In this article I want to look at why using a different lens to the one that came with your camera might be a good idea. I'm not going to go into details about the quality of the lens - most 'kit' lenses sold with cameras today are perfectly fine.
Rather, I want to look at how restricting yourself to using a lens or focal length you don't normally use much can help you hone your photographic technique.
Improving the results of your photography is much easier if you have a plan. Sure, you can grab your camera and get lots of practice without a real plan and you'll no doubt learn some things from the experience.
But if you know where to focus your efforts and the specific types of things that you can work on, your progress can happen much faster. In this article we'll take a look at 10 things you can do if you're interested in improving your own photography skills.
I've already written a similar article to this before, covering 5 Mistakes Photographers Make, in this article I want to cover a few more common mistakes.
Of course, if you do these things on purpose (which you may have good reason to do - there are always exceptions to the rule), then it's not a mistake. But if you're doing these things without really thinking about it, then hopefully this article will make you open your eyes a bit and consider if the way you currently do things is really the best way.
Read the rest of this entry »One of the best ways to improve your photography is through practice. But sometimes it can be difficult to motivate yourself without a specific subject to photograph in mind. This is where photography challenges can help.
My Most Treasured Gift by -Gep- on flickr (licensed CC-BY-ND)
Photography challenges will provide a theme or idea, and then you must try and take the best photo you can that satisfies that theme. You upload your best photo to the challenge, along with many other photographers. There is nearly always a specified time limit to the challenge that you must take and submit the photo within.
When the challenge is completed, some challenge groups will have a voting process where members can vote for whichever photo they like best.
Read the rest of this entry »There are some common perceptions of photography and how great photographs are captured that just aren't true. In this article I want to look at and debunk some of these myths.
Read the rest of this entry »It happens to even the best of us, sometimes we just lack the motivation to photograph. Or maybe you still take photos every now and then, but they just don't seem to work.
Thankfully photographer's block can be cured quite easily. Here are a few tips to help you get out of your photographic rut and back to taking great photos.
Read the rest of this entry »The more you practice photography, the better you'll get at it. However, it can be difficult to find the time and motivation to get the camera out. Really you need to be shooting on a regular basis, and the more you photograph, the better you'll get.
In this article I'll share some tips to help get you photographing more regularly and improve your photography.
Read the rest of this entry »Whether you are have a point and shoot or a DSLR camera, you'd want to take some 'wow' photos home from a trip. You'd also want the photos to remind you of how glad you went where you went in the first place. In the past, I had my moments when I thought, "…why didn't I see and cut out that awful lamp post at the side?" And so I grew a little wiser as I took more photos. Here are 10 tips for grabbing your shots on the road:
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