Tips for Still Life Photography

Tips for Still Life Photography

There are many areas of specialization in photographer. Beginning photographers will often start with still life photography and learn about the other areas like portrait, wedding, pets, etc., as their skills grow. People who are new to photography can learn to use light and shadow at a slower pace with still life subject instead of trying to pose children or the family pet. Artistically speaking, a still life is the expression photographer’s “self” through inanimate objects.

This post is a brief discussion of some of the many attributes of still life photography

Control the Light

The first thing to consider in still life photography, as well as every other type of photography, is your lighting conditions. You will want to start with just one light source coming from one direction so you will be able to cast some shadows as well as properly light your subject. The shadows will help to give your final image some three dimensional qualities. You will also need to consider the quality of your light, meaning soft or strong (and harsh) lighting. The harsher the light is the greater contrast the contrast between the shadows and the lighted areas of your image. Reflectors are often used to modify the light and “bounce” some light in to the shadows. The most pleasing lighting is often side lighting because it creates the greatest contrast between light and shadow on you subject. Learning to use a single light this was will help in the rest of your photography too, think about outdoor photography, there is a single light source we call the Sun.

Control the Colors

In still life photography you have total control of color, just as you do with lighting. When choosing subjects for your composition you will want to look for contrasting colors and still retain a natural look, such as green mint leaves with a yellow fruit like lemons, or autumn leaves with squash and pumpkins like you see in a cornucopia. The harmony of colors is what you are looking for to create a pleasing picture.

Be Abstract

In still life photography can be abstract photography, be as abstract as you would like to be. You can select two objects that do not relate to each other and create something that is visually interesting. Maybe you find a piece of fruit that’s been cut to be visually interesting, like a wedge cut from a piece of cantaloupe. What your final image means will require some thought from the viewer. Each of us sees art differently and interpret it through their our own unique view of the world. Never change your vision or stop working to improve your abilities as a photographer based on what the viewers of you work think.

Variations

You can use the same objects in various arrangements and a variety of backgrounds to create unlimited variations of theme. Learning to avoid clutter while creating contrast (visual, color, light vs. shadow, texture, etc.) is the key. The rules of composition such are a good starting point for placing your still life objects. Consider creating a pattern with your objects using “the rule of thirds”. The process of setting up your various shots will lead to the right arrangement for expressing your own vision.

Summary

Often still life photography is thought to lack depth compared to other types photography. But it can be used as develop your skills to be a better photographer in general. Creating your arrangements indoors or outside is just one way to make images you will want to show off or give to your friends and family. Learning to control the lighting, color combinations, and varying the arrangement of your objects will generate many, many, unique scenes to capture.

Nearly every magazine that uses photography uses still life pictures. For example, home decorating magazines use still life photography all the time to show the details their articles are about. With all the choices in photography, it takes a special eye to arrange objects creatively and light them creatively to create a still life image for commercial use. Once you develop your talent and feel confident with your work you could start a lucrative business providing still life images to media outlets. Look at the ”Photographers Market” for ideas on selling your photographs to magazines.

Are you interested in learning more about still life photography? Check out the training programs offered on this site.

Learning About Color Cast and White Balance

Learning About Color Cast and White Balance

A lot of people are not aware how a light source impacts their photographs until they see the final print. Then they wonder what makes it look so different from the scene they remember capturing.

That’s because light has a temperature measured in degrees Kelvin. And different light temperatures create a color cast on our photographs. As an example, a candle is around 1500 K, a basic incandescent light bulb ~3400 K, and the flash on your camera ~5600 K. A photo taken with a light bulb will look a little yellow/orange, a flash will look like regular daylight, a florescent bulb will give an ugly green/purple hue on you photos unless you set your camera up correctly. So if you are really interested in keeping the color of the skin of the people in your photographs normal you will have to pay attention to white balance.

Using a film camera would require using filters to compensate for this color cast. But white balance is a standard feature on today’s modern digital cameras. Today, cameras have a selection of preset white balance values (auto, daylight, cloudy, florescent, incandescent, snow, beach, manual, etc.). With the exception of scenes with large areas of one color, like the beach or a snow field, the camera’s automatic white balance is usually pretty accurate.

There are two easy ways to correct white balance if the scene is too difficult for your camera to interpret correctly. One is to use the manual white balance setting on your camera if available and set your white balance for the scene. The other is in post production using software.

Using manual white balance is preferred and takes the least amount of time because you just have to set it once for your shooting conditions and your digital camera does the compensation for you on every photograph you take. You just have to remember to change your white balance when the lighting conditions change.

The other option is using your photo-editing program. Depending on the sophistication of your editor you may be able to adjust many photographs at once in a batch, or you will have to adjust each image individually which may take a lot of time depending on how many pictures you have to edit.

Each camera manufacturer has their own way of setting manual white balance. If you are interested in using the manual white balance of you camera you should take the time to read the manual.

Any one of the training programs advertised on this site include white balance training. Check them out.

What about you, any white balance tip or tricks you can share?

Photography’s History

Photography’s History

Do you know the origins of modern photography?

Even though digital photography is here and we are using less and less film, lighting and other techniques started in the 1820′s. Niepce and Daguerre were the first to use modern photography. They made a chemical compound out of silver and chalk on a glass plate that would darken when it was exposed to light, creating a negative image of the scene.

Starting with the old, or early, cameras we have seen as props is western movies that used glass plates we have progressed to manual cameras that used film. Film capture a reverse image (a negative) on a sheet or roll to be developed in a darkroom. The photographer had to set up their shots with manual cameras. They had to understand film speed, aperture, shutter speed, and how to measrue or approximate the amount of light. All of that took time and was expensive which meant you had to be a professional photographer to create a good photograph..

The aperture is what regulates the amount of light that is allowed to pass through the lens, it is measured in f-stops. Sharp focus and depth-of-field need to be considered when adjusting the f-stop. The proper f-stop has to be used to avoid over or under exposure and blurring.

 Shutter speed measures how much time the medium (film or digital) is exposed to capture the image. When there is not enough light coming through the lens the shutter will have to remain open longer. If the exposure is too long the subject’s motion, or a shaky hold on the camera, or both, will cause blurring.

Things changed dramatically when we moved from the manual camera to modern cameras. Cameras became lighter, exposure (shutter speed, aperature, light measurement) became programed by setting the film speed on the camera.

Digital cameras are the latest evelution in photography. We are now able to take pictures without the need of film or the darkroom. We can see the picture on the camera’s LCD screen imediately after taking it. Now we can send a photograph to anybody with and email address and internet access and use a home printer to make our prints. Photography has progressed from a select few who were able to make a photograph to virtually anyone on the planet. Photography is now an art form that anybody can participate in.

That is not saying professional photographers are a thing of the past. Not at all. High quality, professional, photographs are still in great demand. Knowledge of light is still essential when working with digital cameras. An understanding of the techniques used in the past will only assist you in capturing the perfect image using your own digital camera.

Photography originated from just a few people, but anybody can see where the art and science of photography has led us.

3 Things to Learn About Digital Macro Photography

3 Things to Learn About Digital Macro Photography

People have always enjoyed looking at things from unusual perspectives. Often we will find something new in a familiar object when we see it from a different point of view, or focus on a portion of the subject instead of the whole thing. That may be part of the reason both photographers and their viewers are fascinated by digital macro photography.

There is no doubt that digital macro photography is an art form in its own right. It takes an artist’s genius to capture some aspect of life out of an ordinary, everyday, subject. After all, that is what art is. No piece of art contains all of life’s truths. It is only a depiction of the world through the artist’s eyes. When we look a digital photography taken from a macro point of view, we are sharing the perspective of, and making a connection with, the macro photographer.

Digital macro photography is not easy to do well. There are many considerations to make to create a great photograph. Here three important factors to consider when working with macro photography:

1 – Skills

Do you have the technical skills for macro photography?

Do you have the photographer’s eye for images with a universal appeal to the people that view your images, your audience?

In macro photography you are magnifying your scene just as you are when you use a long focal length. Because of that, the slightest camera motion will blur your photograph. So you also need to be able to hold your camera still, or be very comfortable working with a tripod.

You will have to be a master of your camera’s controls to capture the image as you want it to appear in the final print or image. Yes, you can edit in imaging software, but the more you can do in camera the less post work you will have to do.

Some people seem to have a natural talent for macro work. But it’s still important to develop your craft through classes and workshops. Digital macro photography is about presenting your subject in unique way. But like all art, your viewer (or instructor) may see your photographs differently than you do. That’s good; a fresh pair of eyes can’t hurt.

You might like one of the courses advertised on this site.

2- Equipment

As with anything, you will need the proper tools to express yourself with macro photography. Even though you can find equipment that supposes to be useful for all types of photography, the best results will come from the equipment that is designed specifically for macro work.

For example, using a bellows will give you more creative control than just a macro lens or extension tubes, and much more creative control and image quality than macro filters.

3 – Subject

Just about any subject will be more interesting when viewed differently. But some things are just more interesting than other things. The most interesting subjects are those that you don’t know a lot about. The more the object can show that is beyond what the naked eye, the more likely it will make a great subject for digital macro photography. Take the time to choose the subject of your macro photography wisely and you will be greatly rewarded by your final print or image.

Photo Credits

Red Bug, flickr.com/anpas69
Penney, flickr.com/NickLawes

Learn about Straightening and Cropping

Learn about Straightening and Cropping

Think about an important picture you have, maybe of your extended family, all your siblings, parents, grandparents, cousins, and so forth. Now think about how that picture doesn’t look level, like maybe the lake in the background looks like it wants to pour out of the photograph. And maybe there is something (or someone) on the side of the picture you don’t want there, like a rusty car or some other kind of blight that make the photo look bad.

Not to worry, you won’t have to get the entire family together again to make a new picture. All you have to do is learn a little about straightening and cropping in your image editor to set things right.

Cropping and straightening use to be done during the printing process before digital photography came along. The photographer would adjust the enlarger, magnifying the image enough to put the unwanted element off the printing paper, or move the easel holding the printing paper in a way that horizontal and vertical lines would be parallel to the paper’s edges.

But now with digital photography and image editing software it has become very easy to straighten and crop your photographs before you print them. And if you have old photographs that you want to crop and straighten you just have to scan them. Then work with the scanned image in your editing program just like any photograph you have taken.

All of the popular image editing programs use a grid for a guide. You can rotate your image and line up the vertical and horizontal lines to the grid, insuring they are parallel to the edges of the final print.

Popular editing programs, and even the not so popular software, come with a cropping tool. Generally, you would select the area you want to keep by drawing a rectangle around it and everything outside of the rectangle is cropped (deleted).

One thing to remember when you straightening or cropping, or any kind of editing, is to keep a copy of the original file just in case.

Learn About Dodging and Burning

Learn About Dodging and Burning

Dodging and burning are options in a quality photo editor. But these are methods of manipulating a photograph invented many years ago by photographers in their darkrooms.

Burning

Burning is a technique to add more detail to a portion of the image. The photographer would make a normal print then create a mask, often just using his hands, to block off a large area of the image. This adds a little more exposure time to the area of the print that is not blocked off.

Dodging

Dodging does the opposite. Dodging subtracts exposure time from an area of the final print. This technique uses a small “flag” to block light. The “flag” is usually made from a piece of stiff paper, like construction paper, or from thin cardboard, and is attached to something long and thin such as a small wooden dowel or section from a wire clothes hanger. The “flag” is waved over the area that is to receive less exposure.

Putting it All Together

So you add exposure to an area of the final photograph by burning, and reduce exposure be dodging. This is not the same as brightness and contrast, which affect the entire image.

There are tools in photo editing software like Photoshop for burning and dodging. Photoshopuses a brush tool to mask the area of the image you want to manipulate and the software will lighten or darken just that area the way burning and dodging would in the darkroom.

Dodging and burning are tools that let the photographer balance their picture. Maybe everything in your photograph is perfect except the sky is overexposed and the shadows are too dark. Using Photoshop in post production you can reduce the exposure of the sky by dodging, bringing the color back to a normal range, and increase the exposure of the shadows by burning allowing more of the details to show.

A History of Faking Photographs

A History of Faking Photographs

People started to manipulate photographs nearly as soon as the first camera produced the first photograph. 

The famous portraiture of Abraham Lincoln standing with his hand on his desk is a fine example. In the 20th century it was discovered that his mole was on the opposite side of his face. A photo of Congressman John Calhoun of North Carolina was found, Calhoun was in the same pose. Someone had put Lincoln’s head on Calhoun’s body in the 1860’s; Photoshop wasn’t created for another 120 years or so. The Lincoln/Calhoun fake was distributed throughout the Union!

Because of the long exposure times required by the cameras during the Civil War, staging photographs was more popular than editing them. Due to the slow films many “action” shots were staged by the war photographers during the Civil war.

During the early 20th century there were photographic postcards that showed their subjects (fish, insects, and crops were often the subject) as being larger than life. The photographers did this by merging two pictures into a single image. Sort of a dark humor arose during the Dust Bowl years. The photographers would make the fruits and vegetable look huge. Presumable the irony was the joke.

The Soviet leader, Josef Stalin, famously edited out his comrades who “ceased to exist” after falling from favor. There are many examples people standing next to Stalin were simply painted over.

Modern magazine and newspapers fake their pictures too. During the OJ Simpson trials Time and Newsweek each used the police mug shot on their magazine’s cover. Time magazine chose to edit the image to make it look darker and more menacing than the original. Photojournalists have also been caught editing their images to make them more sensational, like adding smoke to a battlefield to make look more destructive than it really was… if it bleeds it leads.

Faking a photograph is more than just posing the subject in a scene. The motivation is to create visual lie designed to deceive the viewer.

Learn to Control Contrast and Brightness

Learn to Control Contrast and Brightness

There are only a few elements that go into controlling exposure in photography. The lens aperture (f/stop), speed of the film (ISO), duration of the exposure (time), and the quality of the imaging sensor. During the editing process, also known as post production, the exposure can be adjusted further using the controls for contrast and brightness.

The amount of light in a photograph is called brightness. The longer the exposure, the wider the aperture, or the higher the ISO, the brighter the final image will be. Virtually every photo and imaging editor has a brightness control. Adjusting the brightness control will change the photograph being edited just like taking the photograph with a higher or lower f/stop would.

Too much brightness will cause your image to washout. The contrast control will help prevent washing out the photograph. Contrast is the range from the blackest black to the whitest white in the image. Contrast control changes how bright the brightest area is and how dark the darkest area is. This will compensate for the changes the brightness control makes. It is important to learn how to use contrast and brightness together during the editing process.

Seldom does an entire photograph need to have its contrast and brightness corrected. Usually there are just some areas that need to be corrected. Such brightening the shadows to see the detail, like the face of a person who is backlit by the Sun. With film in a darkroom this was called dodging and burning. Now, with digital editing programs like Photoshop or GIMP you can learn select the area of interest and edit it to perfection.

Photo Editing Software for Free Online

Photo Editing Software for Free Online

There are many photo editing programs available besides Adobe Photoshop. Some of these programs are free and can be found online.

As beginning photographers we may find that the software that comes with our cameras is enough. But as or skills grow we will want to learn how to better edit our photography in post production. There are a few programs that you can buy for less than $100, like Photoshop Elements. However, there is a fairly wide selection of editors out there that are available for free as freeware or open source.  Here is a round up of a few of the better program that are available for free.

Freeware means the program is available for download and is free to use. But when a programmer makes the code for the program available for others to edit it is called Open Source.

GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) is the most sophisticated of the free programs that are available. GIMP rivals Adobe’s Photoshop in editing power. Unlike a lot of freeware and shareware, GIMP does not have any spyware or advertising. Another great thing about GIMP is all the third party manuals and books that are available.

Paint.NET is the name of both the program and the web site. This program is more comparable to Photoshop Elements than it is to GIMP or the full Photoshop program. It uses layers and has many editing features and tools. It is a very nice program overall that is simple and intuitive.

Picasa is a free program offered by Google. Even though Picasa’s editing tools are not as extensive as GIMP or Paint.NET, it is a good editing program. It is very good at organizing your images and keeping albums.

Flickr also offers some editing features. The downside to Flickr is you have to be online and it does not have as many editing tools as the previous programs do. Still, if you are primarily shooting for the internet Flickr may be all you need.

There are a few more programs worth mentioning here:

Photoscape is an easy to use photo editing program.

Pixia started in the support of anime.

Picnik  is a bare bones online editor.

Learn the Differences Between Digital and Optical Zoom

Learn the Differences Between Digital and Optical Zoom

You will find many cameras offer the option of digital and optical zoom.  It can be confusing for the average person shopping for a digital camera until they learn the difference between digital and optical zoom. 

Optical zooms function just like a zoom lens does on a film SLR. The lens physically changes it focal length by extending or retracting.  At the same time it moves the internal optical groups to maintain focus and image quality.  This causes the subject to appear nearer of farther away from you.  Optical zooms maintain the photographic quality of your image. 

Digital zoom uses your digital camera’s processor to crop the center portion of your image after you have taken it and enlarges that cropped image up to the size of the camera’s sensor; the size of the original image.  Essentially, your digital camera is doing the same thing your photo editing software does when you crop and enlarge an image.  This causes the reduction in the photographic quality of your image. You will lose detail in the picture. The greater the magnification of the digital zoom the worse the image quality will be.  It’s usually better to not use the digital zoom feature if you don’t have to. 

To avoid the problems of digital zoom you can move closer to your subject. Sometimes just moving a few feet closer will make a tremendous difference.  You could also set you camera to its highest picture quality setting maximizing the amount of data the camera’s processor has to work with. 

Digital zoom is not all bad.  If you intend to share you images on the internet or via email then digital zooming may be okay for you.  Images online can be lower quality and still look good.  But if you plan to print your photographs you will be better served by using a camera with higher optical magnification (zoom) and not using the digital zoom. 

Possibly the best solution is to never use your cameras digital zoom and only use your photo editing software to make enlargements.  This way you will be able to see the degradation of the photographic quality and choose the image quality that is acceptable to you instead of being stuck with the results of your camera’s processor.

I would like to hear from you, my readers.  Please share some of your experiences with digital zoom in the comments section.

Photo Credit.
Digital Zoom, flickr.com/noelzialee

Selective Focus, or The Blurring of The Background

By manipulating the depth of field using the proper combination of aperture, shutter speed, and focal length, you can capture an image where the subject really stands out by causing the background to be out of focus.  This is called selective focus. 

Wildlife and sports photographers use the technique of selective focus often.  If wildlife photographers did not blur the background of an image of bird and left the leaves and branches in focus, the bird would lost.  Similarly, with all the action on a football field, and the people in the stadium, selective focus is used to make the athlete stand out in a very cluttered and colorful environment. 

There are photo editing techniques you can learn to blur the background, simulating selective focus.

First you would select the subject of your photo using one of the selection tools of your image editing program, like the “Lasso” tool in Photoshop.  Then “Invert” your selection so that the background is now selected.  You will also want to work with the “Feathering” option to optimize how soft or sharp the edge of your subject is.  Feathering is a matter of personal taste. 

Next you would use the “Gaussian Blur” filter.  Gaussian Blur is an algorithm designed to mimic the blurring caused by selective focus.  Try different settings in this filter until you get the effect you’re looking for.  Often it is more pleasing to the eye to blur the background so that it recognizable but out focus.

Panning is a related blurring technique.  Panning is achieved by tracking a moving subject with the camera while you take the picture.  Done properly the subject is in focus and the background is blurred horizontally.  Panning gives the image a sense of motion too.

Your photo editing software calls this “Motion Blur”, or “Radial Blur”.  By using radial blur your subject will appear to be moving across the background.

Photo Credits:
Bird with Blurred Background, flickr.com/gusjer
Panning Cyclist, flickr.com/zoutedrop

A sign of blogging progress

This is just a quick thank you to Nichola at Scrapbook Bytes.  Scrapbook Bytes has a monthly photo contest and Nichola referenced my post “Learn to Photograph Your Friends Candidly”

You can read about their photo contest and click through to some posts by others on candid photography.

Thank you Nichola.  I hope you can find more useful posts for your readers here as this blog grows.

Learn Ten Tips for Better Photography

Learn Ten Tips for Better Photography

Capturing a good photograph is a lot easier than people think. It does not require an expensive camera or a lot of experience. Just take the time to learn these ten photographic tips and apply them to your own photography. Oh, you have to have fun and practice too.

1 – Fill the Frame

When you compose your photographs try to fill all the space in the viewfinder that is available to you. This minimizes the background and other distractions around your subject.

2 – Study Shapes and Forms

Understanding shape and form is fundamental to all visual art, including photography. Learn to study shape and form to see the most flattering angle to photograph you subject. Shape and form is everywhere. This is a subject worth studying more about.

3 – Motion

Learn to avoid all motion when photographing a stationary subject. Your photograph will be less impressive if something is moving while you are capturing something stationary.

4 - Color Contrast

Some of the most dramatic photographs are shot in black and white, also called monochrome. It’s the contrast between the colors in your image that makes your subject stand out. Imagine a bright beach ball contrasted with the sea, sky, and sand.

5 - Get in Close

This tip goes hand-in-hand with tip #1 above, “Fill the Frame”. A common mistake is not being close enough to the subject. It’s fairly easy to resize a well taken image. However, you cannot enlarge a picture with a distant object without compromising image quality.

6 - Shutter Lag

Shutter lag is the time between the moment you press the shutter release and the shutter curtain trips to capture the image. The more higher end cameras have virtually no shutter lag. The greater the shutter lag becomes an issue when you want to shoot subjects that are in motion, like action shots. So you will have to anticipate where your subject will be and press the shutter release while keeping shutter lag in mind.

7 - Panning

Is the technique of using a slow shutter speed and following your subject as the subject moves across the scene. Done correctly the subject stays in focus while the rest of the frame is streaked from the camera’s motion. This is a way of showing motion in a still image. It’s best to take multiple shots in a series it betters your chances of getting a well panned photograph.

8 - Continuous Shooting

Back in the days of film you would have needed a motor drive for your camera to shoot continuously – the camera takes pictures as long as you’re holding the shutter release down. Now, virtually all DSLR cameras have a continuous shooting mode. Learn to shoot continuously to capture a series of action shot, like a baseman running and sliding home, or to take the multiple shots while panning that is described above.

9 - Night Time Photography

A well done night time photograph is very nearly a magical thing to see! Most images that look like night time shots are actually taken just after sun down while there still plenty of available light. The trick is to expose for the lights that are turn on in building and under expose the rest of the scene. Under exposing the twilight sky will render it much darker than it really is.

10 - Read the Manual

Seriously. Today’s digital cameras are pretty complex pieces of equipment and every model has it’s own characteristics. Read the manual to learn the tricks of your specific camera. The leading camera manufacturers even offer their manuals electronically online. Consider downloading a copy to put on your lap top or smart phone so you can have easy access to it in the field.

What about you, do you have any photography tips you want to share?

Photo Credits:

“Color Contrast”, flickr.com/25133826@N04
“Panning”,  flickr.com/velsfi
“Night Time”, flickr.com/andrewrennie

Learn the Type of Digital Files

Learn the Type of Digital Files

There are a great many digital file types to choose from. What is the best file type for you?

RAW

The native format that digital cameras, mostly DSLRs, use. RAW is proprietary; meaning Nikon RAW is not the same as Canon or Sony RAW. The downside of being proprietary is that a given photo editing program cannot read every version of RAW that’s out there. However, this is getting better with time and plug-ins for the more popular editing programs are available. The benefit of capturing your images in the RAW format is that the image is not processed. This allows the photographer the most control afterwards in post-processing.

JPEG (JPG)

JPG is possibly the most popular file type and is very common for web applications. When a photograph is saved as a JPG it is compressed. The compression process causes some loss of data, which means some loss of picture quality. Each time you save the image you will lose a little more data and the picture will be degraded just a little. It takes many generations of saving the file before it’s noticeable to the eye so don’t let that stop you from using the JPG format. JPG is well suited for emailing and uploading to the web and prints can be made too.

GIF

The GIF format has been around much longer than JPG and is not as powerful. The GIF format is also a data compression format, but GIF files are limited to 256 colors, compared to the JPG format that allows for tens of thousands of colors. The strength of the GIF format is when an image has large areas that of the same color. Because of the limited number of colors and the ability to have transparent backgrounds, GIFs are well suited for line drawings and logos.

PNG

The PNG format can be thought of as an improved GIF format with a lot of the functionality of GIF but not limited to 256 colors. Additionally, PNG does not lose data during compression so picture quality does not degrade either.

TIFF

The TIFF format is the most popular format that does not lose data during compression. It is very like that if your digital camera offers something besides JPG and RAW it will be TIFF.

PSD and PSP

Many image editing programs use their own proprietary format too. For example Photoshop’s native format is PSD while Paintshop Pro uses PSP. These formats are fine for use within the editing programs, but not for long-term archiving.

Learn About Megapixels

Learn About Megapixels

If you believe advertisers, the number of megapixels is the deciding factor of the camera’s power. Just like with a computer’s memory or hard drive, “the more, the better”. The marketers would almost have you believe all the other camera features are not nearly as important.

Lens Quality

For example, lens quality is much more important than pixels. A poor quality lens will cause you photographs to look soft, maybe a little out of focus regardless of how many megapixels you have.

Printing

It’s after the images are out of the camera that the number of megapixels become important. The number of megapixels is a fairly good guide to how big the final print can be. Think of pixels as dots, as you enlarge an image dots move apart. Eventually the pixels, or dots, are far enough apart that they become visible and the picture quality starts to break down.

Generally speaking 4 megapixels is good for a 5×7 print, maybe a little bigger depending on what your subject is. A 3 meg picture will look great on your computer’s screen or a 3×5 print, maybe 5×7 but no more or the pixels will become obvious. Five megapixels is the minimum needed to print at 5×10.

Enlarging and Reducing

Photo editing programs do a better job at reducing images than they do at enlarging them. There is more to enlarging a picture than just making the pixels larger. The program interpolates the image and adds pixels. Interpolation mathematically guesses the color the added pixels need to be.

Photo credits

“Lens”, flickr.com/jeremy_vandel
“Various Size Prints”, flickr.com/revdancatt

Learn To Photograph Your Friends Candidly

Learn To Photograph Your Friends Candidly

It’s a lot of fun taking photographs of your friends when they have there guard down because it gives the pictures a little more emotion.  

Candid photography is more about capturing the moment instead of the more traditional planned and posed sitting.  Many news articles and human interest stories you see in magazines and your local newspaper are candid shots.  Making a candid photograph is not as easy as it looks.  However, there as some photography techniques you can learn that makes a candid picture much more than a snap shot of your friends. 

It’s important to keep an eye on your friend when they’re attention is on something else.  Then train your eye to see what Henri Cartier-Bresson calls the “decisive moment”.  You need to stay alert for the right moment to unfold and also keep the composition of the final image in mind.  Your camera has to be set up to capture the image before you even know what the final photograph will be.  The best way is to have your camera pre-focused on your subject and the exposure already set. 

It wouldn’t make much sense to use a flash to capture a candid photograph, would it?  I mean, using a flash would ruin the mood of the scene.  After the first image was taken everyone around you would become aware and conscious of you and your camera.  So good quality natural lighting is very important to candid photography.  Unfortunately, you may not get the light at the angle that’s the most flattering for your subject.  To be a good candid photographer you need to be aware and learn the best angle of light for the moment that you’re capturing. 

Candid photography’s purpose is to capture those moments when a person’s guard is down and their emotions are showing.  Even though a quality camera, good lighting, and the lighting are important to capture the moment, it is even more important to be observant.  The photographer’s eye is trained for observing.  They will continuously scan the scene.  Whether that’s a crowd, the landscapes, or another setting looking for that decisive moment.  Their camera will always be ready to bring to their eye to frame and capture the candid subject.  You will find it harder when you are trying to capture a candid of your friends because they will know you and what you are up to, and they will be more engaged with you making it harder to capture them off guard. 

To photograph your friends candidly you’ll have to get their attention off the fact that you’re carrying a camera because some people will pose for the camera and others will become shy and turn away.  Your friends, everyone around you really, will act naturally if they don’t think they’re going to have their picture taken.  

Studying the scene, keeping your camera with you and ready, and knowing basic photography skills, and your reaction speed, will help you get the best candid.  Since posing and turning away from the camera ruins the candidness of your photograph it’s often better to make profile images.  In profile (from the side) the subject is less likely to see the camera because they will be looking straight ahead.  So positioning yourself to the side and just a little forward may help you capture the image you’re looking for. 

Candid photography is very rewarding style of photography, it’s also one of the most frustrating styles when your friends are conscious of what you are doing, and learning to photograph your friends candidly can be one of the most difficult photographic skills to learn.  But in the end it is worth the effort. 

Photo credits

“All Smiles” – flickr.com/m3umax
“Singing Man” – flickr.com/soylentgreen23
 

Learn How To Photograph Babies

Learn How To Photograph Babies

Nothing will make a parent as proud as showing pictures of their cute new baby. We all enjoy viewing photographs of babies as well. So if you have a little one, keep your camera handy and share those baby pictures. The more photos you have the more fun it will be showing to your friends and family. Learn hot to make better photographs of your precious little one by following these tips.

Always be Ready

Any moment your baby will do something that’s entertaining, or does something for the first time. And you’ll never know when that will be, so keep you camera close by and ready all the time (charged batteries and film or memory cards). You may want to keep multiple cameras around your home. Also, considering keeping a disposable camera your diaper bag or your car to insure you’ll always be ready for that once in a lifetime moment.

Candid Shots

You will learn the most adorable photographs of babies are the candid. Candid pictures are more natural looking and relaxed than more formal looking posed picture. You can make memorable images of your baby sleeping, smiling, taking a bottle, even napping. Since babies notoriously do not cooperate when posing them it’s often easier and much more fun taking candid pictures of them. Take photos of all parts of the baby, like the chubby little fingers, feet, or their tiny toes. Those photographs will make sweet reminders of the young age and small size. Using a zoom lens is a great way to capture candid photos of your baby at a distance, like from across the room. Obviously, the more natural looking the photographs the more fun they will be to view. Capturing kids doing what they do when their adults aren’t looking make the best photographs. Using a zoom is a great technique to use because your baby won’t be distracted from you being there.

Black and White

Making the images of your baby black and white or sepia will produce some adorable pictures. Most digital cameras now have setting to capture in both black and white, as well as sepia. For the most part, when you shoot (or convert with editing software) to monotone, what your baby is wearing isn’t as important, because there is no clashing of colors.

Shoot a Lot

Shooting a lot of pictures increases your chance of capturing a great photograph and the more you handle your camera the better you will become at using it. Learn to shoot a lot of photographs of your baby doing the same thing. You might capture 20 images of your baby playing with a toy, but maybe only one or two are good enough to print or email to friends and family. The more images you capture the more there is to choose from.

Don’t Just Make Photographs

Lastly, do something with the photographs you take. Often people will not develop their film for months, or never. Or they won’t have their digital pictures printed. Babies grow and change very quickly. Make a weekly effort to print and share you photography. You don’t want to lose irreplaceable photographs, so if you’re shooting digitally, be sure to back up your pictures often. Failing to back up has happened to many photographers and is quite a loss when all those precious moments are gone for ever.

Photography Credits

“Babies Playing”, flickr.com/whiskeytango
“Little Hand”, flickr.com/makelessnoise

Learn How To Choose Memory

Learn How To Choose Memory

Does the size of your memory card matter? No, not to your camera, but maybe it does to you. It might be the difference between running out of memory and capturing that photograph you really want.

Before you decide what size memory card to use consider how many photographs you typically shoot at a time. The needs of an occasional shooter who captures family events will be different than a travel photographer, who will be different than a fashion magazine photographer. You also have to know the size of the file your camera will need to store your images. Smaller files obviously take less space than larger files. Some cameras will let you save RAW and JPG versions of the same image. So you have to think about your photographic style and how your camera stores pictures on its memory card.

A small camera, of a camera phone, that shoots three or four megapixels should do fine with a 128MB or 256MB memory card. If you’re shooting with a newer DSLR that captures images at 8-15MB you would be better served using 2-4GB memory cards.

You might think it’s more cost effective to buy just one card with the most capacity, say 16GB, instead of a few lower capacity cards. Well, it is more cost effective, but you risk losing a lot of photographs when your memory card fails, gets lost, or is otherwise not usable.

Using Ritz Camera as a source and Lexar as a typical medium priced CompacFlash memory card, this is what you would pay:

4GB  =  $50, or $12.50/GB
8GB  =  $71, or  $8.88/GB
16GB = $120, or  $7.50/GB

You can see there is money to be saved by buying the 16GB CompacFlash. Only you know your tolerance for this kind of risk. Personally I use four 2GB CompacFlash cards with my 8MB DSLR, each card holds over 200 RAW format images.

Now it’s your turn reader. What size memory card do you use, and how did you decide to get that size?

Photo Credit

“CompactFlash Memory”, Sam Catchesides

Cat Photography Tips

Cat Photography Tips

Every cat owner is proud or their feline companion. And cats are a wonderful subject to photography. With patients you can photograph your cat in a variety of fun, funny, and interesting poses. That is, once you learn how. Here are some tips to capturing your feline friends at their best and most adorable.

Cat Naps

Few things look as relaxed as a cat napping. Since cats spend most of the day sleeping you’ll have plenty of chances to snap a shot while your cat is napping. This is one of the best times to take a picture of your cat. You can capture some close-up images as your cat is sleeping, or learn to gently wake him or her up to capture that relaxed feeling.

Natural Light

Think about it, where is one place cats like to nap? In the sunlight. Often you will find your cat napping in a window that is bathed in diffused sunlight. Consider opening the window shades to encourageyour cat to nap there. Snap a few pictures once your cat is sitting in the sunlight. Try using fill flash if the cat is strongly backlit in the window. Get a few shots without fill flash to give your photograph a soft, warmer, glowing look. The additional flash may annoy your cat and cause their eyes to close, or possibly get a red-eye effect. So using the natural light without fill flash will often work better if you can manage it.

Don’t Pose or Plan

You cannot really command a cat to sit, stay, or shake. So when you are working with your cat have your camera ready to take candid shots. Learn your cat’s routine by watching it during the day. Also learn where your cat’s favorite places are. By working with your cat, and around its routine, will help you to capture the best pictures possible. Be patient, you might need to make several attempts to get a few great pictures, but posing hardly ever works.

Find an Assistant

Getting help is another good tip to get great photographs of your cat. Your assistant, perhaps you son or daughter, can be out of the frame and get your cat’s attention by wiggling string, calling it’s name, making strange little noises, or maybe gently throwing a ball. It’s very hard to play with your cat and photograph it at the same time, your images will be much better with the help of an assistant. If you want your cat to look right at your camera have your helper be behind you and just and play with string or something just above your head.

By being very patient and willing to work for it, you will get some great photographs of your cat. Much of the fun of photographing cats is they are unpredictable and you never really know what they will do. Keep you camera close by for the times when you cat starts doing its antics. A cat’s normal activities make us all smile and those same actions make for great pictures.

Photo Credits

“Playing On Sofa” – flickr.com/ainhoap/
“Basking In Sunshine” – flickr.com/geoffeg/
“Playing On Shelf” – flickr.com/j_benson/

Want to learn more about digital photography?  Investigate the courses offered on this site.

Now it’s your turn.  Leave a comment below with a link to one of your favorite feline photographs.

DSLR Basics, Getting Digital

DSLR Basics, Getting Digital

People are becoming more visually inclined, that’s according to psychologists. What the means is most people love using their eyes!

How do we use our eyes?

To view all the things that are around us is how we use our eyes. But over time people have developed ways to preserve what we see, picturesque or not. Using a camera is one way we do that.

The fastest selling cameras in the market place are the DSLR cameras.

What are SLR cameras?

SLR (Single Lens Reflex) cameras were originally designed to be used by professional photographers. This type of camera uses a mirror that reflects the light coming though the lens into the viewfinder where the photographer can see with the final image will be. Also, SLR cameras have interchangeable lenses, allowing the user to select anything form a super wide angle lens call a “fisheye”, a highly magnified telephoto lens, a zoom lens, or a macro lens extreme close up photography.

Both DSLR and SLR cameras use interchangeable lenses a mirror and the associated optical abilities. But instead of film, DSLR cameras use a light sensing microchip and memory cards.

Following is a comparison between the point-and-shoot and DSLR cameras:

• SLR type cameras use interchangeable lenses and generally produce a better image due to their superior optics compared to a point-and-shoot camera.
• Generally the image sensor is larger in a DSLR camera improving image quality.
• DSLRs operate faster. They focus quicker, and the time between pressing the shutter release and the picture being taken is less (shutter lag).
• DSLRs do better with low light because they typically have higher ISO ratings available and they produce less electronic noise.
• DSLRs out perform point and shoot camera in terms of control over exposure, effects of depth of field due to sensor size, sensitivity to light, responsiveness.
• DSLRs cost more than point and shoot cameras.
• DSLRs are heavier and less compact that point and shoot models.

Here is a list of some of the more popular DSLR camera models on the market:

Prosumer models:

• Canon EOS 10D
• Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT
• Nikon D50
• Nikon D70s
• Pentax *ist DS

Professional Models:

• Canon EOS 1D Mark II
• Canon EOS 20D
• Fuji Finepix S3 Pro
• Nikon D2x

Who are DSLS designed for?

Both professional and hobbyist photographers who want sharper and clearer photographs. People who don’t mind traveling with a larger camera in order to capture better images would do well with a DSLR.

As with all things electronic (computers, GPS units, televisions, etc.) digital camera prices decrease over time while their quality and features improve.

If you intend to be a serious photographer, whether as a hobby or professionally, practice shooting with a DSLR and consider your budget and quality of lenses before you buy.

Now, over to you. Please leave a comment. Good or bad, I appreciate any feedback.

7 Tips to Perfect Pictures

7 Tips to Perfect Pictures

It use to be a photographer had to take several photographs of their subject or scene and have the images developed to see the quality of the pictures. It was an exercise in trail and error.

But now, many photographers have switched over from film SLRs and point-and-shoot models. Now, with digital cameras, photographers have more time to concentrate on capturing great images because they can view and delete their poor pictures in the camera while they are shooting.

SLR is the acronym for Single Lens Reflex. As the name suggest, SLR cameras use lenses and mirrors. A mirror reflects light passing through the lens up to a pentaprism into the viewfinder. This way the photographer can see what the image will look like when it is printed, or displayed on a monitor. SLR cameras use interchangeable lenses depending on the focal length the photographer wants to use to achieve different depths.

DSLR (digital SLR) and SLR cameras both use lenses and mirrors, but digital cameras use a light sensing chip and a digital memory instead of film. So, DSLRs are computerized versions of traditional film SLR cameras.

Even so, digital cameras function differently than film cameras and the photographer should spend some time getting familiar with their new camera. Maybe even read the user’s manual. A new camera owner really should practice capturing a few images by trial and error and storing, or saving, their best shots. In no time the new photographer will be able to use their camera without even thinking about it and produce some very nice images.

Photographers who go with DSLRs should consider investing in memory cards and quality lenses. This way, they’ll be more prepared if they choose to pursue photography professionally, the cost of buying quality gear won’t prevent them from choosing photography as a career because they will already own it.

The 7 Tips to Perfect Pictures

Following are some helpful tips to assist new digital camera photographers in making the perfect photograph:

1. Instead of taking a full body shot try capturing an image of your subject from the shoulders up, or the upper body. The subject of a full body shot looks small, especially on a 5×7 or smaller print.
2. It does not matter if your using old or new, digital or film. Some things are the same. You will get a silhouette if the Sun is behind the subject, and your will squint if the Sun is in their eyes. So be mindful of you lighting.
3. In a pinch you can use your sunglasses as a neutral density filter, or a polarizer, to reduce reflections and glare from objects in your frame.
4. Polarizing filters work best when the Sun, or other light source, is perpendicular to your subject.
5. Set white balance to cloudy when you capturing a landscape or portrait on a bright day. It will put a slight warming color cast on your picture.
6. To emphasize a particular characteristic of your subject; zoom in. Zooming in is different that getting closer. A zoom or telephoto lens compresses the depth of field and makes your subject stand out more.
7. Practice, practice, practice, practice, practice, practice, practice, until you can’t stand it any more. Then keep practicing.

Clearly the techniques to for making the perfect shot are the same now as they were before digital photography. But digital cameras have simplified the photographic process and have made taking great pictures easier for everybody.

Now, before you go practice, take a look at some of the offers to help you improve you photography that on this site. I will get a small percentage of anything you purchase, without adding anything to your cost, and that will help keep this site going.

As always, leave comments.

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Photochopping, not “Photoshopping”

Photochopping (not photoshopping) is using a photo editing program, like Photoshop, to edit a photograph. It’s considered to be a visual parody but some people think of it as copyright infringement. The goal of Photochopping is humor, not fraud.

Generally speaking, photochopping is about producing a visual joke, or parady. You might change a label, or add an element that’s out of place, to a picture. Even deforming a familiar scene, making it different but still identifiable.

Photochopping projects usually are not create anything from scratch because the idea is to change an existing photograph. Or merging elements from multiple photographs into a single image.

“Photochopping” was originally called “Photoshopping”. But the name changed to keep Adobe from getting upset over associating photochopping with their editing program. You can still find sites using the original name.

Some of the more famous images emailed around the web as jokes started out as photochopped photographs. Do remember the one of a shark attacking a helicopter, or the historical computer with a steering wheel? They were both good enough to fool a lot of people.

There are websites that offer photochopping contests. They will put up an original photography and the contest rules. The contestants have a limited amount of time to enter their submission. The prize, or prizes, goes to the person who entered the best image and obeyed the rules of the contest. Some sites offer “tennis matches” where the image is passed around in a series and each person takes a turn making changes to the photograph.

Now it’s your turn. Leave a comment letting me know what you think of this article, the site, or if you have ever done any photochopping.

New Way of Making Photographs with Digital Photography

Photography is a form or art. As with other forms of art it takes practice, an eye for design, and skill. Not everyone will spend the time to consider the scene or subject to be photographed and learn what the greater meaning of their image could be. Great photographers spend their lives learning new and distinctive ways to capture their subjects. Digital photography is simply another way of making a picture that has many advantages over film photography.

In digital photography the darkroom has been replaced by software such a Photoshop and the computer printer. Now we can send images to our family and friends instantly and print photographs at home. Taking pictures is simpler by minimizing the guesswork. For example, you can view the image immediately on the camera’s LCD screen instead of having to wait for your film to be developed and printed, and now we are limited by the size of the memory card (hundreds of images) instead of the roll of the film (36 frames).

Digital photography has grown to include the whole spectrum of cameras, from the simplest point-and-shoot consumer model through high-end professional cameras. Now taking pictures easier and a little more fun for everyone involved. As I have already said, we can preview the image with the LCD screen on the back of the camera. And you can crop and make minor edits right in the camera, then print directly from the camera.

We have all played with the camera built into our phones. But if professional photography is your interest you will want to choose a camera that has interchangeable lenses, high sensor resolution, and the ability to set ISO, aperture, and shutter speed manually.

Half the fun of digital photography is setting up your shot just as it is with film cameras. The other half is determining the exposure to create the effects you want the final image to have. You still have to be able to see the unusual elements of the scene, or making something unusual about a common subject, to set the shot up. Look at the subject from all possible angles; maybe take several shots to pick the best angle. Digital cameras are superior to film cameras for this because you can use the LCD screen to see how your photographs look… sort of like using a Polaroid camera before. Using the LCD for instant feedback is the fastest way to learn how lighting, shutter speed, aperture, and ISO all work together in making a photograph.

It may not seem like you would use the same skills you would use with film photography, but you do. Digital photography shortens your learning curve with the instant feedback from the LCD while you are on site photographing, compared to waiting to get you pictures back from a lab.  Digital photography has evolved and gives us a new photographic experience.

Digital Workflow in Six Steps

Back in the days before digital photography you had to develop your film and photographs in a darkroom. Like an assembly line, each image went through a series of steps for developing the film, or transparencies, to the final printed image. You won’t use a darkroom with digital photography, but you do want to keep that assembly line idea in mind and process each image you capture through the same steps. That process is called “workflow”.

Not all workflows are the same. Each photographer develops a workflow that works best for them. Your workflow may make perfect sense to you but will leave me hopelessly confused.

Transfer the Pictures to a Computer

Virtually all digital cameras have a means of transferring images using a cable to connect to a computer. Plugging the camera’s memory card into a card reader may be a better choice since you won’t have to be concerned with the camera’s batteries failing during the upload.

Cull Out the Bad Shots

Delete the bad shots. These are the images that cannot be saved through editing. I cull the picture that are out of focus, the subject is making a sour face or has their eyes closed, images with poor composition, or are grossly over/under exposed.

Edit Large Areas of the Image First

These are the edits that affect the entire image like white balance, color correction, contrast, brightness, saturation, cropping, etc. Working with RAW images will allow you to have greater control.

Edit for the Details

After making the large, full image edits, focus on the smaller edits. This is where you take care of blemishes on the subject’s skin, remove distracting background elements, maybe blur the background a little to separate it from you subject.

Sharpening

Sharpening, like using “unsharp mask”, is the last step after you are satisfied with you edits. Sharpening multiple times will make an image look awful, so only do it once.

Saving the Photograph

Save the final edited version in your photo editor’s native language and as a JPG file for emailing and web work.

Learn Which Is Best In The World Of Photography, Digital Or Film

In the past there simply was not a choice except to use film. All that was available were film cameras and you learned to develop your own film or took to a lab for processing. Now there is a choice and many people wonder which is better, digital or film. Here are some of the pros and cons of these technologies.

The Pros of Digital

Digital cameras are great for most people. They offer instant access to the pictures you have taken. Similar to an old Polaroid, you can see instantly if you need to retake or change the composition of the photograph you just made. Also, you can easily download the digital images to a computer and print just the ones you want.

You can shoot thousands of pictures for virtually no cost giving you instant feedback on the skills you learn, shortening the time it takes to become an accomplished photographer.

It is easy to store your digital images, enhance and edit them, and print them at home using your computer. All of those images can be stored on a few CDs or a hard drive and are easily recalled. Compare that to a shoe box full of prints in a closet somewhere.

The Cons of Digital

There are many negatives (pun intended) to digital photography too. Digital images are easy to lose. A digital camera is significantly more expensive than a comparable digital camera. They may not be seen because like most of us you will download them to your computer and never do anything more with them. You have to backup you hard drive regularly or risk losing hundreds of valuable pictures. Many people think digital prints look and feel different than prints made from film. It can be expensive to print digital photographs at home because you need expensive photo-quality paper and color printer cartridges. Digital images cannot be enlarged as much as an image captured on film.

The Pros of Film

Even though many professional photographers prefer film over digital. Some people prefer to use a film camera so it forces them to develop there pictures immediately. Instead of leaving your photographs on disk you have to have your film pictures printed. Then you will always have them available to look at. Images captured on film can be enlarged to a bigger print than a digital image can be.

The Cons of Film

Film cameras are becoming less popular as time passes, but they are less expensive than a digital camera with the same features.

With film you have to have all the pictures on the roll printed, you don’t have the option of printing just the images you like and culling out the bad ones. Having a roll of film processed and printed is much more expensive than the 25 cents per picture you would pay to print from a memory card. There is also the time it takes to wait for the film to be processed, often as long as a week unless you are willing to pay a premium for a one-hour lab.

Conclusions

As you consider film over digital you come to see that one isn’t really any better than the other. The choice is more about personal tastes and how the final images are to be used. When it’s time to buy a new camera take the time to look at both digital and film and decide which is best for your uses. In the past I owned a 35mm SLR film camera. Now I prefer digital for the immediate feedback while I’m shooting to make exposure corrections or compose the shot differently, and the ability to edit and print just the pictures I want instead of a developing a whole roll of film.

Learning to Choose Your Subject In Photography

What kind of photographs will you take; portraits, wildlife, street scenes, landscapes, or something else? This is one of many questions when it comes to photography. To create the best photograph possible you will want to have a solid understanding of the basic photography techniques. Most photographers, professional and amateurs alike, have a preferred subject they like photography. Just like other artists have a preferred medium (oils on canvas, material for sculpting, pencil or charcoal on sketch paper, and many more).

Photography is art and requires a certain kind of eye to capture the right image. What kind of subject will you photograph? Basically, what are you interested in? If your interest is in capturing wildlife then you will have to wait for the animal to come in view and pose in a pleasing way. But with people as your subject you have more control and can give direction to pose them. Still life photography gives you the greatest control over your subject. A still life subject will sit where you place it virtually forever, and without a complaining.

Practice and study is important to becoming an accomplished photographer. You have to choose your subject according to the techniques you want to practice. You would not want to use a fruit bowl (still life) to practice capturing motion (panning) – that just wouldn’t work. Many of us have to stay in the area around where we live limiting the availability of subjects. A landscape photographer has to use the land that is around them, unless they are going on vacation some place new. This is another factor in choosing a subject. It will depend on your ability to travel, down the block, across town, or across country.

When a subject speaks to you, shoot it. After a subject has spoken you decide on the technique that will render the most flattering image. Consider the lighting of the area. The angle you are going to shoot from also plays in deciding what the subject will be. The current lighting might not be the most flattering for the chosen subject and the other side of the subject may not yield the best photograph.

Many times the best subject is not the obvious one. To pick your subject you need good eye for details. Think of it as the photographer’s eye. Have you ever looked at something, maybe an old building, and were taken in by its texture or pattern, and not the complete building? We like to see patterns and texture, and that often tells us more about the subject, and is more flattering than looking at the subject as a whole.

Your eye is the best tool for finding a subject to photograph. How you choose your subject will depend on what is available to you, the angle of your observation, and the light. Moving slowly through, or around, an area will help you find a pleasing subject. You never know where you will find an image just waiting to be captured. Look under and around different objects to find something new and interesting to photograph.

Sometimes a person or pet will do something that will never happen again and that is why you want to have a camera that you know how to use without thinking about it, and is easily accessible. Many people interested in photography keep a camera with them at all time. This is a good habit to be in. You never know when you are going to be able to take a shot that results in a photography that you can sell. As you get better at taking pictures you can start displaying your work for others to see, and maybe even purchase.

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