Photoscout

• Photographing Plants And Nature

  The goal of a lot of the professionals whenever they are dealing with plant photography is to be able to capture their subjects in the original and natural state in which they are seen without even giving Mother Nature with any particular assistance whatsoever. This means that you won’t even move a branch or stray twig or even remove an offending item from the background.

  There are other photographers out there who simply do whatever it takes to get and capture the best possible photograph of their chosen flora subject. For these types of photographers, it even means artificially changing all the natural conditions of the plant as well as its habitat in order to portray the plant in its best possible light.

  Some of the people who fall in somewhere between the two opposing philosophies. Those other people just want their images to show the original features of the plant under the most aesthetically-pleasing habitat however they do not want to go so far as to have pictures which do not look very natural. One example regarding this particular taste in portraying flora in this manner is if there is a candy wrapper in the foreground, those types of photographers pick it up so that it doesn’t appear in the photograph. If a certain leaf interferes with the composition of the subject then we just simply move it away from view so that it won’t contribute to the bad composition of the photograph.

  This type of obsessive-compulsive nature isn’t so much that bad if you come to think of it—especially if the element of the plant is definitely distracting the would-be viewers from seeing the focal point of the picture. The important thing is not to overdo such types of obsessions. Even though we would like our pictures of plants to be stunning and original, it should be not at the expense of arranging a scenery to the point that the photograph does not look natural at all. This should be one of the things that plant photographers should remember. People who are interested in plant photography should simply take pictures of the plants and the different settings they are in. For more varied shots, they could try taking pictures of the plants in different times of the day such as early morning or dawn, morning, noon, afternoon and dusk. That should take care of the variety of the shots in and of itself.

  So always remember to strike a balance between having a neat picture and not changing the environment of the background of the flora, thus making it look like a very unnatural-looking photograph. Whatever nuances that are present, you should always try to take them out so that when you are ready to click your shutter, you’ll have the best subject in the best background without any additional distractions in the photograph. What’s best is you’ve left the surrounding habitat or environment as it is and you’ve been able to successfully strike a balance in this field of photography.

  Posted in Outdoor Photography

  August 16th, 2007 / No Comments

• Photographs And Copyright

  So you have photographs that you think are awesome? You’ve now ventured into the world of preventing others to take ownership of your wonderful photographs. Enter the world of copyrighting.

  In and of itself, the word “copyright” simply means “the right to copy.” This claim is a legal construct, which is made and designed for artists, mainly, to support their artistic endeavors. If your photographs were without copyright, just about any one would be able to freely download and use your different artistic works without due payment or compensation. What would happen with this particular setup is that there would be little to no financial compensation for the effort of generating and producing pieces of art. If you have copyrighted your pictures, you have legal protection. If anybody wants to use your work, or in some cases, even use just parts of it, they have to obtain your permission. If you are able to do this, you may be able to negotiate a “license” to copy. In some cases, you may even end up being paid in real money. With such an incentive, hopefully, it will inspire, motivate and spur more people to create art so that the world will be a better and more beautiful place teeming with art.

  Going back to the first year of when copyrighting first came to be, legal copyrights were already made since 1557. It was at this time that a British printers’ society forbid other members from printing books originated by other members. The publisher obtained security but not the author. During 1710, Britain’s “Statute of Anne” provided copyright protection to authors, regulated the length of the protection, and offered rights to the purchasers. Rights were also discussed during the U.S. Constitution of 1787 wherein they discussed “securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries”. The original U.S. Copyright Act dates back to the late 1700s, particularly in 1790. As time passed, the definition of rights were expanded and globalized with the Berne Convention, which was drafted in 1886 and accepted in U.K. law in 1988 and the U.S. in 1989.

  Copyrighting plainly commonly pertains to most artists’ artistic works. Examples of these include paintings, murals, statues, TV shows, music, and for the avid photographers, photography. As a photographer, having your images copyrighted gives you the exclusive right to be able to make and sell copies of the photo, to be able to generate derivative works (other types of art which are based on the photograph that you took, such as a painting of the photo). It also gives you the exclusive right to display the picture that you took in public. Finally, you will be able to license usage for money to other people. In a nutshell, copyrighting your pictures doesn’t actually give you anything per se. What it does is it really just affects other people, by listing down the things that they shouldn’t do, ergo this is known and seen as a “negative right”.

  Posted in Photography Tips

  August 8th, 2007 / No Comments

• Getting Awesome Adventure Photos

  As an outdoor adventure photographer, your primary concern is to tell a story. You need to capture the different details that will essentially highlight your visit to those breathtaking places. In order to become an effective story-teller, you should always be ready to take that shot so that you can tell others about it when they see your photographs. Here are some helpful tips for you so you can always get that perfect adventure photograph.

  Take time to shoot the details
  As a photographer, you should be able to show both the macro and micro side of the place you’re in. If you’re in a place that’s simply teeming with wildlife, then by all means, take close and far shots. If the place that you’re going to is the one that will call attention to its insect population then be sure to a dozen shots off. You may want to take close ups more when you’re focusing on the details. It’s important to zero in the different elements that capture your attention and take pictures of them because it will eventually give you a subject of interest which will most probably also evoke the same kinds of emotions from other people. If you’re on a beach, try to take several pictures of the sand and the different types of wildlife you find floundering about.

  Bring simple gear
  It’s important that you bring less luggage whenever you’re backpacking. It is actually possible to travel light while you’re trekking with a big DSLR camera around your neck. You may want to simply stick to one lens and one camera instead of worrying about shooting wide and long angles. It’s simpler to be focusing less on your gear and more on what you’re shooting so that you’ll be developing your eye instead of your obsessive-compulsive nature to keep your gear smudge-free. Be a photographer and concentrate on what you can do to keep your shots interesting and original. The only way to do this is to have all of your concentration focused on your composition and subject focus.

  Make use of the fill flash
  Sooner or later, you’ll come up to a shady forest where you occasionally find spots of sunshine beaming down on your subjects. Be sure to utilize the fill flash that’s included in your camera so that you’ll be able to make your subject appear brighter. You’ll be doing them a big favor and you’ll also end up introducing enough light into the photograph to make them well-lit instead of full of shadows here and there.

  So there you have it, some of the best photographic advice that you can ever get when it comes to adventure photography. Always be sure to make use of whatever skills and experience that you have in order to give your photographs a boost. Sooner or later you’ll evolve into a photographer who shoots like a pro just because of practice, the correct settings and a few tips here and there from other photographers as well.

  Posted in Outdoor Photography

  August 1st, 2007 / No Comments