Pride celebrations are amount the most colorful events in the world. From passionate protests to outrageous drag to flamboyant expressions of sexuality to gay families with kids, you will discover everything under the sun. So the source material for our “My Pride” photo challenge could not be better. However, like anything else in life, technique matters. So we asked our friends at Photovision, a nonprofit that advances documentary photography and storytelling, to contribute to “Tips & Tricks.” The following essay was written by Melanie Light and Adrianne Koteen of Fotovision.
June will be an exciting and wonderful month with so many Gay Pride activities happening in the streets. You will want to be out there recording those special moments of fun, inspiration and shared community with your camera. And you’ll want to share your best pix with your friends and families, so we thought we’d provide you with a few easy but really effective tips and tricks for taking your photography to the next level.
Before you even go out, it is really worth taking the time to just look through the lcd display or viewfinder of your camera. Try simply pointing it at a friend to see what your camera is seeing. What is at the edges of the frame? What is behind your friend’s face? Often, we see what we want to see in the frame and forget that the camera is just a machine. It’s up to the photographer to put the right elements into the picture frame.
Out on the street during a festival, there are shots you take simply to document the event or spontaneously capture the moment, but the best images are the result of conscious observation. It can be tricky dividing your attention between being in the moment and observing the moment. Most shots will be just for fun, but if you find something that you love or attracts your eye, stay with it as long as you can.
The best street photography involves great timing to capture moments and it’ll be easier for you to hit the shutter at the right second if you allow yourself to follow the energy and rhythm of the people around you. It’s a dance and you can let yourself go – move to get the right angle, talk and be a part of the action. Let your finger work the shutter freely and intuitively; click before, during and after the decisive moment.
A particular strength of pride celebration is just that – pride!! That means, people are ready to have their picture taken. In many ways it’s a photographer’s dream to have colors, costumes and rich human interactions flowing all around. Here’s your chance to stop someone and ask for a portrait just the way you want it. Don’t be afraid to direct the shot and ask your subject to move to a better spot. If, however, someone does not want their photo taken, smile, be ready to delete the photo and move on.
Things to consider:
Source and Direction of Light: generally you want to shoot with the sun behind you; be conscious of shadows falling across your subjects’ faces.
Framing: try to have a central focus for your composition; look to see if there are environmental elements like a tree or a streetlight sticking out from the head of your subject; find a way to create a bit of distance between your subject and what is around them. When shooting portraits, distracting backgrounds or unwanted elements at the edges of the frame can ruin a great shot. You can usually crop out later, but you’ll only make more work for yourself and lose image quality.
Connect with your Subject: You can go for the natural, spontaneous shot or a more posed, formal portrait. Either way, don’t be afraid to talk to the person and take more shots than you think you’ll need to get the right one. Ask them to try different poses. Sometimes talking to them about what they’re doing will help to bring out their unique character.
Crowds: These scenes can be tricky because there is no place for the eye to rest and the resulting image can be a blur of people. Try a creative approach. Tilt the camera to get an interesting angle; climb up so you can shoot down on the crowd or pretend you’re a five year old and shoot upward. Above all, be sure there is one vital element in the shot that your eye is drawn toward.
Gay Pride is partly about wanting to see and be seen. As a photographer, you can really have fun and bring the beauty and power of this occasion to the rest of the world. Actively paying attention to the light and your camera’s frame, while capturing unique and dynamic portraits and imaginative crowd scenes will make all the difference.
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Melanie Light is founding executive director of Fotovision. She is also a writer, co-author of Coal Hollow as well as writings about photographers such as Hansel Mieth, Donna Ferrato and Micha Bar Am. She is currently working on a project about the Great Cental Valley in California.
Adrianne Koteen is program director of Fotovision. Ms. Koteen is a freelance photographer, educator and arts consultant. She worked as an editor and curator with the International Museum of Women, co-produced a documentary short on an artist in Nepal, and teaches international photography outreach workshops. Her photographic projects have been exhibited nationally.
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2009 Long Beach Pride photo domasan
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