Sunday Snapshots: Spooning and Practicing Your Photography
How did you become such an awesome cook? And you bakers out there, how did you become such talented bakers? Practice of course. I may sound like a broken record but the importance of practicing your photography cannot be stressed enough. Like anything else, the more you do it the better you become. Today’s Sunday Snapshots is a combination of snapshots and photography tips.
Those of us in the Northern Hemisphere are enjoying longer days. Longer days mean more sunshine, which in turn means more hours to practice our photography. But remember that we don’t want direct sunshine on our subject. We want soft diffused light to prevent harsh shadows. (Extensive tutorial coming soon.)
This sunny day I took the opportunity to practice my photography and play around with new props. (The new props being these ceramic spoons.) But also my objective was to see how sunlight during this time of the day looked in my photos.
A great way of practicing and getting out of a rut is by experimenting with angles. Move around, above, below or straight onto your subject. Play around with the depth of field, see how it affects or what kind of mood is created by doing so.
Another way of practicing your photography is by experimenting with different backgrounds. In this case I’ve switched between two wooden tables. You can see here how the different colors and textures change the mood of the photos. The green leaves have also added another dimension to the photo.
In this shot, below, by angling the camera we can see more of the table’s texture. But also the angle has created a different direction of which the light is hitting the spoons. The color has also changed because the different angles bounce light off differently. Again these little things change the mood of the photo.
The last part of my practice session I had some fun with the photos. The way the golden late afternoon light was hitting the spoons created a romantic mood. I couldn’t help but see two spoon amantes or lovers…spooning. But seriously don’t ever forget that when it comes to your photography, having fun is the most important thing.
I hope you carve out some practice time this week. Have a fun Sunday everyone.
Lovely spoon pictures!
Cheers,
Rosa
Thank you Rosa!
Ah, diffuse light. thanks for the tip!
Yeppers ;)
Oh..I love that last click!!
Thank you Sanjeeta!
I really find it hard to carve out that time, as you say. But I know it’s important! Your gorgeous photos are a real inspiration!
Hi Frank,
Sorry to hear that. It is important, so even if you can only squeeze in 10 minutes that is better than nothing. Thank you:)
As always, gorgeous pictures, my dear, and fabulous tips!
Thanks for the post.
These are fantastic and I love your photos. That last one really creates the intended atmosphere. Thanks so much for these tips.
Thank you Suzi!
Great photos! I love the way the light changes in each shot.
Thank you Laura. It is pretty neat the way small changes can make a photo look so different.
Thank you for teaching something today. Beautiful pictures!
Thank you DB:)!
This is great advice. You are right I need to practice more. Deep down I know this now I just have to go out and do it.
Hi Emily,
We can all benefit from practice time. Thank you!
Very creative spoon photos and especially love the spoons spooning. How sweet, perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Vicki,
Thank you!
A stunning post Nancy!!! Loved the way you played with these simple spoons. Great tutorial as well :)
Hi Nandita,
Thank you and glad you enjoyed it.
Ah, Nancy…you inspire, as always.
Muchas gracias Victoria:)!
I love all your photography tutorials! I need to get a better table set up. I have to take my pictures too close up because I don’t have a proper set up. I am loving the longer daylight hours…makes it so much more fun to be able to take photos late into the evening. :)
Hi Ramona,
I did find that having a designated shooting area, with plenty of space, helps you zoom out. It’s good because then we aren’t limited with the space. The sun doesn’t set until 9 p.m. her so I also have plenty of light. Thanks!
Thanks for the tutorial. Down here we have just hit winter so artificial light it is. I thought later today I would blog on how I photograph dinner each night in artifical light and how to do it fast so the hungry mouths don’t start whining. It’s quite a juggle. I do need a few more table tops for variety. I love your wooden ones.
Hi Suzanne,
That’s right you’ve just started your winter. You should write that tutorial. Everyone always appreciates the photography tips from fellow bloggers. Let me know if you do it so I can link to it. Thanks!
It’s up now. I am such an amateur still but what I do might help someone else. Thanks for the link.
Okay, Thanks Suzanne. I’ll stop by.
Huge smile: pity you cannot see! Love the different variations, but naturally the spooning spoons are my favourite also :) ! Romantic as always! But, in all fairness, you have ‘missed’ the other variation of ‘spooning’?! Perchance that would have not made such a good photo . . .?
Hi Eha,
Lol!! But I have to keep it PG or G rating here:) Thanks for the giggle though.
thanks nancy for sharing the tips. loved all the clicks, especially the last one :-)
Hi Dassana,
Thank you:)
Nice examples … thank you for sharing!
Thank you Joan!
great tips, love the amantes! this is my goal practice,practice,practice!! now that we are settled I plan to play around with new props,tables scapes and really focus on my photos..
Thank Vianney!
All gorgeous, and great tips! I have so much trouble as far as shadow is concerned…as an artist, shadow is what creates dimension, along with highlights. With photography this can be so touchy…practice…yes Master :)
Lol, I’m far from master:)
I always get inspired when I visit your site. You make me want to get better. It’s such a long process learning photography. But so worthwhile. I enjoy playing with my camera. Not going to lie though, can’t wait to upgrade to a better one.
Hi Kim,
Glad to hear that you enjoy learning and playing with your camera. That is as important as practice. Thank you:)
Thanks for the tips Nancy, I always forget about shooting from different angles. I also like thinking about emphasizing different qualities when composing a photo;-)
Great minds think alike, right;) Thank you Patty!
Thanks for the great tips Nancy
Thanks!
Nancy, this is exactly what I’ve been working on. Light and angle. I’m always stuck with 50mm so I’m using different lenses (not fixed lenses) to see I could get improve my photography. Always any tips coming from you are great! Please, please keep them coming!! :-) Thank you!
Hi Nami,
Good for you Nami. You’re using a zoom lens then? I stopped using my zoom because it was too easy for me to stay in one spot and only use the zoom. With the prime lens, I mainly use a 50mm, it forces me to move around more. Thank you and I promise I will. There is so much to share:)
I absolutely love the last 2 photos. I get so down on my own photography. I feel like every time I take a step forward I take 2 steps back. I have so much to learn!
Hi Julie,
I feel the same way about my photography. Sometimes I look through my photos and think they are all horrible. But I guess what we both can take from the feeling is that it pushes us to learn more:) Thanks Julie!
Hi there stranger, your spoons are just too cute. Even though it has been staying light here till almost 9 the light in my new place is awful. I just can’t seem to find a good spot with natural daylight, so I might need to really figure out the artificial. One other problem is the place is so tiny I can’t find a spot to set up, can I just come over and hang out with you?
-Gina-
OMG it’s Gina :o So nice that you stopped by:) Sorry to hear about the bad light in your new place. Mine is actually pretty bad too. I’m constintantly moving around the flat to photograph my food. Luckily since summer is here I can now open the balcony and use that light. You might have to go outdoors too Gina:) Otherwise yeah come on over you’re always welcome here:)