artist, is reported to have been in the habit of standing and looking, for around forty five minutes, before making a move in terms of painting.
Today, on my way back from a round trip to Cardiff and Newport, I was overcome by pangs of hunger, and spotting a chippie as I passed through Bradfford upon Avon, succumbed. A gorgeous spring day, I took my feast and sat by the Kennet & Avon Canal.
I decided to just 'look', and wait to find out what I would 'see'. I sat on a bench and focused on the area of wall beside the seat.
The first image shows the general scene, pleasant enough, but not amazing. A few people working on their barges, some of them well over a century old - boats, not people!
The view in front was straight into the sunshine, so I sat sideways on the bench and looked at the wall behind. It was just a wall, a stone wall.
As I looked, I gradually began to see things that I hadn't seen to start with. I became aware of the shadowy nooks and crannies, but also of the textures of the stone and the cement itself. The Sun was at such an angle that only the part of the wall I was focusing on had the deep shadows that gave it so much texture. As you can see in images one and two.
Image two is also worth another point of decision.
I photographed it to show you the shadows and the texture, but was then faced with a choice of background; to get just blue sky, or the roof of the old barn behind, with a third choice of different roof structure that gave a completely different background. I decided the latter was too distracting.
Choices, similar or different, will face you many times.
Not only did I become aware of the textures but also with the fact that there were small plants growing in the wall, and stinging nettles just starting to show at the base of the wall.
Ivy Leaved Toadflax shown in Image two are very pretty when they are in flower in a few weeks time. It was the texture of the leaves and shapes and shadows is what I came to see as I looked.
I angled the camera so that the leaves glisten a little in the sunlight.
Quite important I feel, to ensure that it is the plant that is in focus, and the background that has faded out. Again, part of the seeing rather than just the looking.
It was only when I got close to the wall that I started to see the wildlife that was on it. Blowflies are not amongst my favourite bugs and beasties in the world, but to see one with its solar panels on full charge, as it were, was quite fascinating. Because it was a cool day it didn't fly away as it would have done if its temperature was up, as in the summer.
I spotted several ants scurrying across the wall, they are small enough to be pushing the macro facility on my iPhone 12, but I've included the image to show you what is available when you do look, and do see. If you use a camera and a macro lens, you would benefit.
I mentioned the plants going towards the best of the wall. These were a mixture of grass, and stinging nettles. The nettles have died off during the winter, and are now responding to the warmth and moisture that they get in the cracks of the wall, and at the base where the rain drains off.
Fascinating itself, but also quite fun photographically.
The top image, image six is one taken from above, and I am loving the angles and the textures, especially with the debris at the base of the wall (which is at the top of the picture!) If you were to take this image and then maybe turn it to black-and-white or colour extremes it could make quite a fun big picture on your wall .
As I'm writing this, and looking at image Seven, I'm finding it quite fascinating in terms of looking and seeing. Up to now I've been banging on about looking and seeing when you're out for a walk.
What I'm looking and seeing now, is the juxtaposition of the angles and textures, and have concluded that although I could have cropped the deep shadow at the top left of the picture, it actually counter-balances the shadows lying beneath the stinging nettle.
Images eight and nine are the same picture, some lichen growing on the wall, forming amazing abstract patterns. Like photographing water, I love photographing the patterns caused by these wonderful forms of life that are neither plant or animal.
Image nine as you can see is just an adjustment I did on the computer, for a moment of fun, to illustrate how you can tweak something to make it perhaps more arty. Either of these could be cropped, adjusted, or whatever; and printed as big pictures.
But this is only if you have the spare time, generally avoid post adjustment - aim to get it right.
There were other things that I saw on that wall that I'd have been happy to spend time photographing including a ladybird that was tucked away in one of the nooks, but it was really too small to make much of with the lens that I have on the iPhone 12.
I hope this has given you a bit of inspiration to take just sometime when you have it to let the surroundings you're in come to light and life.
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