Welcome to Tall's Camera - one of the largest selections of Digital SLR's cameras, Compact Digital cameras, as well as a complete inventory of camera lenses, flash, tripods, camera bags and accessories in the Northwest.

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Welcome to Tall's Camera - one of the largest selections of Digital SLR's cameras, Compact Digital cameras, as well as a complete inventory of camera lenses, flash, tripods, camera bags and accessories in the Northwest.

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Compact Digital Cameras

Composition

It does not matter what type of camera you are using, composition matters. Composition is the organization of the visual elements in a picture. It�s the look and feel of the picture. Good composition is easiest to achieve when the photographer views the scene as the camera does. However, good pictures are not solely the product of good composition. Exposure, focus and the use of light all play a large role in the quality of picture.

Asking questions is a way of gathering answers. This works in photography as well. Ask yourself the 5 Ws as you are composing a shot. Who, What, When, Where, Why. Who or what are you taking a picture of? When? Is it day or night? Where? Where are you? Are you in a city or on a hike? Why? Why are you taking the picture? Are you trying to remember a moment? Or are you letting the artist inside out and capturing the beautiful landscape laid out in front of you?

Most visual design can be summed up into 6 design principles. Ask the 5Ws about these principles when you are composing a shot.

Balance. Is the scene symmetrical or asymmetrical? Are the right and left sides of the picture even, or is one side visually weighted? Even balance can make a scene easier to look at, while an off balance scene can add tension or contrast.

Proximity. The distance of objects from the edge of the picture and from each other can create a mood for the picture. Objects in close proximity give a sense of being busy while far apart can look slow and empty.

Scale. Large objects seem to come forward while small objects recede back. Objects of vastly different size, when placed close to each other, can have the effect of enhancing the largeness or smallness of the other object(s). Larger objects also can seem more important, especially when either alone in a scene, or next to smaller objects.

Repetition. Patterns or repetitive objects can have an interesting look. You can also use the lack of repetition to accomplish an opposite effect.

Contrast. Contrast can be in color, tone, objects�anything. Contrast is acheived by competing or strongly different elements and can also be interpreted as tension. A scene with off beat elements creates questions. The same holds true with tone and color contrast. Using opposite colors or tones can demand attention.

Cropping. The area around the subject is equally as important as the subject itself. Sometimes moving in close will help achieve better pictures. Eliminate the unneeded elements in the scene and this will allow you to focus in on the subject. Then again, backing away can allow more of the scene to enter and create an ambiance.

Check your corners. Before every shot, scan the edges of the viewfinder/ LCD screen to make sure you do not have any distracting objects in the picture; trees, lampposts, your thumb, ect... This will help eliminate unwanted objects and help your pictures look consistently better.

Typically, a simple background can help isolate the subject. This can help in instances such as portraits, sports and group shots. An out of focus background, plain wall or possibly a open sky are good examples.		Find a good placement for the horizon. This mainly applies when photographing landscapes but also anytime the horizon is a background element. A big sky can open up a scene, but is very empty, just as a sliver of sky can bring focus to the main part of the picture.

Rule of Thirds. A scene can be broken into thirds horizontally and vertically, similar to a tic-tac-toe board. Instead of placing your object in the center, place it in a third, then balance the scene with a secondary object in the opposing third. This will balance the frame without centering all the subjects. Try to visually weight your photographs in thirds which complement each other. Overall, your pictures will be more dymanic using this system than centering all your subjects.