From time to time we forget that there are people who know more about things about our preferred hobbies or professions than what we actually do. That’s why it is imperative to take into consideration as many digital photo tips as possible. Listening to what other people have to say can only make us better in our field.
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photo credit: Aunt Owwee
Those who dream to become a photographer or at least has a passion for it, theres no better way to start than by having a good piece of equipment. But amongst wide variety and different brands of cameras around the problem is still which one to pick.
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There is a mind numbing amount of considerations when packing for your photography trip. Such as which lenses you will need, how you are going to store your photos and how you are going to carry it all around. Then there’s the pleasure of getting it all past the ever tightening luggage restrictions of airlines. A little forethought and planning can help make sure you don’t get stuck without essential equipment and aren’t burdened by what you don’t need.
The gear
Perhaps the most obvious consideration is the camera and lenses. If you have planned your itinerary already you will have an idea of the types of shots you want to take. If you haven’t, stop what you’re doing right now and do this first. Once you know what photos you want to take, you can decide on the lenses that will best help you take them. Thinking landscapes? Then don’t be without your wide angle lens. Intimate portraits? Maybe a mid range zoom would be
useful.
If you are debating taking a spare camera body then don’t. Debate that is. Pack it. The last thing you need is for your camera to be stolen or break while on the road. You might not be able to find a repairer, and if you do they might not be able to fix it on the spot. That would be the end of your photo taking adventure right there. Don’t learn the hard way for the sake of a little extra weight.
Then there are all the accessories that may or may not come in handy. Should you pack that set of neutral density filters? Again, think of the types of photos you will be taking. If its landscapes, then yes, by all means put them in. If its portraits they are probably just going to take up space. This goes for the tripod as well. Usually, travel portraits are taken hand held, usually with abundant light. Landscapes however tend to be early morning or late afternoon.
Storage
Once you’ve figured out what your going to need to take your pictures, you need to put some thought into how to store them. Should you take your laptop, a portable hard drive or two, a bag full of memory cards or all of the above? How much storage you will need depends on how long your stay is and how much shooting you’ll be doing. A laptop is useful if you need to view images as you go, or want to do some editing back at the hotel room. But if not, its just one more expensive piece of equipment you need to worry about. Leave it at home. Some portable hard drives have a viewing screen so you can review your photos as you upload them, which can be handy to see if you have the shot you want and gives you the chance to go back and try again if you missed it.
As a rule, it is a good idea to have two copies of your images as hard drives are notorious for failing at inopportune times. If you have a good supply of memory cards, backup to a portable drive and store the used cards is a separate place.
Getting it around
There are a few different options for carrying your gear around with you at a location. Shoulder bags tend to be able to hold a large amount of gear, but have the disadvantage of all the weight hanging off one shoulder. These bags are a good choice if you don’t have to do too much walking, but carrying gear around like this for days can do serious damage to your back.
Backpacks have the advantage of distributing the weight evenly, making them ideal for locations where you will be doing a lot of walking. Many of them also have the extra benefit of not looking like camera bags and so tend not to draw as much attention.
Many considerations go into packing for a photography trip. But think it through and take the gear that suits the style of photography you want to do and the place you are going and it will allow you to focus more on what is around you when you get there, rather than trying to decide which lens to use and missing the shot altogether.
Mark Eden is a freelance travel photographer and owner of Expanse Photography, a photographic services company You can see Mark’s, travel photography and contact Mark through the Expanse Photography website http://www.expansephotography.com.
photo credit: @ly$ in wonderland
So you want some digital photography tips that work quick and are easy? Well, photography is not that hard to start getting good at. It’s like playing an instrument. Anybody can get to a decent level but those that are very dedicated and with some talent are the ones that become great. I will try to show you how to become great. Digital Photos.
The key for a beginner to start taking better shots is actually divided into two different keys…
1. Ultimate Control Over Your Camera and Equipment
2. Compositional Expertise
Experts have these two down pat and you as a beginner must try to develop these as best as you can. When expert photographers take photos they spend very little time composing a shot. Instead, they focus their attentions more on the message, the style, and what they want the photo to do to the viewer. That’s art!
Until you get to that level, master these two aspects of photography.
Technical Expertise.
This may be the easiest part to photography. It’s kind of like math. You must understand what exposures to use, what aperture, shutter speed, etc for proper exposure and such. If you don’t know what those terms mean then you need to learn!
Basically, shutter speed is the device in the camera that controls the amount of time light that is let in. Aperture controls how much light is let in. So, when you take a photo the camera lets light in a certain amount of time from a certain size of an opening.
Compositional Techniques:
There are lots of compositional techniques, and honestly, a lot of these tips conflict with one another. The key is to use the compositional tip that works with the situation your in. For a sample, I’ll give you three powerful and easy to implement techniques:
1. Isolate. Beginners make the mistake of trying to photography everything in a single shot. Don’t. Take a simple picture with a definite subject that anybody will understand as the main object of interest. If a viewer has to ask what to look at, you have a cluttered shot.
2. Avoid the Middle. People that take photos for “memories” take shots dead center. You want photos that look nice and thus, are going to want to use the rule of thirds. Simply stated, it says to avoid the middle. Place the subject to the left or the right, top or bottom.
3. Use Lines. Many different tips come into this category of tips. Use lines to lead to the subject of interest. This can add more impact to the subject. For example, have lines on a road lead to a car far head. Also, you can use lines to set the mood. Vertical lines make shots look fast paced whereas horizontal lines make relaxing shots like the beach.
This was just a brief touch to the tips and techniques out there for taking awesome shots. The ultimate tip towards success, however, is one you are going to hate hearing: practice! Overstated but true.
Al Sanchez has a Free Photo course that teaches beginners digital photography tips. He also has a Digital Photography Guide
photo credit: puroticorico
Covering a wide angle view is done by taking a panoramic digital photo. A panoramic digital photo can capture wide angle photos all the way to 360 degrees. One example is taking a panoramic 360 degree view from a high rise building to capture the view.
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It’s true that old-fashioned film photography is an art form. In fact, in this day and age, that’s about all it is, which is somewhat ironic. After all, film photography started off in 1837 as something very few could enjoy or do. As it is turning out, people who enjoy film photography are again becoming part of an exclusive club.
The artistic expression available through film is astounding. If you’ve never taken a film photography class, you should. It will ultimately make you a better photographer as you will have a full understanding of the art form in general.
However, unless you plan on investing in a darkroom (water, light, equipment), or if you plan on spending quite a bit of money at photo processing labs, you might concentrate most of your efforts on digital photography. In the long term, it’s generally less expensive than film, since you print only the photos you want. Also, it provides quite a bit of artistic expression of its own.
Digital photography has often been looked at by film buffs as not being artistic. That simply isn’t the case any longer. With the advancement in software programs such as Adobe Photoshop, the digital photographer can take their art as far as their knowledge of the software will take them.
The creativity involved with digitally manipulating an image isn’t reserved to expensive programs like Photoshop (though the price of software will be far less than the cost of setting up a darkroom).
In fact, many digital cameras designed for kids and young adults now come with features that allow changes to be made to the digital photo while it’s still stored in the camera. The picture can then be uploaded to a computer, in some cases wirelessly.
There are easy photo sharing websites that allow the photographer to manipulate the photo after it’s been uploaded to the site. These usually allow for straightforward changes, such as adjusting contrast, taking out the dreaded red eye, cropping, rotating, etc.
Also, digital photographers have the whole world wide web at their fingertips. This isn’t to say film buffs can’t scan one of their photos in and get it out on the Internet. But let’s face it, showing your work to the world is a whole lot easier if the image is already digital.
Once the image is on the Internet and has been enhanced, it’s easy to share it with whoever you want. This is another advantage digital creativity has. In the blink of a camera’s shutter, you can send your artwork around the world to friends, relatives, potential buyers.
Of course, such ease has its pitfalls as well. Unscrupulous types can copy your image, unless you take precautionary steps such as digital or visual watermarking.
Creativity is a very personal thing, and each person must express his or her self in their own particular way. However, given our busy world, and given the relaxation and contentment that creative expression provides, it’s not a bad idea to pick an art form such as digital photography, one that allows you to express yourself quickly and easily.
Matt Smolsky writes for a variety of clients, including Hoorray, a photo sharing website that offers a free online photo album to new members and is the easiest place to create a digital photo album, calendar, and more.
When you look at a photo that pleases you, can you detect the subtleties that make it appealing? Are you able to see which of its elements capture your attention? This article will look at the basic techniques of good photo composition that will result in a beautiful engaging photo.
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