A Large Improvement Is Only A Small Change Away
What a diffence a few small changes makes!
A lot of the technique of photography is not choosing WHAT you photograph, but HOW you photograph it.
Here’s an example that dramatically shows this. Below is an image uploaded to the Digital Photo Forum of a bridge towards the Adriatic Sea.
(C) 2005, Ejla
Now, here’s the same object at a different time of day, and a slightly different angle.
(C) 2005, Dean Novack
Isn’t that a dramatic difference! Here’s how it was done.
The second shot was taken by making two changes :
# moving the camera away from eye level. In this case, closer to the ground to accentuate the curve of the bridge
# taking the shot at night to add color, drama and better shadows
With only two differences, you get a much better shot.
There is a difference in camera too. The first shot was taken on an Olympus Point and Shoot camera, whereas the second was taken using a Canon EOS 300D SLR. The SLR camera would have made taking the night shot easier, but the second shot would still have been very possible to take with the Olympus.
It can be that simple. Next time you’re out shooting, try this experiment :
Just after you take a shot, make one change (change the shotting angle, the Depth of Field, the time of day, a camera setting, or something else) and try the shot again. If you have time, repeat this process 3 or 4 times and see if you can get a better image.
Thanks to our Forum member Elja and Dean Novacki for permission to use the images.
David, you are such a legend - thanks so much for always giving such helpful and useful tips - they have really improved my photography, and i really appreciate the help. thanks man.
September 18, 2006 @ 4:14 pm
WOW. thank you for the tips
September 19, 2006 @ 8:23 pm
WOW!!! David I can’t even begin to express how much your photo secrets have helped me!!!! Please continue the GREAT work.
September 26, 2006 @ 3:56 pm
I have found your tips a great help. Look forward to more
September 27, 2006 @ 4:23 am
thanks David for everything,now i feel more confident about my shots.you were a big influence on me.take care jeff freiberg
October 11, 2006 @ 3:33 am
I just got started and totally hooked to photography, got myself a Canon 30d with 17-85mm lens, grip etc. Your tips is GREAT, can’t wait for next. One day I’ll also be as “camera competent” as you. Regards from a Sunny South Africa.
October 11, 2006 @ 3:38 pm
There’s a third and important difference: the second shot was taken from a more distant viewpoint. And a fourth: where are the sea and the sky in the second shot? Both are great, but the first one is more to my liking. Regards.
October 14, 2006 @ 7:07 pm
What I really like about the second shot is that it hides the distracting buildings on either side of the bridge. Even without the water, the rich colors and absence of distractions make the second image, to me, much better. Thanks for the tip!
October 16, 2006 @ 11:40 pm
I don’t even know where to begin thanking you for all your tips and advice.
These tips are an invaluable resource - especially to a newbie like me.
Keep up the great work!
October 17, 2006 @ 2:55 am
Thanks for your tips. You have given this senior an insatiable desire to capture beauty anywhere I happen to be. I love it.
October 18, 2006 @ 9:16 pm
The subjects are different in the shots. First, the subject is the sea and in the second, the walkway. Each photo is accented a bit different also, the first the walkway takes the eye to the sea and the second, the lighting accents the physical structure of the walkway. Each shot is great but the second apeals to me a bit more.
October 18, 2006 @ 10:40 pm
Thank you so muchDavid for your help! I have improved so much!
October 22, 2006 @ 12:49 pm
David,
You are super! One of these days soon I am going to get off my wallet and buy your book…. that’s a promise to myself.
October 27, 2006 @ 11:56 pm
David,
you’ve reminded me that often I need to go down on my knees, even lie down if necessary, to capture a different shot. For this purpose I always have a small cushion in my camera bag
October 30, 2006 @ 1:33 am
Your tips have been very helpful to me and I wish to thank you. I have just taken a shot of an old and tall tower, I actually lay down to get all the tower in shot. I was worried about getting strange looks but it was the only way to do it. Thanks again marie.
October 31, 2006 @ 5:38 am
Hi Dave the bridge pictures are awesome, definetly gives me something to consider. I’ve been a video guy for 10 years and just got into photography about a year ago. I have a nikon D50 and doing pretty well with it as well as learning photohshop. My only problem is that I’m color blind so my wife has to tell me if colors are correct or not ,sometimes people look weird.All your tips have been great. I have all of them saved and refer to them often
Keep them coming !!
November 1, 2006 @ 12:56 pm
Hey Dave,
Been getting your “TIPS” email for about a month now and have found them very informative. This one is especially good as it has given me some great ideas. Thanks and keep the tips coming.
JC
November 1, 2006 @ 1:12 pm
David you are a boss, your tips are so helpful that it make me feel that i am a pro. thank you and keep up the good work.
November 7, 2006 @ 10:13 am
Very cool. Nice job! Thanks.
November 14, 2006 @ 2:31 am
David,
In my photography, I find every image I make is slightly or greatly different from any other. After all, we are capturing a tiny fraction of a second in most images and longer time exposures allow more time for differences to occur. The moment a photo is taken is just that; a moment in time. I appreciate all the tips you’eve sent my way, and think you have a great business philosophy: Help others and they will ultimately help you. We must always think of others in everything we do,
Thanks again,
Mike in Seattle
November 16, 2006 @ 5:55 am
AMAZING! Thanks for the visual difference in points of view. This gives me an idea for an assignment for my photography class. Thanks for the amazing tips! You’re wonderful!
November 19, 2006 @ 8:32 am
Hello David, I’ve been receiving all the best tips in photography. And this new one is just as great!
Many Thanks!
November 23, 2006 @ 9:21 am
I would like to thank you so much for all the information, tips and tricks of your trade. I wasn’t able to find time to read each of the emails which were sent but those that I did read were filled with advice an techniques.
It is rare to have such detailed and relevant information offered free.
I would definitely consider purchasing your book when I have secured a job of work.
Thank you very much indeed.
CC Downer
December 8, 2006 @ 7:53 am
A very profound difference in these two shots. I prefer the second shot as the first was a bit “busy” as the background makes the eye stray from the beautiful bridge. The wooden walkway pops at night!
December 20, 2006 @ 1:02 am
I really appreciate all your tips on photography. It all makes perfect sense.
December 24, 2006 @ 12:28 am
Hi!
Great shots, both, but I didn’t even “see” the buildings in the background until someone mentioned it!
December 27, 2006 @ 2:14 pm
always a pleasure to read your tips - and always so helpful…thanks a bunch!
January 10, 2007 @ 2:10 pm
Here in the uk we are getting some strange weather for time of year. Your point of moving position of camera is proving good photo. Thank you so much proving that these little changes can add so much to the end result.
January 19, 2007 @ 8:20 pm
David, I bought a Canon350D last year and aws having problems getting good results. Your course has helped rectify this. Many thanks for a great course.
Greetings froma very hot Cape Town, South Africa
February 9, 2007 @ 6:25 pm
That is a good exercise. I do a similar thing. If I lack inspiration I usually take a camera and shoot 50 or more shots within 100 meters. That helps me to be more creative and train the eye.
March 3, 2007 @ 4:47 am
Thanks for a wonderful tips. I’ve learnt a lot here.
March 19, 2007 @ 7:00 pm
Nice one!
March 28, 2007 @ 2:34 pm
Hi David, thx for your sharing.
Was the second shot taken by an ultra wide lens? I think kind of lens would matter too.
March 29, 2007 @ 4:25 pm
wow
you are the great man i ever know can i told u sometin you are my hero!
April 1, 2007 @ 1:50 am
David you are the best thanks so much for giving me such helpful tip. Please keep up the great work.
April 1, 2007 @ 11:42 pm
Dear David:
I keep reading each and every one of your advices with great interest as I am just starting in photography and I am really eager to learn and develop unique skills. I must say that you truly help me find new ways and tricks and, as for yourself, photography has become a passion for me. I do appreciate the time and effort you spend teaching me, and all of us, and keep forwarding these little tricks that will make me (us) a better photographer.
Patrice
April 2, 2007 @ 11:23 pm
Of Course !! before I even looked at your comment I knew what the first change was! Patting self on Back, The time of Day!. Ya see….. !!! I am learning something from you Dave.
Thanks So Much!
Terry B. : )
April 3, 2007 @ 2:47 am
Hello David,
sorry i havn’t been able to offer any feed back during the weeks of you sending me your “Digital Photo Secrets”however i am taking this momment to thank you and to say how wonderful it is to have someone
Like yourself to help and expand the amazing world of photography for all those interested. As a professional photographer and one who has been fortunate enough to work in several countries one of Which is Australia, I beleive your home country.
I congratulate you David on taking the myth out of photography ,getting good images and helping to spread this most enjoyable and fasinating work called photography.
Keep up the good work.
Jeff.
April 3, 2007 @ 7:40 am
Thank you for sending me so many tips. They are really wonderful and helpful. Your kindness is much appreciated.
April 10, 2007 @ 11:35 pm
Dear David,
Thanks for the tips you send me every day. They are so simple, but make a huge difference to my photography. I have really considered the fact that spending a little more time composing the photograph can make such an enormous difference. Not only that but if you have to point & click, the time you have taken when you do have the time to compose photos comes into play a lot easier with great results.
April 19, 2007 @ 3:51 pm
i do like the second shot as it looks less cluttered than the first keep up the good work. I have just got a new camera Fuji finepix s9600/s9100 (9mp).I am slowly getting used to any helpful hints would be welcome. Thanks again bob
May 3, 2007 @ 3:04 am
David,
TY for the tips I received, I find them very useful and save all your mails under a folder. Unfortunately I deleted that folder accidentally and could not retrieve any of your previous mails. Could you please send me your tips again right from the beginning? Thank you again for your kind attention.
Michael
May 5, 2007 @ 2:57 am
Thanks David what an awesome differance between two shots why don’t I ever think of things like that? I don’t think I am creative enough but I am not giving up no sir. I love the tips ta. God bless you M.
May 29, 2007 @ 12:36 am
This site is very good in showing how to be creative by using ones imagination, thinking outside the square and therefore getting different and good results.
June 21, 2007 @ 5:51 pm
Thanks David……u do wonderful job. ur tips have helped me learn more abt digital photography
June 22, 2007 @ 7:49 pm
that’s so amazing! thanks for sharing!
June 28, 2007 @ 8:19 pm
David, tq for your tips and trick..amaze me so much..im applying those technique..and my client smile when i gave them their album..
tq david..!!!!
June 30, 2007 @ 1:22 am
Thank you so much for your hints and tips, I have found looking at your comments in my e mail better than reading books as they always seem very practical and easy to remember. You have shown me new ways of looking at things and enjoyed using the things you teach.
Many thanks Mark.
July 6, 2007 @ 2:51 am
Hi David,
Your tips for digital photography are extremely useful and also very nicely explained.
It is really amazing to see the dramatic difference in the Night Photograph of the Bridge leading to the Adriatic Sea.
Thank you so much for giving us very useful and great tips.
May God Bless you.
Yours,
Krishnamoorthy
July 9, 2007 @ 4:12 am
Woooo… thanks dude.. realy..
July 23, 2007 @ 11:18 am
many thanks for your const effort to keep us puzzeld by something we would have forgotten to ask.
and you just remind us what little things make a big difference in our day to day photography.
Many thanks,
Marc
August 2, 2007 @ 7:44 am
Thank you for sending me so many tips. They are really wonderful and helpful. Your kindness is much appreciated!!
August 2, 2007 @ 1:30 pm
Thanks for sharing all the tricks and tips.
Keep it up. God Bless
August 3, 2007 @ 9:42 pm
David, I as well want to thank you hugely for all of your tips. You are an amazing help for me.
Thanks again! Janet
August 7, 2007 @ 12:39 pm
Great tips!
But I like the first picture better. The second one looks like a computer-generated graphic.
August 9, 2007 @ 6:39 am
Hey Mr. Photo
I’m from Denmark in Europe. I just wanna thank you for a great photo scool. There are really lot’s of good stuff. If you ever come to Denmark I’ll show you some of our litle country, and show you the castle were the queen live…
All the best
Brian
August 17, 2007 @ 5:34 am
What can I say that has not been said? GREAT tips, keep them comming.The more you send, the more I learn. THANK YOU!!
September 1, 2007 @ 3:22 am
Thank you so much for your excellent tips. While there are so many complex aspects to good photography you’ve managed to simplify the explanations, so that even a beginner like myself can quickly use them.
Thank you.
September 4, 2007 @ 6:42 pm
Hi
Thanks too much , You are Great
October 9, 2007 @ 7:15 am
I find your hints and tips very helpful keep up the good work.
October 23, 2007 @ 10:45 am
Thanks for the tips! They are all great. I am just wondering on this particular image, how come there isn’t as much floor light as the shot taken during the day? On the 2nd photo, the lights on the floor are all so close together…was that photoshopped in? or was it a different bridge? You are right, angle and time of day can really make a difference!
October 30, 2007 @ 11:55 pm
Hi Jib,
It’s an optical illusion. Because in the second shot the camera is closer to the ground, the lights just look closer together.
If you look closely, you’ll see there are two vertical bars between each light in both the top and the bottom image.
David.
October 31, 2007 @ 7:02 am
Everyday something good to think about or do. thanks.
Dan
November 8, 2007 @ 8:07 am
My comment is that if you straighten the first image, in my opinion, it is a much better photograph than the second, which looks a bit like scene from ‘Star Wars’. Although a real image, it looks kind of fabricated and doesn’t tell a story.
November 14, 2007 @ 6:58 am
Nice Difference …
November 25, 2007 @ 4:42 am
This online course is very helpfull! Thanks!!
João
Portugal
December 2, 2007 @ 3:21 am
Good Morning David,
Excellant example!!
Just this pass weekend I used the same technique of taking a midday shot verses and early morning shot.
The early morning light was fantasic.
Thank you David, for all your great insite into this relm we call photography.
Steve.
December 3, 2007 @ 9:41 pm
my dear friend,
thank you a bunch for all the help you are giving us!
I would also like to know how to get a good shot of the moon.lol…I use a Nikon D200.i am having a tough time to get it right……can you believe that i am taking photos with my SB80 digital flash and having that disgustng shadow
afecct???? Oh MY Godddddddd!!!!!!
help me…………..
ksss
December 4, 2007 @ 1:28 pm
Wow thsi tips are great!
Keep it up!!
December 17, 2007 @ 9:27 pm
I am really thankful for all the tips given.This tip of the bridge has widened my knowledge on photography even further. Thanks
Gopal
December 26, 2007 @ 8:39 pm
happy new year David. I wish you and yours a very prosperous 2008. thx once again for all the practical tips and tricks, may this ‘bread on the water’ return to you tenfold.
God bless.
Tobijah [South Africa]
December 31, 2007 @ 3:43 pm
Thanks David,
for all the great Photo tips, including this one. Another idea and eye-opener has been received which gives me more ideas for my progressing in getting better. Your tips and hints are really wonderful and helpful. Your kindness is much appreciated.
Geir,
Norway 1.1.2008
January 1, 2008 @ 9:33 pm
Hi David: Your site will definitely help new and advanced photographers. I’ve been photographing several years and doing well. My brother just bought his first DSLR camera and has decided to take some photography classes. In his first class, he will be doing manual shooting. The teacher is going to teach the class “Sunny 16″. Some new photographer don’t know what this means. Maybe you can print an acticle on “Sunny 16″.
Keep Up The Great Acticles
January 21, 2008 @ 1:37 am
Thank you.
Thank you for your expertise David. You have given us so much useful information. It’s nice to have someone like you help us along this path of discovery.
January 31, 2008 @ 1:24 am
Hi Devid,
You are a good teacher, good guid. Many thanks. I thought once, I am a good photographer. But when recieving your tips, I realised, I was nothing but a snapshooter. You making me creator. I am proud of you and thankful to you.
February 29, 2008 @ 5:44 pm
thank you alot david..
March 25, 2008 @ 9:24 pm
David,
Your site and all of the extremely useful information is absolutely terrific! Thank you for sharing!
Donald
April 12, 2008 @ 5:49 am
Buongiorno to On.David,
da Florence (Firenze/Italy).
Non ho parole per ringraziarLa.
Dio gliene renda MERITO.
RIF:mercoledì 23 aprile 2008 11,06
Tiziana Magnelli
April 23, 2008 @ 8:53 pm
Thanks for this wonderful tips. Fantastic!!!
May 20, 2008 @ 4:18 pm
Yes David.
This is a very good habit of looking at same thing in different manner.
That can help us in life also.
Great that you are telling it to all the enthusiastic image creaters.
June 18, 2008 @ 2:34 pm
Thanks David
As always great logical info. I like your latest info as well regarding taking a similar shot 3 or 4 times, using the different standard camera settings and also with each photo using slightly altered light settings etc. I do do this fairly regularly under different circumstances, because this is the best way to LEARN WHAT YOUR CAMERA CAN DO. Digital cameras today are so advanced that one actually needs to spend a lot of time with the operators manual and experimenting to learn what features the camera offers.
Thanks again David
Regards
Patrick
June 21, 2008 @ 7:06 pm
Good example, good skill, need put a lot of effort to learn.
June 28, 2008 @ 11:57 am
Thanks Dave for your tips, youre like the encyclopedia of photography…Cheers dude!!
July 14, 2008 @ 11:09 am
Thanks a lot David. truely a master of photography.
July 22, 2008 @ 9:36 am
Awesome! Thanx!
August 5, 2008 @ 11:32 pm
Very helpful. I’ve been watching the photo secrets for some time now and found them very useful, specially this one.
Congratulations
August 6, 2008 @ 1:22 pm
Another great tips which I will always keep in mind and put into practice on every opportunity. Thanks you very much and looking forward for more.
August 6, 2008 @ 6:35 pm
that was a very wonderful tip, but just one question, for the night shot, have you ever use special kind of lighting to create such nice shadow effect?
August 11, 2008 @ 8:06 pm