The Goodman’s Blog: Lifelong Learning and Sharing

As I view this again, Ono Lisa’s bossa nova version of ‘Smile” is playing in my mind.

I had just finished taking photos of my wife at this spot. This young lady, with her aunt, asked me to take her photo with her camera. I said yes but provided she allowed me to take her photo as well on my camera. I had to direct her, including telling her to sit down and how she should place her hands and made her smile again and again.

No need to guess which country she was from–the sportshirt and her sweet smile said it all.

I took this shot with the usual rule-of-thirds in mind. Other than that, I did not attempt any other technique. Sometimes, we examine a photo to assess the photographer’s technical artistry when what we should be looking at simply is the content.

I hope this photo makes you smile as well.

This was taken at the Palace of Charles V in Granada, Spain. Flash and tripod were not allowed.

I had to be very careful in balancing the light and shadow portions of this image. I put my handheld camera at its widest aperture (f4.5) to compensate for a fast speed (1/160).

I liked not only the light-and-shadow but the contrast in texture of the floor, the walls and the columns and the contrast in colours of blue, grey, orange, and brown.

My wife and I were having lunch at one of the public casetas in Jerez, Spain. We were there for the Fiesta del Caballo. This little boy had probably never seen an Asian before. He approached us and stared hard at us. I used the opportunity to take a shot.

His mom saw me and later on asked her son to pose some more for me. I obliged. But this shot was the most natural of all.

Quick tip for amateurs: When travelling on a holiday, always have your camera ready. Be very fast, as street photography opps like this can come at the most inopportune times.