Tips on Tuesdays #2 - Watch those shadows!

In the first edition of this series, I shared on some basic editing.  But today a want to take you even one step backwards.

The audience reading this is varied from cell phone snappers to SLR lovers.  I probably will not in every edition be able to pitch at all levels of experience.  The one thing we all have in common though, is loving to capture our lives and memories and wanting to do that in an expressive way best we can.

While writing the first articles of this series, I am trying to recall the questions and dilemmas I was faced with when I started out in digital photography.  I am therefore inviting you to send me your questions that you have if this is where you are at.

When my first digital SLR finally arrived, I of course had to test it ASAP and on the nearest person!  That happened to be my wonderful grandmother, "Oumie", who was visiting me for my son's 3rd birthday. I happily snapped away!  The wonderful thing about digital, is of course, the instant gratification!  Oh, but I was not happy with the first couple of photographs I took.  And I learned a lesson I still unconsciously apply with every photography I've taken ever since: watch those shadows!

If you want to instantly improve your pictures where a face is involved (portraits or group shots), always first take a good look at where the shadows are on the subjects face.  This may be very simple, but it is very effective.  Either change the angle from where you are shooting or reposition the subject. 

At the expense of my Oumie, this is a good example of a terrible portrait.  You cannot see her eyes, and the shadow across her mouth is totally unflattering.

I made a simple adjustment by repositioning her, and the results were so much better!

Oumie was 78 when this was taken, isn't she beautiful even at that age?

Hope this will help even just a little, or maybe remind you of something you already knew.

Happy photographing!

S.