Shoot Different
Essential to any photographer’s growth is the development of their own individual style or vision. It’s what makes people want to see your photographs instead of someone else’s. For those of you who seek to pursue a career in photography, your own personal vision and style is what will set you apart from your [...]
Waterfalls
A well exposed photograph of a waterfall is something that captures the viewers imagination almost every time. It’s eye candy for those looking at the photograph. It’s also quite a challenge to shoot well, as can be seen at almost any waterfall that is easily accessible to tourists – I guarantee that most people [...]
Places That Pass By
It seems to happen fairly frequently that I’m out cycling, traveling on a train or a passenger in a car and I see an area that looks like it has good potential for photography. It might be an interesting building, a scene that offers good views or a possible portrait location. Where possible, I’ll [...]
Self Assignments
You don’t have to have a client to have an assignment. One practical method that all photographers can undertake is the self-assignment. Start off with a particular subject or topic. This could be something you have a long-term interest in, something that is topical or seasonal to the place you live, or even something [...]
Photo Essays
A staple of good documentary storytelling, a photoessay exists to communicate a story through a sequence of images based around a common theme. If you think of the entire photoessay like a news article, then the individual images have to be like the sentences or paragraphs in a written work. A photoessay can contain [...]
Light Trails
Long exposure photographs of light trails have been a favorite of photographers for decades. Done right, these type of images offer eye-catching results that are attractive to viewers. Additionally, for many photographers, capturing light trails is often the first time they use manual modes so provide important knowledge for future experimentation. Shooting these is [...]
Shooting For Your Book
Every photographer needs a strong portfolio, also known as a book. This portfolio should convey your style to the client, that vision you have which sets you apart from other photographers. This portfolio should contain fresh, strong work that represents what it is that you shoot. No matter how great that photo you shot [...]
Triangles
Easy to find, simple to imply, using triangles is a common and useful compositional technique. You can find a triangle anywhere you find three points, and the resulting diagonal lines create a dynamism that attracts the eye. As long as your three chosen points do not form a straight line, you can imply a [...]
Diagonal Lines
The next line-related composition to look at is diagonal lines. These are particularly useful in suggesting depth and perspective in an image. They are the most dynamic of all lines, giving a strong sense of action, speed and motion. Whereas horizontal and vertical lines represent stability and strength, diagonals give rise to feelings of [...]
Backups
The saying goes that there are two kinds of people in the world – those that have had a hard drive failure and those that will. I had a 500GB drive fail on me yesterday. Having redundant backups is essential for the working photographer, enthusiastic amateur and anyone who wishes to make sure that [...]
Licensing
Sooner or later, the emerging photographer is going to get asked about licensing their work. That may be via a magazine editor finding you through a Google search, or it may be you choosing to begin marketing your work through one of the various stock photography agencies. One of the key factors you’ll need [...]
Reflectors
When you want to eliminate shadows from a scene, particularly those caused by hard sunlight, or when you want to direct just a little more light onto a subject, reach for a reflector. Reflectors come in all shapes and sizes to fit all sorts of budgets, from large ones that require a stand to [...]
Going Wide
One of the most fundamental compositional choices you’ll make on the equipment side of things is which type of lens to use. The focal length choice you make is a key factor in deciding how the photograph will appear. For this tip, we’re going to take a look at wide-angle lenses.
Before we go any [...]
Vertical Lines
Following on from the earlier post about horizontal lines, it’s time to look at vertical lines. They offer suggestions of power, strength, dominance and growth. Think of trees, human figures, skyscrapers, towers, power poles and the like. All seem to be reaching for the sky, yet also anchored by gravity to the ground.
Don’t forget [...]
Blogs, Galleries and Integration
The world is changing, the way we do business is changing, the way we display images is changing. As a professional photographer, it is essential to remain on top of all of this in order to keep my name in front of buyers, to attract new clients, to display and share new work and [...]
Horizontal Lines
Back in January, I wrote about leading lines in photography. A few readers have requested an expansion on that, so for the next few days, I’ll be taking a more detailed look at some of these basic elements of composition. We’ll start things off with a look at horizontal lines. More after the jump.
Before [...]
Orientation
Give somebody a camera for the first time and chances are they’ll hold it in a horizontal fashion. This landscape orientation is natural and easy for beginners to pick up, it matches the format we’re used to seeing when we look at photographs on computer screens, or when we watch TV or go to [...]
The RAW vs JPEG Debate and March calendar
A gallery from the Taiwan Lantern Festival in Pingxi, Taiwan is now online.
It’s the beginning of another month, so it’s time for another free desktop calendar that you can download. Choose your size according to the links below. This photo is from the main prayer hall (mussala) of the National Mosque (Masjid Negara) in [...]
Behind The Scenes
As you develop your hobby as a photographer, you’ll likely find yourself out shooting local festivals, events, parades and celebrations. These almost always produce a wealth of images, especially as the people who are involved in them are open to and excepting of, being photographed. So you can head down to the festival site, [...]
Coffee – Not Just For Drinking
Following on from yesterday’s home studio tip, with the addition of a macro lens, some extension tubes or close up filters, you can create some very cool shots. I’m a lover of fresh coffee and so always have a healthy supply of coffee beans in my home. This is what we’ll look at today.
Before [...]
Home Studio
As long as you’ve got a table of some kind and a spare corner of a living room or basement, you can easily and inexpensively set up a small studio at home. If you can rustle up some gaffer tape, a wall, bed sheets, transparent shower curtains, paper, cardboard boxes, desklamps, string or fishing [...]
Take One A Day
Have you ever considered starting a photo a day project? Taking a photograph each and every day for a year is a surefire way to make you a better photographer. On the surface it sounds like quite an easy task – how hard can it be to shoot 365 pictures? I think you’d be [...]
In The Pit – Basic Tips For The Concert Photographer
You have three songs. Sometimes two. No control over the lighting. So how do you get great shots during a live concert? Start out with your camera set to RAW, meter set to spot and white balance on auto and a fairly high ISO.
Before we continue, professional photographers as well as those who aspire [...]
Sunglasses on Black – A Two Light Setup
With a bit of easy preparation, the right tools and some gaffer tape, any photographer can take good looking product shots in their own living room. This is a handy technique for people who wish to sell goods on eBay, as well as a good exercise for photographers who are first starting out with [...]
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