Photography Tips of the Week - Four

Although at a certain level photography could be viewed as a simple hobby easily picked up by anyone, looking at it like that pretty well guarantees that you will be that person with a bunch of portraits that look like passport photos and other shots that look pretty ordinary... at best. However Read more...

Photography Tips of the Week - Three

These days taking a photo is simply a matter of switching the device on, aiming and pushing a button. However the difference between doing that and capturing a truly worthwhile shot is huge. That is not to say that you are confined or restricted by the equipment you are using. You can take great Read more...

Photography Tips of the Week - One

If you are just getting into photography and need some tips and tricks it is important to find reliable information on a regular basis. In this series I will probably just post stuff as it occurs to me rather than lay out a step by step action plan. Flowers and Static Objects A good place to Read more...

Quick And Easy Tips To Get The Most From Your Photography

Everybody wants to take beautiful photographs every time they go out to shoot their surroundings and this goal is much more attainable than you might think. It doesn't necessarily require a lot of complicated or expensive equipment. It does however require you to put a little planning into the Read more...

Tricks On How To Get Great Looking Photos

Photography can be a beautiful art form. No really, it can be. In terms of taking better photos and showing some skill in the application of various techniques to make your photos stand out, it is truly a beautiful thing. To start learning some basics as to how to make this work for you, refer Read more...

How To Take Professional Quality Photos Without Extensive Training

If you are looking to get more serious about photography as a hobby, the internet has an enormous amount of advice available to you. To get started, you will need some basic equipment and some understanding about how photography works with the light and angles. The following tips will help you Read more...

Outdoor Photography Tips

Outdoor photography is one of the most satisfying things you can do with a camera because you're recording the beauty of the world around you. You can go at this as a pro or semi-pro with all the cameras and equipment, jargon, and technical terms or you can just skip all that and take great Read more...

Outdoor Photography Tips P.2

This was taken standing (to get the angle), with the camera (Sony DSC 707) stressed against the strap. There is actually a tiny bit of movement in the wavelet but not in the rest of the frame. This shot would probably not have been possible with a tripod unless it was a big heavy one and who Read more...

Outdoor Photography Tips P.3

5 Outdoor Photography Tips for Great Shots 1. Blaze away. You have a digital camera so what's holding you back? Shoot lots and lots of pix. If you can see it you can shoot it. If it looks good, pretty, beautiful, intriguing, colorful - go ahead and shoot it. Shoot it as soon as you see it. Then Read more...

Black and White Photography Tips p.2

Black and white works in shades or tones of gray. You need a pure white and a pure black somewhere in the image to anchor your tonal range. Too little tonal separation and you have a 'flat' image. Too much and you have an image that is more like a poster - too 'hard' or too contrasty. Black and Read more...

Black and White Photography Tips p.3

Making your own black and white pictures the good old fashioned way can be fun. It's VERY hands on. There's something magical about sliding a sheet of white photographic paper into the developing tray and watching the image form before your eyes. That magic can offset the messy chemicals and Read more...

Portrait Photography Tips p.2

Here are some Portrait Photography Tips if you're shooting on location, or in the subject's native habitat. 7. Make the picture communicate something. Probably you're not trying to make the subject look good but you want to communicate something else. Here's a shot that communicates... Read more...

Wedding Photography Tips - Photographing The Ceremony

If the ceremony is being done 'on location' - like at a home, a park, a beach, etc. this simplifies things a lot. If you can't shoot during the actual ceremony you may be able to shoot some posed shots after the ceremony in the church. Talk to the priest or minister before hand and ask if you Read more...

Wedding Photography Tips - After the Service and Before the Reception

After the ceremony, take the bride and groom to a nearby beach or park and let them chill out and shoot some candid shots. These are their first minutes/hours of married life, so the shots can be happy, affectionate, excited, relaxed, reflective, etc. You could decide in advance if these will be Read more...

Wedding Photography Tips - Shots at The Reception

Okay now you are really into straight reportage and flash country if it is being held indoors. You can sneak about and shoot candid moments while your shrimp cocktail becomes one with the universe, but here are the main shots: At the Head Table Bride and groom looking lovingly/lustfully into Read more...

Wedding Photography Tips - Shots After the Wedding

Preparing the Proofs. If the end product is to be an audio-visual presentation using slideshow software or basic video editing software, or a series of hard copy prints, you should provide a disk that acts as a 'proof', so the bride and groom can choose what pictures they want used or printed. Read more...

Photo Composition Tips p.3

In this one reversed (bottom), the dark rock formation in the lower R/H corner holds the eye and then throws it up to the big rock. In the original the eye sweeps up unobstructed to take in the curling waves and also the big rock. Portraits follow the same rule. In this color portrait, the Read more...

Composition Tips - The Rule of Thirds

The Rule of Thirds This sounds like the title of an espionage novel but it is one of the most popular rules for composition. It's been around since 1797 so there must be something in it, although personally, for better or worse, I don't usually remember to follow it. (My personal rule is the one Read more...

Candid Photography Tips

Candid means frank, honest, open, truthful and sincere - how does that work with a camera? Candid photography means you just shoot what you see - no rearranging the composition or using models - the photographer is "there" with the subject or scene and records it faithfully. Usually a candid Read more...

Candid Photography Tips p.2

For a viewer, candid can be an educated taste. In an age with TV, the internet, when everything is being photographed with cell phones, most people are saturated with images and don't see the finer qualities, so don't expect your audience to see or feel what you saw and felt. A photo should Read more...

How to Choose Photo Editing Software

As we have mentioned on many of the pages of this site, photo editing software can be used to correct or enhance many of your "questionable" shots. In recommending any specific photo editing software we looked for the following characteristics: Supported Image File Formats. The photo editing Read more...

Photo Editing Software Reviews

Adobe Photoshop Elements This is the little brother of Adobe Photoshop. Photoshop holds such a dominant place in the pro market for photo editing and has held that position for such a long time that it has now entered the language as a verb. "That picture has been photoshopped!" We think Read more...

Still Life Photography Tips

Still Life photography is as simple or as tricky as you want to make it. In still life photography you can manipulate background, lighting, angle, and composition so you can literally 'draw' what you like. According to some views on this subject if you create a scene and shoot it that's Still Read more...

Still Life Photography Tips P.2

There are several ways to shoot a still life. If you have lights, backdrops, plate cameras that have adjustable settings you wouldn't be reading this anyway, so let's cut to the chase.Still Life shots are good to practice your 'eye for photo composition', your color sense, and lens techniques Read more...