You all know I'm an opinionated old (creeping up on 65) grouch. Maybe you also know that I'm a mid-level amateur photographer.
It also happens that over the last few decades I've done lots of photo presentations, such as for the kids' XC and soccer teams. Put some stuff together for my Dad's funeral services. Currently working on photos for MIL's 90th next month, and my Mom's 90th in June.
I've learned a lot about what makes a photo good from that point of view. So here's what the old guy is going to tell you about taking photos, and making them worth looking at in 10-20 years and more:
1) Ease up on scenery.
I'm the world's worst on this. I love sunsets and outdoor shots and the like. I'll burn lots of DSLR shutters flops on airplanes and museums and majestic views.
Guess what? For the most part, no one cares. Or, at most, you'll get Facebook likes or TexAgs stars for a few days, then it's passe. People want to see the sights for themselves. Or they'll go to a web site where someone a lot better than you posts photos.
My MIL, for instance, did a year study abroad in France in the early 1950s. We have a ton of photos of churches and museums. Totally useless. The photos are small and grainy and mean nothing to us. You know what would have made them meaningful?
2) People
Now if MIL had taken a photo of the Eiffel Tower, with her in the foreground, that would have been something worth keeping. Go ahead and take that shot of the wonderful vista you see....but for Pete's sake, put your wife and kids in the foreground. And when you do:
3) Get close to the subject
On the few photos of MIL's that have people in them, the cathedral or whatever takes up 99% of the frame. The people maybe 2-3%. Remember, the person is who your grand kids want to see, not the building. Get them close enough that the people are the focal point, the monument or whatever is background. And please, please,please, please FOCUS!
4) Include common objects.
Some of my Dad's photos are very cool because of the common things that were accidentally caught in the background. Mom took a photo of Dad and my older brother, age 2. They were standing in the drive way next to Dad's '54 Chevy pickup, with a custom double stack bumper of some sort.
I'm sure that Mom and Dad, at the time, weren't really thinking about the pickup, but as a car nut, I loved seeing the old truck, and learning what Dad drove at the time.
I'm sure a lot of you are thinking that a 2019 pickup isn't that interesting. Do it anyway for your grand-kids. Think how cool it would be to see your granddad with his pride and joy 1969 Chevy. They'll be the same way about your 2019 when 2069 rolls around.
As a farmer, this really hits me. I love seeing the old equipment that Dad used, and how he modified it. And I'm well aware that the stuff that was so new and shiny to me a few years ago is quickly becoming outdated.
On one of the photo threads I'll link below, a guy posted a photo of his dad or uncle, standing next to another relative on a tractor. The one standing was in uniform, on his way to report back to his unit in WWII.
You can't beat that kind of photo.
Take everything, your kitchen, your workshop, the kid's toys...but make sure the kids and family are in the photos, too.
5) Include special places or objects
MIL was in France in 1952. Took zero photos of any war time damage or battlefields. Really? But, more to this board, how visible was your gun in the last deer kill photo you took? Did you take a photo of the blind, or the hunting camp?
The place I grew up on had a 1920s house, a 1930s barn, and other outbuildings. Mom and Dad built a new house in late 1959, and cleaned up the other outbuildings through the years. I would have loved more photos showing the old place as it was, and as it evolved. Same goes for my grandparent's farms.
Didn't we just have a poster here trying to figure out which gun was his dad's and which was his granddad's? What if they'd prominently featured the gun in a deer kill shot, or taken close photos of the custom features?
We've also just had a thread about "heritage" guns. Your grand-kid will be thrilled to inherit your special rifle. He'll be more thrilled to also have a photo of you holding it.
6) LABELS!
Yeah, trying to figure out who is who in 80-year-old pictures is a pain. We even ran across some unlabeled tintype photos. Good luck getting ID on a photo that was made in 1890 or earlier. Names, dates, locations, please!
More unneeded, unsolicited advice to come, I'm sure. Add your photo advice below.
It also happens that over the last few decades I've done lots of photo presentations, such as for the kids' XC and soccer teams. Put some stuff together for my Dad's funeral services. Currently working on photos for MIL's 90th next month, and my Mom's 90th in June.
I've learned a lot about what makes a photo good from that point of view. So here's what the old guy is going to tell you about taking photos, and making them worth looking at in 10-20 years and more:
1) Ease up on scenery.
I'm the world's worst on this. I love sunsets and outdoor shots and the like. I'll burn lots of DSLR shutters flops on airplanes and museums and majestic views.
Guess what? For the most part, no one cares. Or, at most, you'll get Facebook likes or TexAgs stars for a few days, then it's passe. People want to see the sights for themselves. Or they'll go to a web site where someone a lot better than you posts photos.
My MIL, for instance, did a year study abroad in France in the early 1950s. We have a ton of photos of churches and museums. Totally useless. The photos are small and grainy and mean nothing to us. You know what would have made them meaningful?
2) People
Now if MIL had taken a photo of the Eiffel Tower, with her in the foreground, that would have been something worth keeping. Go ahead and take that shot of the wonderful vista you see....but for Pete's sake, put your wife and kids in the foreground. And when you do:
3) Get close to the subject
On the few photos of MIL's that have people in them, the cathedral or whatever takes up 99% of the frame. The people maybe 2-3%. Remember, the person is who your grand kids want to see, not the building. Get them close enough that the people are the focal point, the monument or whatever is background. And please, please,please, please FOCUS!
4) Include common objects.
Some of my Dad's photos are very cool because of the common things that were accidentally caught in the background. Mom took a photo of Dad and my older brother, age 2. They were standing in the drive way next to Dad's '54 Chevy pickup, with a custom double stack bumper of some sort.
I'm sure that Mom and Dad, at the time, weren't really thinking about the pickup, but as a car nut, I loved seeing the old truck, and learning what Dad drove at the time.
I'm sure a lot of you are thinking that a 2019 pickup isn't that interesting. Do it anyway for your grand-kids. Think how cool it would be to see your granddad with his pride and joy 1969 Chevy. They'll be the same way about your 2019 when 2069 rolls around.
As a farmer, this really hits me. I love seeing the old equipment that Dad used, and how he modified it. And I'm well aware that the stuff that was so new and shiny to me a few years ago is quickly becoming outdated.
On one of the photo threads I'll link below, a guy posted a photo of his dad or uncle, standing next to another relative on a tractor. The one standing was in uniform, on his way to report back to his unit in WWII.
You can't beat that kind of photo.
Take everything, your kitchen, your workshop, the kid's toys...but make sure the kids and family are in the photos, too.
5) Include special places or objects
MIL was in France in 1952. Took zero photos of any war time damage or battlefields. Really? But, more to this board, how visible was your gun in the last deer kill photo you took? Did you take a photo of the blind, or the hunting camp?
The place I grew up on had a 1920s house, a 1930s barn, and other outbuildings. Mom and Dad built a new house in late 1959, and cleaned up the other outbuildings through the years. I would have loved more photos showing the old place as it was, and as it evolved. Same goes for my grandparent's farms.
Didn't we just have a poster here trying to figure out which gun was his dad's and which was his granddad's? What if they'd prominently featured the gun in a deer kill shot, or taken close photos of the custom features?
We've also just had a thread about "heritage" guns. Your grand-kid will be thrilled to inherit your special rifle. He'll be more thrilled to also have a photo of you holding it.
6) LABELS!
Yeah, trying to figure out who is who in 80-year-old pictures is a pain. We even ran across some unlabeled tintype photos. Good luck getting ID on a photo that was made in 1890 or earlier. Names, dates, locations, please!
More unneeded, unsolicited advice to come, I'm sure. Add your photo advice below.
