Shelby McPhee

• Make sure that the viewer can easily recognize the subject or purpose of your photo.

In this photo there are too many people and distractions that the viewer doesn’t know what the main subject of this photo is.

In this shot it is very clear that the main subject is the dog. The viewer

knows directly what they are supposed to be looking at and what the purpose

of the photo is.

• Make sure that your audience knows exactly what they are supposed to be looking at in your photo.

• Don’t have too many different objects or colors in your photo to make it confusing.

In this photo the background can be kind of distracting. The water tower in the back takes your eye

off the main subject in the picture.

In this photo I have limited the distractions because it is a

closer up shot and your main focus is on the subject. I

eliminated the water tower so that now there are no

background distractions.

• Think of a grid pattern when focusing on your photo.

• Position your subject where the lines intersect.

This picture is not a good example of rules of thirds because the cat is

completely centered. The cat is not lined up with the grid pattern.

This is a good example of rules of thirds because the main subject is positioned

where the lines on the grid would intersect.

• Explicit: Lines that you actually see in the picture.

• Implicit: These lines are imaginary or invisible, but are

used to draw your eye through the picture even though they are not really

there.

This picture shows lines from the locker that are visible

throughout the picture

This picture shows implicit lines because the pictures on the wall form an imaginary line that draws your eye

along.

• Deep: The entire picture is clear and you can focus on

everything in the photo. It has more F stop.

• Shallow: The subject that you are focusing on is clear while the rest of the picture is blurry. It has

a low F stop.

I chose this photo because the entire picture is clear and the viewer is able to focus on everything in the photo.

This picture represents a shallow shot because the flowers are clear while the

background is blurry.

• Make sure that when you set up your shot your whole frame is filled. Make sure you

have enough of your frame filled so that it is not boring for your audience.

This picture is a good example of filling the frame because it has

enough of the frame filled up so it is not boring for

the audience.

This is not a good example of filling the headroom because the subject is too little and there are too many other distractions

and objects in the picture.

• Extreme Long Shot (XLS) – This shot shows the

environment and is a good shot use while taking landscapes.

• Long Shot (LS) – This shot shows the background still but also shows the subject from

head to toe. This shot is an example of a long shot because you can still see the background and

also see the subject’s whole

body.

This photo is a good example of an extreme

long shot because it shows the

environment.

• Medium Shot (MS) – The purpose of this shot is to bring the subject closer to the viewer. This shot shows the subject

from the waist and up.

• Close Up Shot (CU) – This shot is a head and shoulders

shot which includes the subjects shoulders and neck.

This shot shows the subject’s head shoulders

and neck.

This shot demonstrates

the subject from the waist

and up.

• Extreme Close Up – This shot is considered an “in your face shot.” This shot has only part of the head showing and it must have shoulders showing. This shot is also good for

showing emotion.

This photo is an “in your face shot” and only has

part of the head showing. This photo is great for

showing emotion.

• Subjective Angle – In this angle the

subject is looking at the viewer. This angle creates an

interaction.

• Objective Angle – This angle shows the

subject but they are not looking directly at the camera. You have to make sure to leave

room in your picture so your audience knows

what the subject is looking at.

This photo has the subject looking directly at the

viewer which makes the viewer able to connect

more to the subject.

This photo demonstrates an objective angle where the subject is looking at the trophy case and are

not looking directly at the camera.

• Low Angle – This angle gives the subject

a feeling of power or importance, making

the subject look bigger, solid, or

intimidating.

• High Angle – This angle leaves the subject feeling of less importance and making the subject look smaller and

dominated.

This photo is a good example of a low angle shot because it

makes the subject look big and intimidating.

This shot demonstrates a high angle because the

subject looks smaller and dominated.

• Oblique Angle – This angle creates more interesting composition, as in tilt and diagonal

shots.

This shot demonstrates an oblique angle because the subject is on a

tilt which creates a more interesting photo.

• Lighting is a big part of photos. It can work to your

advantage but can also be a disadvantage at times.

• Outdoor lighting is the best type of lighting to take pictures in because it is natural and is easier

to not get so many glares.

This is a good example of outdoor lighting. It is very natural and has

lots of color and different shadows.