Wazzit?

I'm pretty tickled because a visitor to The Rolling Turd took some photo-taking advice and did a great job of capturing her kids in the joyful act of being kids. She definitely worked to capture the essence of youth and it shows!

Another tip for the everyday shooter..... Find the 'picture within the picture.' This photo is of a wood duck. While wood ducks are spectacular in their plumage, a snapshot of one quickly loses that "Oh wow" factor. Try to focus in, using your zoom to crop a tighter image. Let the viewer of the photo use their mind to fill in the information beyond the borders.

When shooting animals or people, I love using this technique and always try to include the eye. All animals, regardless of where you sit on the evolutionary ladder, are drawn to the eye. As people, we recognize the eye as the window to the soul. Birds believe bigger eyes mean bigger predators. Even butterflies and fish use eye shaped patterns in their camouflage.

Try it out on your kids or family pets. You'll find you get a photo full of impact!