Dubai
When you know all the rules, it’s time to push the envelope.
The conventional guidelines for taking great pictures is something all photography enthusiasts must know like the back of their hand – this includes an understanding of the ‘rule of thirds’, which places the subject at the intersection of the grid lines, and knowing never to shoot into the light, tilt the camera or create blurry images.
But when you have an understanding of what works and what doesn’t, you can experiment and even intentionally break the rules to create interesting images.
Imagine clicking a picture of a ballerina, mid-pirouette. By shooting at slow shutter speed to deliberately blur the subject, you can add movement to a still image and immediately affect the mood it creates. The picture would be blurry, but it would also be artistic, abstract, interesting and on purpose.
Anyone who has tried to take pictures with the sun right in front of them, can attest to how futile the task can be, without a powerful camera. But backlighting, the process of illuminating the subject from behind, can create a dramatic silhouette photograph.
National Geographic’s photo blog advises: “When shooting against the sun, wait for the moment when it is masked by something in the frame, so that the picture is not overwhelmed with light.”
Another way to try something new, is to reverse the ‘active space rule’. Rather than leaving space in the frame for the subject to move into, as is often advised, you can do the opposite and get your subject to move out of the frame. It creates movement, and a sense of intrigue – where are they going?
And what if you intentionally tilted your camera, to align the spire of the Burj Khalifa with the full moon? It would transform the scene from something expected to something surprising.
In September’s Reader Picture Competition, our reader photographers played with the rules and came out unscathed.
We asked Gulf News’ twitter followers to select the top three reader photographs. Of the five pictures in the editors’ shortlist, they retweeted the picture they liked best. The pictures were ranked based on the highest number of retweets. Here, we present the winners.
Editor’s note: Do you want to participate in our monthly Reader Picture Competition? Send us your best photographs, with captions, at readers@gulfnews.com.
FIRST PLACE
Hussain Nalwala is a businessman based in Sharjah.
His winning photograph was taken in Iceland, a country often called ‘the land of fire and ice’, since it is home to both glaciers and volcanic springs.
Polar bears are not indigenous to the country, and can drift in, on icebergs from Greenland. The official policy in Iceland is to euthanise them when they are sighted, as they are deemed a threat to people and livestock. Globally, polar bears are considered a vulnerable species, one step away from endangered.
Nalwala’s picture captured the attention of our twitter followers. They declared him the winner, with 20 retweets and 10 likes.
SECOND PLACE (TIED)
Manu Reghurajan is a senior engineer based in Dubai.
He took this compelling photograph in Kerala, India, and said: ‘A small, traditional fishing boat with two fishermen in it were on top of a powerful wave when I noticed them at Thanni Beach in Kollam. For them, this is the daily routine of life, while I was surprised at their courage… to be in that tiny row boat, battling the furious waves of the sea!’
Reghurajan’s photograph received 11 retweets and 10 likes.
Allan Mathew is a Sharjah-based accountant, and he tied for second place, with Reghurajan.
A serene scene in Tbilisi, Georgia, captured his attention.
He said: ‘When we visited Svetitskhoveli Cathedral, I observed a streak of sunrays entering towards the interior of church. This light guided me to my photographic subject – an old lady reading the bible with much passion.’
His photograph received 11 retweets and nine likes.
THIRD PLACE
Mamta Mohapatra, a Dubai-based reader, left her job as an executive secretary to devote more time towards her passion for photography. She took this picture in Bhubaneswar, the capital of the Indian state of Odisha.
She said: ‘I took this picture at a lion safari at Nandankanan Zoological Park. I feel that in wildlife photography, there is a need for patience to capture the moment of action.’
Her photograph garnered 10 retweets and 17 likes.
