Dexter Yarbrough: Keeping images simple and gorgeous

Simplicity in composition is a potent but overlooked aspect in taking good photographs. While a little variety is acceptable—even desirable—in some cases, professional photographers, like Dexter Yarbrough often strive to keep their photographic subjects simple to focus on capturing the essence of their subject better. Whether commercial or amateur, single-subject photos can display beauty in simplicity, regardless of the backdrop.

Dexter Yarbrough Photo Credit: BehindtheScenesCrew.com

To achieve simplicity, the subject of an image does not need to be the only image in the picture. However, in these cases, there is only one subject—an object, group of objects, or interaction—that dominates the picture. This single subject, when taking place in the crowd, should be isolated through lighting or focus when taking place in areas like the outdoors where excessive detail could draw attention away from the subject.
 

Dexter Yarbrough Photo Credit: howitookit.com

For photographers, like Dexter Yarbrough, who try to achieve simplicity in a photograph, capturing the right amount of detail is the key. The details captured of objects other than the subject would ideally be minimal or would stand in stark contrast to the subject. It takes a trained eye and a lot of skill to achieve this in events, but once achieved, the results are stunning.
 

Dexter Yarbrough Photo Credit: circuitmag.net

Gorgeous photography subjects can come from the simplest of arrangements. Following a simple composition can help photographers create better images.

Read more about Dexter Yarbrough and his services at DJYPhotography.com.

Dexter Yarbrough: Be a street smart photographer

Photography enthusiasts often find themselves saying, "What a scene! I wish I brought my camera!"


DJY Photography founder Dexter Yarbrough advices amateur photographers to avoid such a bummer by arming themselves with cameras all the time. This should be the case especially when exploring familiar territories.

From Dexter Yarbrough

Photographers are mostly likely to take for granted the details that a familiar street or town offer. What seems to be ordinary should not be the case for photographers with a knack for creativity. With ordinary moments comes a wide spectrum of opportunities for an artistic capture. For example, a man resting on a bench, people running for covers when rain suddenly falls, children playing in the park, and a bus driver interacting with passengers are great photo opportunities.


Dexter Yarbrough notes that an excellent photo has editorial value, that is, it tells a story with a touch of drama in it. Photographers have to be always ready when taking fleeting moments like these.

From Dexter Yarbrough

Scouring for new locations is not necessary when taking unique shots. The scenes that are happening at the moment may be totally different from those that occurred an hour ago.


Close up shots have great dramatic appeal especially when shooting portraits of old people. The creases and lines on their faces tell stories of their old age.


Lastly, taking as much photos of one subject as possible will be an advantage. This is a good way of making sure to have the chance to get that perfect photo.

From Dexter Yarbrough

View Dexter Yarbrough’s online gallery at www.djyphotography.com.

Dexter Yarbrough advice for better photos: Show love for your subject

The first requirement any photographer needs to fulfill in order to take a great photo, according to professional photographer, Dexter Yarbrough, is to have great interest in the subject. If you’re just starting to get the hang of photography and you want your photos to have appeal and impact, you must first see the potential in the subject and be able to interpret it in your own way.

From Dexter Yarbrough's Photos

If you’ve seen professional photographers on the field, then you know how much dedication they put into their work. They take time to understand their subjects and decide on how to portray their subjects in the best light.


Budding photographers like you who want to improve on their photography skills, below are some pointers on how to take better photos from Dexter Yarbrough.

From Dexter Yarbrough's Photos

Firstly, in order to create a unified effect, you must decide which elements must make up the image and how to best arrange them. Use the viewfinder as the creative space within which you’ll build a pleasant composition.


Secondly, you have to decide on the viewpoint from where you’ll take a shot of your subject. Try shooting from above or below the subject. Or you may also look for unique and more interesting ways to present it.

From Dexter Yarbrough's Photos

Thirdly, it might be a good idea to highlight depth and distance in a photograph. By doing so, you will provide the impression of looking at a three-dimensional scene, making your photo a lot more interesting.


Finally, pay attentio0n to the balance of the elements. Make your photos more appealing by dividing the photograph into thirds, horizontally and vertically, and to place the subject one-third across and one third up or down the picture.


For more topics on photography, visit www.djyphotography.com.

Dexter Yarbrough: Capturing the beauty of nature with your camera

Any picture that illustrates the beauty of nature can be a powerful tool that can reconnect its viewer to the environment. Dexter Yarbrough offers these simple tips on how to produce the best nature photos:

From Dexter Yarbrough's Photos

Know your camera by knowing the environment




It’s always a good idea to familiarize with the environment. Know at what specific times in the day certain changes are bound to happen – sunsets, hunts, resting periods, migrations, and others. Depending on the subject or subjects you wish to shoot, may they be plants, animals, or landscapes, you will need to customize your camera’s settings and attach the required accessories that will suit the conditions of your surroundings.




Camera at the ready




Just as an unsuspecting antelope can fall prey to a cunning lioness, the perfect opportunity for a good shot can stealthily pass your viewfinder by, leaving you at a loss. Dexter Yarbrough suggests strapping your camera in such a way that you will be able to raise it conveniently at the right moment. For accomplished photographers, a second camera mounted on a tripod always comes in handy.

From Dexter Yarbrough's Photos

Sunlight vs. daylight




Sunlight pertains to light coming directly from the sun. Daylight, on the other hand, is a ray of sunlight that bounces off from surface to surface to illuminate a given space. Take this into the context of nature and see how greatly it can affect the vibrancy of the colors in your photographs.

From Dexter Yarbrough's Photos

View Dexter Yarbrough photographs of landscapes and wildlife at www.djyphotography.com.

Capturing a Subject's True Self on Film: Dexter Yarbrough Talks about Candid Shots

Though he would not suggest stalking celebrities to take pictures of them, Dexter Yarbrough loves taking candid shots as they make the subject look very natural. “Taken during your subject's unguarded moments, candid pictures often turn out exceptionally well. If you want your shots to capture the natural behavior of your subjects, then go for candid shots,” the professional photographer and founder of DJY Photography says.

From Dexter Yarbrough's Photos

Candid photography is best described as un-posed and unplanned, immediate and unobtrusive. This type of photography is opposed to stalking subjects such as in animal photography, sports photography, or photographic journalistic intrusion. A photographer taking candid shots is close to and not hidden from its subjects. Focusing on spontaneity rather than technique, candid photography is about photos usually shot without a lot of technical equipment or any time taken setting up the shot. Photographers such as Dexter Yarbrough who love taking candid shots focus not on the camera, but on the current task they want to capture.

From Dexter Yarbrough's Photos

Another thing that makes candid photography work over classic portrait photography is that in portrait photographs, the subject is aware they are being photographed so they tend to become self-conscious and stiff in the desire to look good in the photo. Yarbrough adds that a candid shot that focuses on the subject’s eyes will tell those who will later look at the photo something about the subject. “A good portrait will contain at least one element that reveals the subject’s personality, attitude, unique mannerisms, or any of the other features or traits that form the individual nature of the person. A good way to capture a sense of these traits is to take a candid photo of your subject,” he says.

From Dexter Yarbrough's Photos

More information about Dexter Yarbrough is available at www.djyphotography.com.

Dexter Yarbrough: Taking a Leap Forward with HDR Photography

From Dexter Yarbrough's Photos

DJY Photography founder Dexter Yarbrough tests the waters in one of the recent breakthroughs in photography: the high dynamic range technique.

A common reminder in photography teachers emphasize is that the lens never captures a scene the same way the human eye does. Despite of the advancement of technology, even the most powerful camera cannot equate the amazing ability of the human eye to cover 10 million spectrums of colors. In contrast to this, the digital camera saves only 256 levels of light intensity in JPEG format and over 1024 levels in RAW format.

For disambiguation, the high dynamic range technique, or HDR, is not similar to high definition technology. HDR was developed primarily for image processing, computer graphics, and photography. Dexter Yarbrough explains that the concept is an attempt to replicate the way the human eye registers a particular image. Unfortunately, the camera lens captures only one exposure of a scene at a given shot unlike the human eye which automatically adjusts to the different lighting in the environment producing different exposures that create an HDR image in the human brain.

From Dexter Yarbrough

As a technique, HDR is not a replacement to traditional photography and requires a degree of expertise for it can either make or break your photographs.

Basically, HDR requires gathering three or more shots of one particular scene. A tripod would be handy if you are unable to keep your hands steady. These shots are merged together producing an image that display a higher spectrum of colors, light range, and detail which are impossible to achieve with a single shot.

This can be done even with a simple point-and-shoot digital camera that allows you to adjust the exposure setting. In an article by Dexter entitled Creative Photos with HDR Photography, he recommends the following camera settings:

• Set your ISO setting to 200 or 40.
• Turn on the aperture priority mode.
• Use the following exposure settings:
1. EV 0 (produces normally exposed images)
2. EV -2 (produces underexposed images with greater light details)
3. EV +2 (produces overexposed images with greater shadow details)

From Dexter Yarbrough's Photos

View Dexter Yarbrough’s online gallery at www.djyphotography.com.

Dexter Yarbrough’s Photography Tutorial for First-Time Camera Owners

Professional photographer Dexter Yarbrough, the man behind DJY Photography, shares some tips on shooting and taking care of cameras for neophyte photographers.

• Purchase a good quality padded bag to protect camera from scratches and bumps. Yarbrough adds, “A good camera bag is not a luxury item. It’s a necessity.”

From May 10, 2011

• Always make use of the camera’s neck strap or wrist-strap to ensure the camera’s safety and security when taking pictures or just simply using the viewfinder.

From May 10, 2011

• Have a memory card with the biggest memory capacity and set the camera’s picture quality to the highest, such as TIFF or JPG, to have high resolution pictures. High resolution pictures can be edited clearly afterwards using computer software and can be used for printing on huge banners.
• Dexter Yarbrough also advises to read the camera manual to maximize the use of the camera features. “Only don't try to read the whole manual at once, you will forget most of it. When I buy a new camera, I spend about half an hour with the manual before going out. I try to find one new technique that sounds like it might be fun to use and then try it out that same day,” Yarbrough exclaims.
• Use the camera’s fill flash setting when shooting outdoors with the subject’s face darkened by shadows. The flash will brighten the face and make them stand out from the background.
• To make sure the subject is in sharp focus, hold the shutter release button to lock the focus and then re-frame the picture while doing so. This will also improve the composition skills of the photographer.

From May 10, 2011

For more beginner photography tips from Dexter Yarbrough, visit dexteryarbrough1.blogspot.com.

Mastering Visualization: Dexter Yarbrough Delves into the Fundamentals of Good Photography

Just as architects draw out blueprints, photographers need to plan out each shoot. Without a plan, a photographer would be shooting with no clear direction or intent. Dexter Yarbrough expounds on the power of visualization – the first step towards amazing photography.

From Dexter Yarbrough's Photos

Producing photographs that would instantly captivate your audience begins even before you grab your camera and set up your equipment. It begins with knowing ahead of time what story you want your pictures to tell. This is called visualization. The concept was developed by Ansel Adams who formalized the lessons he learned from his experience as a photo-muralist for the Department of the Interior in Washington, DC during World War II. Ansel identified visualization as the first step of his “Zone System.”

From Dexter Yarbrough's Photos

The visualization phase is a detailed and vivid imagination of how you would like the final print to appear. However, Dexter Yarbrough explains that visualization is more than just mere creative thinking. Successful visualization also requires knowing your tools well. Once you have a clear picture in your mind, determine what tools you will need and what techniques must be employed to achieve the results you desire. Thus, you need to know what effects you can achieve when using a particular setting, lens, or filter.

From Dexter Yarbrough's Photos

Once you have completed visualizing, it will serve as your "game plan" for what you will do when you are actually out in the field taking photographs up to when you are in the darkroom developing your pictures or on your computer post-production.

View Dexter Yarbrough’s online gallery at www.djyphotography.com.

Beyond The Lens: Glamorize Your Portraits with Dexter Yarbrough

Employing a good technique and using the best gadgets are not enough. Dexter Yarbrough shares some simple tips you can use to create professional-looking portraits:

Strike a Pose
Your subjects may find it awkward to strike a model’s pose. Simply positioning the hands or feet in different ways can make for more interesting portraits. Have a pianist sit by a piano and place his hands on the keyboard or show off a ballerina’s perfect tip-toeing stint.

From Dexter Yarbrough's Photos

Strike up a Conversation
The sight of a photographer armed with a camera can be intimidating for some. Engage your subject in conversation. It is rare to find subjects who are not camera-shy. Talking will lighten up the mood and helps your subject loosen up and get comfortable being in front of the camera.

From Dexter Yarbrough's Photos

Knowing Your Subject
Dexter Yarbrough believes conversations go a long way. Not only do you help your subjects get comfortable, but this will give you some idea of what type of people they are. You can capture shots that show more of who they are as a person.

Candid Shots
Once you have established rapport with your subject, this will give you some insight on how they would respond to what you say. This will help you capture more candid, natural-looking expressions.

Get Closer
Closing in provides more detail of and focus on your subject and limits the clutter unnecessary objects create if you are too far from them.

From Dexter Yarbrough's Photos

Learn more tips and tricks at www.djyphotography.com.

More about Dexter Yarbrough, click here.

To Touch the Intangible: The Vision and Photography of Dexter Yarbrough

Vision, as Dexter Yarbrough writes, in effect, is the photographer’s keen eye for details and the bigger picture. Photography he simply presents as both an art and craft. He speaks as one who has spent a considerable amount of time shooting in and out of the sun and developing those shots in the dark room or using Photoshop.

From DJY Photography

Yearning to touch the intangible, Dexter Yarbrough, Investigation and Security Operations Director of Patton Solutions, pursues photography with the ferocity of a detective sniffing and skippering on the heels of a suspect. However, only things of beauty—and its immortalization thereof—are what he is after when he’s doing photography.

From DJY Photography

Dexter Yarbrough has been inspired to gather talented professionals into a creative lab, which he touted as DJY Photography. Though unbound by blood, these shooters are united by the same passionate DNA that drives them to chronicle fleeting moments as they happen. Skills, knowledge, experience, and the “eye” are their choicest weapons, alongside the camera.

Dexter Yarbrough has passed on to them the vision of immortalizing a memory—and everything that comprises it, including the width of a smile or length of a shadow—on a canvass that is different from that of a sketch artist or a painter, but nonetheless as tangible.

From DJY Photography

More information about Dexter Yarbrough and DJY Photography can be found at www.djyphotography.com.