Tricky subjects to shoot

[olivermoss]

Portland has a lot of stairs and I've been up and down them a lot recently. I think they are cool, but I find them hard to shoot. It's frustrating to find good compositions for them.

Do you have any subjects you shoot a lot, but you feel that you haven't figured out how to best shoot it? I just isn't popping or reading right?

Comments

Bluebells!

[jbanana]

There are lots of bluebells at this time of year, and they are fascinating to look at, but I can't get a decent photo. Shooting one stem doesn't really work because the flower heads are small and pale. Where there are thousands of them it's hard to get a photo of the carpet effect they give because there are always bits of tree in the way.

With the stars, maybe try from very low down to get an exaggerated perspective?

Re: Bluebells!

[olivermoss]

I've done low perspective a few times. I tend to not like those shots. Maybe for a really, really long set of stairs it would be fun.

Delicate flowers are hard. In a field they are also texture against texture, which can make a visual mess. I shot some trillium while I was out. I thought I had a good shot, but looking at it at home I realized that if I'd shot it from another angle, the flowers would have popped a lot more.

[kay_brooke]

I have trouble with stairs, too. The image is (necessarily!) flattened and just doesn't capture the dimensions well. I can take a picture of a steep trail up the side of a hill to show how steep it is, but in the picture it just looks like a slight incline. I'm not a good enough photographer to know how to fix it or if there's even a way to fix it.

Also, trees and leaves in the way of shots. It's their right to be there, they're trees, but it can be frustrating. I like going out in early spring and late fall just because there aren't so many leaves obstructing the view.

[olivermoss]

Trails are hard in general, I find. It's hard to get the depth to read well. I am always looking for views along a trail that might make them read well. This is my best attempt. I haven't gotten a good one of steepness yet.

There are some places I shoot in winter to have less leaves in the way, like some abandoned houses.

[lazaefair]

Seconded on the suggestion to change perspective. For me, if I can't seem to make a subject pop, the first thing I'll try is to crouch down or even lie down. Failing that, find somewhere to climb to get a high-angle perspective. (Obligatory reminder: safety first.)

Another trick is to find a small-ish, interesting-looking object nearby and photograph that in the foreground with the bigger landscape or architectural element in the background.

Relatedly, open up your aperture to get that shallow depth-of-field, find one cool detail on your subject, and focus on that while the rest of the subject fills the background with creamy bokeh goodness.

And failing all of that, go full Wes Anderson and just put it perfectly in the middle of the frame. I actually like your top photo a lot, but I'd crop it so the stairs are just a skoche more towards the center.

[olivermoss]

Using a detail as a focal point would be good, but there wasn't much out there. Cropping a few might work, especially as I was shooting in 3:4 and 5:7 would likely be a better aspect ratio. I should set my camera to 5:7 next time and see if that works better.

[lazaefair]

Any of the ferns hanging off the left-hand banks would've worked, as would any of the clumps of plants growing on the steps. Or the moss - that always offers up interesting textures.

Would definitely suggest getting on your knees or crouching next time. Make them into giant's stairs, forbiddingly tall, crowned with towering trees. Or the opposite: shoot from the top of the steps while crouched, make people really feel that potential fall.

Another idea is to back way, way, way up and shoot the stairs from a distance - very small in the center of frame, surrounded by an ocean of green.

[leesa_perrie]

Stairs can be very tricky and I've yet to sucessfully master them myself! I also struggle with trees. I love trees, I love weird looking trees especially, and try to be creative in direction and angle of shots, but even so, the majority come out quite boring really. *shrugs*

Oh, and my friend has some degus. They are small rodents and they a) move very fast and b) are very curious. Stick a camera too close and you just get a face full of degu (and watch any straps hanging down as they'll chew through them given half a chance)! I have many far too close ups of them, and many more blurred moving out of shot ones too!! Still, they do stay still occasionally and I have some good shots - but yeah, they can be a pain!! :D

[olivermoss]

Trees are hard to shoot. They are very, very tall so fitting everything in can make for terrible compositions. I often wish I could get more whole trees instead of just trunks in my shots, but the only way to do so is suing very fantastical angles.

[highlander_ii]

I agree about stairs (1 2 3) The 1st 2 are the same set of stairs, I think, just slightly different angles and I think I shot them from the tour boat on the river. The 3rd is one that I really like that manages to work b/c of the dark recess the stairs disappear into. Without that, it would've have any depth and would just be 'some steps'.

Tall things, in general, are hard - b/c you either have to stand so far away you lose detail, or you have to do a shot where you cut off part of the subject.

I haven't been to a game in a while, but hockey players move so darn fast that they're hard to shoot, even with fast shudder and wide open aperture. Also, if you're not the fancy photog for the arena or the team or the news or whatever, you have to shoot through the glass, which is always foggy and scratched. (don't get me wrong - i'm glad the glass is there for all the safety reasons, but it gets in the way of cool photography *g*)

[olivermoss]

Great shots! That 3rd one is great. There is a real sense of the stairs leading from one type of place to another.

There are stairs in Portland with like 100 steps or more. They are a real challenge. Both shooting and walking. I did two stair cases this over 275 steps this week.

Moving subjects is a pain. Sports photography is hard. I've never done it. Closest I've done is concert photography, but they move a lot slower :)

[highlander_ii]

Thanx!

I've shot hockey and baseball. Baseball is considerably easier b/c they don't move so fast or as much. But I had to shoot through protective netting, which, fortunately, the camera manages to not focus on, so it sort of 'disappears'. Hockey though - they're so fast.

[stargatesg1971]

It’s difficult to get a good shot on stairs but as others have said, a change of perspective can make a huge difference in composition, the textures and colours pop differently too.

I find disappearing roads can be tricky to get right, but I love having a go at them.