The ABC's of taking a picture

Truth be told, for most of the 15+ years I've been shooting digital pictures I've done little more than point and shoot. Lately, friends have provided me some rudimentary instructions on aperture and shutter speed . . . the bigger the number the smaller the hole. I had the fraction (shutter speed) mixed up with the F-stop (aperture) until just recently. Not that it matters. When I'm out there shooting my mind goes blank and I can't remember anything.

Last week I met a fellow usher, Jan Landis who is a professional photographer. She generously offered to take me out on a photo jaunt at Kelley Point Park.

The weather was just turning from drippy to sunny when I shot this image before we started. I liked the mirroring of the verticals.


We strode the beach along the Columbia shoreline as she explained tonal zones, and how to read histograms. Cameras (no matter their quality) can only accommodate four zones in the same shot. The sky is too bright in this photo. I'd have to use a mask to make separate adjustments in PhotoShop.


This is an example of what NOT to do --- take a shot when the tripod is not level.