PIXEL PERFECT

It is not unusual, if you work in photography, to hear people describe the art as “making photos”. For the most part, I have always put this down to the fact that I was generally talking to people for whom English is a second and sometimes third language and that maybe this was just a direct translation of their own way of saying it, but the expression has grown on me. In many ways, the difference between a photographer and someone who takes photos is just that – a photographer makes pictures. Yes, I agree – that sounds really obnoxious and more than a little pompous. To put it another way, the difference is that a photographer composes images. They look for a specific set-up, lighting, angle and framing so that the picture tells a complete story with every pixel. Fortunately, this process is not nearly as complicated as it sounds, as you will soon learn. For the most part, you need only know a few basic principles. There may well be some fascinating science behind why these principles work, but I don’t know it and you don’t need to. The fact is that they do work for taking perfect pictures.

We’ve all seen those perfect picnic photos on Instagram, and yes, I am guilty of them too. I can’t help it – the better a picnic set up looks, the better it is, and that’s a fact! I love a picnic in the spring, summer and autumn (winter is pushing it a little too far!), and making the perfect picnic set up is something I get a little too excited about! Here’s my guide to the perfect picnic, so you can have one too.