Three Experiments For Creative Photography
Although many people don't realize it, photography is a vastly flexible art form. You should never feel limited to taking pictures of the obvious or taking pictures purely for documentation purposes. Just like with any art form, you should exert your influence and perspective on how your pictures turn out. So here are some fun things to do with your pictures that may not be discussed in traditional point and shoot articles.1.Find a New AngleOne of the most common things done in photography is the eye or head level height in which photos are taken. While this makes perfect sense, it may not necessarily be the best angle for what you're shooting or the statement you want to make.Take a day and shoot pictures entirely from the ground or knee level and see how the different height will completely change your pictures. If you're feeling especially lucky, try taking pictures from your waist without looking at what you're focusing on - you may end up with a lot of throw-away images, but you also might end up with something you could have never captured with a traditional method of shooting.2. Increase Your Films Development TimeAll film has a recommended development time at any given temperature. For instance, when developing 400 speed film in chemicals that are 70 degrees, you would allow the film to soak for 7 minutes before rinsing it (this is in no way a recommendation or a standard, check with your developer and film manufacturers for the recommended times). What many people don't understand is that the longer the film develops, the more stark the contrast ends up. The lights get lighter and the darks get darker.If you're lucky enough to develop your own roll of film, try "pushing" your film an extra 2-3 minutes and see how it impacts the final image. While it's easy to push your film too far, a little extra time can create a stunning result by giving the photo extra contrast.3. Use the Bulb SettingAny film (and most digital) cameras with manual settings will give you the choice to set your shutter speed to bulb or "B.". This camera setting will make your shutter stay open for as long as you have the shutter release button pressed down. This can create a great way to capture some pictures that you didn't think were possible. Unfortunately the bulb setting won't work in daylight since it will overexpose the image, but in a dark environment it can create lots of new photo opportunities.Put your camera on a tripod facing the night sky and leave your shutter open cable release for about 5 minutes. This will let you photograph the stars as the earth rotates. You can also hold the shutter open while a friend dances around with a flashlight then snap a flash before closing it and you'll have a perfect shot of them surrounded by streams of light. This setting takes a lot of practice but can produce incredible results.The next time you're wanting something new to try, remember these three photography experiments. For these experiments all you need is a cable release and a single lens reflex (SLR) camera or a digital SLR (DSLR) camera and you're all set. Never try experimenting on photographs you don't want to lose - your daughter's wedding might not be the best time to try shooting everything from the hip. Really the only thing that matters is that you had fun creating images that were important to you.
