Share 3 photo tips for others here

[candleman]

Originally Posted by private

3. Tell people WHY you like their photo - it'll help you when you are taking your photos.

thats a great tip.. never thopught of it that way before

[zespri]

I don't have anything to contribute as I'm still a babe in the woods with my photography, so wanted to show my support with some encouragement instead. I have really enjoyed reading this thread so far, the tips have been great, every one of them. In fact I wouldn't mind seeing a few of them elaborated on a bit more. For example, Candleman, do you have a link to an article or something about photographing light? That sounded like it was a life-changing thing for you!

[candleman]

Originally Posted by zespri

Candleman, do you have a link to an article or something about photographing light? That sounded like it was a life-changing thing for you!

Its just that one statement.. All i did was think about it and every time i take a picture.. i dont look only at the subject, look at the lighting on the subject. the light can be a subject all of its own inside a picture.

i did look up some super basic stuff (Photoshelters "School of Stock") which just gave mme a rough idea of backlighting using reflectors. so I made some, and experimented with reflecting natural light.
.

pretty simple i think. .. i hope this makes sense..

dont lok at the person you're photographing.. look at the light wrapped around them

[kencaleno]

A. So you always get the capture-Sadly, You can only do this with Nikon SLR's:
“Trap” focusing:

This is a neat way to use auto focus especially for fast sports/wildlife action, I don’t know other maker’s settings but these are the settings for Nikon users:
Custom (pencil) menu:

Autofocus set to AF-S
AF area mode set to single
AE-L/AF-L set to AF ON

Compose your shot and set the focus by aiming the centre focus icon at a definite target at the precise distance you want, (Say a tree branch where a bird is about to land, or on second base where the baseball player's foot will land) and pressing the "AE-L/AF-L" button near the viewfinder. This will focus the lens, let go of AE-L/AF-L button. Turn away,
press and hold the shutter button all the way down. Point camera at pre-focused point when subject approaches, and your camera will take the shot
Much faster than Human reflexes.

P.S. Searching through Canon manuals, I found that In Custom Function 4-2, that auto-focus can be pre-set by using the * button on the back of the camera. From this, the following may work with Canon cameras:
Trap Focus Theory for Canon users

1. Select shooting mode (Sport/macro/portrait, etc.,)
2. In menu set Single Frame advance
3. Then set One Shot focus
4. Switch Lens to A F
5. Push and hold the * button and the shutter button, turning away from focus area
Slowly move camera forwards or backwards to detect critical focus, and when focus is detected, the shutter should fire. I don’t have access to a canon camera, so I have no way to test this. Therefore I cannot guarantee that it will work

This is probably the best tutorial you will ever read

B How to make a photographic image: (You don't need a camera)

Let’s make a photographic image:

1. What is the main subject?

2. How to emphasize main subject?
- fill the frame
- freeze the motion-fast shutter speed
- blur the motion-slow speed
- subject placement in frame-rule of thirds
- Low side-lighting for texture


3. What to leave out of the image?
- All irrelevant stuff

4. How to light the Subject?
-flash-on camera -off camera
- available light?
- available light plus flash?

5. What time of day/ white balance?
- dawn Auto
- sunrise 2400 Kelvin Auto white balance
- mid-morning 4000-5500 Sunny white balance
- noon 6500 Kelvin Cloudy white balance
- afternoon in shade 7500 Kelvin Shade white balance
- evening (sunset) 2400 Kelvin Auto white balance
- night

6. - What lens?- What focal length?


7. Exposure

Let’s say settings of 200 ISO @ F8

- Hard Shadows 1/800 sec
- Soft shadows 1/400 sec
- Barely visible shadows 1/200 sec
- No shadows 1/100 sec



Okay, you have, after answering all the questions above, just made a photographic image, with your eyes, and your mind.

All you need now is a camera to capture that image!.

"The equipment behind the eye, is more important than the equipment in front of the eye" -Ken Caleno 2008


C How zoom lenses can affect metering

There are two distinct types of zoom lenses
a) Constant aperture zooms, that maintain a fixed aperture when zooming
b) variable aperture zooms, where the aperture changes as you zoom

Therefore metering with a type b) zoom lens, is trickier than a type a) where the aperture remains constant, when in manual mode
So when you zoom away from the original metered scene, you will need to change the settings, because the aperture will have changed while zooming
So, with an 18-55 zoom lens, which aperture varies from F3.5-F5.6 as you zoom, If you get a meter reading at the 55mm (F5.6)setting, then zoom back to 18mm, your aperture will have changed to F3.5 .
Those two stops difference in exposure will make a noticeable effect on the final image


Regards, Ken

[Spike]

Read the manual. Probably the best thing you can do for yourself is read it cover-to-cover the day you get your camera..and again a few weeks later. The first time is often overwhealming, but after two weeks of real in-the-feild trial and errors, you'll know exactly what parts of the manual you need to pay extra attention to, and you'll have questions that need answers.

When you go outside of the studio to shoot, wear comfy shoes and nonconstrictive clothing. Chances are you'll be walking and standing a lot...not to mention bending, climbing, perhaps even crawling on your belly to get 'The Perfect Shot'.

Don't let the camera come between you and a good evening walk with your spouse or a day at the park with your kids. Life goes on, even after you put the lens cap back on.

[sarahgirl777]

[QUOTE=Spike;285232]
When you go outside of the studio to shoot, wear comfy shoes and nonconstrictive clothing. Chances are you'll be walking and standing a lot...not to mention bending, climbing, perhaps even crawling on your belly to get 'The Perfect Shot'.

QUOTE]


Good advice, I'm doing my first senior shoot next week and we will be going all over town outdoors, I'll have to remember to wear the right clothes/shoes.

[FocalFrenzy]

Getting the light "Right".
Whether shooting indoors or out, you almost always have to make adjustments for your lighting.
1- When shooting indoors with flash, always remember to keep something available to diffuse your flash. It doesn't matter if it's a purchased diffuser or just a piece of tissue out of your camera bag. Having one can save your shots. (The difference between looking like a Snap-shot vs. looking professional) It's also useful to be able to bounce your flash. The back of a white business card held in front of your flash, and angled to deflect the light towards the ceiling, will help eliminate "Red Eye" in portraits as well as preventing harsh shadows in your image.
2- For outdoor shoots, you usually have to rely on your camera to adjust for lighting. You can, however, use flash or reflectors to boost the available light. It's a good idea to carry a reflector of some kind (preferably small and foldable) in your camera bag. I use a piece of one of those mylar windshield sun shades. It really comes in handy for taking shots in shade (insects, flowers), or down low to the ground (mushrooms, low flowers).
3- My final (since limited to 3) tip is to always carry a powerful mini-flashlight in your camera bag. You can use it for fill-light, or to provide enough light (prior to the shot) to focus your camera manually in the dark. It can also be used with your reflector, to create backlighting for a subject (with or without the use of your onboard flash).

[wannabehorsephotographer]

Great tips on here...

1. Have FUN! It will show in your pictures. If you are smiling and enjoying yourself - your subject will too - even if the subject is good ol' Fido.
2. Open shade is your best friend! My favorite photo locations:
an old barn - a door in the back and a door in the front open creates awesome light. Under a canopy of trees (note - not a thick forest) - soft wrap around light at it's best, just watch out for light peeking through the branches. And a porch - bonus points if it's old with a rustic touch
3. Your cheapest and most effective photo equipment is YOU! It is easy to get bit by the equipment bug, but use your lack of equipment to foster your creative side. Force the equipment you do have to work, and work very hard, for you.

[mambastic]

I've shot quite a few events over the past several months, and here are some things about photographing performances that I picked up:

1. Know the layout of the stage and seating arrangements ahead of time. Find spots/angles from where you want to shoot and where you won't be in the way of others' views.

2. Keep your camera close to your eye. You never know when that special moment will come. I've missed quite a few opportunities because I wasn't ready.

3. Use your feet. Try to get pictures from different perspectives.

[maritimer]

I'll add my 2 cents :

#1 If you want to get serious about photography, think about your shots before you take them. Don't waste all your camera time taking shots of random items, your pets or your kids, you'll never broaden your knowledge by taking 'point and shoot' pictures - if this is what you like to do, don't waste your money on a good camera : stay with a PnS type. There is a BIG difference between a photographer and someone who takes pictures.

#2 Take the time to learn how to get the right exposure the first time you take the picture, not the 10th time in the same sitting. Most people call this 'bracketing' , what it really is, is total guess work. You can get pretty good at 'reading' exposure when you want to learn how to take that great shot the first time.

#3 Learn the full potential of your camera. It amazes me that people have spent a lot of money on a really nice DSLR only to find out they don't know how to use it. Everyone who owns a DSLR should learn to take exposure shots / night time / waterfalls / sunsets / landscapes. This might mean going down a road you're not familiar with but in the end, it will make you a better, all around photographer.

I'm adding a 4th point sorry : Every shot you take, you should look at it like this : Would someone who doesn't know me like this picture? Would someone who doesn't know me buy this picture? You may not be into selling your photos persay, but if you call yourself a photographer, you should take pictures like one.

Might be a little harsh, I know but.... too many people just take the most randomest shots of nothing and call themselves a photographer : drives me nuts. I've spend 1000's of hours learning everything my camera can do and finding it's limitations. This means I can point my camera and get the shot I want everytime. How many of you all still 'bracket' right?? I may sound a tad arrogant but following these mentioned steps ( for me ) has yielded a very lush and very successful professional photography career. It's ALL frame of mind....and it's wanting to be more than just some guy with a nice camera