If you change the way you look at things the things you look at change
Albert Einstein said that and he was nobody's fool. When I read it the other day
absolutely sent me on fire, I was thinking of all of you guys who send me
messages saying 'I'm really good at my camera, I understand shutters and
apertures and ISOs and all that good stuff but I have real trouble seeing a
picture' and I just thought this is so relevant, because if you change the way
you look at something, the thing you look at changes. Now I think we all want to
grow and evolve as photographers, I mean I've never had many people come out to
me and say you know what my photos are just too exciting, exotic and amazing
I need to dull down a bit... we all want to evolve and grow - myself included
These are some of my own favorite personal shots, they're from workshops and photo-
shoots and I think I'm pretty good at photography, but I'm always looking for
ways to learn more and grow, and right now I want to go on a photo workshop
with someone who's an absolute master of a genre which I know little about
but to do that you've got to put in a bit effort, you've got to put a bit of time and practice
you've got to make time for YOU to be able to do it. So we're gonna go and look
at some exercises that you can do, some things you can try to change the way you
look at something - so the thing you're looking at changes, but you must do this
on your own. Don't think you can do it in a hurry, don't think I've got ten minutes
because it will not work. Don't think you'll do it while you're walking the
dog with your husband / partner / wife / whatever because it will drive them
insane! They don't understand the thinking and the work that has to go
into 'seeing' photos and I think many of you guys don't either. You sometimes have
this idea that myself and other photographers will just go around and go
click click click amazing picture - that's it
Yeah our keeper ratio is going to be higher simply because we practice what
I'm going to show you in a moment - many, many times over many, many years
Cameras don't take pictures, you take pictures using a camera. You've got to understand
how your camera works, so you know, first off is learn what those controls are my
ultimate beginners course is the place to go for that because it will get you
understanding the controls you need, most of them you don't - most of its guff
There's only a few - go and do it if you are
confused by that, and then go and practice changing the way we look at things
because when we do that the things we look at change. Let's go and give this a lash
A 'No Parking' sign on a white gate on a kind of dull day, doesn't get much
mean boring than that really does it? But I promise you if you change the way you
look at things the things you look at change! Okay? This is going to help you
see pictures, you've got to move, you've got to think now look how do we look at
a no parking sign? Even if we bother to look at a no parking sign, which we
probably don't, but this is a good exercise for you. Right let's roll a bit
of video on that, I'm just going to brighten it up a little bit if I can, I think that's
about right. So it looks hideous doesn't it? It's just boring, it's just dull
there's nothing going on, if we come closer it still, it's just, kind of, really
dull isn't it? But what if we change the way we're looking at it? What if we start
to come around here a bit? What if we kind of - look you see - it's immediately
getting just that little bit more interesting. If we bend the knees, look we're
getting some of those chimneys going on up there. The thing you have to remember
is don't just look at the sign look at the whole picture
all the way around. If we kind of cut off the chimneys a bit, it doesn't look as
good does it? If we were to have the lens zoomed like that, it still doesn't look as
good. You've got to look at the whole picture, change the way you're looking at
things. So that is somewhere there, you've got to do the crazy crouch in public but
you know, who cares. Just stop that video and see if I can take a quick picture for you
what are we doing? Settings they don't really matter, they're really not that
important for something like this. I mean it's only a test shot, I'm just gonna
use about F5.6, focus on the no parking sign, frame up our shot
Here we go, but it's a lot more interesting than just going
like that... Let's go and find another one
It's an obvious case inpoint isn't it? You've just walked along the path here and you see this lovely
little house here and you just think 'Oh that'll make a
nice picture'. So you just kind of bring out the camera and you go click like that
Now look - first thing cut the chimney off so, what are you going to do?
You've got to kind of just tilt the camera up a bit well, okay that's what it
looks like from there, it's not that special and of course you then think
well I've got a picture of that, that's alright we've got the river and the house
I'm gonna go and take a picture over here and you go off over there but
before you do, change the way you look at the house - and the house will change
so let's go and look at it from over here
Looks completely different doesn't it? So you can always take a shot from here
You can do it like that but what about that tree in
the corner of the shot? It's not very interesting is it? Also we've got
somebody kind of coming across the bridge, is it better empty or do you want
people in it? These are all the things to think about. Right now we've got people
so I'm just gonna wait for them to go
They've almost gone, so as they're disap- pearing out of shot let's just have a little new look at it
Okay
Look, so we had that tree cut off on the edge
What about if we just do that? Isn't it a bit more interesting? We're just changing
the way we look at it. Remember you must always look all the way around these
edges, don't just look there at the subject. Change the way you look at things
So let's just take that picture quickly and then we're going to explore another angle
Let's get that brighter - Oh [Sound of sirens]
They know I'm here! Run!!
Sorry I couldn't resist that. Let's go look at it from over here
You've probably seen this shot lots of times, it's in some of my courses, it's in
the Seven Steps to Perfect Pictures, it's in all sorts of things. It's in several free
videos as well but this is really how it has to work. I know the sky is boring but
look we're changing the way we look at things. Look so here's our place from
here. I think you'll agree that looks so much more interesting? You could increase
the zoom a little bit and just take it in there but we're getting close to the
tree so let's take it back out a bit, I know there's somebody standing over
there (most inconsiderately) but there we go. So look, it's a very, very different
thing isn't it? The house has changed, the whole thing's changed - it hasn't you've
changed the way you're looking at it and you've made it more interesting. So let's
just very quickly take that shot I'm hoping the guy on the bicycle will disappear
or I can maybe just kind of lose him. There we go, we don't want a van in shot
do we? So let's just take that picture. We've got a car in shot, there we go the
decisive moment. You see what a world of difference it is when you change the way
you look at things, the things you look at change
What if you like to shoot portraits? How would it work with that? This is Hannah she is an awesome
portrait photographer in her own right and is off to go and do
Photo Journalism and documentary real gritty earthy stuff so I'd better make
sure I get it right hadn't I? So what's the obvious one? The obvious one is going
to be to have the camera this way up isn't it? Let's explore this, let's change
the way we look at Hannah. So let's just say standard length lens about 50 millimetres
and we do a full length and we stand up here because that's the way
we see the world, it's okay but it's not that exciting is it? What about if we
got a bit lower and then look we changed the background haven't we?
We've suddenly got sky in it, it's a different look. What about if we turn the camera
the other way up? that's going to change the way we're looking at Hannah isn't it?
and we shoot from here, look we've got a kind of nice zig zaggy shape, let me roll
you a little bit of video and I can show you how it changes
Here we go. Look isn't that a nice shape? Look we can change the composition and put
some green in it just by bending my knees a little bit, we're changing the
way we're looking at something. What if we turn Hannah up that way? You see?
Look at what's happening you're seeing this in real time, I'm not doing
anything clever with the camera. What if we get in close
What if we come in much closer and do something like this? I know it's a
little bit out of focus I'm still learning how to control the focus and
video on the XT2. Let's shoot that
Focus on Hannah
Here we go, now let's try focusing on Hannah and losing the sky. Let's get closer
Let's make it a little more intimate, it's like we're really close
into Hannah. What about if we go camera up that way at the very bottom of the frame
like that? How about if we look at Hannah in a completely mad and crazy way?
What about if we climb on the bench up here and look straight down? These are all
things you've got to think about. Change the way you look at things and the
things you look at will change. Let's just move my focus point, let's get the
focal length right, let's get the exposure right, that's looking good to me
Nice one Hannah. You see that took what two or three minutes? Whoop! Nearly landed on you
That took two or three minutes we've changed the way we looked at Hannah and
the pictures of Hannah changed. Photos begin in your head they don't begin in
the camera and it begins with being able to see them in the first place
So always remember this forever please that if you change the way you look at
something the thing you're looking at changes. Sure you've got to know your
camera settings, you've got to know what they do, the way they affect the image
because you're the one who's in charge of that image
and I don't just mean the exposure that's a given. You've got to be able to
do that because your camera will get things wrong, it doesn't know that you're
photographing a white cat and a snowy scene and it'll make the whole thing go
grey. I'm sure you've experienced that. This is why you need to understand your
camera control so you can make what you see into a reality. Do you want a soft
foreground or a soft background? Do you want it sharp all the way through? Do you want to stack
the background up behind it, or do you want to expand it and open it out? These
are all things you can do when you understand how your camera works, this is
why I said right at the beginning the Ultimate Beginners Course is the place
to go if you don't because I can fast track you through to that knowledge then
you can start to interpret the things that you're seeing into an image file
into a reality because that's really all the camera does, it turns what's in there
into an image file for you. So from now into the future and forever please,
please, please just keep looking at things and remember when you change
the way you look at them the thing you look at changes. I know I've said it a lot
but just remember that, memorize it as a little thing. Now I'd love to hear
your comments and thoughts on this so please post them below the video, it's
always interesting to know what you think of things. If you care to like,
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you some free tips. Guys I hope that's been of some value to you take care
and I'll see you next time