How-To

Using a wide aperture to throw foregrounds and backgrounds drastically out of focus to highlight a sharp subject—or just part of a sharp subject—is a common technique. It’s called selective focus, and Karena Goldfinch of Melbourne, Australia, used it for this lovely toned floral study of a columbine blossom.But as she can attest, throwing a background into a creamy state of defocus is only half the selective-focus battle. For the picture at left, Goldfinch paid just as much attention to the blurred background as she did the sharp subject.

In 1493, Christopher Columbus, sailing through the Caribbean, spotted three “mermaids” and described them as “not half as beautiful as they are painted.” No doubt, as what Columbus actually saw were West Indian Manatees, which, at 10 feet long and roughly 1,000 pounds, are no willowy beauties.These easygoing herbivores still winter along Florida’s western coast, where warm springs empty into the Gulf of Mexico. Though now endangered, manatees have become subject to a booming tourist industry. December to March is peak season, and plenty of snorkel boats run photo trips.

A common composing bugaboo for new photographers? With shorter subjects, the tendency is to shoot from above, looking down on them. Among other problems, this higher-than-thou shooting angle introduces unnatural perspective distortion. And the wider the focal length of your lens, the weirder the distortion.For children, this can result in large heads and relatively tiny feet. When pets are photographed from above, their bodies become as important as their eyes—not good for capturing their personality.

These days, it seems that out-of-the-way places have become so common in advertising and mass media that many are losing their exotic edge. So if you find yourself in, say, Antarctica, how do you bring back photos that are special? Colorado-based pro Pete McBride found himself faced with such a challenge, and overcame it with the help of ocean rowing adventurer Olly Hicks, whose legs you see here.