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CONCEPT: FLASH RATIO

CONCEPT: FLASH RATIO

The "flash ratio" is an important way to describe the mix between ambient light and light from your flash. Since the shutter speed doesn't affect the amount of light captured from your flash (but does affect ambient light), you can use this fact to control the flash ratio. For a given amount of ambient light, the mix of flash and ambient light is adjusted using only two camera settings: (i) the length of the exposure and (ii) the flash intensity.

Flash Ratio: N/A or 0
Only Ambient Light
Settings: no flash

1:8 - 1:2

Fill Flash

longest exposure

weakest flash

1:1
Balanced Flash
shorter exposure
weaker flash

2:1 - 8:1
Strong Flash
shortest exposure
strongest flash

In this tutorial, the flash ratio* is used to describe the ratio between light from the flash and ambient light. At one extreme of this ratio is ordinary ambient light photography (left), and at the other extreme is photography using mostly light from the flash (right). Realistically though, there's always some amount of ambient light, so an infinite flash ratio is just a theoretical limit.

*Technical Note: Sometimes the flash ratio is instead described in terms of the ratio between total light and light from the flash. In that case, a 2:1, 3:1 and 5:1 ratio would be equivalent to a 1:1, 1:2 and 1:4 ratio in the table above, respectively. Unfortunately both conventions are used.

It's important to also note that not all flash ratios are necessarily attainable with a given flash unit or ambient light intensity. If ambient light is extremely intense, or if your flash is far from your subject, it's unlikely that the internal flash of a compact camera could achieve flash ratios approaching 10:1, for example. At the other extreme, using a subtle 1:8 fill flash might be impractical if there's very little ambient light and your lens doesn't have a large maximum aperture (or if you are unable to use a high ISO speed, or capture the photo using a tripod).

Flash ratios of 1:2 or greater are where the topics in the first half of this tutorial become most important, including the flash position and its apparent light area, since the flash can appear quite harsh unless carefully controlled. On the other hand, flash ratios less than 1:2 can often achieve excellent results using a flash that is built into the camera. For this reason, most photographers will likely want to use their flash as a fill flash, if possible, since this is the simplest type of flash photography.

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CAMERA FLASH: EXPOSURE

Using a camera flash can both broaden the scope and enhance the appearance of your photographic subjects. However, flash is also one of the most confusing and misused of all photographic tools. In fact, the best flash photo is often the one where you cannot even tell a flash was used. This tutorial aims to overcome all the technical terminology in order to focus on the real essence of flash photography: how to control your light and subsequently achieve the desired exposure.
The first part of the camera flash tutorial focused on the qualitative aspects of using a camera's flash to influence a subject's appearance; this second part focuses on what camera settings to use in order to achieve the desired flash exposure.
FLASH EXPOSURE OVERVIEW
Using a flash is fundamentally different from taking a normal camera exposure because your subject is being lit by two light sources: your flash, which you have some control over, and the ambient light, which is likely beyond your control. In this part of the tutorial we'll focus on the other two consequences of this fact, as they pertain to flash exposure:

Illustration shown roughly to scale for a 1/200th second exposure with a 4:1 flash ratio.

Flash shown for first curtain sync. A pre-flash is not emitted with much older flash units.

A flash photograph actually consists of two separate exposures: one for ambient light and the other for flash. Each of these occurs in the split second between when you hold the shutter button and when the shutter opens. Newer SLR cameras also fire a pre-flash in order to estimate how bright the actual flash needs to be.

A flash pulse is usually very brief compared to the exposure time, which means that the amount of flash captured by your camera is independent of your shutter speed. On the other hand, aperture and ISO speed still affect flash and ambient light equally.

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10 Tips for Great Pictures

10 Tips for Great Pictures

Do you wish you were a better photographer? All it takes is a little know-how and experience. Keep reading for some important picture-taking tips. Then grab your camera and start shooting your way to great pictures.

Look your subject in the eye
Use a plain background
Use flash outdoors
Move in close
Move it from the middle
Lock the focus
Know your flash’s range
Watch the light
Take some vertical pictures
Be a picture director

Look your subject in the eye

Direct eye contact can be as engaging in a picture as it is in real life. When taking a picture of someone, hold the camera at the person’s eye level to unleash the power of those magnetic gazes and mesmerizing smiles. For children, that means stooping to their level. And your subject need not always stare at the camera. All by itself that eye level angle will create a personal and inviting feeling that pulls you into the picture.

Better to high

Use a plain background

A plain background shows off the subject you are photographing. When you look through the camera viewfinder, force yourself to study the area surrounding your subject. Make sure no poles grow from the head of your favorite niece and that no cars seem to dangle from her ears.

Distracting background Better

Use flash outdoors

Bright sun can create unattractive deep facial shadows. Eliminate the shadows by using your flash to lighten the face. When taking people pictures on sunny days, turn your flash on. You may have a choice of fill-flash mode or full-flash mode. If the person is within five feet, use the fill-flash mode; beyond five feet, the full-power mode may be required. With a digital camera, use the picture display panel to review the results.

Subject is dark Better

Move in close

If your subject is smaller than a car, take a step or two closer before taking the picture and zoom in on your subject. Your goal is to fill the picture area with the subject you are photographing. Up close you can reveal telling details, like a sprinkle of freckles or an arched eyebrow.

But don’t get too close or your pictures will be blurry. The closest focusing distance for most cameras is about three feet, or about one step away from your camera. If you get closer than the closest focusing distance of your camera (see your manual to be sure), your pictures will be blurry.

Good Better

Move it from the middle

Center-stage is a great place for a performer to be. However, the middle of your picture is not the best place for your subject. Bring your picture to life by simply moving your subject away from the middle of your picture. Start by playing tick-tack-toe with subject position. Imagine a tick-tack-toe grid in your viewfinder. Now place your important subject at one of the intersections of lines.

You’ll need to lock the focus if you have an auto-focus camera because most of them focus on whatever is in the center of the viewfinder.

Boring Better

Lock the focus

If your subject is not in the center of the picture, you need to lock the focus to create a sharp picture. Most auto-focus cameras focus on whatever is in the center of the picture. But to improve pictures, you will often want to move the subject away from the center of the picture. If you don’t want a blurred picture, you’ll need to first lock the focus with the subject in the middle and then recompose the picture so the subject is away from the middle.

Usually you can lock the focus in three steps. First, center the subject and press and hold the shutter button halfway down. Second, reposition your camera (while still holding the shutter button) so the subject is away from the center. And third, finish by pressing the shutter button all the way down to take the picture.

focus Subject not in focus

Know your flash's range

The number one flash mistake is taking pictures beyond the flash’s range. Why is this a mistake? Because pictures taken beyond the maximum flash range will be too dark. For many cameras, the maximum flash range is less than fifteen feet—about five steps away.

What is your camera’s flash range? Look it up in your camera manual. Can’t find it? Then don’t take a chance. Position yourself so subjects are no farther than ten feet away. Film users can extend the flash range by using Kodak Max versatility or versatility plus film.

without flash with flash

Watch the light

Next to the subject, the most important part of every picture is the light. It affects the appearance of everything you photograph. On a great-grandmother, bright sunlight from the side can enhance wrinkles. But the soft light of a cloudy day can subdue those same wrinkles.

Don’t like the light on your subject? Then move yourself or your subject. For landscapes, try to take pictures early or late in the day when the light is orangish and rakes across the land.

Goog Also good

Take some vertical pictures

Is your camera vertically challenged? It is if you never turn it sideways to take a vertical picture. All sorts of things look better in a vertical picture. From a lighthouse near a cliff to the Eiffel Tower to your four-year-old niece jumping in a puddle. So next time out, make a conscious effort to turn your camera sideways and take some vertical pictures.

Good Better

Be a picture director

Take control of your picture-taking and watch your pictures dramatically improve. Become a picture director, not just a passive picture-taker. A picture director takes charge. A picture director picks the location: “Everybody go outside to the backyard.” A picture director adds props: “Girls, put on your pink sunglasses.” A picture director arranges people: “Now move in close, and lean toward the camera.”

Most pictures won’t be that involved, but you get the idea: Take charge of your pictures and win your own best picture awards.

Boring Better

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Tips to Blend Photography and Positive Change

Framing our view on the canvas of life, photographers express ourselves through the photographs we create. We make art. We share our vision. We fulfill our desire to create. But what if each of us carved out an area of focus for positive change? What if we used our photography skills as a form of advocacy?

I find that my most rewarding documentary work has been made in situations when I showed up simply because I believed in the good work of my subjects and the positive impact of their actions. This is the work I assign myself. Your ability to document and share an experience in a visually compelling way through photography is a gift. Consider sharing your time and photography skills with individuals, educational institutions, and/or non-profit organizations doing work you find inspiring and fulfilling.

As you think about approaching this work, particularly when photographing subjects living in material poverty or under challenged circumstances, the most important aspect of your work has little to do with your technical skills and the camera gear you bring to your assignment, and everything to do with the state of your mind and the composition of your heart. Treating your subject with respect as an equal partner bends your role from fleeting observer to trusted advocate. When you become a trusted advocate, your level of access to and comfort in working with your subject will grow, leading to more intimate and powerful images.

Here are three tips to help you apply your photography skills toward positive change:

Focus on a cause that inspires you. You can find a lifetime of documentary material just by turning your lens on your own community-the people closest to you, in settings that feel most familiar. Identify local contacts you admire (e.g., schools, shelters, non-profit organizations) and explore opportunities to support them with your photography. Finding a level of comfort in documenting people can come more easily if you photograph people who know and trust you and are comfortable in your presence. Building a relationship with your subjects will take time. If you’re passionate about the cause and respectful of your subjects, it will undoubtedly be reflected in the quality of your work.
Put your camera down and connect with your subject. When I pick up my camera, I can’t help but form a barrier between myself and my subject. I become less involved in the action and dialogue, and more of an observer to the experience. I’m thinking about light, making decisions about what to include in the frame of my viewfinder, and anticipating what might happen next. I can’t remain in this zone throughout our entire time together, as I’d miss the opportunity to build a personal connection with my subjects. For this reason, it’s critically important to put your camera down long enough to ask questions and listen. Understand the context of your subject in his/her setting and situation. The more you know about your subject and the cause, the more sensitive you will become in sharing his/her story from a photographic perspective.
Embrace the Fair Content initiative. Fair Content is a collaborative movement to encourage photographers and other creative communicators to provide fair compensation and editorial input to their subjects. Supporters of Fair Content believe people who share personal stories about their own lives have the right to determine how, to whom, and for what purposes their stories may be shared; to validate that their stories are portrayed in an honest and authentic way; and, particularly when their stories are shared in ways that generate income, to receive fair payment, not as a form of charity, but as compensation for a valuable asset. As you consider starting or developing your photography project and find that you may have an opportunity to generate income from the sale of your portrayal of your subject’s story, I encourage you to work collaboratively with your subject(s) to craft a Fair Content agreement so you and your subject have an opportunity to benefit from your collaboration.

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Basic Photo Tips

Basic Photo Tips

There are certain photographic truths that apply to all cameras, regardless of whether they’re DSLRs or compact point-and-shoots. Depth of field is one of those truths. It’s a photographic term used to describe the area of an image—from near to far (or, in front of and behind your subject)—that looks sharp.

Let’s say you’re taking a picture of a friend standing outside surrounded by trees and shrubbery. Naturally, you’re going to focus your lens on your friend. Everything that’s on the same plane (also known as the plane of critical focus), i.e., objects that are the same distance from the lens as your friend, will also be in focus. If you increase the depth of field, some of the trees and bushes behind and in front of your friend will also look sharp.

Before we go into details about how and when to change your depth of field, let’s talk a little about sharpness and the human eye. Notice that earlier we didn’t say that the objects falling within the depth of field range were in focus, but rather that they looked sharp. There’s a difference.

To put it simply, a lens can only focus on one distance at a time since the sensor (like a strip of film) is a flat surface. So, if your subject is eight feet from the lens, other objects that are also eight feet from your lens (along the plane of critical focus) will be in focus. The objects in front of and behind the subject will not be as sharply focused as those that are perfectly parallel to the sensor at the same distance. And, in fact, the sharpness of objects will get softer the farther away they are from the in-focus subject.

However, depending on the image and its depth of field, our eyes may not be able to discern the differences in sharpness. The apparent sharpness of an image, in part, depends on image size and the viewing distance from the image. If you stand close to a large print, for example, you will notice the softer focus areas more readily than if you were standing farther way from the print or if the print were smaller.

It Starts with the F-Stop

When it comes to depth of field, the most important tool you have is the f-stop, or aperture setting. The size of the aperture controls how much light enters the camera. In turn, the aperture affects how much of the image appears sharp. A higher number, like f/8 or f/16, means the camera will use a smaller aperture opening and, therefore, deliver a broader depth of field, with more of the image appearing in focus. A lower number, like f/2, gives you a larger aperture opening and a shallower depth of field, softening the background (which creates an often-desired effect called bokeh).

In order to manually adjust f-stops to affect depth of field, your digital camera needs to have an aperture priority or manual exposure mode. In aperture priority mode, you choose the aperture and the camera chooses the shutter speed (in manual mode, you choose both). Keep in mind that, unlike DSLRs with a full range of aperture settings, some compact cameras have a limited range of f-stops, often topping out at f/8 or, at the higher end, f/16. No worries, both are sufficient to give you increased depth of field.

Assuming you want an increased depth of field, with more of the image appearing sharp, set your camera on aperture priority and stop down the aperture (set the aperture to a higher number). At the same time, be sure to check the shutter speed the camera has chosen. If it’s too slow to hand hold, either use a tripod to steady the camera or open up the aperture until the shutter speed is faster.

Choosing Between Broad and Shallow Depths of Field

So, when should you use a broader depth of field? Any time you want all or most of the components of your photograph to appear sharp. Landscapes, a field of flowers, the interior of a room, and a group of people are all good candidates for increased depth of field.

That’s a broad range of subjects and one might think that all photographs will benefit from an increased depth of field. Not true.

Decreasing depth of field can result in a more powerful image, depending on the subject matter and the feeling or message you want to convey. Portraits are the perfect example of when to use a shallow depth of field. By allowing the background to soften or blur while your subject is sharply focused, it puts the emphasis on the person rather than on his or her surroundings. A field of flowers may look wonderful when the entire flora fall within the camera’s depth of field. But perhaps you particularly like a small group of those flowers or even an individual blossom. If you have a shallow depth of field, the eye will be drawn to those few choice plants or single flower.

The Long and Short of It

Most digital cameras have zoom lenses, allowing you to shoot at different focal lengths. These different focal lengths also impact how much depth of field you get in a picture.

The rule of thumb is that the shorter the focal length, the broader the depth of field. Conversely, the longer the focal length, the shallower the apparent depth of field.

Check it out for yourself. Standing in place, set your lens to its widest focal length and take a photograph. Then take the same picture, from the same distance, zooming in to the lens’ longest focal length. More of your picture will appear sharp when you shoot in wide angle.

Along the same lines, the distance from camera to subject affects depth of field. Using a “normal” focal length (try somewhere in the middle between wide angle and telephoto), take a photograph while standing a few feet from your subject. Then, keeping the zoom at the same “normal” setting, step back about 8-10 feet and take the same photograph. The depth of field should be greater in the picture when there was more distance between your lens and the subject, so more of the image will appear in focus.

Think about how you take pictures. When you shoot a landscape, chances are you shoot at wide angle. Not only does a wide angle give you a broader angle of view, but it allows you to capture a larger area with more of the image in focus.

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Tips to Improve Point-and-Shoot Travel Photography

Tips to Improve Point-and-Shoot Travel Photography

Do you flip through your photo albums and/or online gallery and sigh at the fact that all your photos look the same? The vacations all might blend together into an array of similar photos. It’s easy to fall into a rut of taking the same types of travel pictures, especially when our point-and-shoot cameras seem to do all the hard work of shooting. That’s the fun of it though. Rather than photographing the same old pictures from summers past, try out some of these improvement techniques from our top 10 tips for using your digital point-and-shoot this travel season.

1. Use the manual modes
Make the bold move to switch the camera dial from “Auto” to “Manual.” More point-and-shoot digital cameras these days come with built-in manual modes, depending on price and manufacturer. Some point-and-shoots cameras include manual features in which users can control aperture and shutter speed, features that were once only limited to higher-priced SLRs for advanced users. That isn’t the case anymore. Some point-and-shoots now carry manual functions that give users the benefit to control shooting capabilities in varied lighting and speed situations. Users can access aperture and shutter speed usually through menu settings and then via a zoom button. Although not all compact cameras have aperture and shutter speed controls, the majority of point-and-shoots include controls for ISO speed (usually 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, and sometimes 3200), flash (On, Off, Auto, Red-eye Reduction), and sometimes exposure stops (+/- 2).

Experiment with the manual modes by first playing with the menu items. Change your menu settings by pressing the zoom toggle or main four-way controller, depending on the layout for your camera. If you have more time before the trip, remove the plastic wrap from the manual guide for some light reading about your camera’s full feature set, usually listed in the index. If you’ve lost the manual, access the manufacturer website for the online version to your camera’s guide.

2. When to turn off the flash
Point-and-shoots tend to employ a flash-on setting as the default mode. For travel photography though, most situations will call for little flash compensation since most vacationers spend their time outdoors that is already well lit. Those with a traveler’s heart, though, should shut off the automatic flash or suppress the pop-up in situations with plenty of light. To turn off the flash, hit the multi-controller button marked with a lighting bolt icon, which is oftentimes the preferred method that point-and-shoots identify the flash setting. Change the “Flash On” setting to “Flash Off.” Use natural lighting shining through a window during the daytime in lieu of the flash.

You can also turn off the flash for nighttime shooting. To compensate for the lack of light and flash, the camera will boost ISO or slow down the shutter speed, usually automatically, unless overridden in manual mode by the user. You might want to also use a mini travel tripod or simply set the camera to an automatic timer that is included on almost every camera for the increased time it takes to capture the night picture. Turning off the flash captures the ambient light for more natural-looking pictures.

3. When to turn on the flash.
Some situations do call for the extra help of a flash such as the standard indoors settings or even outdoors in bright sun or shady days. For those outdoors situations, users should consider turning down flash to fill in for overcast or shady conditions. Not all point-and-shoots offer this adjustable feature to increase and decrease flash increments, but if your cameras does, use it. It can help properly expose your outdoor photos for even lighting.

4. Remember the zoom
Do a practice run on your zoom by photographing objects like flower buds and engagement rings. Sometimes, you might notice that your point-and-shoot sets off a ”!” alert that indicates the image might be blurry. Instead of putting the lens too close to the subject, move back and then zoom in using the lens.

This technique is also particularly useful for portraiture. Pulling back away from the subject allows the person to feel more relaxed for more natural smiles, but also provides less foreshortening of noses or foreheads for more realistic and prettier faces.

5. Get a new perspective
One of the easiest ways to vary your shooting involves some exercise. Photograph from below or shoot from above. Try getting down on the ground to spruce up landscape photography that can make small churches look like cathedrals. You can kneel or simply crouch similar to the way baseman empires do. Point your camera upwards to make things in the foreground appear much bigger than they really are. Look for things like street signs with the city behind it or flowers in the foreground with the grassy knoll in the background.

Also consider shooting overhead for a bird’s eye view. Climb to the second level of a shopping mall or other multi-floor venues, and shoot down below. Zoom out, and keep your camera parallel to the ground. This will get the tops of people’s heads, which is interesting for big crowds or people in formal wear. This is particularly effective for wide shots in banquet halls for weddings or rockers at concerts. Get the muscles moving for new perspective shooting.

6. Steadier landscapes and night scenes
Tripods are helpful for nighttime and landscape photography. Bolt the point-and-shoot to the camera socket. Be careful to twist just enough for stability, but not too tight, particularly if the socket is made from plastic, which can peel if worn away from over usage.

During nights, turn off the flash for some long exposures. The tripod will steady the camera. Try shooting cars zooming by on a busy city street. The long exposure will make the cars look like streaks and the light posts like starbursts.

You can consider using the tripod for landscape shots. Rotate the camera horizontally using the tripod. Take a series of photos at the same level for a 180-degree, panoramic view. If you choose to, you can use this series of photos for a post-processing stitching to create one long, wide photo.

7. Creative subject framing
To get a little more creative, try framing your subjects off center. Try depressing the shutter halfway to focus. Recompose the photo off-center, and take the shot. This should keep the focus on the subject, even if it is not at the center of frame, adding a dynamic element particularly to your portraiture photography. This should work with most point-and-shoots, but some cameras will default to the center as the point of focus. In that case, change the AF setting to “Spot” or “Tracking AF” via the menu system.

8. Find some red
Look for interesting points in a landscape or street scene with a flash of red to make subjects stand out from their surroundings. Ask your portrait subject to wear a red scarf or hat or switch shirts to a red color. Just as in car colors, people are more likely to be drawn to red.

9. Always be ready to take a great photo
If you are using the manual mode on your p&s, make sure you have the settings correct for the environment you are in (i.e. ISO set to 100 for broad daylight, or 800 for nighttime, aperture and shutter speed appropriate for action or still shots). If you are suddenly inspired to take a photo, or something interesting happens, be ready to capture that moment instantaneously without fumbling to change the settings.

Also, it may seem obvious, but all users should remember that battery life during vacation is the key to successful travel shooting. Charge your batteries the night before your hike for the full amount of required time that your manual dictates. Most chargers have a blinking light that signals when the charge is complete. Remember that overcharging your battery can also lead to damage to your battery. Read the fine print on your camera’s battery charge times, as spelled out in your manual specifications.

10. Submit your photos for critique
There’s no better way to improve your travel photography than sharing your photos with other photographers through a network. Try submitting your favorites to Photo.net’s Photo Critique Forum or even informal person-to-person feedback. You’ll find that other photographers—novice users and professionals—have plenty of travel tips to offer.

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Megapixel Madness

Megapixel Madness

If you are interested in purchasing a new digital camera, you are might be familiar with all the talk about megapixels. With high quality cameras now available to the general public in the 12+ megapixel and above range, it might seem crazy to get anything less. But these cameras are mostly specialty tools for advanced photographers with very specific needs. For nature photography for beginners, starting with a camera of between 6 and 8 megapixels is actually more ideal and produces excellent images.

Also, the quality of the image produced by the camera is not necessarily equivalent to the number of megapixels it uses to record an image. All the physical components of a camera are equally important to the quality of an image. Therefore, one camera with 6 megapixels can have much lower image quality compared to another camera with better parts and the exact same number of megapixels.

Knowing how to use your camera and technique is also very important in creating quality images.

TAKING PHOTOS PART I: Nature Photography for Beginners

Knowing Your Machine

Today's digital cameras are set up to take successful photos under many different conditions and of many different subjects. It can be a great aid to you while working on nature photography for beginners to learn to use the preset buttons and settings on your digital camera.

Most digital cameras come with options to shoot macro (usually shown as a flower icon), landscape (usually shown as a mountain), portrait (a face or person), nighttime (stars or stars and the moon), high speed (a person running) and possibly several other settings. Though you may want to shoot everything in full manual mode someday, these basic functions are an excellent place to start.

Playing with your camera will help you learn all of its functions and all the possibilities available to you. It is also important to learn your cameras limitations, which generally comes from research and time spent with the camera. You might find with time that limitations can be used to work for you, and not just against you.

If you are working with a point-and-shoot camera, which has a single lens that is built into the camera it you will likely soon notice that when shooting something in the distance, you have a limitation as to how close you can zoom in on a subject. This same limitation can be overcome with a digital SLR (single-lens reflex) camera by simply changing to a longer zoom lens. Buying separate lenses for a digital SLR camera can quickly become an investment, however, so it is best to really think about what your needs are and how much you are willing to spend.

All cameras can be used much more effectively with the additional support of a tripod, monopod, or beanbag. Though sometimes camera support can be improvised in the field, it can be very helpful to have these additional tools for support. Tripods and monopods can give dramatically sharper images under a variety of conditions.

TAKING PHOTOS PART II: Nature Photography for Beginners

Knowing Your Subject

In the art of nature photography for beginners, knowing your subject is of great importance. Whether you are intending to shoot pictures of flowers or frogs, ants or elephants, it is vital you know some basic information about them.

For instance, with flowers you will want to seek them out when they are in bloom and look for them where they like to grow.
If animals are more your interest, know where they might live, what they like to eat and what time of day they are likely to be active is a good starting point.
If you are intending to photograph more dangerous animals in the wild, such as bears, moose, alligators, rhinos or lions it is better if you do so with an experienced woodsman or wildlife guide.

It might be a surprise to you, but good photographers might actually spend a great deal of time reading about their intended subjects before they go out and try to photograph them. Some spend more time at their local library or online doing research, than they do in the field actually taking pictures.

TAKING PHOTOS PART III: Nature Photography for Beginners

Reading the Light

Photography really comes down to the simple act of capturing light. Seeing and understanding how that light can used and captured photographically is really an art form in itself. Some of the most masterful photographers of all time, such as Edward E. Curtis or Ansel Adams, were extremely skilled in using light to make their subjects stand out clearly. Here are just some of the many ways of looking at the use of light in nature photography for beginners:

Light and shadow: when you look at a subject, notice only the light and shadow. What shapes do you see?
Light behind the subject: is the background behind the subject dark or light? What about if you change your angle relative to the subject?
If the subject is an animal, is there light in the eye? Or shadow?
Does the light in the image add to or take away from the subject?
Come back to the most basic questions, like: what do you want to capture in this photo?
Composition

The art of composition is another essential part of photography. How the elements in the photo are arranged and where the subjects falls in them is of immense importance. There are many aspects to composition, so let us focus on just a few here. Though beauty is certainly in the eye of the beholder, some photos are seen as beautiful by more people than other photos.

What is it that makes a photo great?

How can I make my photos stand out, and express beauty to others?

Are there secrets out there that I can use to make my photos better?

These are some questions you are bound to ask yourself when you work on creating or improving composition. The truth is, there are some techniques that can help get you on the right track with photo composition as you practice nature photography for beginners.

Light and shadow: when you look at a subject, notice only the light and shadow. What shapes do you see?
Light behind the subject: is the background behind the subject dark or light? What about if you change your angle relative to the subject?
If the subject is an animal, is there light in the eye? Or shadow?
Does the light in the image add to or take away from the subject?
Come back to the most basic questions, like: what do you want to capture in this photo?

Composition

The art of composition is another essential part of photography. How the elements in the photo are arranged and where the subjects falls in them is of immense importance. There are many aspects to composition, so let us focus on just a few here. Though beauty is certainly in the eye of the beholder, some photos are seen as beautiful by more people than other photos.

What is it that makes a photo great?

How can I make my photos stand out, and express beauty to others?

Are there secrets out there that I can use to make my photos better?

These are some questions you are bound to ask yourself when you work on creating or improving composition. The truth is, there are some techniques that can help get you on the right track with photo composition as you practice nature photography for beginners.

Rule of Thirds: Draw 4 sets of lines across the photo so that the image is divided into 9 equally sized rectangles. Notice where the lines intersect, and when taking a photo, trying placing your subject at one of these intersecting points.
Centering the subject: This technique is used by most people naturally. Simply put your subject in the center of the frame. Try to take several variations of the same subject using centering and the rule of thirds.
The eye of the viewer of a photo tends to follow certain paths while looking at the image. The eyes tend to come in and to exit along certain pathways. Find some photos you really enjoy and notice where and how your eyes travel through the frame.
Attracting or distracting the eye: Remember to focus on elements that attract the eye to the subject, and try to exclude those that distract the eye from the main subject.
Balance: Does the image feel balanced to you? You can frame your subject so that the overall image feels balanced. For instance, if you put your subject on the right, vertical 1/3 line then try to put another subject on the vertical 1/3 line on the left as well. Compare that with a photo where you have a single subject only on one of these lines. See which you like better.
Horizontal vs Vertical: Try experimenting with shooting both horizontal and vertical versions of the same subjects. There are certainly times when you will find one looks better than the other.
Using color: Focusing on color is a great way to attract the eye of a viewer. Experiment with similar color themes in your images. Also, try using color for the opposite effect, making something stand out against a starkly different background or foreground.

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Learning the ropes with your new camera

Learning the ropes with your new camera

Scan your manual

No, you don't have to read the whole thing, just the important stuff. In the beginning somewhere there will be a diagram showing you the parts of the camera. That's the really important stuff. Then turn to the index, providing the manual has one (there are some utterly heinous examples of manualcraft that don't include an index); if there isn't, use the table of contents instead. Run down the index or TOC, and look at the page in the manual for every term you don't understand.

Learn your camera's quirks

You don't want to discover that all your low-light photos look like Seurat or Monet paintings after you've photographed your kid's first birthday. To do that, you need "test" the camera somewhat methodically. For instance, set up a little still life in typical living room light, and (presuming your camera supports it), try it in various automatic and manual modes, changing settings like white balance, exposure compensation, ISO sensitivity setting, and so on. Then download and compare the photos on your computer, looking at them closely. Always examine them at full size (100 percent), not scaled down to fit the screen or smaller. That's the only way to tell if photos are sharp, that you're not using a high compression setting, and so on. Figure out which ones you like best and see which settings you'd used. You also need to know if any problems you're seeing are because you don't understand the camera or lens' limitations. For example, every lens has a minimum focus distance; if you don't know what it is, your photos may be consistently out of focus because you're too close. Which leads me to one of the most important suggestions

Read your EXIF

Learning to use a camera in the days of film meant -- for people more disciplined than I -- carrying around a little book in which to record the camera's settings so that you could match them against the shots and analyze what you'd done wrong or right. For digital, thankfully, the camera records all that information for you automatically and stores it in the file header; that metadata is referred to as Exchangeable Image File Format, or EXIF, data. Modern operating systems can usually read and display the basics: for instance, in Windows 7, the EXIF data appears in the file properties dialog, in the Details tab. You can also get free utilities which display EXIF data in combination with thumbnails for a more usable way to scan it. For example, I use Adobe Bridge and occasionally the more powerful FastStone Image Viewer. The most important settings to look for are shutter speed, aperture, ISO sensitivity, white balance, metering, flash, exposure compensation and focal length.

Checking the EXIF data is the only way to figure out some critical information. For instance, if some of your photos are blurry, look for a pattern in shutter speed -- that's how you figure out how slow you can drop the shutter while hand-holding the camera. Because each camera model varies in size, weight, and sensitivity of the optical stabilization system, the minimum usable shutter speed can differ quite a lot for an individual across cameras.

There is some information that's not recorded in the EXIF header, or that's hard to locate, because it's nonstandard across cameras. It includes, for instance, special-effects modes. To try those out, just remember to shoot sequentially through the options so that you can later go back and match the shots to the mode. One really important setting that's not recorded in the metadata is whether or not you were actually shooting within the camera's exposure parameters. For instance, have you ever taken a photo when either the shutter speed or aperture value on the screen was blinking furiously? The camera was trying to tell you that it wasn't capable of, for example, getting a wide enough aperture at a particular focal length to deliver a correct exposure. In cases like that, the EXIF data simply reports the camera's widest aperture. But the photos may come out too dark or too fuzzy, and you won't know why. So when you're shooting, either make a note of the occasions when the camera blinks at you or don't take the photo until it reports that everything's A-OK.

Shoot raw

If your camera supports it, try shooting in raw format rather than JPEG, or in the simultaneous raw+JPEG setting. Raw is the 21st century equivalent of developing your own film, and not only does it help you produce higher-quality results, it can really educate your eyes about compression artifacts, noise patterns, exposure adjustments and how to read a histogram. You will probably need to buy software; though most cameras that support raw bundle their own software, it can frequently be confusing to use or to get good results and may only serve to frustrate you. It's fine to try it before you buy, but don't give up if it seems too difficult.

There's tons of software that will let you edit raw files, ranging from the relatively inexpensive/free (GIMP, Corel PaintShop Pro X7, Adobe Photoshop Elements 13, DXO Optics Pro 10, Phase One Capture One Express 8) to a bit more expensive (Adobe Lightroom 5, Phase One Pro 7) to the really pricey (Adobe Photoshop CC 2014). And there are more that I haven't mentioned.

Start a photo project

I've found it's really hard to learn to use a new camera effectively by just kind of going out and shooting aimlessly. Find a subject you like to look at -- flowers, animals, creepy dolls -- and head out to shoot some interesting photos of them. Don't choose a subject just because you think it will impress other people. You're the one who has to enjoy it. It should also be something with an element of repetition about it. You can't tell if you're improving, or what you need to work on, if there's no consistent elements to compare. (People are great, but if you're concentrating on learning the camera you don't also want to be worrying about dealing with people.) Once you're comfortable and think the photos are coming out okay, then make an effort to use a different feature and/or to use it in manual or semimanual mode. At the same time, branch out into shooting more complex subjects, such as people and pets. But always remember to go back and look at the EXIF data for the shots you like best or least.

Train your eyes

You can't tell if the camera's working right -- or if you're using it right -- if you don't know what you're looking at, and you can't improve if you don't know what to fix. Is it camera shake, motion blur, or simply out of focus? Are the colors correct or just pleasing? The best way to do this is through sheer repetition and comparison under controlled circumstances. You'll need to calibrate your monitor; if you don't, you won't know whether your camera's colors are off or whether it's the display. You might also need to enlist a keen-eyed friend to confirm your analysis, especially if your vision isn't terrific.

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What is Graphic Design

What is Graphic Design

Indeed, architects work to incorporate strong graphic design in the doors, the windows, the facade, and the overall shape of the structure. Buildings built on a tight budget usually have to sacrifice the beauty of an elegant or captivating design, but many older works of architecture as well as modern engineering marvels are truly stunning. And they make our pursuit of beautiful graphic design easy.

Even though a building or skyline is graphically dynamic, the way you compose the photograph still has to be carefully considered. You don't want to include distracting elements like power lines, out of focus trees in the foreground, and unattractive shadows. I feel that too much concrete or asphalt is a problem as well. Don't include a lot of the street in the foreground so it dominates the picture. Our attention should be drawn to the lines of the building.

I like photographing architecture a lot, and I have thousands of examples I could show you that exhibit strong graphic design.
In the five that I've included here, notice not only the subject itself and the beautiful lines, but how I photographed it. Pay attention to what I included and what I didn't include in the frame.
Look at the camera angle I used, the time of day, note how I used a wide angle lens and a telephoto. All these things go into making a great shot of architecture with a strong graphic design.

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Find Total Shutter Actuations on Nikon and Canon

Find Total Shutter Actuations on Nikon and Canon

During the last several weeks, I have received several requests from our readers about finding the total number of shutter actuations on their DSLRs. I decided to write a short article on how you can find the total shutter actuations on both Nikon and Canon DSLRs, in case you are interested in seeing how much you have been using your camera or how close your shutter speed is to the manufacturers’ rated shutter life of 150,000 (on most entry and mid-level cameras) or 300,000 (professional cameras).

1) EXIF Data

The information on the total shutter actuations on your camera is preserved in file headers, known as “metadata” or “EXIF”. If you do not know what EXIF is and what it is used for, check out my “What is EXIF” article that I wrote a while ago. Basically, your camera writes all exposure-related information such as date, time, shutter speed, aperture, ISO and a bunch of other important information into the header of each file. Some camera manufacturers like Nikon and Canon also add unique shutter actuations data fields that are used for seeing the total number of exposures or “shutter actuations” cameras have.

2) Switch to JPEG format

If you are shooting RAW, it is best to switch to JPEG format just for getting the required information from your camera. While the camera native RAW format preserves all of the EXIF information that is coming out of the camera, third party conversion software like Adobe Photoshop Lightroom can strip out some of the proprietary EXIF data, including the number of shutter actuations. Therefore, switching to JPEG will allow you to view EXIF data straight, without having to import the image into Lightroom or Photoshop first. It doesn’t matter what size of JPEG files you choose – even JPEG BASIC works fine. Once selected, take a picture of anything you want.

3) Download EXIF viewer

In order to view the proprietary EXIF information from files, you need to use an image EXIF viewer that does not strip out anything from the file. Unfortunately, almost all current image viewers only display generic EXIF data that most people use and ignore the rest. Instead of properly reading EXIF data from files and then parsing the results, they typically just look for generic EXIF tags within the file and display them when they are available. If something is not available, it stays blank. To reduce the number of blank items to the minimum, they only provide generic information that is more or less standardized across most camera manufacturers.

Since these kinds of image EXIF viewers are not going to work to find the total shutter count, we will need to use less popular versions of EXIF data viewers, such as Phil Harvey’s “ExifTool” and Opanda’s IExif.

4) Viewing Shutter Count EXIF Data via ExifTool

Once you download the single ExifTool executable from this website, move it to the root drive of your main drive (typically C: on Windows and / on MacOS), then open up the command prompt via Start->All Programs->Acessories->Command Prompt. If you are using a Mac, fire up the shell terminal. Type “cd c:” in Windows or “cd /” in MacOS to be in the same folder where the ExifTool executable resides. Then type:

Nikon DSLR: exiftool source_jpeg_file.jpg | find "Shutter Count"
Canon DSLR: exiftool source_jpeg_file.jpg | find "Image Number"

Obviously, replace “source_jpeg_file.jpg” with the name of your actual JPEG file. The program should return something like this: “Shutter Count: 19889” or “Image Number: 19889” – the number to the right of the string is the total shutter count on the camera.

5) Viewing Shutter Count EXIF Data via Opanda IExif

If you do not want to mess with command prompts, the best alternative is to use either Opanda IExif (for Windows). Just download the latest version of Opanda IExif and install using defaults.

Once the program is installed, open it up and then click the “Open” button to browse to your file. Select the JPEG file and you will see something like this:

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Sony patents contact lens camera

Sony has patented a contact lens that comes with an integrated miniature camera module and all its components, such as image sensor, lens, processor, storage and even a wireless module to transfer images to a smartphone or other connected device. The camera is triggered by a "conscious" eyelid aperture and closure. A sensor measures the pressure of your eyelid, and other settings such as aperture and zoom can be controlled via eyelid movement as well. A display unit allows you to view captured images directly on the lens. The patent document says the following about the camera module:

"The image pickup unit includes, for example, a lens system including the image pickup lens, an aperture stop, a zoom lens, a focus lens, and the like, a drive system that causes the lens system to perform focusing operation and zooming operation."

There is even a digital image stabilization system to counteract image blur caused by motion of the eyeball. Google and Samsung have filed for similar patents before but with its range of controls the Sony variant is, at least on paper, the most advanced so far. It's impossible to know if a product like this will ever hit the market but if it does, it's certain to raise even more privacy concerns than Google Glass at the time. You can read the full document here

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Digital SLR Photographer

Digital SLR Photographer Tips

I started shooting photography with an SLR (single lens reflex) camera about 23 years ago. I was 15 and my parents bought me a Sigma camera and allowed me to enroll in a summer photography course at the local junior college, Glendale Community. I was the youngest kid in the class and found it one of the most exciting things I’d ever done. Watching a print come to life, when developing in a darkroom for the first time, is an amazing and exciting experience. Although I haven’t done much developing in the past few years, that summer began a love affair with the camera for me that has never stopped.

Today I shoot with a much more expensive Canon EOS 5D, a fantastic full frame digital that has so much more capability than my old Sigma ever did. I’ve had a lot of cameras in between and have taken literally hundreds of thousands of photos between when I started out and today. I’ve got a little over 4,000 of my shots up on Flickr and have recently begun doing a bit of professional work here and there. You can see my photos in the last three issues of San Francisco Magazine and I’m working on another assignment for them now as we speak.

Along the way I’ve picked up a few things here and there and thought I’d share what I feel are some of the basics in a post for new Digital SLR photographers. Bear in mind that these are only my suggestions and observations. Many other photographers will disagree with them and the art of photography truly is an art with many different photographers taking many different approaches. That said here is my list of 10 tips you might want to explore if you are new to the hobby.

1. ISO, ISO, ISO. In real estate it’s location, location, location. With an SLR it’s ISO, ISO, ISO. I can’t begin to tell you how many new photographers I’ve met who have no idea what an ISO is. It’s perhaps the single most important technical thing to know about your new SLR. Technically ISO stands for the International Organization for Standardization and in the old days of film it had to do with film speed. But without getting very technical here, if you are shooting in the dark or a poorly lit room or at night, you can dramatically improve your photos by bumping up your ISO setting. Most digital cameras these days go to 1600.

When you see those blurry shaky photos that people take at night without a flash what is going on here is that the camera lens is being opened on an automatic setting too long to avoid the movement of your hand which produces the blur. By increasing your ISO setting you will be able to shorten the amount of time the lens is open and thus get a less blurry photo due to the ever so slight movement that naturally takes place in your hand when you shoot. I’m not going to go into the differences between ISO, noise at higher ISO settings etc. Experiment around with the speeds yourself but make *sure* you know how to change your ISO setting and make sure that you understand that it will make a world of difference to the photos you are shooting in low light situations by increasing it.

2. When dealing with low light situations that are still blurry at high ISO settings, find something to brace the camera on. You can set it on a table, chair, bar, etc. You can hold it tight against a light or telephone pole or wall. You can lay on the ground and set it there. Find something for stability. This will dramatically improve your ability to steady the camera in a low light situation.

3. Don’t cheap out on a tripod. Cheap tripods are like cheap umbrellas. They will inevitably break and you will be back buying another one. Further, they won’t work right, won’t get your camera at the right angle, will shake in the wind when it’s blowing, etc. Tripods are one of those areas where you truly do get what you pay for. Especially if you are going to be shooting at night budget for a quality tripod that can last you for years. Personally I use a Manfrotto. Manfrotto makes some of the finest tripods in the world. Spend the extra money and buy a good tripod or you will regret it. It should have a ball head and for everyday use be somewhat light and hopefully fit in your back pack. You may want a more sturdy industrious larger tripod for the car, but a basic smaller one for a backpack of good quality is money well spent.

4. It’s all about the glass. I’m continuously amazed at folks that will spend $3,000 on a digital SLR and then keep the low level stock lens that they bought with it and never do anything else from there. Personally I think you’d be better off buying a cheaper SLR but with a few good core lenses to use. The difference in shots using better lenses is dramatic. At a bare minimum find someplace that rents lenses and go rent one for a day, you’ll be surprised at the difference over the stock lens that came with your camera. With Canon their L Series lenses are amazing – you will not go wrong with any Canon L Series lens. Whether zoom telephoto, macro, wide angle, prime (fixed focal length), all will make dramatically different photos come out of your camera. Experiment with lenses and make sure that a fair portion of your camera budget is dedicated to at least one if not two quality lenses. My favorite lens for basic out and about shooting these days is the 135 prime L series, but most would prefer the flexibility of a range of distances over the fixed focal rate primes.

5. Join Flickr. Flickr is almost certainly the best online photo management and sharing application in the world. Something happens when you start sharing your artistic photographs with the rest of the world. It’s hard to say why or how it happens but it gives you a tremendous amount of emotional support and genuine satisfaction to see like minded camera geeks sharing their work and appreciating yours. Even with one or two close flickr friends you will find that flickr provides motivation for you to continue shooting. And best thing of all Flickr is free or very modestly priced at (a well worth) $25 a year if you want a Pro account with more bandwidth. You can join other photo sharing sites too if you want. I also have my photos at Webshots, Zooomr, Riya, Vizrea and a few other places, but it is the social network of Flickr that makes the most difference.

Flickr will also give you a lot of great ideas and ways to shoot that others are using today. For more on how to use Flickr you might want to check out this review I wrote yesterday on Richard Giles’ new book, How to Use Flickr, The Digital Photography Revolution. I’ve also published two other top 10 lists on Flickr, The Top 10 Ways to Get Attention on Flickr and the Top 10 Ways to find great photos on Flickr.

6. Know your rights. Nowhere are rights more misunderstood than with photographers today. Can you take photos of strangers on the street. Yes. Can you take photos of buildings from the street even after security guards tell you not to? Yes. Can you shoot into an open door from the street into a bar? Yes. Know your rights and stick up for them. This not only helps you but it helps other photographers. For a
great primer on your rights as a photographer check out Bert Krage’s excellent .pdf called “The Photographer’s Right”

7. Shoot in RAW. Even if you shoot in JPG a lot too, shoot in RAW. I really only shoot in RAW for my art shots. RAW files are large, cumbersome and difficult to work with. They take up a lot of space on your hard drive. But being able to make modifications to the exposure, contrast and temperature (white balance, think are your whites whitish blue or whitish yellow) before really processing the photo makes a *huge* difference. Shoot in RAW and then learn how to do the production necessary with your photo processing app to do the minor modifications necessary to make your photo the best that it can be. I still shoot in JPG a lot of the time when I’m doing family snapshot stuff and don’t want to be bothered with the extra time it takes to process but for my art stuff it’s all RAW.

8. Photoshop, Photoshop, Photoshop. Whether buying the low end version of Photoshop Elements for $75 or the more professional CS2 version for $600, buy Photoshop and use it. Do *not* listen to the naysayer that will tell you that you are not a purist if you edit your photos. Almost every digital photo can be improved by editing it. Simple things like bumping contrast, altering saturation, sharpness, selective color, etc. all can make a world of difference. Buy Photoshop and use it to process every artistic type image you do. If you really, really can’t afford Photoshop or want something else for a laptop on the go or something, also take a look at Google’s Picasa. It’s pretty good for free software. Not as good as Photoshop, but you can’t argue with the price and it does do a lot of the basics nicely.

9. Take lots and lots and lots of photos when you shoot. Feel free to throw out the vast majority of the shots you shoot. When you see something you like to shoot, shoot 6 shots of the exact same thing. Some will be bad and you can pick the very best one and throw out the rest. I throw out most of the photos I take. I also have about 60,000 photos that I’ve yet to process that need more consideration on a hard drive I’ve named Scratch sorted by date. I shoot like crazy. On a typical outing I can easily fill two memory cards. And while I’m on the second card I’m transferring the photos off of the first card to my laptop to free up more space. Others disagree with me and a photographer I admire a lot Tim Gasperak was telling me recently about this discipline process thing of only being allowed to take a single photo a day in order to better focus and understand your composition and photography in a thoughtful way. There is probably something to that and as an expert it may have merit, but as an amateur shoot away.

You should never come back from a shooting outing with any room left on your card. Shoot, shoot, shoot and shoot. You’ll be surprised at the gems that you come back with.

10. Change your perspective. Whenever you think you have your shot framed and captured take your shot and consider different perspectives. Can you get down on the ground (or simply set your camera on the ground and shoot from there standing up) and get a better perspective. Look up. Is there someplace higher you can get. What about closer, further back. Turn around. What’s behind you? Are you missing something great? Look everywhere at once. Keep your eyes open for different ways to take the same shot. Tilt the camera, take a vertical, a horizontal, a diagonal. Crop out the sky. Crop out all of the land but a thin small strip at the bottom. Play with your perspective on a shot and take several different versions of the same thing.

There is this Chinese Restaurant in San Francisco called All Seasons. It’s not a favorite of mine but I’ve been a time or two. One day I went to lunch there and walking up the stairs just decided to look directly above me for some reason. There were these amazing umbrellas hanging from the ceiling. Had I not looked up I would have missed them. This shot in turn has become my most favorited and popular shot on Flickr. If I hadn’t turned my head and looked straight up at the ceiling I never would have gotten the shot.

Are you shooting at night and using a manual shutter speed for long exposure shots. Try it at 2 seconds, try it at 10 seconds, try it at 30 seconds. Shoot the same shot in many different ways.

And finally, have fun. Digital photography is a great hobby and can be loads of fun but make sure that you don’t get so serious about it that it stops being fun for you. It’s a wonderful way to be creative and to express yourself. Buy your kids, spouse, partner, brother, sister, mom, dad, friend cameras like my parents bought mine. Teach them to shoot as well. Photography is a wonderful hobby full of ways for you and them to be creative. Oh and by the way when buying all this gear (did I mention this hobby can be expensive?) resist the temptation to buy the cheapest discount gear online. Take my advice and check out my bad experience in the past in this department. Personally I like and would recommend B & H Photo for all of your online purchases but their are certainly many other reputable dealers as well.

Update: In the article I mentioned that Flickr is a wonderful place to get advice and share your love of photography with other like-minded photogeeks. In addition to my 10 tips are some more that you may want to consider that I solicited from the members of Flickr’s largest group Flickr Central.

Jeff Clow adds: “Might I also add that they should learn how to use the manual settings as opposed to just the auto focus – since manual settings are intimidating intially but become second nature when one understands how important shutter speed and aperture are to crafting good shots.

I think another important item for newcomers to learn is the steps necessary to access the great features like auto bracketing and remote shutter release that almost all DSLRs have built in to their menus. Once a person becomes adept at those, the world of photography opens up even more broadly – and not surprisingly, better photos become much more the norm.”

carpe icthus adds: “Cheap advice for beginners? In addition to the basic zooms for the range you need, pick up a 50mm f/1.8 or f/1.7. Every line has one, they’re very cheap, you will instantly be able to do things with low-light and depth-of-field that you cannot do with a bridge camera, and practicing zooming with your feet will teach you a lot about composition.

Also, if you find yourself doing a lot of flash photography, picking up a flash that can bounce its flash angle (and, better still, rotate) will improve your photography immensely. For most, the basic such flash in their line-up is more than enough, as long as it takes advantage of their camera’s metering. SB-600 for Nikon, 430EX for Canon, etc.

Also, an addition to the ISO item is to address the common newbie mistake of thinking it is better to underexpose while shooting at a lower ISO then exposing properly at a higher ISO. It’s not; always try to get the right exposure if at all possible. In particular, your images’ color will thank you for it.”

Morven adds: “One tip I got a long time ago and never forgot: carry your camera as much as you can. Great subject matter, great photographic moments, don’t just occur when you’re hunting for them. Sometimes
they just happen totally randomly. Not an SLR tip, but a general tip; in fact, it’s one of the best arguments for also owning a point-and-shoot. Even shots with a crap camera can be good, and they certainly beat the shot you didn’t take because you didn’t bring the camera with you.

Another: be cold and be ruthless when selecting shots. One of the secrets of many master photographers is simply that they take so damn many photographs and then cull ruthlessly. Garry Winogrand died with almost half a million photos he’d not even looked at yet. He deliberately didn’t look at his photographs until he’d forgotten the circumstances of taking them, so that he wouldn’t be influenced by good memories of the circumstances into favoring a poor photo. You don’t have to be that extreme, but try and divorce your emotions about the subject matter and the circumstances of the photo-shoot from your judgment of the resulting photographs. Attempt to see them as a stranger. Sometimes the most fun days out photographing produce no good shots at all, and sometimes an awful day with a subject you hate produces a winning photo.

Don’t wear good clothes. Sometimes the best shots are found by lying in the dirt or climbing up things. By the same logic, buy a camera bag that can absorb the inevitable knocks your equipment will get when you’re doing that.”

monkeyc.net adds: “Dont fall into the trap of thinking that the more expensive the camera you buy is the better your shots will be – buying a professional SLR for your first camera is pointless, it wont make you a better photographer but it will make you a poorer one – start with an SLR you are comfortable with and can use and wil use – the entry level models from Canon and Nikon are excellent but there is a lot of value in the offerings from other companies – Pentax in particular make some excellent price competitive DSLR’s that have the added advantage of being able to use a massive range of lenses and as theyre almost the ubiquitous student choice Pentax gear is readily available second hand meaning you can get some cheap lenses at a good price.

A pro camera wont make you a pro photographer no matter what that guy at the camera store tells you.

And my second advice is the most important – 3 things every photographer needs to know and understand. Depth of Field, Arpeture and Composition – theyre not hard to learn but they are essentials of taking good photgraphs – pick up one of the many handbooks on 35mm photography – you can get them cheaply normally and the principles are the same and learn what they mean – once you have these basics down pat your photography will take off – you will be amazed how much difference understanding them will make to your work.”

Proggie adds: “If you don’t want to carry a tripod, get (or make) a beanbag camera support, to support the SLR on surfaces where you may not be able to normally place your SLR. These may not work as well with larger lenses though. But they work well for me as supports when I hold the SLR on a railing, or rock.

Check your image in the viewfinder by zooming in to make sure it’s sharp. Often when zoomed out the viewfinder will make you think that a soft or out of focus photo looks good, but when you download it to your computer you’ll discover that it’s not that great. Check the histogram in the preview as well (though I’m still learning how to interpret it correctly).”

f8125 adds: “Take a photo with every mode and setting. Even if you don’t use all the functions all the time, knowledge is power and with technical fluency, your creative juices will have no bounds.

Get a a good sized memory card or 2 (at least 1 GB), running out space during a shoot is depressing.”

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