Originally the enclave of the professional art photographer the medium of B&W is alluring. Photography in its purest sense is photographing a passage of time from 1/10 to 1/1000 of a second. It aims to capture a moment, some say a “defining” moment that creates a photograph that does not just record an event but captures something extra special. B&W suits this defined moment for it eliminates the “distraction” of colour and enables one to concentrate on photographing an image that can be moody, jubilant, frozen or blurred. It gives two dimensional paper depth and texture and places the viewer in a situation where one looks at a photograph from an emotive rather than factual context.The use of flash is best avoided for one uses natural light to capture a moment.

B&W tends to be the most expressive of all photography. It is brilliant for portraits, landscapes, capturing movement and expression. Try your camera at a sporting event…shoot the crowd, the expressions of players, the concentration. Visit a market, Rundle Mall or Victoria Square catch people being people…look for “odd” views, events and people interacting. Do not be afraid to bend horizons , catch things out of focus, purposefully blur.

The beauty of digital is that you can scrap images you are not happy with. Those of us brought up in the age of film wasted many a night on developing images that were useless. Do not be afraid of shooting 100 to 200 images just to get that one brilliant shot. However do not go to your shoot without a plan of what you wish to capture and photograph. You will wind up disappointed if you hammer of innumerable frames just hoping for something to happen.
When you do review your images look at what worked and what didn’t’. Pay attention to your mistakes and look at each mistake made as a valuable learning experience not just a frame to discard.

B&W photography is I believe the pinnacle of photographic enlightenment. It takes a long time to master “light” but the progress you make in this style of photography will be an immeasurable help in all other photographic pursuits.

Maternity Portraiture

Maternity photography if handled with care is a branch of photography that is beautiful to view. When photographing pregnant women one must ensure that you photograph the female form in the most complimentary way. Use natural light through windows. The pregnant rounded tummy at 6 months is incredibly beautiful if photographed well…especially in black and white. Have other members of the family lean up against the tummy. Always ensure the subject is comfortable with your photography and constantly ask for her ideas. If the partner is male, the use of hands around the pregnant tummy looks great.

Photographing Children and Pets

One of the most frustrating, yet enjoyable types of photography photographing children and pets can be frustrating but it is worth hanging in for that perfect shot.

With young children and babies, shoot around their home, garden or park. I suggest with babies just after a feed or sleep is best. Be prepared to use a lot of files and set your camera to shoot continuously, that way you will not miss a fleeting smile or expression. Set the baby up with toys, cuddly fluffy animals or just a bare floor or carpet. Holding the baby and comparing feet and hands with other family members create great photographs.

Shoot the nursery as it is…this will soon change as the child grows and you will have a lasting memory of this space. Please do not place your baby in a plant pot …it is so 1980’s. Black and white is great for child portraiture. When shooting children, catch them at play with toys, bicycles, scooters etc or have them running around the garden. Children are great to photograph blowing bubbles, running with balloons and jumping up and down on trampolines. A word of warning, do not shoot children and babies other than your own without with express consent of the child’s parents.

Remember photographing children does not mean they need to look at the camera. With pets the same shooting mode applies… lots of files and lots of time. Get down to the eye level of the pet and look to crop in tight on the face.

Be aware that photographing babies, children and pets require lots of patience and practice. Try and use a bright indoors situation and if possible shoot with a high ISO and avoid flash which tend to drain colour and of course leads to “red eye” issues.

Family groupings and portrait photos that look natural succeed.

Standing people in a line looking directly at the camera presents the viewer with a photo a “mug shot “look. Adelaide is blessed with a variety of parks, gardens and beaches that allow the creative family photographer plenty of opportunity to expand their photographic horizons. One of my favourite garden locations is the Botanic Park near the Adelaide Botanic Gardens. There is a multitude of trees and park settings to create lovely photos.

Outdoor Portrait Lighting

Always shoot in the shade, preferably early morning and late afternoon. Keep an eye on the background so you do not photograph rubbish bins, etc. Autumn is my favourite season for the park with the trees looking their Autumnal best. For the beach I suggest Largs and Grange. Both have excellent jetties (unique to Adelaide) and provide excellent launching pads for photography. Late afternoon is best using the sun to light faces looking westward to the sea.

Clothing Colours for Portraits

With clothing I always suggest blacks, white or pastels for colour. Bright colours tend to draw the viewer from the subjects as does clothing with large logos, stripes and thick horizontal bands. If photographing people who are overweight shoot from above. If you wish to make shorter people look tall shoot from below. With digital cameras it is easy to check for closed eyes and “blank” expressions.

When grouping the family ask them to walk away and back to the camera to create an informal feel. If posing for the camera arrange the subjects so they are at different heights, standing, sitting, squatting, etc. Create the opportunity so family members look at each other rather than the camera. Encouraging touching, cuddling and closeness conveys bonding and strong relationships. Split the groups up with separate photos of parents, siblings, babies and relatives.

These tips should help with your photographic outings and create family shots that are natural, fun and treasured.

If you wish to print a quality enlargement from your “digital negatives” or Jpeg files it is important that the file is “high resolution”. If not you will find the result to be very grainy and of poor quality. When checking on photographic packages that offer a CD of the prints ensure that that files are “High Res.”, do not contain “watermarks” and do not have software blocks which prevent you from printing.

Always keep the possible weather conditions in mind. Even if the forecast is for sunshine, if you are planning on having portrait photos taken outdoors, have an alternative, sheltered location in mind…just in case.

When investigating a location look for shade, visit the site around the time of day you will be there on your wedding day and look carefully into the distance from the location. Does it contain “ugly” details; for example electrical/mobile phone towers, rusty old fencing, advertising billboards and unattractive exteriors?