creative photography€¦ · amongst nature, makes people feel better about their lives. wild ways...
TRANSCRIPT
Creative
Photography
© Paul Barclay
Spending time with
nature improves
wellbeing
Spending time outdoors,
amongst nature, makes
people feel better about
their lives.
Wild Ways Well gets people
suffering from, or at risk of,
poor mental health out into
the greenspaces of
Cumbernauld.
Whilst out amongst the
trees, parks and reserves
participants get a chance to
slow down and relax and
enjoy being in the company
of other like-minded people.
We’ll also spend time trying
out a variety of
environmental and
conservation related
activities designed to fit in
with the internationally
recognised Five Ways to
Wellbeing mental health
framework.
Wild Ways Well and the Five Ways to Wellbeing
Mental health
Photography is one of the most powerful and ubiquitous artforms on the planets. We are bombarded with photographs everyday, in shopfronts, magazines, newspapers, billboards, leaflets, flyers… and of course online where every news report, social media post or creative website about knitting is full of photographs. Usually of cats.
Good photographers talk of ‘being in the zone’ or being totally present in the moment when taking photographs. Forget about your troubles, even if only for a few moments, let go of your fears and concentrate on tuning in all of your senses, and combining them all to capture an image and an emotion in a fleeting moment.
Photography allows us to be creative and to share how we feel with others without necessarily having to speak. Expressing ourselves through art in this way has been shown to be beneficial for a number of mental health issues like depression and anxiety.
Most people will have access to some form of camera and with no costs attached to taking and sharing photos there really is no excuse not to just get out and get snapping!
While everyone will have their own styles and their own favourite ways of taking photographs there are lots of little hints and tips we can all follow that have been tried and tested by other photographers over the years. These won’t instantly turn our snaps into masterpieces but they might help us stand out from the crowd.
Getting our eye in and sharing our photos is a great way to get involved with nature and a great way to start a conversation about your favourite places or species. Taking a photograph does no harm to nature but the right photograph in the right place can do a lot of good. Generally photography has a light, low impact touch on the environment, but there are rules and even laws you should follow.
Remember to always be respectful of the places and lifeforms you are photographing. Don’t damage the landscape, don’t pick an orchid just to get it in a better light and don’t harass any animals which are trying to get about their lives—if you feel like your presence is disturbing an animal or changing it’s behaviour back away.
Above all have fun!
The Rule of Thirds
One of the most basic photography techniques everyone can quickly and easily
learn to improve their images is the Rule of Thirds
The Rule of Thirds is a guideline which applies to the process of creating visual
images—whether these be photographs, paintings, films or even sometimes
buildings and sculptures.
The rule has been used by artists throughout history though it was first named by
John Thomas Smith, an English painter, in 1797.
To use the Rule of Thirds try dividing your photo frame into an imaginary grid (as
shown above), some cameras will even do this for you.
If you place the most important or striking parts of your image on the points
where these lines cross you may find the resulting photograph is more pleasing to
the eye than simply placing the subject dead in the centre of the frame.
Image ©Katrina Martin
Above—Following the Rule of Thirds
Below—ignoring the Rule of Thirds
© Paul Barclay
© Paul Barclay
What’s the point?
Many modern cameras will have a zoom (and if they don’t you can use the manual zoom—walk closer!).
When considering what zoom level to use think about the why you’re taking the photo. Are you trying to
show how the subject fits into the landscape? Or are you trying to get a detailed portrait?
If in doubt it’s often a good idea
to choose a strong focal point,
get in close to the subject and
try to fill the whole frame with
interest.
© Paul Barclay
© Paul Barclay
© Paul Barclay
Landscape or portrait?
There are two main ways to frame your photo, Landscape, where the long edge of
the photograph is on the horizontal and Portrait, where the long edge is on the
vertical.
Landscape photos like the one above are usually the most appropriate for viewing
on computer screens as they can be made to fill the whole screen.
Another interesting technique to bring photos to life is to use the ‘empty space’ in
your frame to give the subject room to ’breathe’. In the above photo it almost looks
like the bird has space to fly off to the right of the frame.
© Paul Barclay
Portraits like this can
get us in close and can
feel more intimate. © Paul Barclay
Keep it simple
Often the most successful photographs are the ones with the fewest elements
© Paul Barclay
© Paul Barclay
© Paul Barclay
Think about the whole frame when composing your photograph. It’s easy to get
distracted by your subject and forget about what else is going on, especially around
the frame edges. This is the time to look out for thumbs and fingers creeping into
the frame or unwanted elements like brightly coloured litter.
Frame edges clear
Frame edges cluttered
© Paul Barclay
© Paul Barclay
Get in close. Particularly with smaller subjects, it is often a good idea to get in as
close as you can. Try getting down to their level and photographing them from a
different angle
© Paul Barclay
© Paul Barclay
Look out for clusters and
repeating patterns, they can
be more effective than lone
elements © Paul Barclay
Change your angle. Try to look at
things in a new way. Get down
really low or climb up higher. The
world looks more interesting
when not viewed from a ‘normal’
human angle
© Paul Barclay
Look them in the eye. By
focussing on a subjects eyes you
can immediately establish an
emotional connection
© Paul Barclay
Break the rules! All photography rules are there to be broken, find your own way
and capture your own vision.
© Paul Barclay
© Paul Barclay
Wildlife Photography and the Law
While the vast majority of your photography will be perfectly innocent and legal there are
certain circumstances where you have to take account of the law.
Generally photography is permitted anywhere in the UK. The only exceptions to this are
places where people have a reasonable expectation of privacy (e.g. individuals’ private gar-
dens or inside their homes or places of work); within enclosed areas of land which issue
tickets for entry and which have prominent published signage prohibiting photographs
(usually on the back of your ticket); and specially prohibited sensitive areas such as some
military or critical infrastructure installations.
While you can legally photograph anywhere else it is often wise to think about whether you
should. If someone objects to you photographing them or to being on their land with your
camera it is wise to just stop. Also consider common sense issues like not photographing
children without consulting their parents, or taking photographs in areas that might be
dangerous or cause fear or alarm to the public.
There are also some restrictions to the types of photography you can do around wildlife.
While most of these restrictions are not aimed directly at photographers they will affect the
types of shot you can take.
There are various laws which protect wildlife, the most famous being the 1981 Wildlife and
Countryside Act. There are several others which deal with individual species or habitats but
all have similar provisions. Under these acts, in Scotland, it is a crime to recklessly injure, kill
or disturb many species. It is also a crime to recklessly destroy, damage or disturb their
homes or feeding grounds. Note the word ‘recklessly’ - you don’t have to know you are
committing an offence in order to be guilty of it.
Other animals and plants have even stronger protection—it is YOUR responsibility as a pho-
tographer to know this and to act accordingly. It is unwise and potentially illegal to ever
approach the nest site of a bird (particularly raptors), to trample over a badger sett or to
camp out with your camera beside an otter holt or kingfisher perch.
Many photography guides will advocate ‘gardening’ when taking photographs of plants—
i.e. removing distracting vegetation from around the subject or even picking the subject and
moving it to a ‘better’ spot. While some light gardening is usually ok—e.g. picking grass or
daisies or moving a few leaves or twigs—you should be very careful when doing this. Pick-
ing or disturbing some plants is illegal and it is YOUR responsibility to know which. A good
general rule is to never pick a plant or flower if it is the only one, or one of only a few, you
can see—but if in doubt leave it well alone and take your photo from a respectful distance
without causing any damage.
Another good rule of thumb is simply to ‘do no harm’. Don’t damage anything or disturb
any creature. If you become aware that your presence is disturbing the animal you are try-
ing to photograph then back away and try again another time.
© Paul Barclay
Wild Ways Well
Photography fits well within the Five Ways to Wellbeing advocated by the major
Mental Health Charities and the NHS.
You can take nature photos, especially shots of macro subjects, birds, plants and
insects in your own back garden but to find new vistas, new species and new
inspirations you’ll have to Be Active. Not just walking and exploring your local area,
but bending over, getting down low, changing your eye level to match your subject.
There are always new photography techniques to learn and new camera angles to
try so you’ll Keep Learning, look online or down your local library and find the best
nature photographs you can and learn from them, what makes them so unique?
How can you do something similar? In order to get great wildlife photos you’ll also
have to learn about the behaviour of the animals or plants you want to
photograph. What are their daily habits, where are you likely to find them, and
when?
To be a great photographer you have to Take Notice, it’s often the little tiny things
that make the difference between a decent snapshot and a brilliant piece of art.
Look all around the frame, check the background and foreground, note the light
levels and the areas of shade, match colours—or even go black and white and learn
to balance all the shades of grey.
By getting out and taking photos you’ll get a chance to Connect. Truly great
photographs always inspire a sense of connection between the photographer, the
subject and the people who later view it. Catching an animal in the eye always
helps but there are other ways too. You can also connect with the vast numbers of
other photographers out there, perhaps by joining your local camera club, or an
online group or by sharing your photos.
You can Give by sharing your photos with others, allowing them to see what you
have seen. Perhaps some people will never have experienced the species or
behaviour you photograph. You can contribute to science by making wildlife
records with your photos, you can contribute to conservation by highlighting
threatened species or places. Many conservation organisations would also love
your help as a volunteer photographer.
Photo Challenges
Try these challenges as a group or an individual
Photograph
Something happy
Time
Something alive
Something that has never lived
Something blue
The sky—but without pointing
the camera up
A home
A shadow
Heat
Cold
Something soft
Something old
Something from below
A faceless portrait
The past
The future
Movement
The wind
Something stripy
Something that shouldn’t be
there
The same subject from close up
and far away
Mark out a particular place and
take a photograph in exactly the
same spot every day for a year
Play with light. Try taking similar
photographs under different
lighting conditions.
Something with no colour
Something unexpected
A small part of a large object
The weather
An ant’s eye view
The most important thing in your
local area
Darkness
A single leaf
A whole tree
A star
Five different flowers in one area
Something smooth
Something textured
Something you made
Links
Wild Ways Well
cumbernauldlivinglandscape.org.uk/project/wild-ways-well
The Conservation Volunteers
www.tcv.org.uk/scotland
The Scottish Wildlife Trust
scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk
The Five Ways to Wellbeing
www.gov.uk/government/publications/five-ways-to-mental-
wellbeing
SamH
www.samh.org.uk
Our Natural Health Service
www.nature.scot/professional-advice/contributing-healthier-
scotland/our-natural-health-service
NHS Mental Health
www.healthscotland.scot/health-topics/mental-health-and-wellbeing
The Samaritans
www.samaritans.org call 116 123 email [email protected]
Photographers and mental health
fragmentary.org
Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival
www.mhfestival.com
There are so many possible inspirations for natural photography that it would be
impossible to list more than a few. Use these as a starting point to explore what
others have done and to inspire your own creativity.
Katrina Martin
www.katrinamartinphotography.co.uk
Andy Goldsworthy
www.goldsworthy.cc.gla.ac.uk
Pete Cairns
www.petercairnsphotography.com
Colin Prior
colinprior.co.uk
Laurie Campbell
www.lauriecampbell.com
Nature photography
www.nhm.ac.uk/visit/wpy.html
www.instagram.com/explore/tags/nature/?hl=en
www.flickr.com/photos/tags/nature
iso.500px.com/tag/nature-photography
Wildlife photo ID help
iSpot www.ispotnature.org
Cumbernauld and Kilsyth Camera Club
ckps.org.uk
The Law
www.nature.scot/professional-advice/safeguarding-protected-areas-and-species/
protected-species/legal-framework/wildlife-and-countryside-act-1981
Wild Ways Well is a partnership between The Conservation Volunteers and The
Scottish Wildlife Trust and was developed through the Cumbernauld Living
Landscape.
It’s all about getting people outdoors, interacting with natural green spaces and
spending time discovering the nature and wildlife that is all around us.
As people spend more of their school, work and leisure time indoors they are
becoming increasingly disconnected from nature and caught up with all the stresses
of everyday life.
Every year 1 in 4 people in Scotland will suffer a mental health problem.
There is more and more evidence that regular contact with the outdoors, nature
and greenspaces is vital for our physical and mental health.
cumbernauldlivinglandscape.org.uk/project/wild-ways-well
For information contact [email protected]
Project supporters