Step 1: Previsualisation
Knowing the how the photographs would look like is important step as it will guide you in getting the shots you want. Even when you are just starting off as a newbie, look at 500px or 1x and get some inspiration! Okay okay, don't be discouraged. We all start from somewhere, the examples that I have shown you at those photo sharing websites are of high calibre. But you should end up there one day if you are determined enough to improve your compositional skills, technical handling and upgrade your gear once in a while to open new possibilities. You do not have to look far to find great examples of fantastic shots on Flickr and many other places.
Long story short, if you are inspired to do a certain shot, try it and make it look as how you have imagined it should have been. Prepare the things that you think you will need to get that picture. It can be as simple as a point and shoot camera to grab fleeting scenes on a street to a highly sophisticated studio set up for a family portrait shoot. Previsualisation will help you prepare for the shots that you will be making and maximising your chances when you are out there in the field. You do not want to be out there shooting when you realised that the battery is flat or you do not have a tripod for long exposure shots.
If you can't achieve it after trying everything you can on the camera, ask yourself if you do some post-processing to help yourself get the results? Sometimes the visual trick is enhanced in the post-processing process. Or is it the limitation of the equipment that you are experiencing. Always wanted to take a close up of that pretty flower or jumping spider? Then the solution might to get that macro lens, if that is too expensive, do consider using close-up filters, extension tubes or bellows, reverse mounting or even cropping in if you have the megapixels. However, with the creativity, you can improvise and made your own tools and equipment to get the images that you want.
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| Rows of old trees that along the heritage road, Yuan Ching Road, Singapore. |
After knowing what you want, the next has to be to take the photograph (obviously). In the next Part, Shooting!
