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A land without ruins is a land without memoriesa land without memories is a land without history. ~Abram Joseph Ryan

Why photograph old barns? What is the best way to capture them? Are people really interested in them? Let’s face it; old barns have so much character. Here in the United States and especially in California, old architecture is not that prevalent. New buildings seem to be everywhere! Old architecture is constantly being torn down while new cities arise. Not only this, but storms and the passage of time take them down too.

Recently, as I drove by and admired the most beautiful old red barn, I was compelled to photograph it. The barn is located in New Castle, California. Since environmental photographers are at the whim and mercy of the landlords, I knew I had to photograph it before a demolition transpired or a storm destroyed it. I strongly believe that old barns enhance the roadside and remind me of oil paintings of old.

Photographing architecture with diffused lighting (without hard shadows) is a great way to capture barns. Barns are too big for fill flash, so the time of day, lighting conditions, and camera setting are pretty important.

When photographing a barn, look for the best angle. Try to get the barn to fill up the whole image. If foliage is growing up over the barn, photograph it. Try to remember, the closer the better. We want to see the barn. As it is, the image is small–try to keep this in mind. If you learn to shoot bold photographs, you will have more to work with after the fact. You will have a better quality image with more detailed information. Make sure to leave a little bit of room for cropping. You want to have to option to format the image vertical, horizontal, or square.

Barns are part of our environment and trigger our thoughts of fond historical memories. Ruins tell us about the people who lived here before us. Photographing historical places makes for great images for custom postcards and family albums. Always remember, people love barns. Take pictures of what people love.

Debbie Jensen, Graphic Designer and Photographer http://www.debjensendesigns.com

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Good timing is one of the most important instincts a photographer should have. A good sense of timing for photographers is as important as saying the right word at the right time. By good timing, I’m not necessarily referring to the time of day; but more importantly, it is when the flower is at its peak and the full-bloom is fresh void of any wilting. Sometimes, buds make good photographs; but usually the full-bloom is considered to be the *peak* time to capture a flower’s beauty and visual essence. In photography, premium quality photography occurs when the *peak* moment is captured and frozen in time.

If you have the software, Photoshop or other equivalent software, don’t be overly concerned about flawed petals or tiny bugs or specks on the flower especially if you know how to clone them out. If you are not sure about taking this approach, then inspect the flower for imperfections and remove the damaged petals and small insects just prior to taking your picture. If you have a bottle to mist the flower, use it! Water droplets look awesome on flowers! Drops of dew and water drops are delightful and visually refreshing.

From experience, I have learned to take not-so-tight pictures of flowers, because the closer I get to them (with my camera anyway), the odds of experiencing distortions and blurred pictures increases. My best advice is to take six or more images of each flower (from different angles). Try some with the flash on and others with it off. Make sure to watch your background.

As far as getting close-up to the flower, if you have software to crop the image at homeso much better! If not, try to get as close as you can to the flower head. One more suggestion: try to leave a natural green frame around the flower. The greenery sets off the color just perfectly! Next time you see a beautiful flower, don’t procrastinate! Lost moments, photographically speaking, are a dime a dozen! (revised 2/15/2006)

Debbie Jensen, Photographer, Graphic Designer, Web Designer
http://www.debjensendesigns.com

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Photographing food is not much different than photographing anything else. Even though the average person is not too interested in taking close-ups of food, there are times when images of food are necessary. Typically, we see photographs of food as editorial illustrations in cookbooks, magazine recipes, and advertisements.

When food is photographed, the food should be freshly arranged and edible looking. For grilled food, the peak time to take images is from straight off the grill while it’s cooking and at the point it is ready to be pulled off the grill. The smoke adds to atmospheric perspective (which is a design concept) and adds interest and additional information to images.

If part of the barbeque grill shows, this is appropriate. We like to see what the food is resting on. The whole grill does not have to show because we get the idea. When taking pictures of cooked food, be mindful of photographing food from the best angle. Another tip, when photographing hot food, photograph the food while it is hot, it’ll look so much better. Then again, when photographing cold food such as salads, the cool moisture looks fresh and visually inviting.
Just as with people, food photographs better at certain angles. For instance, most wedding cakes have a front side. Caterers twist wedding cakes around to show off the best side.

Photographing food at wedding receptions is somewhat difficult. Most people are not interested in having images of the food necessarily, but they want indications of having it at their receptions. Showy buffet tables photograph okay; but most often, these photographs are not that interesting. Typically though, photographs of bridal couples by buffet tables or sitting at head tables with their plates of food before them (before they start to eat) are ideal shots. When food is implied in photographs, it puts the focus on people and not the food. Actually, this is a sophisticated way of photographically show food in a social setting.

To conclude, think of why you want to have pictures of food. If you are photographing food to illustrate a recipe or showcase a cuisine, take bold images of the food. Make sure the food is properly prepared and is presented aesthetically. If you want to photographically show food at an event, take pictures of the buffet table with people actively serving themselves. If you want to photograph what is on the plate, shoot down at a couple who has uneaten food on their plate and have them smile at the camera. As you can see, photographing food is easy if you think of creative ways to do it. (revised 2/15/2006)

Debbie Jensen, Graphic Designer and Photographer http://www.debjensendesigns.com

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