"Don't just TAKE a picture.... MAKE a picture" - Scott Bourne, Photographer
How did you take such a great photo of [insert child’s name or scene here]?? It's a question I often get asked.
These days, taking a photograph does not cost us anything. Previously there was film, which had to be bought and then developed, both at a cost. Thankfully, with digital, there is no cost to taking a photograph and so we all just press away without a second thought and then dump everything onto our Facebook and G+ page.
In the good old days of film, you had to think about each shot before you pressed the shutter button. Whereas today, most of us do not take the time to think about 'capturing a moment' before pressing the shutter. Sometimes taking a moment to pause allows us to take look around and take everything in. I find that some of the best photos come around when you actually take your eye away from the camera and view the scene, looking for 'the moment'.
Here’s something that confuses me every time I see it. When at a concert, why does everyone take out their mobile phone and start recording video?? I bet most of the videos taken this way are poor quality with even worse audio. Surely we should be there to enjoy the performance and atmosphere rather than watch the concert through our 5 inch mobile phone screen??
Likewise, often it’s best to put down the camera and look around for that decisive moment. This is especially true when photographing children who often change character when they notice a camera pointed at them.
So next time, try to look around for interesting scenes rather than shoot everything that around you.
