How to make an ordinary object extraordinary thru photography?

[chengjoo]

Ah..I have a Canon PowerShot A710 IS.

I was thinking about the theme of taking something ordinary around you and take a photo of it (any type of photo e.g. macro, etc.) to make it seem extraordinary.

I already tried taking a few macro shots but they seem to lack the oomph.

Anyone got any ideas about how I can go about it? The photos NEED NOT be confined macro..

Thanks in advance..

 

[Del_CtrlnoAlt]

well... thats something you need to learn, not for us to answer... just so simply...

its just too vague to even start answering....

 

[jeanie]

define extraordinary first.

it's really subjective.

 

[teddysaur]

Think of it as an art.

Look at some of the work of some artists, they might give you some clues. Usually are the composure, lighting and background

 

[lsisaxon]

Ah..I have a Canon PowerShot A710 IS.

I was thinking about the theme of taking something ordinary around you and take a photo of it (any type of photo e.g. macro, etc.) to make it seem extraordinary.

I already tried taking a few macro shots but they seem to lack the oomph.

Anyone got any ideas about how I can go about it? The photos NEED NOT be confined macro..

Thanks in advance..

Think perspective and lighting. These can make a great deal of difference.

 

[posez]

Go read a good photography book, it starts there I think. Learn the basics, composition, lighting etc. It is surprising how much more "oomph" you can get in a picture simply by watching the fundamentals and getting it right.

I guess from there its just a matter of constant practice and learning from others, like pros, reading books and magazines, and just looking out at what makes a nice photo work. I subscribe to National Geographic and try to see what makes each picture tick even if I don't have the time to read the wonderful articles.

 

[Rashkae]

If this ability can be taught in a couple forum posts, then almost everyone here would be National Geographic quality photogs.

 

[Dennis]

When you are famous, ordinary picture becomes extraordinary automatically :bsmilie:

 

[Harry Potter]

When you are famous, ordinary picture becomes extraordinary automatically :bsmilie:

How to become famous?

Pls dun say the scar on my head that make me famous... :bsmilie:

 

[ortega]

easy way is to learn light painting
and shoot view that ppl do not see everyday

 

[eow]

Ah..I have a Canon PowerShot A710 IS.

I was thinking about the theme of taking something ordinary around you and take a photo of it (any type of photo e.g. macro, etc.) to make it seem extraordinary.

I already tried taking a few macro shots but they seem to lack the oomph.

Anyone got any ideas about how I can go about it? The photos NEED NOT be confined macro..

Thanks in advance..

try this website ..lot of interesting pics some taken from some seemly simple object.
http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days/

 

[Vinnzcoco]

hello

seemingly open ended topic...

here is my humble opinion....

i would suggest you spent sometime to do quality camera-owner bonding. understand first how much ooomph you have packed in that Canon PowerShot A710. compact camera these days are made to function seemingly similar to Dslr.... (keyword = seemingly) in manual mode you can also control most of what a Dslr would be able to manage. your baby can compensate exposure, control aperture from F2.8 to F8.0. Control shutter speed range from 15 - 1/2000 sec. Whitebalance.... you can even take in Stitchassist mode for paranormal view.

there are also peripherals you can get your hands on. like a wide angle lens, lens adaptor for tele lens, macro lens, external slave flash... etc...(yes on your Canon PowerShot A710 )

With what you are equipped with on your hands.... the rest is in your eyes..... suggestions can go on and on about where when what to shoot.. but its really what your style is. now the question is ... how much oooomph do you have packed in you....



have fun while you are at it (no i dont own a A710)

 

[Anjinnete Ross]

here is my humble opinion....

i would suggest you spent sometime to do quality camera-owner bonding. understand first how much ooomph you have packed in that Canon PowerShot A710. compact camera these days are made to function seemingly similar to Dslr.... (keyword = seemingly) in manual mode you can also control most of what a Dslr would be able to manage. your baby can compensate exposure, control aperture from F2.8 to F8.0. Control shutter speed range from 15 - 1/2000 sec. Whitebalance.... you can even take in Stitchassist mode for paranormal view.

there are also peripherals you can get your hands on. like a wide angle lens, lens adaptor for tele lens, macro lens, external slave flash... etc...(yes on your Canon PowerShot A710 )

With what you are equipped with on your hands.... the rest is in your eyes..... suggestions can go on and on about where when what to shoot.. but its really what your style is. now the question is ... how much oooomph do you have packed in you....

I am very much a newbie in photography. The question asked in this thread is important to me. I would love to make some extraordinary pictures of ordinary things. I think most of us would love to be able to do that!

After reading what you wrote, I have the impression that knowing what my camera can do, and other things like wide angle lens, and tele lens, and macro lens , and external flash, etc, is the key to making great pictures. Honestly, I am a little confused.

I mean, it is like saying that knowing and mastering all the features of microsoft word allows me to write better novels.

 

[Sion]

Ah..I have a Canon PowerShot A710 IS.

I was thinking about the theme of taking something ordinary around you and take a photo of it (any type of photo e.g. macro, etc.) to make it seem extraordinary.

I already tried taking a few macro shots but they seem to lack the oomph.

Anyone got any ideas about how I can go about it? The photos NEED NOT be confined macro..

Thanks in advance..

Photoshop. :bsmilie:

 

[ExplorerZ]

use IR filter... everything looks extraordinary to people that nv see IR pic before. :bsmilie:

 

[ah.zeep]

Hi,

I mean, it is like saying that knowing and mastering all the features of microsoft word allows me to write better novels.

It's more like, mastering all the features of microsoft word will allow your novel creation to proceed more smoothly. Imagine if after a few paras you have to search for online help on how to copy-and-paste in moving your words around. Your thought process will surely be disrupted!

My 2c worth.

 

[eikin]

I am very much a newbie in photography. The question asked in this thread is important to me. I would love to make some extraordinary pictures of ordinary things. I think most of us would love to be able to do that!

After reading what you wrote, I have the impression that knowing what my camera can do, and other things like wide angle lens, and tele lens, and macro lens , and external flash, etc, is the key to making great pictures. Honestly, I am a little confused.

I mean, it is like saying that knowing and mastering all the features of microsoft word allows me to write better novels.

knowing what the camera is capable of is important to making good images, but it's not the only important thing. i don't think Vinnzcoco meant that that (just knowing the camera) is all one needs

With what you are equipped with on your hands.... the rest is in your eyes..... suggestions can go on and on about where when what to shoot.. but its really what your style is. now the question is ... how much oooomph do you have packed in you....

as Vinnzcoco mentioned ''the rest is in your eyes''

knowing what the camera is capable of is like how a painter understands what effect his/her paints will give if he/she mixes them in certain ways. and like how a painter will sometimes experiment with his/her paints, a photographer can always experiment new ways of making his/her images.

end of the day it's very much how you approach the production of photography art.

it's ok to feel confused once in a while, everyone experiences confusion now and then

 

[jfoo]

ask yourself this question before you take a shot. "if i take this shot, is there an interest point for my audience?"

read up books on composition, the rule of thirds, leading lines, sweeping horizons etc.

go out and shoot more. challenge yourself, say for example, limit yourself to thirty shots and walk from one end of boat quay to the other and than evaluate what you have shot.

another challenge, set yourself a certain theme like maybe the colour RED and set yourself to fulfill that theme for the day or location.

and don't forget, HAVE FUN. it's suppose to give you joy and not grief.

 

[espion]

forget the cam, forget photoshop; its all in the eyes and the mind.

u can have all the most expensive gear and have all the skills in photoshop but u cannot make any picture.

as an analogy, take the humble carpenter.

a carpenter can make a chair from a piece of granite, chiselling it away with whatever he can get his hands on. Or assemble it from junk pieces of wood or preformed standard pieces of material be they plastic or steel.

But if you are not a carpenter you can have a spanking workshop equipped with the latest, and bestest and, at best, you just churned out some mediocre, unoriginal, and mindless stuff that seems to conform to some conventional notion of what is, for example, a chair.

But you will never do a chair without legs. You wont recognise it as, less to think it could be, a chair in the first place, and that is really the heart of the matter in this thread.

The mistake often is to think/imagine/self-delude/fantasise that u are a carpenter when you got a chisel in your hands.

 

[eikin]

forget the cam, forget photoshop; its all in the eyes and the mind.

u can have all the most expensive gear and have all the skills in photoshop but u cannot make any picture.

as an analogy, take the humble carpenter.

a carpenter can make a chair from a piece of granite, chiselling it away with whatever he can get his hands on. Or assemble it from junk pieces of wood or preformed standard pieces of material be they plastic or steel.

But if you are not a carpenter you can have a spanking workshop equipped with the latest, and bestest and, at best, you just churned out some mediocre, unoriginal, and mindless stuff that seems to conform to some conventional notion of what is, for example, a chair.

But you will never do a chair without legs. You wont recognise it as, less to think it could be, a chair in the first place, and that is really the heart of the matter in this thread.

The mistake often is to think/imagine/self-delude/fantasise that u are a carpenter when you got a chisel in your hands.

it's an interesting analogy you have there, but how does the carpenter make the chair if he doesn't know how to use the chisel?

i would agree there's no need to become over engrossed in equipment, but it's necessary for one to know how things work before things can work for one. i wouldn't say it's good to forget about the camera and post processing, i'd rather say know them to expand your artistic possibilities.