Why do so many people who call themselves photographers refer to the process of photography as taking pictures. I've always looked at photography as a creative and technical process. If you are a professional or a serious hobbyist the process is not taking but making pictures. Let me explain. Taking pictures implies not much thought is given to the entire process of creating the picture, you set the camera on auto or one of the program modes and simply point the camera at the subject, a person, place or thing and click the shutter. Presto you just finished taking a picture. A snapshot. A professional or serious amateur would (hopefully) take the time to apply his or her knowledge of the technical as well as artistic possibilities they could use to create an image that conveyed their vision at the time. This would include but is not limited to.
1: The focal length of the lens, wide, normal, telephoto.
2: The ISO setting of the film or digital exposure. Low 200 or below, smooth no grain or noise. High 800 and above, more noise and grain.
3: The shutter speed setting. Do you want to stop motion or show motion? Maybe you need a tripod?
4: Aperture setting. F 2.8 or F 16? Shallow depth of field or lots of depth of field?
5: Lighting. The time of day. Type of lighting. Daylight or flash. Direction of the light. Color of the light. Fill-flash. Etc.
6: Composition. High or low angle. A tight, medium or wide shot.
7: Exposure, Should you use a normal (average, basic) exposure? Maybe an over or under exposure to bring out the desired effect. Spot or average metering. The type of light readings, reflective light (light that is reflected off of the subject being photographed) or incident light (light that is striking the subject).
8: Most importantly. Knowing when to trip the shutter and capture the moment. All of the above means nothing if the essence of the picture has no emotion. The telling of the story, the decisive moment.
Subject matter doesn’t matter. Anything can be photographed or looked at in an interesting way. It just takes time and a willingness and openness to see.
Ok, now go out have some fun and make pictures.
