Photography Tips (Page 41)

When you find an interesting subject or location for landscape photography, it makes sense to think about the composition of your image in order to maximize the photos impact, rather than just taking a quick snapshot. If the light is changing quickly it may be a good idea to set up your camera and take a quick shot, just so you have at least one shot 'in the bag'. But after that, take a look around the area, and think in more detail about the composition of the photo.

House on the green sea by Luigi Torreggiani on flickr (licensed CC-BY)

There are a number of different ways to carry around your camera and any extra lenses and accessories with you. In this article I examine the benefits and drawbacks of each approach.

Lenses, both those available separately for DSLR cameras, and those built into compact and bridge cameras, come in a wide variety of focal lengths. This article discusses the different focal lengths, what they are suitable for, and the different trade-offs.

Along with aperture and shutter speed, ISO is one of the settings on your camera that you can use to affect the brightness (exposure) of your photos. Unlike aperture it won't affect depth of field, and unlike shutter speed, it doesn't affect how quickly (or slowly) an image is captured. However, it can affect image quality by introducing what is known as 'noise'.

The shutter is an essential part of every camera, without it you wouldn't be able to take photos. It opens to allow light to reach your camera's sensor, and then closes after a predetermined amount of time to complete the photo. The amount of time the shutter is open for can effect the exposure and look of your photo, and different shutter speeds can be used for different creative effects.

Aperture is one of 3 settings, along with shutter speed and ISO, that can be used to affect the brightness (exposure) of an image. It also affects how much of the image is in focus (DoF), and how out of focus areas appear (bokeh). This article covers how the aperture setting affects exposure, DoF and bokeh, and what aperture settings to use for certain effects.

Product photography usually involves taking a photo of a single item, with the photo shot so as to focus the viewer's attention on that item, and make the item look at its best. If you have a business selling products, you want to sell something on ebay, or you just want to try product photography for fun, this article will give you some tips on getting good results.

Abstract flower photos are usually created by focusing in on only a small part of a flower and / or using a very small depth of field to give the image a soft look.

For taking abstract flower photos I would recommend using cut flowers or potted plants that you keep indoors. By taking the photos indoors you can eliminate any problems with the wind blowing the flower while you are trying to compose and focus your photo. This also gives you more control over lighting - you can use long exposures without the worrying about the wind, or set up some lights and position them as needed.

When you look at smoke photos you might think that it is impossible to take such shots but it's actually not that hard. You just need to be patient because the ratio of good images to bad ones is pretty low. You will need a proper setup to photograph smoke.

Smoke Art #35 by Rex Boggs on flickr (licensed CC-BY-ND)

Food photography is a skill that takes years to master. While it may seem like it is easy just to arrange some food on a plate, take a few photos and then (best of all) eat it afterward, what actually goes into a food photography shoot is quite the contrary.

Food photography takes time, careful planning and a healthy dose of creative vision, which is why professional food photographers generally don't go it alone. Nowadays they will have a team working with them to help create those wonderful images, including a food stylist, creative director and a props assistant.

Food Styling by Rina Laxa on flickr (licensed CC-BY)