Photography Tips & Tricks

 In the last issue we talked about great still life photography techniques.

In this issue we are going to talk about taking a professional landscape

photograph.

Landscape photography is widely popular.  I am sure if you look around

your home you will see at least two landscape prints that spoke to you.

Photography is an art that has a message.  As a photographer you

have to find the message you want to portray.  If you specialize in

landscape photography you might think your task is easy to complete.

As with any photography you have to pay attention to the details, the

lighting, shadows, subject, and the equipment.

Black and white landscape photography is the hardest section to attain

true artistry because you are not relying on the colors as much as the

lights and shadows the image will create.  Composition is very

important.  Composition in photography means to look for sharp edges,

tones and textures.

The basis of black and white photography is getting the camera to see

what your eye sees in color; to bring the highlights and shadows

forward with the angle of the picture. Typical subjects for black and

white photography are buildings and water. Water gives the

surrounding trees and rocks a contrast while drawing the eye.

Landscape can encompass buildings or bridges among other subjects.

Buildings lend to the angles and contrast you seek when trying for

definition and emotion.

When landscape photography is your subject in color you will need to

have contrast between the colors.  If the sky is blue and you have blue

water below chances are the picture isn't going to have the contrast

you are hoping for.  Like black and white photography you need to have

definition or composition in the shot.  You will need to take a few

minutes to set up the shot and perhaps take several frames before

being satisfied.  Color photography takes less skill than black and white

photography so if you have master the last you will succeed at the first.

Lighting for landscape photography is natural rather artificial.  This is

important when setting up your shot.  You will need to have filters for the

sunlight if it is a bright day, perhaps a tripod to set up the shot and a

professional grade camera to create professional prints.  Studying your

subject from all angles is also important.  You want to make sure you

are picking the best angle for the shot.  Remember the message is

brought forth by the skill of the photographer.

You abilities should be honed and practiced.  Digital photography

makes landscape photography easier because you can assess the

photo before you leave a site.  Again the LCD screen isn't going to

show you every aspect of the print so you will want to take a few shots

of the same site to ensure a perfect picture.

Even being an amateur photographer you can gain professional

looking landscape photography. The best way to gain great

photographs is to practice with a subject. Going back to the same site

during different seasons can help you hone your skills and net you an

even better print the next time around. All photographers’ start at the

same level, some may have innate skills and an eye for the photo, but

practice will lead to the best print. Landscape photography may not

require the skills of wildlife photography with panning the subject or

portraits where you have to enliven your subject; however, it does

require skills and practice.

Make sure you look for your next issue soon. We will be talking about

how to take great photos of babies.

Fast photography

Your First Photography Tips & Tricks Issue

Welcome to your first issue of Photography Tips & Tricks. Inside each

issue of Photography Tips & Tricks you will learn valuable tip's, tricks

and information on how you can take great photos that you will be proud to

show off.

In today's issue we are going to go through some quick tips that you

can use to create beautiful photography of your own.

Photography is much more than just taking pictures of things. It is an art

form and can help us remember some of our most treasured

memories. However, few people actually take the time to wait for that

gorgeous shot and may doubt their ability to do it effectively. This article

contains some great tips for improving your photography skills and

capturing beautiful photographs that will be appreciated by many.

One of the most common photography mistakes is people not taking

the time to truly understand their camera. If you have a decent digital

camera, it comes armed with many features that can be used to

enhance the quality of your photographs such as different light settings

or flash speeds.

You've probably often heard that using your flash outdoors is

unnecessary to take great pictures. Wrong! Unless there is very bright

sunlight outside, you should still be regularly using your flash. Even on

cloudy days, picture quality can become compromised by not using a

good outdoor flash setting.

Many people are quick to jump at photo opportunities and just take any

old picture. However, the secret to great photography lies in taking the

time and having the patience to wait for the perfect shot to come along.

If you are photographing still items, set them up exactly how you want

them before taking your first shots. If your subject is on the move, take

multiple shots with a rapid-picture camera to ensure you get the best

picture possible.

Our first inclination is to snap pictures of objects that are centered in the

camera's lens, but taking off-center pictures can be a great way to

spice up your photographs. Taking a picture of a subject that is off-

centered in the photo adds an interesting element people may not

expect to usually see and can get your photographs noticed.

When photographing people, always make sure to avoid direct sunlight

in the background of the photo. This will make odd shadows and add

an undesirable element to the picture. Position the people so the sun is

to the side, but not shining directly in their face either. This will cause

the subjects of your photograph to be squinting uncontrollably.

Pictures that have multiple subjects or a busy foreground can highly

benefit from a simple background to keep attention directed toward

your subjects. However, if a simple background isn't available, many

cameras can be focused to the foreground. This will cause the

background to become more subtle and blurry, thus eliminating a busy

background setting.

If your camera has a macro -photography feature, use it! The macro

feature has the ability to focus in on very tiny subjects close up and is a

great way to portray a lot of detail on a very small area. Things like

small insects will immediately come to life with the use of this feature

and will help you get great shots of the smaller things in life.

As you can see, photography takes patience and skill, but with a little

practice you will be able to get great shots every time. By utilizing the

ideas presented in this article, you will be able to spice up your

photography, add detail and variety to your shots, and create lasting

memories through the art of photography.

Make sure you look for your next issue soon. We will be going over the

basics of photography - a little refresher!

In the last issue we talked about lighting tips to make your photos look

professional. In this issue we are going to talk about taking wedding

pictures that will capture the moment!

Your wedding album will be one of the most precious memories of this

big day that you will have.  But have you ever noticed how so many of

those “professional” pictures are all the same from wedding album to

wedding album?  In fact, one thing that jumps out about the wedding

photographer is that for a little while on the wedding day, everything

halts and it’s all about him.

You know the drill.  The ceremony is exciting and fun and full of joy,

some tears and plenty of meaning as the bride and groom kiss and

become one family.  Then it’s all over and everybody files out to go to

the reception to dance, have cake and celebrate this union.  But wait,

the whole proceeding has to grind to a halt while the photographer

stages the wedding party for as long as an hour or more to “recreate”

the ceremony and make those perfect wedding photos.  Meanwhile the

reception may be getting underway and many of the guests that the

bride or the groom or others in the family want to hug and share the joy

with may have to go because they just can’t wait out a fussy

photographer.

Somehow this complete disruption to the day has become accepted as

just part of what the wedding day is all about.  And the worst part about

it is that the photographs, while nice and well staged, look like a bunch

of mannequins being arranged for a store window.  The joy and fun of

the ceremony is over.  For decades to come everybody will say they

are beautiful and meaningful but if you look closely the wedding party

looks nervous, uncomfortable, bored and like they wish they were

somewhere else.

Well maybe it’s time to throw that tradition out and put some creativity

into how the wedding photos and the wedding photographer works in

your wedding.  By finding a photographer who will put together some

wedding pictures that have some style, some creativity and some

sense of inventiveness, you will have that wedding album that really is

full of memories worth remembering.

To get that kind of photographer, you are going to have to start early.

You have to find that maverick photographer that “gets it” that the

wedding is about the people, not the gowns and the hall and that his

photographs must shout out “this was a wonderful day and we

celebrated this union.”