Fine Impressions Photography - Photo Taking Blog

Tips for Beginner Portrait Photographer (Guest Post)

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 12:49:11 GMT

You will be overwhelmed.

This is totally normal. Think of photography as a step by step process. A process that while always have knowledge added to it. If you aren't learning then you aren't improving. First things first is learn your camera. In a step by step process as well, until you are shooting manually. Some people can read their owners manual & some people will have to learn by doing. In a trial & error kind of manner. Shooting 100% manually is the only way to insure that you are in complete control of your art. Do not get mad at yourself for what you did wrong. Be happy with yourself for what you learned. Shoot all the time & the pieces will fall into place.

Lighting. Lighting. Lighting.

I can't say it enough. Once you know how to work that gear, learn your lighting. Use it to your advantage & hunt it down. Your image is nothing without good lighting. Don't tell yourself to fix it in post processing. Produce amazing images straight out of your camera. A simple rule to think about is: During your shoot if you find yourself excited & proud of the photo you just shot & are willing to let your client see it on the back of your camera. You are doing awesome. If you want to hide the image until it is processed, you have some work to do. During the photo shoot that is. Learning & understanding your light goes hand & hand with understanding your gear.

Finding you.

It is so easy to find yourself lost in others work, I still do. So many other photographers openly talk about it happening to them, even the big shots. If it hasn't happened to you yet, it will. When starting out it is very hard to find your place in the photography world. Hard to find you. Most likely you will over edit your photos & down the road look back & laugh. We all{most} have gone through this. Be true to you & spend your time improving your art, not looking at others. This is a daily challenge.

Don't be afraid to ask or use your resources.

It is so easy to be scared & feel like you are lost/ lonely when starting out. You will be pleasantly surprised in the way the industry has/is changing. There are a good amount of photographers out there willing to help & others that spend their time only doing just that. There are many blogs & forums that you can start following to help answer your questions. When all else fails, google it. ;)

Relax & take a step back.

I often find myself very excited or overwhelmed during a shoot. I have to recollect & tell myself, "you know what you are doing, you know how to work your camera, just breathe & follow your heart/eye." If you become overwhelmed just step back & breathe. Trust yourself & your eye. Your clients booked you because they trust you & believe in your art. So do just that, create your art.

Rent before you buy.

When starting out finding your style is just as important as knowing your gear & what gear should you use? Well we all know gear is not cheap. Before you go spending all your pretty pennies, Rent! Yes rent your gear & see what you like. What goes with your style? I shoot only prime lenses because I love what they produce & how they fit with my style. Maybe you prefer zoom lenses? I shoot Canon. Maybe you would like Nikon? Rent it & see for yourself. Then you will feel 100% positive about your large investment.

Treat your clients like you would want to be treated.

I know this sounds like something your mom would tell you & that's probably because she did/does. Truly, wouldn't you want your email answered in a timely manner? Wouldn't you want to feel like you mattered to your photographer? Just always remember that. It's simple. After all, if it wasn't for your clients how would you be able to do what you love?

Author

Marianne Worlow
Website : Marianne Worlow Photography

Landscape Photography Tips for Beginners (Guest Post)

Sun, 30 Oct 2011 03:24:10 GMT

Author : Ron Murphу

Thеrе аrе tіmеs when уou find уоurself іn а middlе of а beаutiful landѕсaрe ѕсenе аnd you want tо сарturе thаt imаgе to рreservе it. So уоu tаke уour cаmеrа and stаrt ѕhооtіng. When уоu hаvе the рiсture prіntеd, уou fіnd that whаt yоu ѕhоt didn't depіct thе bеauty that yоu еxреrienсеd. Whу іѕ this ѕо?

It'ѕ bесаuѕе уоu аnd уоur camerа see thingѕ diffеrеntly; уour pеrsреctіve iѕ seleсtive whіle yоur cаmеra јuѕt tаkеѕ in all that іt sееѕ. Fоrtunаtеly, thеrе аrе wаyѕ to mаkе your lаndsсаре рhоtos cоnvеy whаt уоu want, іf yоu fоllow ѕоme phоtogrарhу tіps fоr bеgіnnеrѕ.

Fіrst of аll, уоu hаve tо detеrminе whаt cарturеs уоur еуe thе moѕt. Lооk аrоund уоur surroundingѕ аnd fіnd the аѕpесtѕ yоu want to еmрhаѕіzе. It соuld be the сolоr оf thе ѕkу, clоud fоrmatіonѕ, luѕh grееnerу, wаves оn thе ѕhоrе, roсk struсturеѕ or аnу othеr еlеmеnt in thе scene. If уоu foсus on what іѕ mоst аttraсtivе, you аrе bettеr аble to ѕіmplіfy your соmрoѕitiоn and tаkе оut the dіѕtraсtіоnѕ.

The tіme of thе daу mattеrѕ whеn ѕhoоtіng lаndѕсареѕ. Sсenеriеs lооk beѕt еаrly in thе dаy оr when the ѕun iѕ аbоut to ѕеt. Thіѕ іѕ bесauѕe the low ѕun саѕts ѕhаdows thаt рrоvidе deрth аnd texturе to ѕсenеѕ. If pоѕsible, exаmіnе poѕtсards оf lаndѕсареs аnd ѕeе how оthеr рhоtоgrаphеrѕ ѕhoot thеir іmаgеѕ. This dоеѕ not meаn thаt уou іmіtate thеіr ѕhоts, but therе arе lеѕsоnѕ tо be lеаrnеd јuѕt by lоokіng at the work оf thе рrofеssiоnаls.

Skіеѕ рrоvіde grеat baсkgrоunds but іf thеу are overcaѕt, thеy саn apрeаr dull іn the capturеd image.

If thіs iѕ the case, elіminаte thе skies frоm уour pіcturе and fосuѕ оn the ѕmаllеr еlеmеnts аnd dо сlоsе-upѕ. Perѕоns can be соmponеnts fоr a lаndѕcаpе ѕhоt, еsрecіаllу іf you wаnt tо аdd movement оr sсаle tо yоur imagе; аnd want to emрhаѕіzе how large а ѕtruсture іs or how vаst а ѕcеne саn bе.

Avoid рoѕеѕ that aрpear соntrivеd, ѕuch аѕ a реrson standіng in frоnt with a grin. Cаndіd shots аrе mоre еndеaring аnd mеmorаblе.

If уour саmеrа iѕ equірped with a zoоm lenѕ, use the widе-аngle settіng ѕo that yоur ріcturе can cарture аs muсh of the landѕcаpе аѕ роѕsible. Beіng аblе tо include mоrе еlеmentѕ mеans that thеre аre more isѕuеs tо consіder.

To аvоіd рhоtоs thаt lооk flаt, іnсludе intеrеѕting lіnеѕ lіkе a сurvіng roаd or rіvеr thаt wіll guіdе thе vіеwer's еуеs. Tаke nоte оf thе horіzоn. Thе rulе of thіrdѕ dіctateѕ thаt it cаn onlу oсcupy thе uррer third оf thе іmаgе unless іt іѕ rеquіrеd thаt more ѕраce ѕhоuld be аllottеd tо іt.

The mоst іmроrtаnt phоtоgraрhy tір for bеgіnnerѕ in shoоtіng landѕсaреѕ іѕ to be раtiеnt.

Yоu cаnnоt hаvе grеat ріcturеs оf sсеnеrіeѕ јuѕt bу сliсkіng awaу indiѕcrimіnаtеlу. Yоu havе tо takе tіme in obsеrvіng уоur surrоundings аnd іn mоѕt cаѕes, yоu havе tо wаit fоr thе right timе of daу, whеn lіght аnd ѕhadоw are in реrfeсt hаrmonу. Bу fоllowіng theѕе ѕimрle ѕtерs, уоu аrе nоt јuѕt mеrely recordіng а ѕcеnе but crеаtіng а wоrk of art.

About the Author

Ron Murphу, а Frеelаnсе wrіter аnd а Intеrnеt Mаrkеtеr whо рrеѕеntlу wrіtеѕ аbout thе Upcoming Verizon Phones. It іncludеѕ аll the thе newѕ аnd updаtes аbout Verizon Phones.

Lightning and Night Shots (Guest Post)

Mon, 24 Oct 2011 12:04:49 GMT

Author : Diana Milevska

Step 1: Know what you’re getting yourself into

This is probably the most important step of lightning and night photography (more so lightning than photography, because it’s one of the most dangerous forces of nature aside from hurricanes and tornadoes). If you’re out in a storm either during the day or at night, always keep your eyes on the sky because you never know what’ll happen, especially if you’re not as well versed in weather forecasting and prediction as I am. At least pull up some radar from the NWS or from my favorite site, the COD Weather page.

One rule of thumb to keep in mind is the lightning rule of 5. When you see a flash of lightning, start counting one-one thousand, two-one thousand, and so on. When you hear thunder, stop counting and divide by five. This gives you a relatively good idea how many miles away from you the lightning is. You can get as close as you like, but I don’t recommend that unless you’re taking photos from a car window, in which case you should be safe enough, but you’ll probably get yourself into trouble with another type of weather phenomena like hail or possibly even a tornado.

Just remember this: Go as far as you’re comfortable. If you feel unsafe, then pull back and try from a farther distance. Safety is of upmost importance!

Step 2: Your tripod is your best friend

When you’re shooting lightning or night shots, a tripod is a must have (unless you have an amazingly steady hand). With lightning, you’d want to weight it down with something heavy like a sandbag, otherwise a strong gust of wind might take it down. (Don’t want that to happen with several hundred bucks of equipment on it!)

Step 3: It’s all about the lens

There is a wide array of lenses out there you can use for night photography, but the ones I stick with are the ones that have the largest apertures. You’ll want to use a lens that can go as large as 1.8. If you don’t have access to that type of lens, it’s fine to use whatever you got. I like using my wide angle lens if I’m shooting shots of the city. If I’m in a more rural area shooting lightning, I’ll either use the standard lens that came with my camera or my Canon 50mm f1.8 lens.

Adding a UV filter is something I highly recommend doing, especially if you’re shooting lightning. If anything, it’ll protect your lens from getting dust blown into it and scratching the lens surface. Remember: Filters are easy to replace, lenses are not.

Step 4: Don’t forget your camera settings

I’ll break this one up into subsections:

The first setting that you’ll want to consider is your aperture. Setting it to the widest setting (somewhere in the range of 3.5 to 1.8 depending on the lens you’re using), and put your focus to infinity (∞). This way, you’ll have a lot of light coming into your exposure and you won’t have to mess around with adjusting your focus in the dark because you’re capturing everything in the shot. Just remember to take your camera off autofocus and put it into manual mode.

The second setting you’ll want to consider is your shutter speed. The more light getting into your camera, the better. This means you’ll want a long shutter speed. I’ll usually set mine between 1 and 10 seconds, or I might use the bulb setting with a remote to control just how much time I feel is right. This especially works for when shooting fireworks. When it comes to lightning, though, it’s best to shoot with a 5 second shutter speed in a succession of shots. Since lightning is so unpredictable, this gives you the freedom to shoot as many shots as you can then pick and choose the ones that turn out. You can even use the bulb setting on this as well, but I don’t recommend it because you might overexpose the photo with any ambient light coming from buildings or street lights.

The third setting you’ll want to consider is your film speed. If you can go as low as 100, then do so because it reduces the noise you might get if you shoot at, say, 400. Just remember to leave your shutter open a little longer when you’re using this setting because it takes more time to expose the image.

One last setting you might want to check into if your camera has it is the RAW setting. This gives you a wider range of options for photo editing once you get into the “darkroom”. You can even go one step further and choose the option that allows you to shoot in both RAW and JPG. I highly recommend doing that because it’s much easier to see what you shoot once you transfer your images to your computer for editing. The only pitfall of this is that it takes up a lot of space on your media, so be careful and either clear your cache before you go out shooting or get a larger media card that holds more.

Step 5: Take your shot

The title says it all. Since you’ll be shooting long exposures, you’ll probably want to find something to do in the meantime. You might have the urge to pull up Angry Birds on your phone, but you might be setting yourself up for disaster if its anywhere near your camera’s field of view. Keep yourself behind the camera while you play with your phone, that way you won’t contaminate your photos with the light coming off the screen.

Step 6: Into the “darkroom”

After you’ve taken your night shots, post processing is important. My favorite programs to use are Photoshop and Lightroom (both of which are Adobe products). If you can’t afford them, there are other great free alternatives out there like GIMP and Picasa. This is one step that I’ll let you play with yourself because it’s better to fool around with the programs on your own than have someone tell you what to do. If you’re absolutely clueless as to how they work, there are some really great books and tutorials out there that’ll help you refine your photos.

Author :

Diana K. Milevska
Website : DKM Designs
Gallery : Deviantart

Macro Photography : Using Point and Shoot Cameras

Mon, 28 Mar 2011 13:46:02 GMT

What is Macro Photography?

Macro Photography is in short giving importance to small and minute details of our subject and enlarging them. They include the close ups of flowers, bugs, finger print textures, coins, textures on a fruit etc.

Macro photography is close-up photography of usually very small subjects. The classical definition is that the image projected on the "film plane" (i.e., film or a digital sensor) is close to the same size as the subject
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

DSLRs are no doubt best for macro photos but that doesn't mean that we, point and shoot owners should be disheartened over it. Even for DSLR owners, it's worth knowing how to take fine macros using point and shoot as you cannot always carry your heavy DSLRs with you.

Here are few useful tips and techniques on how to take macro photos with a basic point-and-shoot camera.

Experiment with your camera settings

If you are a newbie it is always worth knowing which settings work best for your camera and the only way to know it is to experiment with it. You can also refer to the instruction manual to know which modes your camera supports. Few cameras have shooting modes like portrait, fireworks, landscapes, various exposure levels and color balance options.

Select the Macro mode

Macro mode is usually represented with an icon in the shape of a flower and few cameras have super-macro mode too.

Macro and Super macro

When you set your camera in Macro mode you will be able to shoot at very close distance from your subject.

Move the camera as close to the subject as possible

The actual closeness to which the camera can be moved towards the subject depends on the camera settings and you can check it out in the user manual. If you aren't sure, keep moving the camera closer to the subject as long as it is in focus and isn't blurry. For most cameras it is around 10-60 cm depending on the zoom level. For super macro mode, the subject can be as close as around 3 cm.

Macro Photography - Fine Impressions

Use a Tripod

A tripod is very important when you are taking the photos of the object so close to you. It allows you to reduce camera shake. Also,it gives you the flexibility to change other camera settings without disturbing the camera or the subject. If your camera has in-built self timer, it is better to use it as might remove any camera shake.
If your subject is stationary, you will face comparatively less trouble taking macro pictures. If your subject is moving , fast shutter speeds are preferable.

Lighting and Background

Choose proper background and try for some contrasting or complementary colors. Also, make sure that the background doesn't distract the picture from original subject. Some cameras do not support flash and exposure changes in macro mode, hence make sure that your subject receives proper lighting from other sources. Try shooting in daylight as you wouldn't have to bother much about the lighting.

Positioning and Focus

Macro Photography - Fine Impressions

If possible, mount your subject on a level surface and stabilize it to minimize motion caused by wind, breezes and other external disturbances. Make sure your subject is in focus and try to go for rule of thirds.

If your camera doesn't have manual focus option and if you can't get your subject into focus, keep a finger or a noticeable object(by the camera) near the subject, shoot and remove the finger at the last-minute. This technique requires little practice and experimentation.

Additional Setup

Try playing with shadows, textures and reflections to further enhance your photo.

Macro Photography - Fine Impressions

You can refer to these posts for more information on how best to take photos.

Top 10 Composition Rules 1-3 : Rule of Thirds, Break Symmetry, Perspective
Top 10 Composition Rules 4-6 : Depth and Comparison, Disappearing Lines, Framing
Top 10 Composition Rules 7-10 : Horizon, Distracting Elements, Reflections

Comments are welcome !

Top 10 Composition Rules 7-10 : Horizon, Distracting Elements, Reflections

Sun, 13 Mar 2011 12:05:45 GMT

Horizons:

Except in very very few cases, horizon must always be kept horizontal. A photo, almost perfect in all aspects like lighting, color, sharpness but tilted horizon is a big no-no to many. For example you might want to read the comments the photo below has got on Flickr

Top 10 Composition Rules - Fine Impressions

Distracting elements :

Distracting elements include any unwanted objects which distract the viewer from the main subject. They can be anything like a very bright background, electric poles or wires, towers, people at times (especially tourists), small objects with contrasting colors. For example, the photo below would look better without the wire.

Top 10 Composition Rules - Fine Impressions

Reflections :

Reflections give a 3D and double effect to the photos as the viewer views them twice in different forms. Reflections might be reflections of a hill or landscape on water,

Top 10 Composition Rules - Fine Impressions

Shadows on a wall,

Top 10 Composition Rules - Fine Impressions

Reflections on a mirror, especially in portrait photography or any highly reflecting surfaces like table tops.

Top 10 Composition Rules - Fine Impressions

Comments are welcome !

Top 10 Composition Rules 4-6 : Depth and Comparison, Disappearing Lines, Framing

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 16:24:16 GMT

Depth & Comparison

Sometimes an object needs a comparison element to calculate its depth. This is very commonly used in advertisements where tiny chips are compared by placing it beside another tiny object like a safety pin, or finger nails etc. Human mind sub consciously calculates the size of the object.

Top 10 Composition Rules - Fine Impressions

In the above picture, the tower helps to visualize the distance between the land and the water ans the tower on left helps to visualize the distance between the hills and the land.

Disappearing Lines

Image elements, like tracks, buildings, objects seeming to tend to infinity captures ones view and creates an interesting and mysterious effect.

Top 10 Composition Rules - Fine Impressions

Framing

Elements like trees, bridges, hills, archways and sometimes rainbows too act as natural frames drawing immediate attention to the pictures.

Top 10 Composition Rules - Fine Impressions

Comments are welcome !

Top 10 Composition Rules 1-3 : Rule of Thirds, Break Symmetry, Perspective

Tue, 08 Mar 2011 14:34:59 GMT

In photography, rules are meant to be broken, but still there are certain situations where rules really enhance the photo. Here are few rules being listed. Feel free to break them if that produces better results.

Rule of Thirds

Imagine that your image is divided into nine equal segments by two vertical and two horizontal lines. Try to position the most important elements in your scene along these lines, or at the points where they intersect. Doing so will add balance and interest to your photo. Some cameras even offer an option to superimpose a rule of thirds grid over the LCD screen, making it even easier to use.

Break Symmetry

Symmetry can enhance photos, breaking symmetry can also enhance it. It is upto the photographer to decide between the two.

Top 10 Composition Rules - Fine Impressions

Perspective

Perspective is the way you would like others to view your photos. With little creativity and experimentation you can create a new look for ordinary objects. The pictures show an old light house, one shot in a 'normal' way and other in a 'creative' way.

Top 10 Composition Rules - Fine Impressions

Comments are welcome !

Fine Impressions Photography - Photo Taking Blog

Tips for Beginner Portrait Photographer (Guest Post)

Author Marianne WorlowWebsite : Marianne Worlow Photography

Landscape Photography Tips for Beginners (Guest Post)

About the Author

Lightning and Night Shots (Guest Post)

Author :

Macro Photography : Using Point and Shoot Cameras

What is Macro Photography?

Experiment with your camera settings

Select the Macro mode

Move the camera as close to the subject as possible

Use a Tripod

Lighting and Background

Positioning and Focus

Additional Setup

Comments are welcome !

Top 10 Composition Rules 7-10 : Horizon, Distracting Elements, Reflections

Comments are welcome !

Top 10 Composition Rules 4-6 : Depth and Comparison, Disappearing Lines, Framing

Depth & Comparison

Disappearing Lines

Framing

Top 10 Composition Rules 1-3 : Rule of Thirds, Break Symmetry, Perspective

Rule of Thirds

Break Symmetry

Perspective

Author

Marianne Worlow
Website : Marianne Worlow Photography