I started this blog simply to encourage folk to spend a little time thinking about their photography. Cameras may be point-and-shoot but people don't need to be: Think and then point-and-shoot is a better approach.
One thing I've harped on while writing this blog is light and its quality. Is the light harsh, is it soft, is it clean or is it tainted with colour? Old fashioned tungsten bulbs, for instance, give pictures a yellow cast or even a reddish-orange look. Some modern lights are nicely colour balanced. When in doubt, consider shooting your pictures without the electric room lights. Turn the lights off.
Today my three-year-old granddaughter, Isla, got out a book with instructions on how to draw simple animals pictures. The book is aimed at young children. Isla loves the book and was soon drawing cats. The one she did of the cat on a pillow was especially good for a child her age. I got my camera. I needed to record this.
Isla told me to "hold it" and "wait." She ran over to the kitchen light switch and turned off the overhead pot lights. There was a lot of light pouring into the room through the large, kitchen window overlooking our backyard. "This will make the colour better," Isla told me. She turned toward the window and posed. The moment I saw the image on the back of the camera I knew she was right.
The little kid follows instructions well. Hey, one only has to look at her drawing of a cat on a pillow to know that. And clearly she's been listening and watching as I take pictures. Although, I am a little embarrassed that it was my granddaughter and not me who turned off the overhead pot lights.
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