How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice

Yesterday I was surprised to receive from my ex sister-in-law an e-mail with pictures of a brand-new grandchild. How wonderful that we can communicate our joy so easily and quickly! Having not seen that side of my family for a few years, I was anxious to see how my nephew, whose new baby had just arrived, had grown into a man plus, of course, who the baby resembled.

I was disappointed to find that of the five images, only one was in focus and showed the baby clearly. Most were blurry, had people’s faces cut off or were generally disappointing.

Now, I know my sister-in-law has not only a digital camera but the ability to preview the images and retake them. I know she is intelligent and capable and wants to share her beautiful grandchild’s image. So what is going on here?

My guess is that she is so wrapped up in the subject and the moment that she cannot clearly see the results. It happens to all of us.

The answer, of course, is to practice — so that when we are under pressure, we perform automatically.

Practice is what separates “pros” from the rest of us: not their artistic sense, not their access to people we’ll never meet or places we can’t go and not their fancy cameras; it’s having done their homework and not letting their skills get rusty.

I’m not recommending that we all go out and spend a fortune on classes from the “master” or even read ourselves to sleep trying to learn the technicalities of photography. What I’m suggesting is that we practice with the camera we have, getting to know its capabilities and how to get the best pictures from it, and then practice some more.

Don’t put the camera on a shelf in the closet when you come home from a trip. Rather, look at your pictures critically and decide what went right or wrong. Take an hour now and again to go out and shoot anything which appeals to you.

I get in my car on nice evenings and drive a particularly scenic road near my home. If I have a little time to wait while someone dillydallies, I photograph flowers in my garden or my cats. I don’t always find a lot to photograph, but I concentrate on anything with potential, trying out different techniques. My digital camera can hold over 100 images, so why not use them all? I can sit down later on my computer and erase the errors and try to decide what I did right and what I did wrong.

Photo tips review

In this column in past issues, I have given you lots of hints on how to improve your technique. Here’s a quick review.

a) Remember your flash. Use your flash (strobe) to even out contrasty scenes (dark shade and harsh light), to stop motion, to illuminate a subject against a very bright background or to allow you to use a faster speed when light is low or it’s dark. Try fill flash, and remember the red-eye-reduction setting for people and animals.

b) Vary your view. Try both landscape (regular view) and portrait (vertical view) shots. Walk around your subject looking for the best side. Get up on something or kneel or sit down. Use your zoom.

c) Watch the background. Eliminate distractions, things merging with your subject, bright objects on the borders, and areas of intense light. Move the subject or move around it.

d) Watch the light. Middays are usually harsh, with few shadows to give depth; evening and morning light yields warmer colors and modeling shadows. High, light overcast is perfect for flowers and portraits, which look better without deep shadows or harsh highlights. A polarizing filter can deepen colors, remove glare and control light.

e) Don’t lose your head. The viewfinder of a point-and-shoot camera is slightly above and to the left of the lens. If you are close to your subject, you risk cutting off ears or feet or something just as painful. Leave more room around the subject to compensate.

So go out, take pictures, and on your next trip keep the camera handy and your new expertise will pay off. I’d love to hear from you, answer your questions to the best of my ability or just talk photography.