Ready…Aim…Shoot – with Clark Mishler

 

The time I spent researching travel to Alaska, really paid off when I came across a video by Clark Mishler on some tips and tutorials on photography.
Clark Mishler is one of the most sought after photographers in the US. He was a National Geographic photographer and his photos have been published in a whole range of books and magazines. Clark has traveled extensively and for the past 30 years he has been living in Anchorage, Alaska and exploring the beauty of the state. While searching for travel info about Alaska, I came across this exceptionally well-maintained site, www.alaska.org. The site is very informative, accurately updated, reliable and totally reader centric. We got every teeny bit of detail we were looking for. And my favorite part was a section called photo tips.

Alaska is a haven for nature lovers and photographers; and with all the SLRs, long-range lenses, camera gear and wear – “hunting and shooting” (pun intended) is what it is all about!

Visiting Alaska may not be a regular opportunity for people, given the distance, weather, cost and time required to spend in this beautiful state. So making maximum use of one’s photo and video cameras becomes imperative. And so, this section by Clark on photo tutorials on the website is extremely useful.

This 13 minute video called “Elements of Photography” features 20 “elements”.

According to Clark the use of these elements can really differentiate a good from a great photo. He explains each of the elements in simple words illustrating them eloquently with the help of his own photos.

I jotted down the points in a small paper and now regularly carry it in my camera bag. Not that I have to refer to it whenever I click but quickly running through it, during long journeys has been refreshing and has certainly made a difference.

The list of elements is given below. I have found that taking a look at the video is helpful in remembering their usage

1) angle of view                                          11) frames
2) use of backlight                                     12) silhouettes
3) diagonals                                               13) scale
4) motion                                                   14) negative space
5) s curves                                                 15) dark-light-Dark
6) patterns                                                 16) human element
7) selective focus                                       17) crop
8 ) contrasts                                               18) camera tilt
9) color                                                       19) rules of Thirds
10) stop Action                                           20) humor

Happy clicking!

References – www.alaska.org ; www.mishlerphotos.com