June 2010 Archive

Strange Lighting Tricks

Maybe I shouldn’t say strange lighting but “unusual” or “cool” lighting. I know there are many photos that you want things to look exactly perfect – especially portrait shots of people. If you are trying capture an image or still shot, you want realism and clarity. Even many scenery shots look best as beautiful and realistic as in nature.

However, there are a number of little tricks with lighting that can make your photos sore. 1.) Try an awesome silhouette, especially at sunrise or sunset. The dark outline of a tree or building imposed in front of an orange twilight sky is simply incredible. 2.) Filtered sunlight as in, shafts of light coming through clouds or between trees is equally spectacular, giving an ethereal quality to your photo. 3.) When the sun goes behind a cloud, try taking a photo of that portion of the sky, the cloud-glow will provide an interesting image.

Just some thoughts that you may want to try out this summer while on vacation. Have a blast and experiment with your digital camera. Why not, you’re not paying for film!

Posted by Heather Trimmer in Digital Photography Essentials and tagged with camera, composing a picture, digital camera, Digital photo, digital photography, natural lighting, photo composition, photo images, photo imaging., photo lighting, photo subject, photographs, photography, photography lighting

Another Great Rule of Composition

In an effort to avoid ordinary or “flat” images in your digital photography, consider carefully the approach and composition of your shot before you begin. One great rule is to imagine the frame divided into third running parallel and thirds running horizontal. In your mind’s eye you should visualize nine boxes, three per row similar to a tic-tac-toe board.

For a truly remarkable shot, place the main focus of your picture at one of the intersecting points of your imaginary tic-tac-toe board. This will mean the face of your subject, or the bird upon the tree limb, or the center of the rose bud are in one quarter of the frame (northwest, northeast, southwest, southeast). This doesn’t mean that the rest of the frame is empty; it will be filled with supporting detail. It is just that the center of your topic will be slightly off center (high or low) and will provide a more genuine and interesting image.

Posted by Heather Trimmer in Digital Photography Essentials and tagged with digital camera, Digital photo, digital photography, photo composition, photo images, photo imaging., photo subject, photographs, photography

Composing Great Pictures – Final Episode

Thanks for keeping up with my attempt at a photo blog mini-series.

Before snapping that digital photo, check the following:

· Orientation – vertical or horizontal. Which special position looks better for your subject? The picture of the hot air balloon reflects a vertical orientation demonstrating the height of the balloon while the alpine lake reflects a horizontal orientation to show the grandeur of the mountains

The final tip I would like to give regarding photo composition:

· Be sure the viewpoint is pleasing. You can often change a picture dramatically by moving the camera up or down or, stepping to one side. One of the best ways to come up with a prize-winning photograph is to find an “unusual” point of view.

Posted by Heather Trimmer in Digital Photography Essentials and tagged with camera, digital camera, Digital photo, digital photography, photo composition, photo images, photo imaging., photo subject, photographs, photography

Out of Focus

My next suggestion for digital photo composition:

· Likewise, be sure that the thing(s) you want the viewer to see are prominent in the picture. If you can’t find an angle or framing to isolate your subject, consider using depth of field control on your camera to keep the background out of focus.

Great Photo Composition Part II

The “rules” for composing great digital photos are simply great guidelines for beginners. The following suggestions are not binding – experiment to your heart’s content. Photography is not about perfection. It’s about capturing images that will be pleasing to you and those you want to share the pictures with.

The key suggested guidelines for image composition:

· Envision the desired image in your minds-eye. Visualize what you want in the image before taking the picture.

Another great guideline for composing superb photos:

· Choose a primary point of interest before taking the picture. Determine which area is of the most importance to you and compose the picture around that area. What is the key item or subject (the Center of Interest).

A Short Series On Composition

Though I am not too interested in abstract art, or conceptual photography, I do believe photo images should be unique, almost a story in picture. By manipulating your camera, the subject, the surroundings, or your method, extra-ordinary scenes evolve from commonplace landscapes or subject matter? Before snapping a single photo, you should carefully consider the conditions (lighting, weather, glare, closeness…). To this end, many people don’t advocate using the LCD screen to set up and take the picture. However, this is probably the single greatest factor for producing great images.

I would like to take a few days to cover a few guidelines for composing (setting up) great photos. I’ll take a couple of days and give one or two tips at a time.

Stay tuned….

Posted by Heather Trimmer in Digital Photography Essentials and tagged with digital camera, digital photography, photo composition, photo images, photo imaging., photographs, photography

Off Center

Keeping the main topic of your shot slightly off center will make for a more interesting image, of course you do not want to have your topic too far center. This may not be revolutionary or life altering, but this variation will create interesting alternatives and distinctions. Just a little something to mix up your photo images.

Just by having the subject off slightly, right, left, up, or down, can turn a good picture into a remarkable or memorable picture.

Posted by Heather Trimmer in Digital Photography Essentials and tagged with digital camera, Digital photo, digital photography, photo images, photo imaging., photo subject, photographs, photography

Consider Your Angle

Consider the angle of your shot before hand. Will the photograph look better straight on, to the side, or at an odd angle? How close or far away should your image be? Some topics might even look impressive from below or above. So do yourself a favor, before clicking the photo, take a second to consider an alternate shot.

Posted by Heather Trimmer in Digital Photography Essentials and tagged with Add new tag, digital camera, Digital photo, digital photography, photo images, photo imaging., photographs, photography

Best Time For Photography

Well that really depends on what you plan to photography. Interior or portrait shots generally don’t matter, unless you plan to use natural light. The best time of day to find natural light is prior to sunset. Generally speaking, the light is softer yet bright enough to fill out your picture. Also, the light at dusk is generally full of warm colors, think of all the oranges and pinks you see in a sunset sky. For the best nature based photographic enhancement, bring out your camera in the evening.

Posted by Heather Trimmer in Digital Photography Essentials and tagged with digital camera, Digital photo, digital photography, Natural light, photographs, photography, sunset

Take A Sequence Of Photos On The Same Topic

For something a little different, try to compose a series of photos on one subject spread over a specific time interval. Chose a slowly evolving topic to photo-document over several days, perhaps the growth a plant or fruit on a vine. Take photos at approximately the same time over several days or weeks. This will look great when the photos are view in succession.

Posted by Heather Trimmer in Digital Photography Essentials and tagged with camera, digital camera, Digital photo, digital photography, photo images, photo imaging., photo subject, photography, Pictures

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