Thanks a lot for the helpful tips! Another cool composition trick is the way you can play with lines in your capture: -Horizontal lines give a calm and static feeling -Diagonal lines creates drama and movement -Vertical lines adds stability and permanence
Here's one that's really true but you don't see mentioned so much: Keep the head clear. If you're doing a picture of a person, animal, or statue, you don't want a tree or pole or door-frame or something in the background coming out of the head. You want a clear background behind the head. If you take two similar photos, one with something 'sprouting' from the head in the background, and one a few degrees over with a clean background, people will usually say they like the clean background better. But, they probably won't be able to explain why ;)
Definitely. Annoyingly, this is one of those things I often notice when I get home and am reviewing the photos, and miss while I'm actually shooting. Grr...
Thank you for a refreshingly unique perspective to some standard ideas + a few interesting ones. I like the horizon / bldg point. I'm going to keep my grid on in the viewfinder. I'd like to add a couple. Always shoot in raw. Even when you're starting off. As rightly pointed out, one's always learning, it's just better to start early. And secondly, try recomposing your shots during edits. As you try and apply the subject to be in the center, offcenter or basis the rule of thirds to most edits, you'll release that it result tends to be different in every case and hence a large amount of understanding occurs. Thanks again.
I don't usually leave comments, but I just can't help but say that you're a humble person that gives a really good advise on this matter. Keep up the good work and more tutorials, man.
As always, great video Mark Ryan! I think the rule of thirds is definitely something I forget about from time to time. Great to hear your tips. Also, thanks again for the tips on places to shoot while I was in SF!
I find your videos very clear and informative, thanks! I wish you could make them more often, but I know it takes time! I was wondering: does the camera that you use for filming have Af-lock? I find it so confusing when it suddenly goes focus-hunting behind or in front of you, it messes with my brain!
白海塔 Thanks for watching! I generally leave the camera on continuous autofocus, for whenever I need to hold something in front of the camera and want it to re-focus.
I've noticed that Olympus cameras use the Golden Ratio for their gridlines; it's not quite split up in thirds. Kinda interesting, I guess. I believe that the rule of thirds is actually a simplification of the golden ratio.
That's a good point. I considered mentioning the Olympus grid difference, but worried it would complicate the matter for people just getting into composition. My cameras do have the "phi" grid. That said, Lightroom (and my mobile apps) usually give a true rule of thirds grid, so in post my shots end up getting composed against that instead.
simona stovicek Some phi grids have the spiral, some just have the vertical and horizontal grid lines. In fact, Olympus cameras with a grid enabled actually have a phi grid and not a true rule-of-thirds grid. The thinking behind the phi grid (and the spiral) is some golden ratio math. There's been some debunking of the artistic quality of the golden ratio, I don't think too much about it :)
Thanks for the video. Now that you mentioned it I found that lots of my images were not lined up with the horizon which made them look a bit akward. Nevertheless I think you forgot to mention the most basic tip: Take off the lens cap. Taking it off drastically improved the quality of my pictures. Before they all had a darkish look to them and weren't too distinguishable. That's better now. ;)
Michromatic, big thanks for your videos, you have one of the best YT channels I've subscribed to! Your videos played a big part in me deciding to move towards micro 4/3 and Olympus! You now have one more happy subscriber waiting for more clips :)
CINEMATICJ I totally like how you're also giving examples and not just explaining things.. Although I'm not that much into videography (not yet at least :) ), the clips were interesting and educative. I do find though that your intros and outros are (in my opinion) slightly longer than needed given the fact that the clips are 2 minutes on average. I also like that you're engaging with your viewers and trying not to make the clips boring, just don't over-do it. :) Take Jared Polin's (froknowphoto.com) example if you like, he's also being funny in his intros but he gets really serious when digging into his topics. Hope any of this helps. Best of luck! :)
+Daniel Cimpeanu Thanks for your great tips. I will have a look on Jared's work as well. It helps a lot, since I am starting the channel and every feedback is very well received. Thanks for taking the time to reply. Have a great weekend ;)
Thanks again for a great video! Just a suggestion. If you could elaborate a bit more on a rule o thirds, with some examples, in another video. I understand the general idea but I know it's quite important in photo composition and would like to understand it a bit better. Otherwise keep up the good work! :)
I can consider doing another video, but for now I'll point you to this Chrome extension I just found: chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/rule-of-thirds/kgffnjnbbaoemeedbjbmkcclkpbdfblj?hl=en Install it and it gives you a button that lays a rule-of-thirds grid on top of all images on a webpage. You can try it with a page with a lot of photos -- like my Flickr profile! www.flickr.com/photos/markryansallee/ -- to see how various compositional elements line up with this grid.
+Hlr. Ferdous #1 tip: Shoot, shoot, and shoot some more. The more you shoot and review your work, the better your composition will get. At least I keep telling myself that.
Ebay is your best friend. Just got an Sony A3000 camera (excellent starter camera) in mint condition (practically new) for 130 dlls. If you are in a far country and shipping is the issue, keep looking for local auction and second hand selling websites. With patience you can get the one that you need. ;)
What setup did you use for this video when filming yourself? Camera and lens? I'm an experienced but broke photoentusiast, allthough not the most advanced one, So, I sold the Canon 70D since I didn't come out and got to shoot so often, big bulky lenses... The Camera I really want is the OM-D EM5 MKII, but the camera I can afford is the M10.... Do you think this is a good choice? Also, what lenses do you recomend? The lense I will have after my (most likely) purchase is the kit lens 14-42 EZ, The Olympus 45 f1.8 and the Oly 40-150 f4,0-5,6 R!! My thougts are either the Sigma 19mm f2.8, or the Panasonic 20mm f1.7...wich one will suit me best? Much appreash if I can get an answer! :D
Most of my videos (including this one) are done with the Olympus EP5 + Olympus 25mm f/1.8 lens. Don't feel bad about going EM10 rather than EM5 -- the EM10 is a great camera and one I've recommended to a lot of people. The lenses you listed cover pretty much all focal lengths, so anything extra you'd get would be icing. Maybe stick with the 14-42 for a while and see which end of its focal range you gravitate toward. If you find yourself shooting it as wide as possible (14mm), maybe consider getting a wide-angle lens instead of the 19mm or 20mm lenses. If you find yourself shooting at that 20-25mm range, the Panasonic 20mm and Olympus 25mm are fantastic choices. The Panny is the better value, but I still prefer the Olympus to use. I compare them in this video: czcams.com/video/6YDTtybxp_Y/video.html
Michromatic Thank you very much for the tips! I will see what I like better if I'm going to purchase another prime lens later, with my old setup of 17-50 F.2,8, Canons nifty fifty 1,8 II, and 70-200L f4, I really enjoyed and very often did shoot the 50mm f 1.8, so I could really see that the focal length is a favourite, even better compared to 40 mil. I really like getting up close and personal with my photo subjects! thanks! Subscribing to you now :-) /Tobias
Keep in mind that the 45mm on your EM10 will have roughly the same field of view as the 50mm on your Canon. If converting to "full frame" numbers for comparing the FOVs, the Olympus 45 ends up at 90mm and the Canon 50 ends up at 80mm. (I love the Olympus 45mm.)
Justin Cruz I'm not sure if the EP3 has it, but there is a good chance. While composing on your screen, try pressing the INFO button on the camera to toggle between different display modes. One of them may have the level.
Thanks for the video - suggestions for future ones 1- Show us your workflow for making your videos - start from a square 1 level 2- producing videos using micro 4/3 cameras - what settings, lenses, lighting? 3- using my settings for Olympus cameras 4- best settings for shooting in black and white 5- suggested settings for Olympus cameras 6- can you share your email address? Thanks - Chris
Good suggestions! I'm planning to do a "recommended settings" video for this EPL7 I got on loan. I do consider myself quite a novice when it comes to video, though.
Tips for online galleries: 1. Don't post multiple images of the same subject at the same area in similar composition ... e.g., dont post 100 photos of your ugly house with your ugly family talking on their gaudy smart phones. Yes, we all know what is beautiful so dont pretend that ugly is beautiful and make 100 versions of the same monstrosity. 2. Don't post unfocused images. Ppl want to see clearly and not see images from a person that is severely near sighted. If you didn't capture a in focus picture ... try again. We want to see successful pictures not near misses or failures. Intent is not a substitute for results. 3. Don't use black and white unless the subject is really REALLY interesting. Black and white makes things bare so the subject better be REALLY interesting or showing INTENSE drama, motion, or telling a captivating story. 4. Stop using watermarks. It's a MAJOR eyesore and destroys your photo and your credibility as a sane person. If you are so scared posting your photos thinking someone will steal them and make a million dollars off your "hardwork", you have an incurable mental problem and you need to STOP POSTING PICTURES PERIOD.
I think rule of thirds is not always the best rule of photo composition nor does a level horizon actually, it's useful but very restrictive for long time use. it gets rather old fast. Diagonal lines seem like a much better guide. Eric Kim has a guide up that I'd highly recommend, though he is a bit douchey it is genuinely helpful. czcams.com/video/rDqsdZgt23g/video.html
how do u forget that your picture looks bad when the horizon is tilted at a 45 degree angle??? seems like common knowledge to me. the rest of the tips are helpful tho
45 degree tilt is pretty clear something is amiss (unless done for effect). It's more the 2-5 degrees of tilt that are easy to forget about, but hard to ignore.
Thanks a lot for the helpful tips!
Another cool composition trick is the way you can play with lines in your capture:
-Horizontal lines give a calm and static feeling
-Diagonal lines creates drama and movement
-Vertical lines adds stability and permanence
Here's one that's really true but you don't see mentioned so much: Keep the head clear. If you're doing a picture of a person, animal, or statue, you don't want a tree or pole or door-frame or something in the background coming out of the head. You want a clear background behind the head.
If you take two similar photos, one with something 'sprouting' from the head in the background, and one a few degrees over with a clean background, people will usually say they like the clean background better. But, they probably won't be able to explain why ;)
Definitely. Annoyingly, this is one of those things I often notice when I get home and am reviewing the photos, and miss while I'm actually shooting. Grr...
Thank you for a refreshingly unique perspective to some standard ideas + a few interesting ones. I like the horizon / bldg point. I'm going to keep my grid on in the viewfinder. I'd like to add a couple. Always shoot in raw. Even when you're starting off. As rightly pointed out, one's always learning, it's just better to start early. And secondly, try recomposing your shots during edits. As you try and apply the subject to be in the center, offcenter or basis the rule of thirds to most edits, you'll release that it result tends to be different in every case and hence a large amount of understanding occurs. Thanks again.
I don't usually leave comments, but I just can't help but say that you're a humble person that gives a really good advise on this matter. Keep up the good work and more tutorials, man.
Thanks for commenting in this case :)
As always, great video Mark Ryan! I think the rule of thirds is definitely something I forget about from time to time. Great to hear your tips. Also, thanks again for the tips on places to shoot while I was in SF!
I find your videos very clear and informative, thanks! I wish you could make them more often, but I know it takes time! I was wondering: does the camera that you use for filming have Af-lock? I find it so confusing when it suddenly goes focus-hunting behind or in front of you, it messes with my brain!
白海塔 Thanks for watching! I generally leave the camera on continuous autofocus, for whenever I need to hold something in front of the camera and want it to re-focus.
A vertical horizon is actually called a verizon. In my head, at least.
I googled "vertical horizon" to see what it's really called. Only results were from that alternative band from the '90s. I gave up.
In just learning, so thanks much. Using d850, not very forgiving. Happy shooting.
Hello , I just started learning photography, the information u shared about the photography is useful for me. Thanks for the information.😊
I've noticed that Olympus cameras use the Golden Ratio for their gridlines; it's not quite split up in thirds. Kinda interesting, I guess. I believe that the rule of thirds is actually a simplification of the golden ratio.
That's a good point. I considered mentioning the Olympus grid difference, but worried it would complicate the matter for people just getting into composition.
My cameras do have the "phi" grid. That said, Lightroom (and my mobile apps) usually give a true rule of thirds grid, so in post my shots end up getting composed against that instead.
+Michromatic Is 'phi' grid the one with snail's shell shape. I find that one really interesting, bit have no idea how to use it.
simona stovicek Some phi grids have the spiral, some just have the vertical and horizontal grid lines. In fact, Olympus cameras with a grid enabled actually have a phi grid and not a true rule-of-thirds grid.
The thinking behind the phi grid (and the spiral) is some golden ratio math. There's been some debunking of the artistic quality of the golden ratio, I don't think too much about it :)
Your video are the best! I can actually watch the full videos! Thank you!!!!
Great videos as usual. Keep them Coming :-)
Thank you for the videos! You certainly are a great teacher!
Great information, presented very simply and easy to understand. Some of the comments are unbelievable and completely irrelevant. SMH
Thanks for the video. Now that you mentioned it I found that lots of my images were not lined up with the horizon which made them look a bit akward.
Nevertheless I think you forgot to mention the most basic tip: Take off the lens cap. Taking it off drastically improved the quality of my pictures. Before they all had a darkish look to them and weren't too distinguishable. That's better now. ;)
+onkelosuppo I'll try the lens cap thing next time. You sure it's a good idea?
This was a nice refresher!
Michromatic, big thanks for your videos, you have one of the best YT channels I've subscribed to! Your videos played a big part in me deciding to move towards micro 4/3 and Olympus! You now have one more happy subscriber waiting for more clips :)
CINEMATICJ
I totally like how you're also giving examples and not just explaining things.. Although I'm not that much into videography (not yet at least :) ), the clips were interesting and educative. I do find though that your intros and outros are (in my opinion) slightly longer than needed given the fact that the clips are 2 minutes on average. I also like that you're engaging with your viewers and trying not to make the clips boring, just don't over-do it. :) Take Jared Polin's (froknowphoto.com) example if you like, he's also being funny in his intros but he gets really serious when digging into his topics. Hope any of this helps. Best of luck! :)
+Daniel Cimpeanu Thanks for your great tips. I will have a look on Jared's work as well. It helps a lot, since I am starting the channel and every feedback is very well received. Thanks for taking the time to reply. Have a great weekend ;)
Thanks for the information and I don't care the autofocus, I appreciate your time and valuable info...
Thanks again for a great video! Just a suggestion. If you could elaborate a bit more on a rule o thirds, with some examples, in another video. I understand the general idea but I know it's quite important in photo composition and would like to understand it a bit better. Otherwise keep up the good work! :)
I can consider doing another video, but for now I'll point you to this Chrome extension I just found: chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/rule-of-thirds/kgffnjnbbaoemeedbjbmkcclkpbdfblj?hl=en
Install it and it gives you a button that lays a rule-of-thirds grid on top of all images on a webpage. You can try it with a page with a lot of photos -- like my Flickr profile! www.flickr.com/photos/markryansallee/ -- to see how various compositional elements line up with this grid.
Good video, it's gonna help me a lot improving faster and skip some frustration :) I'm going to check more of your videos
Love your videos thank you.
I like photos that flow from left to right and top to bottom. To me at least - they just seem to flow better.
hope. it will work for my better composition
+Hlr. Ferdous #1 tip: Shoot, shoot, and shoot some more. The more you shoot and review your work, the better your composition will get.
At least I keep telling myself that.
learned a lot thanks😊
Smiling face with smiling eyes
thanks for tips, unfortunately i wanna have a camera a dslr but cant afford it realy love photography
+arsol solana Don't be afraid to buy used/refurbished cameras. You can get some really good cameras for under $200 if you know where to look.
Thanks cant wait to have one
Ebay is your best friend. Just got an Sony A3000 camera (excellent starter camera) in mint condition (practically new) for 130 dlls.
If you are in a far country and shipping is the issue, keep looking for local auction and second hand selling websites. With patience you can get the one that you need. ;)
What setup did you use for this video when filming yourself? Camera and lens? I'm an experienced but broke photoentusiast, allthough not the most advanced one, So, I sold the Canon 70D since I didn't come out and got to shoot so often, big bulky lenses... The Camera I really want is the OM-D EM5 MKII, but the camera I can afford is the M10.... Do you think this is a good choice? Also, what lenses do you recomend? The lense I will have after my (most likely) purchase is the kit lens 14-42 EZ, The Olympus 45 f1.8 and the Oly 40-150 f4,0-5,6 R!! My thougts are either the Sigma 19mm f2.8, or the Panasonic 20mm f1.7...wich one will suit me best? Much appreash if I can get an answer! :D
Most of my videos (including this one) are done with the Olympus EP5 + Olympus 25mm f/1.8 lens.
Don't feel bad about going EM10 rather than EM5 -- the EM10 is a great camera and one I've recommended to a lot of people. The lenses you listed cover pretty much all focal lengths, so anything extra you'd get would be icing. Maybe stick with the 14-42 for a while and see which end of its focal range you gravitate toward. If you find yourself shooting it as wide as possible (14mm), maybe consider getting a wide-angle lens instead of the 19mm or 20mm lenses. If you find yourself shooting at that 20-25mm range, the Panasonic 20mm and Olympus 25mm are fantastic choices.
The Panny is the better value, but I still prefer the Olympus to use. I compare them in this video: czcams.com/video/6YDTtybxp_Y/video.html
Michromatic Thank you very much for the tips! I will see what I like better if I'm going to purchase another prime lens later, with my old setup of 17-50 F.2,8, Canons nifty fifty 1,8 II, and 70-200L f4, I really enjoyed and very often did shoot the 50mm f 1.8, so I could really see that the focal length is a favourite, even better compared to 40 mil. I really like getting up close and personal with my photo subjects! thanks! Subscribing to you now :-) /Tobias
Keep in mind that the 45mm on your EM10 will have roughly the same field of view as the 50mm on your Canon. If converting to "full frame" numbers for comparing the FOVs, the Olympus 45 ends up at 90mm and the Canon 50 ends up at 80mm. (I love the Olympus 45mm.)
Thanks for the tips!
I like your background music through all your video clips :)
The "rule of thirds" grid that you turned on in your camera is actually a phi grid
True that.
Great tips, thank you
Hey :) Can you help me please? I can't find on my camera "electronic level" :( my camera Olympus e-p3.. maybe I don't have it..
Thank you!
Justin Cruz I'm not sure if the EP3 has it, but there is a good chance. While composing on your screen, try pressing the INFO button on the camera to toggle between different display modes. One of them may have the level.
Great lecture.A picture is worth a thousand words.........a few more picture would be more helpful of what you are trying to say
Liking this channel hey. Subscribed.
thank you so much
Thanks for the video - suggestions for future ones
1- Show us your workflow for making your videos - start from a square 1 level
2- producing videos using micro 4/3 cameras - what settings, lenses, lighting?
3- using my settings for Olympus cameras
4- best settings for shooting in black and white
5- suggested settings for Olympus cameras
6- can you share your email address?
Thanks - Chris
Good suggestions! I'm planning to do a "recommended settings" video for this EPL7 I got on loan. I do consider myself quite a novice when it comes to video, though.
Tips for online galleries:
1. Don't post multiple images of the same subject at the same area in similar composition ... e.g., dont post 100 photos of your ugly house with your ugly family talking on their gaudy smart phones. Yes, we all know what is beautiful so dont pretend that ugly is beautiful and make 100 versions of the same monstrosity.
2. Don't post unfocused images. Ppl want to see clearly and not see images from a person that is severely near sighted. If you didn't capture a in focus picture ... try again. We want to see successful pictures not near misses or failures. Intent is not a substitute for results.
3. Don't use black and white unless the subject is really REALLY interesting. Black and white makes things bare so the subject better be REALLY interesting or showing INTENSE drama, motion, or telling a captivating story.
4. Stop using watermarks. It's a MAJOR eyesore and destroys your photo and your credibility as a sane person. If you are so scared posting your photos thinking someone will steal them and make a million dollars off your "hardwork", you have an incurable mental problem and you need to STOP POSTING PICTURES PERIOD.
Great comment! I totally agree with you!
thanks soo much
Why don't you make videos anymore?
are you shooting yourself at 120 fps?
No, 30 fps.
Thank you for tips... :-)
the stuff behind you is distracting me :) i suggest you to use manual focus
I do generally prefer manual focus, but it's not practical when shooting video of yourself.
I think rule of thirds is not always the best rule of photo composition nor does a level horizon actually, it's useful but very restrictive for long time use. it gets rather old fast. Diagonal lines seem like a much better guide. Eric Kim has a guide up that I'd highly recommend, though he is a bit douchey it is genuinely helpful. czcams.com/video/rDqsdZgt23g/video.html
Thanks for the link!
the ending.. omg HAHA
how do u forget that your picture looks bad when the horizon is tilted at a 45 degree angle??? seems like common knowledge to me. the rest of the tips are helpful tho
45 degree tilt is pretty clear something is amiss (unless done for effect). It's more the 2-5 degrees of tilt that are easy to forget about, but hard to ignore.
Nice video
Most excellent. ten thousand kudos!
btw: we make photographs. we do not "take" photographs. Namaste
+Bruce Cromwell that's grammatically incorrect.
maybe you have left too much head room in this video.
it would be cool to talk about head room and lead/looking/walking room. (=
FYI, the "hunting" autofocus on your video is incredibly distracting.
+Carl Miller Imagine how I feel about it.
+Michromatic: Noticeable, but not incredibly distracting. He's just being a butt. Thanks for the video. Very informative.
Simon O As a one-man operation, it's hard to manually focus on myself when the camera is ~5 feet away from me. (My arms aren't 5 feet long.)
***** Actually saw it in a DigitalRev TV video! =) Thanks though! =)
More example pictures please, while talking.
Boring intro ends @1:00
That's pretty short, I'm doing alright!
Less of your face and more pictures please dude