Spring is the time of year when everything starts growing again. The days become longer, flowers start to appear, and the rain leads to lush green meadows. If you're feeling stuck for inspiration this Spring, here are five photo ideas to get you going.
Untitled by paalia on flickr (licensed CC-BY)
Most compact cameras come fitted with built-in zoom lenses, and interchangeable lens cameras often come with a zoom lens bundled as part of the package. So what are the advantages of zoom lenses, and are there any potential problems to look out for?
Many people find shooting a digital photo to be harder than expected. You might find that you have been taking digital photos since first introduced but have never quite captured that perfect shot you set out for.
Nothing is as disappointing as missing that important event, such as your daughter's dance recital or even your anniversary trip to Italy. When that once in a lifetime moment is remembered with a horrible photo, the frustration can be overwhelming.
That leads us to the question of how do you take that perfect photo? The first rule lies within the photographer themselves, for it is with the photographer that the photo begins, not the camera itself. It's just that simple. Think about how you can see a photograph that a child has taken playing around with a simple disposable camera and it is wonderful while a photo with the priciest SLR can turn out to be awful.
Read these tips on shooting digital photos and apply them the next time you have a chance. Before long, you'll be shooting photos like a pro!
Read the rest of this entry »Improving your photography can seem like a long and complicated process, but anyone with enough passion can become a great photographer. The same as any other skill or hobby, photography will take some time to master, but the rewards can be great. The following tips should help you on your journey as an amateur photographer:
Buying expensive equipment doesn't automatically make you a better photographer. A common mistake made by amateur photographers is to spend a lot of money on equipment they don't actually need and will hardly ever use.
The only thing you really need when starting out is a camera. Once you get used to using the camera, you can then figure out what it is you actually need. Any photography gear you purchase should be dictated by the type of photography you do and the way you like to shoot. For example, many articles suggest using a tripod, but if you like shooting people handheld in the street, you would never need a tripod.
what's in your photo kit? by D'Arcy Norman on flickr (licensed CC-BY-NC)
If you are not sure whether you need a piece of equipment, joining a local photography club is a good idea. Here you can meet up with many other photographers, and sometimes go out on shoots together. In most cases a fellow photographer will be happy to lend you a piece of equipment so that you can see if it fits your needs.
Virtually all cameras will have a menu option that lets you choose the quality and size that images are saved at. On most higher end cameras (DSLRs, MILCs, and some Bridge cameras), along with various JPEG options, they will also have an option to save in RAW.
RAW is an image format that records the data from the camera sensor, and doesn't apply any manipulation (or only applies a minimal amount of manipulation) to this data. The camera also saves the sharpening, saturation, etc settings in the file, but does not apply them.
You then use a RAW conversion program on your computer to convert the RAW into a JPEG or TIFF file. As part of the RAW conversion process, you can use the settings saved in the file, or you can change the settings.
JPEG meanwhile, has all the sharpening, saturation, etc. settings applied in camera, which means you can't easily change or undo these settings later.
Read the rest of this entry »Waterfalls can range from giant thundering torrents to small serene cascades, with everything in between as well. They can make for great photographic subjects, and this article I'll share some tips on photographing waterfalls to make them look their best.
Yellow by Ian Sane on flickr (licensed CC-BY)
There are some common problems that often affect photos taken by new photographers, and even experienced pros make these mistakes some of the time. In this article we'll look at a 5 of the most common problems, and how we can avoid them.
Read the rest of this entry »Light painting is the process of manually lighting a photo during a long exposure, often using a torch or small LED lights. There are two types of light painting photography. One is where you shine the light onto your subject, I have covered this previously in How to use light painting for flower photography. In this article, we'll look at how to do light painting where you use the light source as the actual subject of the photo, painting the light into the air.
Painting the City by StandUPP on flickr (licensed CC-BY)
Digital photography gear can be quite expensive, so it makes sense to save money if you can. Even a relatively small saving, like 10% could result in smaller dent in your wallet.
For purchasing new photography equipment, it is often cheaper to purchase online than in a bricks and mortar store. This is because online shops don't have the overheads of having to pay the high rental costs for a shop front.
There are a lot of websites selling cameras and lenses online, so how do you find out which is cheapest? Camera price buster US and Camera price buster UK both gather prices on camera equipment from a range of retailers, and then list the cheapest on their website. You can also view prices of an item on a graph, to see whether the price has been dropping or increasing lately.
Camera Price Buster UK website showing current cheapest prices and graph of previous prices for the Canon 5D MkII camera
Another good comparison website is Google shopping. Though Google is not quite so good as you will often find their listings filled with hundreds of accessories and unrelated items. If you are searching for a camera or lens, sort the items by price. Then flick through the pages until you find where the listings for the item you want actually start.
It is always essential to check out for any latest portrait digital photography tips and informative courses. A number of people can basically take fabulous pics without actually trying, however the majority of us will need whatever assistance we can get to help make our pictures have an attractive appearance.
It might seem complicated to you to take on board a handful of expert digital photography tips and inspiring ideas to convert your photographs into those of a pro, however, you can and it doesn't require a lot of work.
Into the distance by Steve-h on flickr (licensed CC-BY-SA)
Lets Have a look at The most essential Photography Tips and Hints:
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