365 Photography Tips

Photo Edition With No Software

2012-04-23T13:43:00.002-07:00

Tip 110: Photo Edition With No Software:

Sometimes when travelling we don't have access to our main computer, the one equipped with all sorts of post-edition software (Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro, etc.) But that's not a big deal nowadays since the Internet offers many websites helping people edit their photos in the clouds (online). Examples: Pixlr.com; Splashup.com; Picnik.com; Fotoflexer; Phixr; SumoPaint;...

Not only edition is available online but you could even submit your piece of work for a professional photo printing (including different technologies, like the c-type one for instance) for a very good price and with a very professional quality, that´s also available online.

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Low Light Photos

2010-07-11T09:32:00.000-07:00

Tip 109: Low Light Photos:
Low light photography might seem difficult to achieve, but it's not impossible. To get decent photos in low light conditions:
1) Use a tripod;
2) Set your camera to manual mode (M);
3) Decrease the sutter speed;
4) Open the diafraghm using a bigger f/.. value;
5) If still necessary increase slightly the ISO value;
6) Use a remote shutter trigger.
7) Turn the flash off.

Travelling.. Set It Up

2010-07-10T00:21:00.000-07:00

Tip 108: Travelling.. Set It Up:
In travel photography it's important to adjust the camera settings to the country weather and its lighting conditions. These conditions might be different from one country to another, for example London isn't as bright as Marrakech (Morocco).

Flowers Photography Tips

2010-07-09T09:46:00.000-07:00

Tip 107: Flowers Photography Tips:

Trying to make a good flower's photo? OK then but make sure the flower is the only important thing in the foreground before shooting (if you're capturing insects that'd be another story). Letting the flower be the only important element in the foreground makes the viewer concentrate on her in the picture.
Another good tip for flowers photography is photographing the same flower at different times (3 or 4 different moments in the day). This'll give you an idea about yout most preferred time/light moment.

Textures In Black And White

2010-07-08T08:46:00.000-07:00

Tip 106: Textures In Black And White:

One of the elements that enhace Black and White photography is the texture. Textures like stark metal, wood grain, and also repeated patterns in nature such as waves or spirals give normally good results in Black and White.

Never Shoot Straight

2010-07-07T08:32:00.000-07:00

Tip 105: Never Shoot Straight:

The worst photos ever are those shots from straight (there are exceptions). If you don't want your photo to be an ordinary and boring one, look for different angles to shoot from. If you don't know which point of view will be better, have as many tries as needed. In the end you'll keep the best one.

More Real Megapixels

2010-07-06T08:20:00.000-07:00

Tip 104: More Real Megapixels:

If you want to increase for a specific shot the megapixels of your D-SLR camera, I have a trick for you: set the focal length of your lens to the maximum (200 mm for instance) and start shooting the frame part by part. At the end gather/merge all the pictures using any postprocessing software (Elements; Photoshop, etc.) and you'll get one single photography including the whole perspective. For this kind of multiple shots a tripod is necessary.

Learn From Pros

2010-07-05T08:13:00.000-07:00

Tip 103: Learn From Pros:

One of the best ways you can learn photography is working as a professional photographer assistant. You'd earn a humble salary but you'd get a professional learning that would be too costy if you would pay for it.

The Rule Of Thirds Exception

2010-07-04T07:32:00.000-07:00

Tip 102: The Rule Of Thirds Exception:

The rule of thirds is one of the most important aspects to be applied when shooting landscapes, however one of the exceptions to this rule are the water reflection landscapes (e.g.: montain and its reflection on the lake) where it's visually more attracting if you let the edge between land and water be in the center of the scene.

ND Filters Advantages

2010-07-03T05:00:00.000-07:00

Tip 101: ND Filters Advantages:

Graduated Neutral Density (ND) filters are perfect when you have excessive brightness conditions (the sky part in a landscape shot for instance), however ND filters might be used for other purposes as well: since they darken a bit the scene they can help us to get a slower shutter speed than the one we get with normal light.

Beach Portraits

2010-07-02T04:29:00.000-07:00

Tip 100: Beach Portraits:

For nice beach captures pay attention to shadows. The best way to avoid them is to put your flash on so that it fills some of the shadows areas. In addition, if you make your subject adopt a natural pose and look at the camera as to a person you'll notice for sure see a big improvement.

Impressive Portraits

2010-07-01T15:54:00.000-07:00

Tip 99: Impressive Portraits:

You can improve ordinary and average portraits by turning them into high-contrast black & white photos. This works well especially with outdoor portraits.

Change That Pespective

2010-06-30T14:06:00.000-07:00

Tip 98: Change That Pespective:

One common mistake many photographers tend to make is shooting always from the same angle. This creates a huge creativity limitation. Instead, try to explore new points of view, and why not, also the classic ones (those perspectives you're always avoiding because you think they are too ordinary).

Camera Lens Hates Rag

2010-06-29T13:46:00.000-07:00

Tip 97: Camera Lens Hates Rag:

Don't ever clean your lens using any kind of rag. Lens cleaning kits are very cheap and affordable for everyone who owns a camera. Lenses are very delicate and without noticing it you might be scratching that expensive lens.

Digital Cameras Shutter Count

2010-06-28T13:34:00.000-07:00

Tip 96: Digital Cameras Shutter Count:

Did you know that most DSLR cameras have a shutter count feature? Some programs can show you this info under the EXIF data from the camera JPEG file (Flickr shows it up as well). This can help you in case you're planning to buy a used or refurbished camera.

Zoom in, Light Up

2010-06-27T05:04:00.000-07:00

Tip 95: Zoom in, Light Up:

The more you zoom in, the less light you get. That's why when using 150 or 200mm focal lengths it's highly recommended to use a tripod, since the long focal length require more light, meaning slower shutter speeds. One trick you can use to compensate this is: the more you zoom in, the smaller f/ stop you use. For instance if under 100mm you're using an f/16, when going 200mm you'd probably switch to f/8 for instance. This way you compensate the loss of light.

Improve The Composition By Zooming

2010-06-26T02:23:00.000-07:00

Tip 94: Improve The Composition By Zooming:

One of the great ways to experiment and improve your composition skills is by zooming. Place yourself some meters away from the object you're going to capture and zoom in a little bit at a time, you'll see big differences in terms of background, and this can defenitely improve your composition.

Master The Sense Of Colors in Photography

2010-06-25T15:02:00.000-07:00

Tip 93: Master The Sense Of colors:
Colors transmit thoughts and feelings: energy, optimism, sadness, worries, etc. It's important to think first about the exact feeling you want the picture to convey and then think wether the colors in front of you do transmit that feeling or not.

Long Exposure With Full Battery

2010-06-24T14:59:00.000-07:00

Tip 92: Long Exposure With Full Battery:

Don't ever start a long exposure photo session without having your battery 100% charged.

Museums Photography

2010-06-23T14:39:00.000-07:00

Tip 91: Museums Photography:

Inside the museum you'd probably be obliged to switch your camera flash off. That's why it's crucial to:

Open the diaphragm (small f/.. value).
Raise the ISO (within acceptable ranges).
Shoot in RAW mode if available.
Reduce the shutter speed, to avoid shakes.
Find a comfortable position to shoot from.

Autofocus hates Ultra-wide Lenses

2010-06-22T14:30:00.000-07:00

Tip 90: Autofocus hates Ultra-wide Lenses:

Ultra-wide lenses make it hard for the autofocus to find its way. Everything seems to be far. If you're using an ultra-wide lense and you want sharp photos, switch to manual focus.

Beginners, Read The Manual:

2010-06-21T10:41:00.000-07:00

Tip 89: Beginners, Read The Manual:

Got a new camera and taking your first steps into photography? Ok, don't be lazy and read that manual for once. Don't postpone this step, otherwise please don't ever say "what a complicated camera!".

Creative Babies Captures

2010-06-20T10:33:00.000-07:00

Tip 88: Creative Babies Captures:

Want a sweet and tender baby's photo? Just let him/her interact with his environnement, if possible without even noticing you (where have you left that 200mm lens?). Let him play with his mom, with other children, or simply with his most favorite bear. Naturalism and interaction give usually good babies photos.

Capturing Fast Moving Subjects

2010-06-19T14:35:00.000-07:00

Tip 87: Capturing Fast Moving Subjects:

When you're trying to capture a fast moving subject (runner, Formular 1, etc.) fast shutter speeds are requiered. In the meanwhile you need to use either larger apertures or higher sensitivity in order to compensate light.

Macro Photography/Ring Flash

2010-06-18T13:40:00.000-07:00

Tip 86: Macro Photography/Ring Flash:

You think you camera built-in flash is powerful in whatever situation? Ever heard about ring flash? It might be costy yet it gives a new meaning to the macro photography. Macro photos made with a ring flash (especially nature, flowers, insects) are far away better than with the normal standard flash.