Today we have a guest post from Marianne Drenthe who shares some thoughts on artistic approaches to photography. Lets learn how we can apply these ideas to child and family photography. What artistry in photography have you applied to your photos?

Artistic approaches in photography start before the photographer picks up the camera. Artistry in the photographic sense is a culmination of probably dozens of factors leading up to the execution of a shot. Every factor plays a role in a photographer’s vision and how they want to tell the story in an image. Here are just a few:

  1. KNOW IT! The dirty little secret is that it doesn’t matter WHAT camera you use. You can use a high tech pro level $8,000 digital SLR or a $100 point and shoot - if you don’t know how to use it there’s no way you’ll be able to take creative photos worthy of whatever vision you have going on in your head. Granted the $8,000 DSLR will give you bigger and prettier photo files but if your shot is out of focus your shot is out of focus. The best photographers in the world KNOW their cameras. As someone who is taking active interest in photography it will be so beneficial to buy a book or two (and read ‘em!), take a class, read the instruction manual, learn the basics of WHY your camera functions how it functions. It will serve you well when doing - THE FUN STUFF.

  2. EXPERIMENT IN SEEING in the relatively inexpensive digital age of picture taking sometimes we rush too quickly to machine gun shoot without giving thought to WHAT or WHY we are shooting it. Experience “dry shooting”, turn your camera into your eyes. Don’t press the shutter release button, instead hold the camera up and see how the world looks with your eye looking through that lens. Do this periodically and in different settings.

  3. It sounds counterintuitive to my previous approach but you still should KEEP SHOOTING! The beauty of digital imaging is that frames shot cost little. Beyond the cost of the camera and memory (and lenses if you own one of those fancy DSLRs), taking pictures is relatively inexpensive. Be wary though, the more images you shoot - the more you must sort through. If you “experiment in seeing” you will have begun to wittle down those shots you may have taken and wasted had you not practiced the previous approach.
  4. WALK AROUND FOR INSPIRATION My favorite thing about photography? It’s portable! When I first started taking a more active approach to seeking out interesting things, locations, I began craving more inspiration. I wanted to try out new places, see new things. I would walk with my camera in hand and I shot whatever struck my fancy. I would give myself a limit on the number of frames I would shoot of a subject, I wouldn’t allow myself to shoot more than 2 or 3 shots of a subject and then I’d move along. It forced me to THINK before I pressed the shutter release button. Something that has served me well in the long run! Walking around, departing myself from the usual reality, allows me to see the world away from the usual things that take my attention. Focusing solely on becoming inspired helped me tell stories in the long run.

    5. “Next time you take photos of your toddler, whip out that camera and get on that babies’ level! Or perhaps get below your baby and shoot up towards him or her. Ginormous baby, anyone?”

  5. Based on my last statement…LOOK @ THINGS FROM ALL ANGLES. This is a biggie. It’s an obvious tip and is covered by other sites and other photographers so I won’t belabor the point but it’s true. Look at the various angles of a subject (easier with non moving targets obviously). Next time you take photos of your toddler, whip out that camera and get on that babies’ level! Or perhaps get below your baby and shoot up towards him or her. Ginormous baby, anyone?

  6. SIMPLIFY Isolate your subject in the frame, the more simple your composition and subject matter are the stronger and more direct your image will be.
  7. Finally, RECOGNIZE THAT CREATIVITY AND ARTISTRY ARE NOT ALWAYS INNATE, sometimes these qualities need to be cultivated and with practice they will become more pronounced. Not everyone is a natural shooter and some people never give themselves an opportunity to excel. Think fast, have camera on hand at all times and visualize through the lens. These three things will create more amazing photography opportunities for you than you could possibly imagine.

Thanks to Marianne Drenthe for guest posting. You can learn more about Marianne’s photography at Marmalade Photography

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