Photography Tips
Top 5 Portrait Photography Tips
We have all taken snapshots of family and friends with our digital camera and have wanted to capture something special about our subjects. This is especially true when we take photos of family and friends as we have a personal connection with them. So next time you take out your Sony, Canon or Olympus digital camera keep these tips in mind so you can create some memorable portraits of those close to you.
Taking a portrait requires some practise and some forethought about your subject. This will mean thinking about the location of the photos as well as camera settings. There are also different styles to shoot in and this can be posed or candid and both offer opportunities for some great photos.
Candid Shots
Basic Digital Photo Editing Ideas
It is no good just using your digital camera ‘as is’ if you want to have some fun with the shots. Take advantage of simple (or powerful) photo editing software to fix up your photos that have some minor problems or even make an ok photo look fantastic. The following tips will give you an idea of what you can achieve with some basic photo editing. With a little bit of practice you will begin producing amazing digital photography from any camera: Sony, Canon or Olympus digital cameras.
Below we look at a few common problems and how you can fix them with basic computer software:
- Removing red eye
- Cropping an image
- Basic airbrushing techniques
- Automatic photo enhancement
Fun Ways to Broaden Your Camera’s Horizons
Having a digital camera is one thing but using it to its full potential is another. Most people have a camera that they are not even sure how to use and never use it for anything more than simple snapshots. While a compact Olympus digital camera may be perfect for this you may want to push the boundaries on something like a DSLR camera. How can you make the most out of your digital camera?
The main thing to do is to use your camera as often as you can. Here are some other points to consider as well:
- Learn about your specific camera
- Learn about photography in general
- Learn what you want to do with your camera
- Learn how to use attachments
4 Photographic Exercises to Spark Your Creativity
The best way to improve with your Canon, Sony or Olympus digital camera is to experiment and more importantly, have fun! However, it can be hard to make to most of your digital camera if you are stuck for inspiration. This is why many photographers use set exercises to improve how they take photos. Here are four fantastic ideas to keep your photography skills improving.
Make Boring Beautiful
A skill of some of the best artists is their ability to make something that could be described as boring beautiful. A good example is Andy Warhol’s many works including the Campbell Soup tins and his other exploration of pop culture. Start this exercise by finding something ‘boring’ around your home and neighbourhood and seeing how you can take more exciting photos of it.
Learning from Your Photographic Mistakes
When we take photos with a digital camera it is easy to ignore your mistakes as you can simply delete them. Unlike the old days when developing film could be an expensive exercise, we tend not to pay as much attention to each individual shot. No matter what brand you are using, be it Canon, Sony or Olympus digital cameras, it is important to consider the mistakes you make when taking photos and how to avoid them.
We all want to improve with our photography and this means we only keep the ‘good’ shots that we take. Any mistakes that are made are quickly covered up by the delete button. So should you be saving some of those mistakes?
Holding Off on the Delete Button
Why Timing is So Important in Photography
Timing is so important in photography because every use of your digital camera results in capturing a moment. If your timing is off you may miss out on something very special. This is why a high speed Sony, Canon or Olympus digital camera will stop you missing perfect photo opportunities. You also have to know how to use your camera correctly and to adapt to different photographic situations accordingly.
Photography may produce still images but life is always moving around, light changes, and moments pass. Different lenses can help you capture a wider or closer shot or you may benefit simply by having your camera constantly turned on. Iconic photographic images were results of people being in the right place at the right time with a camera.
Spotting Photo Opportunities
How to Take Dramatic Photos That Inspire
We all want to take dramatic photos that inspire the people that see them or just capture important moments the way they should be. So how can we take photos that are more inspirational? While good equipment in the form of a Sony, Canon or Olympus digital camera will help, understanding how to adjust it is much more important.
Stop for a minute and think about any iconic images that have stuck in your mind. What makes them stand out? It is not always that they are ‘perfect’ photos but rather that they convey something or make the viewer feel something for the photo or the subject. There are many examples from photo journalism right through to art photography of pictures that ignite the imagination and stir the soul!
Finding the Right Location
As is the rule of thumb in real estate, location is key to getting the right photos that inspire. Dramatic locations will usually result in dramatic photos as long as you have the right digital camera and a bit of patience. While what we see from professional photographers can be inspirational it is often the result of hundreds (sometimes thousands) of photos being taken.
How to Start a Photo Travel Blog
So you have taken your fancy Canon, Sony or Olympus digital camera on holidays and think your photos are good enough for the world? Well, you need to start up your own travel blog in order to start sharing your great travel pictures. This does not have to be a lot of hard work or even any money and there are many people who have already caught the travel photography bug.
Where do you start with your travel photo blog? Firstly, you need to check out other travel bloggers and see what they do. You might even find a site that accepts travel photos or you might want to start your own blog. Either way there are plenty of options for sharing your photography online and a modern digital camera makes it easy.
Getting the Right Travel Photos
First of all, you need to take the right photos when you are travelling. These may be simple snapshots of where you are travelling, landscape photos or even photos of the people you meet. The ideas and opportunities are endless and if you intend on writing about where you have travelled, great pictures will draw in the readers.
Learning From Famous Photos and Photographers
Famous photographers become that way for a reason and they are great to learn from if you have an expensive camera or just a compact Olympus digital camera to experiment on. It is a great idea to take a look at present and past photographers to see what they did and what they have captured with their lenses. Some of the following list are famous for their art photography while others have very successful commercial careers.
Max Dupain – Australia in Black & White
Famous for the photo Sunbathertaken on Bondi Beach in 1937 Max Dupain captured Australian life with his black and white photography. For a beginner, Max Dupain teaches the importance of good composition and how black and white photos can bring out contrast. After serving in World War Two his photography took on a documentary style.
This allowed Dupain to highlight post war Australian life and capture it for his audience. A natural style dominates his later work and it is this style that makes his photography so accessible for everyone. To make a living he worked a lot with magazines and advertising.
Adjusting Your Camera for That Perfect Moment
The idea of good photography is to capture moments as they happen. This can be difficult when you are learning, but with a new digital camera pointing the way with smart technology the task has gotten simpler. If you used cameras back when everything was on film you would know how painful it is when you had them developed and missed out on some opportune shots because of some setting you forgot on your camera. Now, most digital cameras, including compacts like the Olympus digital camera models, come with a range of settings to suit most situations.
The main ‘types’ of shots you will be taking usually include:
- Action shots
- Indoor photography
- Outdoor locations
- Posed photos
