Hello Clickers….. I’m Sam, a hobbyist photographer. I have 4 children and I love being a mum! For as long as I can remember, I've always felt that the analytical and creative parts of my brain were at loggerheads! At school, I was very academic - loved maths and science, but still always needed an outlet for my creative side. I lived for my art and food technology lessons each week. I found them relaxing and a way of releasing tension. This has remained with me and now I work as an Optometrist in the same small mining village where i grew up in the Midlands UK. I love my job and being part of the community but NEED more! I've always had something 'extra' going on, whether it be paper crafts like card making and scrap booking or things like cake decorating, painting or needlework. I also love sharing these ideas with my children and using them as learning opportunities and bonding time.
Photography became the latest of my missions in August 2020 when i purchased my first DSLR (a second hand Nikon D3200). I did a few (OK loads) of online courses and I was HOOKED! I have a thirst for learning and am always trying something new.
Details are really important within my photographic style - Children’s lifestyle photography with a creative twist. I use a rich and emotive colour palette and love to build props and ‘sets’ for my shoots or use my questionable baking skills to produce yummy treats to showcase. Photography allows me to build ALL of the skills I’ve learned over the years into the details within my work.
Why are the details so important?
The main reason I pick my camera up is to immortalise the peculiarities of my children. This could be smaller things like the face my daughter pulls when she’s annoyed, the way my son’s hair sticks up at the crown, my youngest’s bottom lip sticking out when she doesn’t get her own way, the freckle in my little ones belly button. Or it could be broader ideas like their Lego collection or love of colouring. In short all things that are unique to me or my subject. I also might use details to hint at or give a clue about the subject beyond what is seen in the photography - their personality, hobbies or interests.
These intimacies will also serve to act as little reminders in years to come, jogging the memory of how much thought you may have put into the little lace trim or tiny rosebuds in the smocking of your child’s dress or the buttons on their cardigan. You may have agonised over what hair ribbons to buy or the colour of their first shoes. The key to success it is choosing with intention rather than randomly. In this way you will truly feel a connection when you come back to it later with a feeling of nostalgia and reminiscence.
How to shoot for the details
One way of dividing “detail” photography is in terms of the image perspective. Will you set a wider scene and pack it full of lots of details to enhance the story you want to tell? I love it when someone comments that on re-visiting my images they noticed a little detail they hadn’t seen the first time that further enhanced the storytelling. Personally, as well as adding lots of details to my wider scenes, I like to hone in further to isolate some of these details in single using close-up zoom or even macro to ensure the message really hits home for an element may be missed as the viewer skims over a wider shot. This way I can really connect with my viewer and ensure distractions are minimised. Don’t forget to check for details within the detail - like textures, and show them off too!! I often use these detail images in conjunction with my wider scenes when creating collages for my photo books. I call this “multi-image story-telling”.
When I photograph details (and because I really want the attention to be directed toward the feature of my choice) I might choose to use one or more methods of drawing the eye or something even to block out some of the distractions within the frame. Some of my favourite ways are:
Reflections
Selective focus (either in camera or in post-processing)
Framing
Light
Deliberate colour choices
Creative techniques such as free-lensing or Lensbaby lenses
Shooting through objects
Post-processing techniques
Whatever the method you choose of course you will need to ensure your settings in camera are adequate for your vision. That means understanding your exposure triangle (iso, aperture and shutter speed) to ensure you can manifest a sharp (or deliberately blurred) focal point.
During editing I always like to add an extra step into my work flow and give special consideration to the details I have painstakingly chosen within the frame. I want to enhance them to tell my story further and realise my vision fully. Sometimes I know what changes I will be making in post-processing before I even shoot for example with colour changes and sharpening/blurring certain elements. Sometimes though it evolves during the creative process. Usually this is when I add light overlays or double exposures.
I really love the “high-pass” filter in photoshop as a way to really add that extra “zing” when I want sharp details. If you would like to have a little play with this (and even if you have no experience on photoshop), I have popped the step by step below. Have a go!
With your image open in photoshop, duplicate your layer by clicking ctrl or command + J.
From the tool bar, select “filter” then “other” then “high pass”.
From here you can play with the amount of sharpening. I usually leave it between 6 and 10.
Click ok to apply the changes. Then in the layers panel you can change the blending mode to “soft light”.
I then add a layer mask and invert it by clicking ctrl or command + I. This means that the sharpening you just did applies to none of the image.
Then using a white brush, you can select just the areas you want the sharpening to be applied (eg the eyes).
Don’t forget to change the opacity slider if the effect is too severe.
Merge your layers and save.
My other favourite tool is colour changing in the HSL layer. A while ago I did a little video tutorial of this and many of you may have seen this but I thought I would just include it here as if it helps just one extra person it would be worth it!! I love the way changing colour can enhance the detail and encourage the understanding of the story.
And Finally….
The last tip I have for you is to slow right down - take the time to really see the detail. Search them out, insist on them. Life passes by so quickly, almost in the blink of an eye and before you know it the kids will have flown the nest. Start a list of all the little details you want to capture about their world - all the things you love and that make them unique.
If you want to connect, I would love to hear from you. I’m over on Instagram at:
Thanks for reading and remember it’s not just the “devil in the details”!!
Sam xx
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