Technique and Passion

There is more to photography than picking up a camera and taking a photograph. With each image that you take, technique and passion must shine through. For this you need to find a well structured photography tutorial and learn about the art of taking photographs.

Most tutorials will cover the pieces of equipment that will be essential and the basics of photography.

Beyond that, you will need to also learn important things like composition, colour, exposure and lighting. That is because they will impact the images that you produce.

Photography Terms You Must Know

When you are browsing photography tutorials, you are going to find that there are some terms that are commonly used. It is important that you understand them to ensure you take away the most from the learning experience.

Shutter Speed- Often listed as a fraction, this is the length of time the shutter stays open.

Aperture- You may find this listed as the F stop. This is how much light enters the lens.

Depth of Field- Controlled though the use of F stops, this is the amount of distance within the subject that is in focus.

ISO- The higher the ISO, the more sensitive your lens will be to light. This can create grainy images. Typically, higher ISOs are going to be found in faster shutter speeds.

Manual- An adjustable camera setting that will allow you to manipulate everything from ISO to the speed of your shutters and even the aperture.

Focus- If you have a point and shoot, this is the area that is outlined in the box. Often, this term will be used to describe the area that will be in focus and sharpest in a photography.

Flash- There are plenty of types of flash, the term though is a reference to the light burst that comes from the camera.

Shooting Speed- Typically used to describe the number of exposures that your camera will take, as you push down the shutter. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s Christmas. The kids are home from school, the family is together and our thoughts are on letting go and having fun. It’s the silly season as we say in Australia. I wasn’t going to review another weight loss solution or online money making program. I wanted to review something that was fun and something I was interested in. Photography for me is relaxing and fun and I hoped others feel that same way too.

How many of you got a camera for Christmas? OK… How many of you love photography? Now, how many are envious of other photographer’s work and wish you can create pictures like they can? How many of you aren’t very good at Photoshop but love to learn more? And how many, like me, are old school and were taught to do everything in camera not on a computer? I thought so, well if you answered yes to any one of these questions I want to tell you about an e-Book you’ll love. It’s the Trick Photography and Special Effects e-Book. It teaches, it inspires and it is a lot of fun this Christmas holidays.

What Is Trick Photography and Special Effects?

Trick Photography and Special Effects is a 190 page e-Book. This e-book is made so it’s easy to understand whether you are a beginner, advanced or a working professional. It’s well thought out with literally hundreds of real examples and real photos taken by photographers for photographers. You can open this book on almost any page and get engrossed in topics that are fun to do and at the same time learn more about what we love doing, which is photography. I love it because even though it’s very detailed it also re-ignites your creativity with new ideas and new techniques. There is something in it for everybody who is into photography.

Trick Photography and Special Effects is broken up into 3 categories:

Long Exposure Effects and Light Painting:
• Fundamental lights and techniques
• Light sources
• Light painting techniques
• Lightning
• Motion blur
• Star trails
• Many more fun long exposures

Trick Photography and Special Effects:
• In-Camera illusions
• HDR photography
• Infrared photography
• 360 Degree panoramas
• The Droste Effect
• Time-Displacement photography via scanner
• The Harris Shutter Effect Read the rest of this entry »

Have you ever seen great pictures that people in your family have taken and wondered how they got that good of an image? Have you ever looked at your pictures and been completely unsatisfied? After reading this article, you will be better equipped to leap into the world of digital photography. Develop or have a desire to learn the art of digital photography, Whether you just want to learn something new, take better pictures of your kids, get more interesting photographs, or get a new hobby, you must have a desire to learn. Anything that can take a digital picture can be used for digital photography: a cell phone camera, a $20 mini camera from Walmart, a simple point and shoot, or an advanced DSLR. It doesn’t matter what you use to get the shot, you can get good pictures with anything. There is a plethora of information about photography on the internet. Search for articles on the basics of photography, such as exposure, rule of thirds, and light. The more you learn, the better at photography you will become. Never stop searching for new information. The two major programs are Adobe Photoshop and GIMP. These can be extremely complicated, technical, and hard to use, but once you master the basics you will be very happy that you took the time to learn. For beginning photographers, GIMP is perfect because it is completely free. It is similar to Photoshop, but a little bit less daunting and much less expensive. Start by reading a few articles on how to use GIMP, then spend time experimenting with your own images. These will help you learn new techniques, see professional work, etc. Some good ones include: Chase Jarvis Photography, D-Town TV, Photography 101, The Art of Adventure Photography, and The Art of Photography. Take lots of pictures. Unlike film photography, the cost of taking 10 images and the cost of taking 100 is the same. If you see something you like, take pictures of it. If you see something interesting but don’t think you can get a good shot, take pictures of it. You may be surprised with what you get.

Get your friends into photography. They can point out new and interesting pictures to take, and it’s always more fun when you are taking pictures in a group.

Don’t get discouraged. If someone leaves you a negative comment on one of your images, realize that it is only an opinion. The only opinion that matters is yours. If you like your pictures, then you succeeded. Read the rest of this entry »