Photography Tips Guide

Posts Tagged ‘Photography’

Nature photography relies on your sensitivity to the natural light above all else. You have surely heard that for good landscape photography, you generally want sunny conditions, early or late in the day when the light is low and soft. However, this does not apply to every situation, and busy lifestyles do not always allow us to choose the conditions in which we take our photos.

Have you ever planned and set aside a day to get out and practice your nature photography, only to wake up to grey, cloudy skies? You are not alone, this happens to us all; professional and beginner alike. And of course when you are traveling, you often only have one chance to take your photos before moving on, so you have to make the best of the situation as you find it.

Photographers, don’t despair. There are many situations that suit cloudy skies just fine; in fact, there are some situations when cloudy skies are the best option for a good nature photo. Here are just a few situations that you could explore when cloudy weather threatens to derail your photography outing.

#1. Rainforest Photography. When the sun shines through the trees in the forest, it creates a patchwork of light and shade that makes correct exposure almost impossible. You simply can’t manage the contrast in these conditions. Cloudy weather is actually the best way to take good rainforest photos. Some would say the cloudier the better, because if your rainforest is high enough to be in the clouds, you can capture some very atmospheric misty effects in the forest.

I live in South East Queensland, so I am close to both the beach and some fabulous rainforest. My rule is: If it’s sunny, go to the beach. If the weather is grey and cloudy, grab your camera and head for the rainforest.

#2. Wildlife Photography (Pets and People Too). Bright sunlight can be a problem when shooting wildlife. In the middle part of the day, the sun can create heavy shadows which make exposure difficult, and rob your photo of essential colour and detail that gives the subject its character. Worst of all, sunlight can create shadows on the face of your subject. As you know, the critical part of any good wildlife photo is the eyes. If the eyes in your photo are lost in shadow, the personal connection with the subject is lost.

Animals do not like looking into the sun any more than you do, so even early in the morning and late in the afternoon, when the light is softer, photography can be difficult. More often than not, you will probably find your subject turning away from the light.

If you take your photo on a cloudy day, you can capture your wildlife subject in soft, even light that allows perfect exposure without ugly shadows. There will also be less glare reflecting off shiny surfaces (a snake’s skin, a bird’s feathers etc.) so your picture can actually appear more colourful.

#3. Sunset Photography. Clouds create a much more interesting sunset photo than clear skies. All you need is for the sun to break through the clouds as they cross the horizon. A good nature photographer learns to read the sky and try to predict what is coming. Often on a grey, cloudy day you will notice that the only patch of clear sky is far away near the horizon. If that is the case, you can go looking for a good location and set up for your sunset photo.

With a bit of luck, there will be several breaks in the clouds before the sun goes down. If so, you could be on the spot to photograph spectacular sunbeams, a truly wonderful effect that every nature photography hopes to capture.

Like all things in nature photography, all the planning in the world means nothing without a bit of luck. You may get your photo all set up, only to see the gap in the clouds close and your chance of a good photo disappear. Persistence wins in the end, so keep trying and from time to time you will end up with some breathtaking sunset photos.

I hope these tips encourage you to get out and enjoy your photography, no matter what the weather is like. As your experience grows, you will find it easier to read the light and know what sort of photography suits the conditions. Until then, practice, practice, practice!

Sunset (and sunrise) photography; no other subject in nature photography is more guaranteed to inspire us to grab the camera. This does not only apply to serious nature photographers. Almost anybody with a camera is likely to have a go when a great sunset appears.

The great news is, good sunset photos are surprisingly easy to take. In my gallery, I don’t actually display many sunset photographs. You see, they are hard to sell, because almost everybody has a few great sunsets they have photographed themselves. Rather than buy mine, they are more likely to grab their camera and show me the picture they took the night before!

As a result, I am often asked to evaluate sunset photos by amateur photographers (occupational hazard for a nature photographer!), and I have learned to quickly identify where most people go wrong. It is not hard to expose a sunset photo; in many cases you can leave your camera on auto and it will do the work for you. The trouble people have is in making an interesting composition. It is not good enough just to photograph a good sky. The real challenge lies in turning a spectacular sky into a compelling photograph.

Here are my five tips for taking great sunset (and sunrise) photos.

Sunset Photography Tip #1. Learn to predict a good sunset before it happens. Have you ever seen a perfect sky, only to realise you didn’t have your camera handy? In the five minutes it takes to get your camera and set up for the photo, the moment has passed. As brilliant as a sunset can be, the effect may last for only a few minutes, so you need to be able to choose your location, set up your camera, and be waiting for the show to start.

Sunset Photography Tip #2. Be patient to get the best colours. The few minutes as the sun is crossing the horizon can be spectacular, but it is not the whole story of a sunset. As the sinking sun lights the clouds from below, often the richest colours can appear up to half an hour later. By this time it will be getting quite dark, so be prepared with your tripod. You may be shooting exposures of half a second or more to bring out the best in your sunset photograph.

Sunset Photography Tip #3. Find a good foreground subject. This may be the most important tip of all. Time after time people show me their sunset photos, and all I can think is “Great sky…pity you didn’t make a better photo out of it.” We have all seen and photographed spectacular skies, so that alone is not enough to create your work of art. Try to identify some object that stands well above the horizon (trees, windmills, buildings, power-lines) and has a shape that will create a good silhouette. It doesn’t have to fill up your picture. In fact, it may only take up a small area – that will only make the sky seem even more impressive. The important thing is to give your picture a focal point, so that your viewer has something more interesting to look at than just a great sky.

Think back to my tip #1. To get a great photo you need to be prepared in advance, so scout your location for a good foreground well before the razzle-dazzle gets underway.

Sunset Photography Tip #4. Fill your photo with colour. You have probably heard of the ‘rule of thirds’ in landscape photography. In simple terms this rule suggests your horizon should be a third of the way from the top, or from the bottom, of your photo to create a balanced composition. The trouble is, when you are photographing into the sunset, everything in the foreground will be in silhouette. This means if you follow the rule of thirds, a big part of your composition will be totally black. This is one situation where you can ignore the rule of thirds. By allowing your sky to dominate the composition, you fill your picture with colour and draw even more attention to the richness of the sunset.

Sunset Photography Tip #5. If near water, use it to enhance the effect. People often see a sunset at the beach, or by a river, and stand a long way back to get their shot. This approach fails to take advantage of the reflections on the water, so instead of a rich foreground there will be too much empty black space.

Get right down to the water’s edge or to the wet sand on the beach. By capturing the reflections, your foreground will echo the colour of the sky. Not only will your photo be more colourful, but you will start to spot opportunities for much more interesting compositions.

So there you have my simple tips on sunset photography. Notice that I have concentrated on creativity, not technology. As I said at the beginning, exposing a good sunset photo is not difficult; the challenge is to make your photo stand out from the rest. Like all good nature photography, your sensitivity to nature is far more important than technical expertise. Allow nature to inspire you, think creatively, and great results are sure to follow. Good luck!

People often refer to “the classic rules of photography”: “This photo follows the classic rules…” or “he/she broke all the classic rules…” etc. But what are those “classic rules” anyway? I gave it some thought and came up with the following five rules, all longstanding and time-honoured, like you would expect when something is called classic. But nothing is set in cement and rules such as these have been violated with superb results over and over again. But they are also there for a reason, since they probably represent something that most people mostly find pleasing most of the times. Not everybody all the time. So what are they, these classic rules of photography:

Rule #1 : F/8 And Be There!

This is rule number one and it has little to do with your camera and technical proficiency, as is the case with the other four rules. Read this rule again, breath it and live it. As simple as it sounds, it is the most important of all rules in photography.

The part about f/8 refers to a camera setting, or rather a lens aperture setting. It’s a technical detail and it’s not really important. But at the same time it’s what makes this rule so memorable.

It’s not a bad advice using f/8, it’s a pretty standard value and often safe to use if you want to be sure to get your subject in focus without giving it much thought.

But it’s true value is that it boils all the complicated art and tech issues down to that simple 1-letter-1-number statement, f/8 (simply read f eight), the hidden message being: Forget the technical aspects, concentrate on the subject. Simple and brilliant.

In my experience it’s mostly used in the context of spot news photography, where it’s certainly important to be on the spot when something happens. But I wouldn’t forget about it in the context of normal peoples lives, peaceful landscape photos and even photos for the family album. Whatever photo you want to capture, you have to be there first. You have to get up and go out, walk that extra mile, lose that hour of sleep, do whatever it takes for you to get there with your camera.

A talented, but lazy photographer is not necessarily as successful as a very active, less talented one. Because you have to be there.

Rule #2 : The Decisive Moment

A term coined by photography legend Henri Cartier-Bresson. Sort of a time-version of rule number 1. Together we could call these two rules: “Being in the right place at the right time”.

But there’s more to this rule than just being there at the right time. You have to press the shutter button at exactly the decisive moment, when all the elements of the photo (perhaps including the photographer himself) suddenly come together in a fraction of a second. A blink of an eye and it’s gone again. The man jumping over the puddle has touched down again, the guy in the background has turned his head away from the kissing couple and the dying soldier has fallen flat to the ground.

It happens so fast that it’s hard for us to see and react to before it’s over. But that is one of the big charms of photography. It can capture these fleeing moments and make them last forever — on print. For Cartier-Bresson it was an intuitive thing. “Think before and after you take a photograph, not while you are doing it.”

Sports photography arguably has a lot of decisive moments, but in my book they don’t really count, since it’s just a game and not truly a slice of reality. I know Cartier-Bresson in his book set off with quoting someone “there’s nothing in the world that doesn’t have a decisive moment”, but I don’t want to get into the discussion here. Many people who are more sports enthusiastic than me would probably disagree with me, but I do think that there’s more real decisive moments to be had on the stadium seating than on the pitch.

Rule #3 : Go Close

– And when you’ve done that, go even closer! Coined by another photography legend, Robert Capa, who died following this rule, camera in his hand, as he stepped on a landmine in the French-Indochinese war. But not all situations of course are life-and-death situations. So use it whenever you reasonably can, and your photos will in many cases have a stronger appeal and give a more intimate connection between the subject and the viewer.

Again, it’s not just for spot news photography. If you are portraying normal life, it is equally important to get close to people. Get into their homes and into their private lives where they are themselves. Do it in a way that isn’t prying and offensive. It will give you an honest and intimate view of life.

This rule usually implies using a wide-angle lens, which tends to give a more “open” perspective. Much good can also be said about the long tele-photo lenses as well, and they have their place. Especially in fields like wildlife and sports photography, where it is often impossible to be up close to the action.

Rule #4 : The Rule Of Thirds

This is one of these rules that are great to follow and equally great to break. But photography would be a lesser thing without it. Briefly stated, it tells you to place you main subject, not in the center of the frame, but a little to the left or right side, a third into the frame. And also to place any dominating horizontal lines in your photo, like for instance the horizon, a third into the frame from the top or bottom. Just not in the center.

This will arguably give your photo a more appealing look, pleasing to the eye by leaving a significant space on one side of the subject for the surroundings. The rule, also known as the divine proportion and the golden mean, have been used by painters for thousands of years. Having survived that long, there’s got to be something about it!

Rule #5 : Use The Light

The magic hours, the hour around sunrise and the hour around sunset have a particular pleasing, soft light that works particular well for landscape and outdoor photography. It’s always the light that creates the photograph. For indoor and portrait photography, use a barn door or, if you don’t live on a farm, a big window without direct sunlight will also do. Place your subject close to the window and you will get a nice, soft light from different angles falling onto your subject. You can get the whole studio lighting set-up as well if you prefer not to rely on the constantly changing natural light.

Whether you are planning to be a photographer or a collector of photography, you have to understand the various types of photography to which you may be subjected. One of the most common types of photography is portrait photography. Within the realm of portrait photography you will also be exposed to celebrity portraits or famous portraits. That is not to say that portraits are the most common type of photography by any means but we tend to hear more about it than you do food photography or Olympic photographs. In order to be an efficient photographer or collector of celebrity portraits, you have to understand this type of photography and how it ties in to other types of photography.

Involved in some of the other types of photography are Olympic images, food images and sports images. When it comes to photography, each type of image projects something to the owner of the image whether it’s a portrait or images of tangible things. For example, food images will project to the viewer what a particular dish will look like after completion while sports images will portray the way a team will look on the field or as they prepare to begin or finish a game. A good photographer is able to project these images to the viewer so that he or she can look at any of those images and understand what the photograph is attempting to portray to each viewer.

The concept of portrait photography is to show the clearest image of a person or group of people that is possible. Likewise, food images and sports images also portray clear images to the viewer. Photography as a whole has an important function, that of making certain the photographer does everything possible to portray each image in the clearest possible way. For more information on photography and how to make it work for you, visit Condenastore.com.

Wildlife photography can inspire photographers of almost any experience level. You don’t need a fancy camera or years of training; anyone with a camera can capture great wildlife images.
For an inexperienced photographer, it is easy to be disappointed with the quality of your results. You see the great photography that can be found in galleries, on calendars and postcards, and wonder why you are not getting the same results.
These days, unfortunately, our first tendency is to blame the camera, assuming that the professionals have much better cameras than yours. Even worse, many people even assume the images are not genuine photos at all; they must have been enhanced or even manufactured on a computer.
The truth is, you don’t need an expensive camera or to be an expert with software to produce good wildlife photos. Don’t forget, great wildlife photography existed long before digital cameras arrived on the scene. In fact, you don’t even need special techniques to take better wildlife photos. There are some simple things you can do that can help you take better wildlife photos no matter what sort of camera you have, or how expert you are in photography.
Here are some simple, low-tech tips for better wildlife photography.
Wildlife Photography Tip #1. Context Matters. A wildlife photo looks best if it is taken in a natural setting, or at least looks that way. You should always consider the background in a wildlife photo. If it is obvious your photo was taken in a zoo, for example, the connection with nature is broken and the background spoils the shot.
Just why is it that some people, when they find a small animal like a frog, a beetle or a lizard…feel the need to pick it up? A photo of an animal in your hand is just the same as the zoo photo – it destroys the illusion of nature that you wanted to capture in the first place. If you can photograph your subject in a natural setting, with the colours of nature in the background, your photo will be much more attractive.
Wildlife Photography Tip #2. If The Background Is Distracting, Get Rid Of It. Sometimes a great subject is found in a terrible setting, and there is nothing you can do to change that. You can, however, minimize the distraction of an unfortunate background, and you don’t need a computer to do it.
Simply get as close to the subject as possible and zoom in with your largest lens. This reduces the depth of field so much that only your subject should be in focus. If any of the background is visible, it will be so far out of focus it won’t be a problem.
Wildlife Photography Tip #3. Unusual Behaviour Makes Unique Photographs. Be patient when taking your wildlife photos. Photography competitions around the world are loades with photos that are perfectly exposed, but completely dull and uninteresting. The shots that stand out are the ones where the subject does something out of the ordinary. I am not talking about tap-dancing in a tutu; all it takes is a yawn, a wink, an interesting turn of the head, a head tucked under a wing…simple things that will set your photo apart from millions of others.
Animals sometimes turn up in unexpected locations which can also add interest to a photo. A kangaroo in the grass is not so unique, but find one on the beach and you have a photo on your hands.
Wildlife Photography Tip #4. The Eyes Are The Key To A Successful Photo. Above all when shooting your wildlife photos, concentrate your attention on the eyes. This is the feature that creates a personal connection between the subject and the viewer. If the eyes are out of focus or lost in shadow, the connection is lost. On the other hand, if the subject is mostly out of focus, or even hidden behind a bush, you can still get a great photo…as long as the eyes are sharp and well captured.
So there you have four easy tips that can add character to your wildlife photography. Note that none of them require special equipment or complex techniques. Like so much of nature photography, a good image is not about technology; it is about timing, patience, and your sensitivity to the subject. Happy Snapping!