Photography Tips (Page 34)

It's easy to dismiss our iPhone (or mobile phone) cameras, after all they are hidden in plain sight and right there every time we "slide to unlock" our phones. So you can't take any "real" pictures with them, right? Perhaps you're one of the many photographers who thinks that it's not a "real" camera and that, to get the best images photographically you really need to lug around a giant DSLR complete with all of the lenses you can fit into your pack. Even Ansel Adams had to use a mule to carry his camera gear at one point, right? So how could something some small and easy to use actually take acceptable images?

Well, iPhone cameras, photography, and optics in general, have changed over the years. Gone are the days of needing large camera equipment – camera manufacturers and modern optics have dictated that we are now doing more with less. Combine that with the notion that a seasoned photographer will know how to make best use of equipment, whatever equipment he or she has available, and you have a recipe for some great images.

Aonach Meadhoin, Glen Shiel by flatworldsedge on flickr (licensed CC-BY-SA)

Sure, it's great to have a DSLR available, and most iPhone photographers will still have one at their disposal, but that doesn't mean you can't also take some great images and make some lasting artwork with your new little buddy, the iPhone camera.

Say what? Tripods allow digital cameras to take longer exposures without experiencing "camera shake", allowing you to take clearer pictures, especially useful at nighttime or other low-light situations. So why would this article suggest you not use one when in an urban environment?

Unfortunately, using a tripod in the middle of a city can cause you to receive all sorts of undesired attention. Even if you are on a public street, to all appearances out of the way of other passers-by, operating a digital camera on a tripod can potentially get you into trouble with over-aggressive (but usually well-intentioned) security or police officers.

No tripods [squared circle] by Mr Wabu on flickr (licensed CC-BY-SA)

Q&A with Tom Carter, author of CHINA: Portrait of a People

American photojournalist Tom Carter has spent the past four years in the People's Republic of China, traversing all 33 provinces and autonomous regions not just once but twice. The San Francisco native's hardback book, a definitive 900-image volume aptly entitled CHINA: Portrait of a People, was released in 2010 by Hong Kong publisher Blacksmith Books.

Tom took a day off from travelling to discuss the challenges of taking pictures in China, how he evaded censorship in the tightly-controlled republic, and to share a few insider tips on visiting what is to become the world's largest tourism market.

At Christmas time many houses, shops, and town centers are decked out in Christmas lights and decorations. These can make for great photos at night. Because the lights are relatively dim (compared to sunlight), you will need to use a high ISO if shooting handheld, or preferably mount your camera on a tripod.

Merry Christmas from Denver, Colorado by Thad Roan - Bridgepix on flickr (licensed CC-BY)

Street photography involves capturing the everyday life around us, usually people, but sometimes also buildings and vehicles. It is especially popular in cities, given the large amount of subject matter available for street photography there.

When practicing street photography, it is best to get to know the areas where you are shooting, rather than visiting a different area every day. Typically the best areas are those with lots of people, for example, city centers and locations near bus and train stations work well.

Rainy Rush Hour... by 85mm.ch on flickr (licensed CC-BY)

Carrying on from the previous article Using the curves tool in Photoshop etc. to improve your photos, in this article we'll look at using the curves tool to alter the color balance in your photos.

Curves can be used to fix a color cast in your photo, or add a color cast. You can adjust the colors in just the highlights, midtones, or shadows depending on where you place the points on the curve. You can even create giant shifts in color such as a cross-processing effect using curves. They are a very useful tool in adjusting the color of a photo.

The curves tool is a simple but powerful tool that allows you to brighten, darken, add contrast, and correct or modify the color balance of your photos. As well as being easy to use, it allows you to make fine grained adjustments that will only effect certain parts of the photo.

Most photo editing programs, such as Paintshop Pro, , GIMP, and many others include the curves tool. In this article we'll look at how to use curves, and some example adjustments.

Great pictures don't necessarily come from high-end cameras and expensive lenses. Here are tips that you can apply even when using cameras like the one on the IPhone. If you can use these principles to get great pictures using basic cameras, imagine how much better a photographer you'll be with serious photography gear!

Many times we might see a beautiful scene in front of us, take a few shots, but then when we get home and view the photos on the computer, we end up disappointed. Although there was a great scene we somehow couldn't capture it effectively with our camera.

This happens because our mind works differently to a camera, which just captures what it sees. You can't really have a crooked horizon in what you see, and your mind might ignore some distracting element, while your camera won't.

However, all is not lost. We can capture great photos that record what we saw, and more importantly, the emotion we felt. The following landscape photography tips will help you do that.

What Have I Done? by tropicaLiving - Jessy... on flickr (licensed CC-BY-SA)

The skills to take great portraits will depend on after having a few essential "rules" I've reduced to those portrait photography tips. Even if you're just starting out, following these pointers may help you in improving your portraits.