Brushing up on the basics

Although I don't really have the title, if you send an email to "photoeditor" I will invariable see the message. It's just one of the quirk of the job.

Some people use it to ask questions, about submitting photos or upcoming needs. Others just attach images of all manner, so I see a lot of the first time photo submissions. While we do get some gems in door that way, a majority of it is just unusable. But it doesn't have to be that way.

Photography is a creative pursuit, but there are still standards for publication: Is it sharp? Is it properly exposed? Does it somehow inform the viewer? These are all considerations editors make when selecting images for publication.

Over the summer I picked up an old copy of "NWI's Guide to Railroad Photography." The publication comes from the North Western Illinois Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society – the famed NWI-NRHS. You may recognize some names from the credit lines: Mike Schafer, George Drury, and Keven Keefe, among a host of noted railfans and photographers. But, of course, back in 1975, they were just a group of railfans trying to better the hobby.

The book 48 pages, typewritten, with black-and-white photos and sketches. While some topics – "What films should I use?" – are dated, the basics of photography never change. The aperture and the shutter work together to control light entering the camera to create the image. There's also a guide to composing photos for a railfan audience, and compiling images into a program to share. Even if you don't need a colored filter to counteract yard lights for a night photo, recognizing different light sources and their effects on your photos is always useful.

I encourage all of you, before the spring thaw, to brush up on the basics of photography. It doesn't require a new camera. It doesn't require a class at the local community college – although that's not a bad investment. Do you know about aperture openings and shutter speeds? Could you expose an image without the help of an electronic light meter? National Geographic has published for year a general-purpose "Field Guide to Photography," which I kept in my camera bag during my formative years. It provides the basics that anyone should know about the hobby.

Knowing photography beyond "point-and-shoot" can dramatically improve your photos – and your chances of publication. So what are you waiting for?