By Joe Damone

I take my camera out daily to photograph the scenery and people of our lovely town, as practice makes perfect. I love to create images, submit them to the local papers and post them on social media, or make prints and hang them on the wall. You can do the same. One of the things I attempt to do is “make a picture” not take a picture. One way to “make a picture” is to photograph the subject from different points of view (see image #1).

In this image I photographed the trees from a low perspective and shot up, giving the image a more dynamic look.

The photographer can enhance a rather standard image of a forest by moving the camera or phone up and down or from side to side giving the trees a more artistic blurred look (see image #2). If your camera has a shutter priority setting (usually seen as an S), simply set the shutter speed to 1/15 – 1/30 of a second and experiment, or go out when it’s getting dark and the phone or camera may pick a slow shutter speed for you.

I also look for reflections on water, as wind moving over the water can make interesting ripple effects (see image #3).

Don’t forget to look for photo ops with your cat or dog. Because we are taller than our furry friends, we tend to shoot down at our subjects. Many times getting on your belly and shooting from a dog’s eye view will make a more interesting image. ~