snapshot
Pronunciation: /ˈsnapʃɒt/
noun
1 an informal photograph taken quickly, typically with a small handheld camera (source Oxford Dictionary)
Every time after sharing one of my photography tutorials, I receive comments conveying the same feeling. Wether posted in the comments section or sent privately to me the message is the same, “But I just don’t have the time” or “I’m too busy to bother with that” or my least favorite one is when people sound frustrated to the point of almost feeling defeated.
My answer is always the same, make time. If you want to be serious about improving your photography make the time to practice. I am not saying that one has to reach the heights of professional photographers. No, everyone has to set goals for themselves as far as their photography. Like anything one chooses to do we can only improve with constant practice.
The above definition of the word snapshot says it all “taken quickly”. These peach photos you see here took 5 minutes to shoot. That is from the set up of a simple arts and crafts paper for the background, to the styling and snapping of the shots. In those five minutes I created 3 different compositions. Five minutes.
Shot with sunlight in the shade, nothing special but the green from the parsley gave the image a little something extra.
Same set up but decided to stack the peaches. Much better than the first shot.
This one is my favorite because you are drawn to the subject rather than the extra empty space.
Because of those five minutes spent earlier on in my learning I have been able to save myself time as I’ve improved. Those five minutes helped me learn that stacking items makes for a more interesting photograph. Those five minutes also helped me learn that adding a little extra color to a setup can make an image even more interesting. Because I spent those five minutes I was able to create the following chocolate photos.
This session I remembered the peaches looked good stacked. I took it a step further and used a white ribbon to make a bow. Shot with sunlight and in the shade. But a little too dark, the shutter speed needed adjusting.
Recalling the extra color for the parsley, I thought it would be fun to add a mini strawberry and an extra piece of chocolate. Shot with sunlight and in the shade. Here I also decided to play with the color balance in Photoshop. Learning adjustments in post processing is just as much a part of shooting photos.
The extra chocolate piece was too much for me so I removed it. Shot with sunlight and in the shade. After adjusting the shutter speed I decided this was the best tone and exposure. With a little bit of extra Levels adjustments in Photoshop and sharpening, this is what the actual scene most closely resembled.
I admit about 90% of my photography is not “taken quickly” I like to spend a good amount learning and practicing when I have the time. Other days when I don’t have as much time or dinner needs to be served quickly, my photos are “taken quickly”. But by taking as little as five, ten or even fifteen minutes now and then I have learned so much. The most important thing to improving your photography is making the time to practice. Find inspiration around you, keep things simple and as you learn more make your setups more complicated.
For me all of this has resulted in learning a new skill and in selling my images to stock agencies. I have many more goals to reach and along the way to them I’ll keep learning. My message to you is don’t feel frustrated or even worse defeated. Keep learning because in photography there is always something new and interesting to learn. Make goals for yourself ,work hard and have fun. I promise you will get there.
This is the latest photo I shot and learned something new. I like to keep it simple so I worked hard to get the light exactly as I wanted it for the final shot. For me it is important to get it right in the camera so minimal time has to be spent editing the images. The photo was only adjusted a little to darken it up a bit (with Levels) and of course sharpening was added to make the water droplets pop.
Happy Sunday everyone!! Thank you for reading, I will not be posting a recipe tomorrow so see you at the YBR roundup Wednesday.
P.S.
February’s YBR deadline is tomorrow, if you would like to join us make sure you send those emails. Previous Photography Tutorials are here and previous Sunday Snapshots here.
Nice work Ms. Spicie I love your simplicity while giving detail the attention it needs. I look forward to your next.
Thank you Mr. Meat! Lol, that just sounds dirty :)
Lovely clicks! I like the one of the apple.
Cheers,
Rosa
Thank you Rosa!
Exquisite I love the idea of stacking and agree that does draw you to the subjects and then the dark photo is just stunning, awesome work, I am no photographer this makes me want to take lessons so bad.. I have books on top of books but still can’t seem to grasp the beauty as you do of a subject… lovely… nice job Nancy!
Hi Claudia,
Thank you! It really is amazing how something so simple can improve a photo. Photography take time Claudia, you are doing great so keep going :)
All excellent points! It’s so true that just taking an extra few minutes whenever you can will ultimately improve your photos and speed things up in the future. That last shot of the apple is spectacular!
Thank you Katherine!
Loved reading your post. The apple pic is awesome…great job Nancy :-)
Thanks Taruna!
I agree, more I spend on photography, I learn something new. I only wish that I have “natural light” when kids go sleep at night. It’s harder to focus on photography when kids are awake. Maybe it means I should practice using studio light… :-) I enjoy your tips and advices and try to improve along with your help!
Hi Nami,
Natural light is also an issue for me, unfortunately. Thanks!
As always, I love your tutorials, they are an inspiration to keep practicing. Thank you :-)
Thank you Ruth!
Everything you wrote is oh so true! Practice is key! Doing some further reading – this post here for example haha – and a bit of research is crucial as well I think.
My approach of taking the pictures for my blog has changed a lot since I have started not too long ago and even if nobody else does – I see a bit of improvement.
I almost exclusively shoot using a tripod and the timer (due to my camera and the lightning conditions in winter). But maybe I should start with a five minutes snapshot session before the ‘actual’ shooting – even if it’s only for me. :)
Great insights!
Tobias
Hi Tobias,
Yes, further reading can also be quite helpful. I’ve always picked up a few tips by doing that. I think that as we learn more our approach changes and many times it is for the better. Good for you for using a tripod and timer, that will prevent blurry images in low light conditions. I also do that now and then when needed. Thanks!
I love this, I will def. use, thanks for posting this and your photos are gorgeous!
Thanks Suzanne!
Your pics are great the last couple I took I thought looked better.Thanks for the info. As always your blog is fantastic.
Thank you :)!
I think photography is a passion and without that one cannot really make pictures! Love all your series on photography and in this one i love that green apple photo. The mood you set is awsm.
Hi Kankana,
Yes that is true. In anything you do, one must be passionate about it. Thank you :)
Thank you for the tips, Nancy! I LOVE your photographs and the ones in this post are beyond gorgeous! Thanks for sharing :)
Hi Marsha,
Thank you!
Beautiful shots! I stand in awe, and I am so impressed you manage to challenge yourself there on top of everything else.
Hi Kiri,
Thank you! I have to keep things fresh and keep learning, that is all part of challenging myself :)
Gorgeous pictures, congratulations on Top 9!
Thank you Sandra!
What fantastic tips! I just need to invest in a decent camera.. At the moment I take my photos with my iPhone cause I don’t have a decent camera :(
Thank you Liam! For now you can use the phone camera to practice composition :)
I totally agree with you – if you want to take better photos take time. I remember one afternoon swearing up a storm trying to take a good photo of something I made. It took me over 2 hours to get a shot I was happy with, but I learned a lot in the process!
Hi Julie,
I’ve had plenty of those moments or should I say hours of frustration that in the end turned into a lesson.
Congratulations on Top 9!! Gorgeous photos as always! =]
Thanks Ky!
Your picture of the apple is fabulous. So many great tips here, too. I went through a phase of being extremely frustrated with this aspect of blogging but learned to embrace the challenge. Now I am having so much fun learning. I still have a long way to go but it sure is so much better when you enjoy what you do. You are absolutely right–putting time in is key. :)
Hi Jean,
Glad you learned and embraced the challenge. Good for you for enjoying and learning at the same time. Thank you :)
It’s true. Practice really does make perfect. Or at least that’s what I keep telling myself. ;=)
Fantastic tips…as always! Love all of these, but the apple shot is just stunning!
Thank you!