Shooting Bird's Nest - Making The Best of Any Situation

On a recent trip to China, I got a chance to pay a visit to the National Stadium-”Bird’s Nest”, where 2008 Olympic Opening ceremony was held.

It’s a cold week day afternoon in the winter, I arrives at the stadium around 5:00pm, the air is hazy and heavy. To my disappointment, all adjacent areas around the Bird’s Nest are closed to public due to a Formula-One car racing event at the stadium that evening. Well, I just lost a great amount of point of views to shoot Bird’s Nest as planned. Only one venue is open-the promenade in front of the stadium where tourists gather. I have no choice but going there and make the best of the situation.

As I am walking down the promenade, trying to find a good shooting position, the Bird’s Nest went alive-the beautiful red and yellow lights lit up the whole stadium. I am filled with joy at the moment! What a roller coast ride-from disappointment to excitement. Usually, Bird’s Nest is not fully lit every evening. Thanks to the car racing event, it’s fully lit and I am here with my workhorse Canon 5D II, my 24-70mm and 70-200mm lens. Time to shoot.

I make a couple of wide angle shots, as shown above. To me, the images are just plain snaps, weak on energy and expression. What really caught my eyes is the lines, the curves and of course, the colorfulness of the stadium against the deep blue evening sky. Wide angle lens is definitely the wrong tool of choice to express these design elements in the photo, wide angle image includes too many distractions in the foreground like people, fences, trees, etc.

With the pre-visualized image in mind, I switch to 70-200mm lens and walk as close to the stadium as possible(leaning on the fences). At 200mm, I turn my camera and shoot the above images. You can clearly see the colors, curves, lines and textures. No distraction at all. By twisting the camera, I compose the image in which, the lines and curves run diagonally, making the image more dynamic and energetic. As rule of thumb, never forget to shoot both horizontal and vertical. It’s a good habit and practice, particularly if you shoot stock images.

Tip: Although most of our images are shot in color these days, it’s a good idea to think about the good old black and white from time to time. Especially, when you shoot a lot of night scenes or high contrast images, these are perfect candidates for black and white conversion. An excellent tool that does black and white conversion easily and gracefully, is Silver Efex Pro from Niksoftware, a plug-in for both photoshop and lightroom. The above images are the result of black white conversion using Silver Efex Pro.

Overall, Although I lost chances to shoot from different point of views of the Bird’s Nest, I managed to make the best efforts within the limits of the situation, and got some decent images. As photographers, we have to adapt and adjust to whatever the situation are throwing at us, and make the best of it.

William Yu

http://www.chinaphotoworkshop.com

10 Realistic Tips to Be a Better Photographer

by AHMED ANWAR on AUGUST 28, 2009

So, you’re the guy at all of the parties with the camera in the corner that is always snapping photos of everyone? Well, although that’s kind of creepy, it’s a good place to start. A question I hear all of the time is “How do I become better at photography? Look at all of those cool pictures up there, how do they look so good?” Well it’s not like anyone can wave a magic wand and have it happen for you. It takes a little while to build up to the level of professional.

Let’s get started with some tips to make you a better photographer. There’s no “order” of things to do to get better. Mix and match and play around with some of them and you should start to see progress.

1. Spark a “Photography Conversation”

You probably know that you’re not the best photographer in the world, and if you’re looking to achieve that status, you’re going to need a little help. Unless the people you run into are extremely mean, you will probably luck out with this tip. Asking anyone you see that has a camera questions about photography is not only a great conversation starter that will probably get you some new friends, it can also lead to valuable advice. People around you take pictures all the time and I’m sure if you ask politely, they’ll be willing to spill the beans on their techniques and tips. You don’t have to ask tourists at Disney how to take better photos but if you see someone carrying a nicer looking camera (an indicator of their interest in the field), it should be a safe bet that they’ll be willing to talk.

2. Read and Apply

Books and magazines are a great way to keep up to date on new camera gear and tips for the hobby. There are probably more magazines than you can imagine about photography and even more books in regards to the field. Head over to your local bookstore and see if they carry either. I can almost guarantee that they do. The people that write for these magazines have been taking photos for a long time and their tips and tricks are an invaluable tool in your arsenal. Don’t sit and read the whole thing in one sitting either. Read a bit and practice. You’ll retain all of the information much better if you practice what you were taught and then move on to the next thing.

3. Experiment with Lighting

Now that you’re taking photos of everything you may notice that when you upload your photos to your computer or go down to have them printed out, the lightning may be off in some of them. There are happy mediums of light for any given exposure and in your experimenting you may end up with some very poorly lit photos. But in the end, it’s all worth it. You can try by buying some standup lights for your setup shots in a studio or in your home or practicing with a reflector that will bounce natural light up on the subject’s face or region that needs to be photographed. There are plenty of online tools that can help you figure out what you need to better light your photos and just playing around with different light angles and filters can help you get a better feel for how a photo should turn out.

4. Set Up a Studio

Now, let’s go into this whole “Be a better photographer” thing with the idea that you’re not looking to be a professional. But, even if you’re not wanting to take photography all the way to the point where you can quit your day job, you should still have a little professionalism in your hobby. Setting up a studio in your house or apartment is a great way to start understanding photography techniques. It doesn’t have to be anything big, just a backdrop (or multiple) and some lights that you can move around at will.

5. Avoid Overpriced Gear

Some people want to be photographers so badly that they think their current camera is a piece of junk and can’t do what they need. Wrong. The camera you have now is probably sufficient to get you by with what you’re looking to do. More often than not, ‘wannabe’ photographers go out and buy the most expensive Nikon or Sony they can find just because they think it will somehow make them better. While you may look cooler when walking around town with it, better gear does not make you a better photographer. Experience does. So put the notion out of your head that you need the most expensive lenses and camera bodies because some guy in a low-budget no-name camera store told you so.

6. Buy Better Gear

OK, the question that just popped into your head was “What the hell?” No, I’m not completely crazy. I know that the previous tip just told you to avoid buying new gear because you think you need it. Well that fact of the matter is, while you should avoid overpriced gear when you’re just starting out, at some point in time you’re going to need to ramp up your game. The low-level entry cameras that you buy from your local Wal-Mart and Best Buy are not going to hold you over if you want to get serious about this hobby. By all means hone your craft before you start looking to spend hundreds of dollars on a lens but if you’re already at the point where you need to start getting better photos out of your gear, it’s time for an upgrade. Companies like B and H Photo based out of New York City are a great resource for any photographer.

7. Take Criticism

One of the hardest things to do no matter what hobby or field you’re in is to take criticism. No one takes it well, I know. But it’s an essential part of growing as a photographer. Take some of the work you’ve done and post it on social sites like Facebook or Flickr. This will open you up to a much larger audience that can then tell you what they like and don’t like about a particular piece. Analyze the ones they do like and see what it is about those that makes them stand out. Take all of the elements of critique and areas of interest to your viewers and see if you can hone in on those in particular. This will help you get an eye for what you should be looking for in the lens.

8. Study Form

While you may be opposed to “corporate America” and how there is an ad around every corner in the subway station or on every billboard down the highway, you can actually learn something from all of this advertising. The photos that make it into our everyday life have more of an impact than you would care to think about. But what makes these photos “pop?” Take a look next time you’re waiting for a train or driving down the road. These photos had enough of an impact that a company was willing to put them all across the country for everyone to see. There must be something about them that makes them special.

9. Photo Editing

While photos in their raw form can often be the most beautiful, a lot of magic happens in post-production. Programs like Adobe Photoshop or even the free software, GIMP, can work wonders can take place after a photo has been uploaded to your computer. A lot of photos that you love and admire are more than likely products of post-production. It may sadden you to learn that the beauty you’re trying to achieve through a photo may actually only be possible to get when you sit down and edit the hell out of it. Imperfections are easily fixed and depending on whether or not you want to start a career in photography, you may have to “stoop down to their level.” Learning how to properly edit photos from great to fabulous is an art form in itself.

10. Be Yourself

Above all else, just be yourself when you’re taking photos. Don’t try to pretend that you’re a famous photographer that you’re not. Your art and expression will shine through even if you’re not the most well known photographer on the planet. Take pride in your work and work hard towards the ultimate goal of being better but don’t lose sight and give up just because your first photos are terrible. It takes time and if you take the time to enjoy what you’re doing, your photographic skills will increase ten-fold.

Those were some tips that will help you get started in the field of photography. If you have any that you would like to add, feel free to drop a comment below.

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