Introduction

Where to start? One place to begin is by looking through the viewfinder! A subject often looks different isolated in a viewfinder than it does when you see it surrounded by other objects.  It frames what is going on around us and allows for a new appreciation of the world.

What part of a scene attracts you? 

Is it the overall scene or the details and expressions on faces?  Do you want to capture the whole wall of a building or was it the graffiti that caught your attention?

How does your subject relate to its surroundings?  Is there a telephone pole coming out of someones head? Look for these things when you are framing your composition.

Often, a slight change in perspective will allow for an entirely different photograph!

A good portrait captures an expression, reveals a mood or tells something about that person.  Photographing close to home or with friends can be an easy play to start.

A tight cropping that shows only part of a scene can tell as much about people as a more conventional portrait.

How do you photograph a place?  Try to think about what you may want to remember about a place as a good basis for getting started.  Look at the scene from different angles, change your point of view and a subject may reveal something you didn't see at first.

Slow shutter speed (1/30 second) vs. fast shutter speed (1/500 second).

Here you can see the effect of opening or closing your aperture.  As shown in the picture, a wider aperture (lower f-stop) creates less depth of field while a smaller aperture (higher f-stop) creates more depth of field.  Remember what I said about Ansel Adams and the f. 64 club? They used the highest f-stop on their cameras (f/64) to capture the greatest depth of field in their landscape photographs of the American west.

This photograph demonstrates the effect of using a short focal length (18-50mm) vs. a longer focal length (80-135mm). Notice how the scene flattens out as the focal length increases. 

Here you can see the effect of increasing focal length (mm) from 17mm all the way to 1000mm.  Notice the degree of change even from 50mm - 85mm.  What focal length(s) is your lens?  

Read this short essay if you want to, it is highly recommended!

Photography Is Easy, Photography Is Difficult by Paul Graham.