Posts Tagged ‘Photography tips’ (Page 4)

The vast majority of us greatly prefer bright sunny days to dull overcast days. And the majority of people would likely think that sunny weather is better for photography than dreary overcast weather.

While that is correct in some cases, for many types of photography, overcast and cloudy weather is actually preferable to sunny. In this article I'll go over why overcast weather can be useful for better photos, some of the problems it can cause, and how to work around these issues.

Selective focus is a very useful technique for drawing the viewer's attention to a certain area of an image. Typically, though not always, the area you want to draw attention to will be the subject of the photo. By having the subject in sharp focus, but the rest of the image blurry, the eye is naturally drawn towards the sharp area of the image.

Selective focus can be achieved in-camera but can also be added to an image later using image editing software. In this article we'll look at both techniques.

Reflectors are often used in natural light portrait photography, where they can act as an additional light source. But they can be used for much more than that. In this article we'll look at what reflectors are, some of the different types, and the various ways they can help you get better photos.

In this article we'll look at six small pieces of equipment that most photographers don't think about bringing with them when going out shooting. The fact is that most of time these pieces of gear aren't needed. But when you do need them, you'll be really wishing you had packed them.

None of these items take up much space, so they're worth just adding to your photography bag and leaving there on a permanent basis. Then on the odd occasion when you do need them, you won't be kicking yourself that you left them at home.

Most photographers have access to a wide angle lens, whether it be a specialist wide angle lens, their camera's basic zoom lens when zoomed out, or even just their phone camera. But using a wide angle focal length effectively can be difficult. The wide angle allows you to fit a wide view into a single image, but it can be easy to end up including a large area (such as an empty sky or uninteresting foreground) that doesn't really add anything to the image.

In this article we'll look at what is usually meant by a wide-angle, what wide angle lenses are good for and how to use them effectively, and what they're not so good at and you should try to avoid.

Cities can provide a large number of photo opportunities, many of which are not available in smaller towns or elsewhere. Whether you live in a city or are planning to visit one, in this article I'll share some ideas for interesting subjects and tips for capturing great photos of them.

Modern cameras offer a plethora of autofocus options to help you get the best focus performance possible, whether you're photographing a fast moving sports car or a static still life subject. In this article we'll look at the various different modes and options, what they mean, and when you might want to use them.

Mirror slap and Shutter shock are both problems that can cause blurring when you take a photo. In this article we'll look at what these problems actually are, and how they can be avoided.

Image makes use of Warning by yves_guillou and naughty nick! by Peter Pawlowski (licensed CC-BY)

With over a billion photos being shared every day on social media, it can be very difficult to have your photos stand out from the rest. With the vast majority of photos being taken on smartphones, one way you can help your photos vie for attention is by taking advantage of the abilities of a compact system camera or DSLR.

Now, using a CSC / DSLR to take your photos is no substitute for a creative, well composed, and beautifully lit image. Using a 'proper' camera rather than a phone doesn't suddenly give you a better image.

But there are some things a CSC / DSLR camera can do that a phone camera cannot. And by combining your creativity with the abilities of a CSC / DSLR you can achieve a strong image with features that help it stand out from amongst the smartphone images.

Most photographers mainly work with color photography. Yet how often do you really think about color when composing an image? Color can be an important aspect in creating a strong composition. It can also lend a particular mood to an image. In this article we'll have a look at how you can use color to create strong images.