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| Sunday, 28 November 2004 |
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Enigmatic, intriguing, exciting... amateur photographer Jagath Dheerasekera who has chosen black and white as his favoured mode of photography, frames Sri Lankan life in black and white and puts it on display at the Sri Lankan Embassy in Sweden in a unique exhibition titled Camerasketches. Scheduled to commence on December 3 and continue till the 8, the exhibition features more than 60 photographs, which Dheerasekera describes as 'glimpse of life of islanders'. Dheerasekera, who counts Henry Cartier-Bresson as his photographic legend because of his photographic greatness and his sensitivity to people, loves nature art and archeology and prefers candid, street, people and landscape photography - all of which are on display at the exhibition. Though an amateur, Dheerasekera's photographic work has been displayed in several international exhibitions including the Royal Photographic Society of UK and the Hasselblad Austrian Super Circuit. Camerasketches is his maiden solo exhibition and is supported by Mobitel, Kodak and SriLankan Airlines. ***** Clicking tips Move in closer.
Each time you spot a subject, snap a shot and then move in closer for a better shot. Having your subject almost fill the frame helps your viewer understand and appreciate your photo. Be quick If it is at all possible that your subject may fly away, stop smiling, bolt, or just get tired of waiting for you to take the picture, shoot once right away. Practice getting quicker and quicker to the draw. Do not worry so much about wasting film and do not wait until you're absolutely certain all the knobs and buttons are in their correct position. Compose your work of art
Even if you don't plan on selling your photo, make an effort to keep it balanced and beautiful; on one level or another, everyone responds better to a picture that has all elements in balance or that leads the eye along an interesting path through the photo. For starters: * Keep the horizon level *Crop out extra elements that you are not interested in *Consciously place your subject where you think it most belongs rather than just accepting it wherever it happens to land in the photo * Play with perspective so that all lines show a pattern or lead the eye to your main subject Focus on your subject
Practice shooting with different apertures and monitor the results from the lab to learn how depth-of-field effects your photo. You will find that a smaller depth-of-field (and smaller f-stop #) focuses all the attention upon your subject. This is great for taking a picture of your friend, your dog, or your dad; subjects stand out against a blurry background. Likewise, you will find that a greater depth-of-field (bigger f-stop number) will make everything from here to eternity appear in focus. This will help make those landscapes fascinating and lovely to look at. Look at the light
Look at the kind of light you are working with. Which way are the shadows falling? Unless you want a silhouette effect, where your subject is black against an interesting background, it's generally best to shoot with the sun behind you. Keep it simple While you may wish to have 'all the bells and whistles' available just in case, you will probably get the best results if you do not try to use them all the time and instead learn a simple set up that works best for you in most situations. This doesn't necessarily mean keeping your camera set on program; while this mode may be perfect in its simplicity, it may be frustrating in its tyrannical control. Instead of relying on a fully automatic program, pick a simple, semi-automatic program such as aperture-priority and master shooting in that mode. Then, you'll be able to control certain basics without letting the other basics control you, and thus keep that 150 page manual where it belongs - in your camera bag. Tip: If you want one accessory, bring a tripod. This one item can solve camera shake issues and help you get beautiful evening shots. |
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