Getting better photos

First off, I'm not going to get involved in film versus digital or even in what quality of camera one needs. A shot made by a $2000 super-everything camera can be just as disappointing as one from a point and shoot throw-away camera. What I'm going to try to accomplish is to get you to visualize what the photo is going to look like after it's shot and take steps to improve it before you press the shutter.

Many people shoot a hundred or so photos on vacation but when they get home and look at the prints, the only good one is of them standing in front of their car. For some reason, the scenery just never looks as good in the print as it did when they were looking at it. The difference is they were there when the took the photo and have no reference when they look at the
print.

This photo by Dick Verschuur is a perfect example of a picture that screams bicycle touring. Dick and Els are currently on a 457+ day bicycle tour.
Click to enlarge.

The best photo is one that tells a story and needs no caption. The one that was shot by Dick Verschuur is a perfect example. It absolutely screams bicycle touring and the life that goes with it. Cover the rider and bike with your finger and the photo becomes just another dull and uninteresting shot.

I grabbed it to go with a poem by Patrick O'Leary written for a Chevy Tahoe advertisment narrated by James Garner.

NOBODY KNOWS IT BUT ME

There's a place that I travel,
When I want to roam
And nobody knows it but me.

The roads don't go there,
And the signs stay home
And nobody knows it but me.

It's far, far away and way, way afar,
It's over the moon and the sea,
And wherever you are going,
That's wherever you are
And nobody knows it but me.

Patrick O'Leary

Submitted by Jim Foreman.

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