Intro to Photography- Choosing a Subject
If you missed last weeks post, I encourage you to go check that out first! This is a continuation of my intro to photography series that I began in that post.
Once you've gotten your hands on a camera and are ready to venture into the wide world of photography, you might be sat there thinking, "what should I even take pictures of?". The short answer that I would give you is: anything and everything. Photography is about capturing the beauty of the visual world, and I think that anything, framed in the right way, can be beautiful.
Bygone (taken with a nikon z6 & Sigma 12-24 mm f/4.5-5.6 @ 12 mm, 1/1000 sec, f/11)
As an example, this rusted object that my brother found on the beach (which I have featured on the blog before!) might not be considered gorgeous, but through artful framing and composition, I made an image that I am quite proud of. With that being said, taking pictures of anything and everything isn't exactly the most helpful response, nor is it really feasible. What I mean by that more specifically is that, particularly when you are starting out, take pictures of anything that piques your interest. Just like with a sport, the more "reps" you have with working your creative brain, the better you will become at photography. If you can carry around your camera and do this to a tee, that would be awesome, but again, that may not be ideal. So, start out by simply taking pictures of your interests. For me, I was always interested in the outdoors and nature, so I started out taking pictures of nature. Concurrently, I have always been a big sports fan and have played sports since a young age, so sports were my other big training ground for photography.
An early favorite sports shot of mine from my first year in photography (taken with a nikon d5100 & nikon 55-200 f/4-5.6 @ 65 mm, 1/640 sec, f/4.2)
A Gorgerous hilltop sunrise shot, taken only a few weeks into my photography journey (taken with a nikon D5100 & nikon 18-55 mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 18 mm, 1/200 sec, f/7.1)
As you progress and gain more photography experience, you'll likely think of other things that you would enjoy taking pictures of. Your shots will also invariably improve in quality. You may also start looking at things slightly differently, perhaps taking pictures of subjects you never once thought you would find interesting. I certainly never saw myself taking pictures of a tire, and just a tire, but here we are.
racing tires up close (taken with a nikon z6 & nikon 70-200 mm f/2.8 @ 110 mm, 1/2000 sec, f/2.8)
Again, though, this was a shot fueled by my interests and experience in photography. My interest in sports grew to encompass motorsports, and I then had the opportunity to photography an INDYCAR race. Having been introduced to macro photography the year before, I saw a perfect opportunity to practice it. I think that sums up my point with this post: start out taking pictures of your interests; show the world what you love about them, and as time goes on, your photography will blossom with experience, and your portfolio of subjects will grow right along side of your interests. That's all for this post! I'll be back next week to start talking about how to make your pictures look even better once you've found a good subject!
