Alright so last week I saw that Ron Harris article floating around, you know the one with the big promise in the title about his 5 pro photo tips? Yeah, figured I’d try ’em out myself this past weekend. Always looking to up my photo game without spending a fortune on fancy gear I don’t understand.
Getting Started (And Failing Miserably)
First things first, I dug out my old DSLR – haven’t used it much since that vacation two years ago, feels kinda heavy now honestly. Charged the battery forever, dusted it off. Read Ron’s first tip: “Embrace Natural Light, Seriously.” Sounded obvious, but hey, worth a shot. Grabbed a mug from the kitchen, my current “model” subject. Plunked it on the kitchen counter near the window around 2 PM. Snap. Looked… well, flat? Dark shadows underneath, kinda dead looking. Thought maybe I needed the sun directly on it? Total mess. Sun glared right off the ceramic, completely washed out. Tip 1 felt like a bust already.
Actually Reading the Tips (Duh)
Okay, went back and actually read what Ron said. He specifically said “soft” light. Right. Morning or late afternoon light. So, dragged my butt out of bed Saturday AM. Set the mug back up near the same window, but it was like 8 AM now. Boom. Totally different ballgame. The light felt kinda gentle, soft shadows wrapping the mug. Didn’t look harsh at all. Okay Ron, point taken. Tip 1 works if you actually do what it says!
Tip 2 Got Me Digging in the Basement
Next up: “Use a Simple Background – Don’t Make It Cluttered.” Seems straightforward. Checked my kitchen counter shot. Saw the dirty plate lurking behind the mug in the frame, crumbs on the counter. Looked terrible. Ron was right – background screams distraction. Went hunting. Found an old black t-shirt in the closet that wasn’t too wrinkled. Also discovered a massive white poster board my kid used for a school project years ago, shoved in the basement behind old paint cans. Draped the shirt over a box, plopped the poster board upright behind it. Instant clean studio space on my dining table! Moved the mug onto the black shirt, white board behind. Simple. Focus purely on the mug. Wayyyy better already.
Tip 3 Made Me Get Close (Like, Really Close)
Then came tip 3: “Get Lower, Get Closer – Fill That Frame.” Usually, I just point and shoot from standing height. Tried kneeling down. Put the camera right at mug-level. Moved the whole rig onto the floor for space. Got way closer, like the handle almost touched the lens edge. Felt weird, awkward even. Butt up in the air. Took the shot. Oh. Wow. Suddenly the mug wasn’t just a mug; you could see the texture of the ceramic, the chips on the rim, reflections in the curve. It became the whole picture. Stopped looking like a snapshot. Felt like a ‘real’ photo? Definitely getting somewhere.
Finding the “It” Angle
Tip 4 was “Look for the Interesting Angle, Don’t Just Point.” So, I started moving. Circling my mug setup on the floor like a weirdo. Shot from straight on – boring. Shot from directly above – kinda flat. Then I tried off to the side, looking down at a slight angle. Maybe 45 degrees? Not even sure, just eyeballed it. And yep, suddenly you saw the shape better. It added depth, made the light wrap around differently. It just had… character? Took a bunch of shots moving an inch left, then right. The slight angle change honestly made a huge difference.
The Tripod Struggle
Finally, tip 5: “Steady Your Shot, Seriously. Use a Tripod.” Honestly, hate using mine. Feels slow. Thought my shots looked sharp enough. But Ron insisted. Dug the wobbly tripod out from under the stairs. Dust bunnies flew everywhere. Screwed the camera on, took another shot from my new favorite slightly-down angle. Then compared it to my earlier handheld shot zoomed all the way in on the camera screen. Big difference. That handheld shot? Looked fine small, but zoomed in? Fuzzy! Especially near the rim. The tripod shot? Crystal clear. Fine details popped. Okay, okay. Point taken. Tripod = sharp. Even if it’s annoying.
Putting It All Together
So after a whole morning fiddling:
- Used soft morning window light
- Used a clean black background
- Got down low and filled the frame
- Found that slightly-off-center angle
- Locked it down on the tripod
Took another photo of that same boring kitchen mug. Showed my partner without saying anything. Their reaction? “Whoa, that looks… kinda cool? Almost like an ad!” That mug never looked so good. Still a long way to go, still got shaky shots sometimes trying new things, but Ron’s tips actually delivered. Simple stuff, but actually doing ’em step-by-step totally changed my results. Worth the effort.