Photography News 16

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Round 3: Close-ups Famous photojournalist and co-founder of Magnum Photos Robert Capa once said: “If your pictures aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough.” This round is all about getting in close

This round is not necessarily about macro photography and, of course, tiny objects recorded in close proximity do count, but close-up here also means the minimum focusing distance of your non- macro lenses too. In turn, this means a very wide range of subjects is available to explore. Good composition is key to every successful photograph and what you include in your images always needs care and consideration. With landscape you can use lead-in lines to guide the viewer to the image’s focal point, while with portraits it is all about using the eyes. Shooting close-ups the disciplines can be slightly different. Lead-in lines, the rule of thirds and the golden section can all work but shooting close-up also demands more consideration of characteristics like colour, texture and the interaction of highlights and shadow details. You also have to be careful what is included in the final composition but even more importantly work hard on what you exclude. Little intrusions can have a massive negative impact on an image so try variations of cropping to see what works best. If you are using an image-editing software like Adobe Lightroom you are working non-destructively and if you make virtual copies (Photo>Create Virtual Copy) you can try any number of variations and compare them before outputting them to TIFFs or JPEGs. Working on the adage ‘less is more’ won’t harm your pictures at all; on the contrary it could give your photographs much more impact so don’t be afraid wield the crop tool and make sure your entries are as strong as possible. IMAGEOFTHEMONTH Colin Jarvis Preston Photographic Society

ABOVE LEFTWhy not shoot everyday objects that you find out and about in a creative manner? Think about the patterns and lines you can create. ABOVE RIGHT You might try a colourful close-up of a blooming flower or other natural subject; notice how sharp the flower is, with use of a shallow depth-of-field. LEFT Choosing one subject and zooming in your lens can create a dramatic effect but don’t forget about your background.

Wow! Thanks to the many clubs and societies who have entered the Camera Club of the Year contest so far. We have had a fabulous response so thank you. With hundreds of images uploaded for Round 1, Water, it was a real challenge picking our favourite but in the end the judges went for this peaceful study. The image’s tranquillity and monochromatic feel appealed hugely. Well done to Colin on his lovely composition. If your club hasn’t entered yet, don’t worry there is still plenty of time to register and upload images. The ultimate closing date for the contest is 5 May 2015, by which time we will have 25 images from every club. Before signing off, apologies to those who experienced teething problems during Round 1. All sorted now, but if you encounter any problems, let us know.

It was a real challenge picking our favourite but in the end the judges went for this peaceful study

Issue 16 | Photography News