Landscape photography is one of the most famous and challenging kinds of photography. Landscape photographs are surprisingly beautiful and eye catching. At one point of time or other, you must have come across really nice landscape photographs and simply exclaimed “wow”.

The amazing captured pictures of skies, clouds, mountains and water seem straightforward to shoot but they are actually not.

If you are a photographer and are looking for some useful tips that can help you with taking breathtaking landscape photographs, you are at the right place. Here are 5 simple tips to help you capture stunning landscape photographs.

Find the Perfect Location

The most important thing in landscape photography is the LOCATION. Do you want to photograph the Grand Canyon or capture the sunset from Sunset Point, California? Whatever the case be, you first have to picture it in your mind and explore the options as to which positions can give you the best pictures ever.

You can choose a top of a cliff or a field of flowers in a village as your subject. This decision will have an impact on the story, style and uniqueness of your landscape photographs.

Don’t limit yourself to the subject and the location. Explore more areas near your decided location. In this manner, you will get more unexpected landscapes to shoot.

And if you are running out of ideas, just pull out Google Maps. It provide so much information about locations that you can easily look for the best options for your landscape photography.

Look for the Best Lighting Time Possible

Landscape photography is nothing without proper lighting. All outdoor photographs require great light that looks so mesmerizing while it highlights all the beautiful elements and brings out the details of landscapes present in frame of your photograph. You get perfect pictures only if you are capturing them with the best lighting available. Therefore, you must schedule your photography shoots early in morning or before the sun sets in the evening. These hours are called golden hours and offer great lighting opportunities for landscape photography. At these times a soft golden light is present in the outdoors which is the best to glamorize the nature photographs.

Prepare your Shot in the Mind

The most favorite thing about landscape photography is that you get time to prepare a shot in your mind. When you are capturing a landscape, you can not only choose which part of the scene you would like to cover, you actually frame the entire shot. There are different angles to play around with.

For perfect photo composition, it is a good practice to take a lot the test shots and then review the images and think about the creative ideas to make the better shots.

Sometimes adding the background makes a picture look more interesting, while some pictures taken from a low angle look absolutely gorgeous and sometimes nature events like a storm that makes the rays of the sun looks more sharp on the sky helps you shoot brilliant images.

Use a Tripod

Tripod is very much important when it comes to landscape photography. If you want to save your pictures from getting blurred, you must use a tripod. Shooting outdoors isn’t that simple. Photographers who cannot carry a tripod for any reason can raise their camera ISO level as an alternative but that would affect your picture quality. If you want to have the finest sharp quality landscape images with best lighting then you must use a good tripod.

Post-process your images to add the finishing touches

Every photographer knows that ultimately the last step in the process is to post-process the images for adding the professional touch. Some photographers like to keep it real and keep the post-editing process as real as possible. They use limited options to enhance the pictures while some photographers process the photographers to the maximum level possible.

My recommendation is that you must take care of straightening your landscape photos, remove all the marks and spots. The exposure should be balanced and boost the saturation a little.

Adding some contrast and increasing the saturation level will always make your landscape images stand out!

If you enjoyed this post, do share it with the world. : )

Author’s Bio: Stephanie Lewis is a writer and a newborn photographer. She joined Photography Concentrate team in 2017 and since then she has been trying to pursue the best photography and editing practices. Besides photography, she loves having coffee, meeting new people and travelling to exotic places. Read this awesome post about Reasons to get into Photography.

To some, photography as a hobby could just be a pastime, that they do after a rigorous full-time office job. On the contrary, you could actually use your passion of taking photos to earn some money. When you are able to deliver a beautiful photograph, you are ensured that you always have a place in the industry. In this article, we are going to identify the ways to make money with your photography hobby.

Become a freelance photographer for Newspapers & Magazines

While it is not a stable job, you could still earn money by taking photographs for magazines and newspapers. Contact any agent or staff from any of the publications in your locality and inquire about any possible work. Submit eye-catching and print-worthy photographs regularly. This way, you will be able to establish yourself as a credible photographer in their company. Once you have developed a rapport with the publication that you are working with, you can expect more regular work like covering local events for news and featured stories.

Sell your photos through stock photography sites

If you have a vast collection of photos, you can submit them to stock photography sites. You can sell these images or have them licensed when you join sites like Shutterstock, iStockphoto, or Getty Images. These photographs are purchased by website owners of academic blogs, automobile sites for using them on their websites, brochures, print media, etc.

To sell your photos, you have to sign up as a contributor on any of the sites mentioned above. Follow the guidelines of the site and upload your photos. Add metadata, photo descriptions, and relevant keywords. This will help the users in finding the required images easily. Here are some useful tips to become a best-selling photographer on stock photography sites.

Sell your prints

There are various ways on how to sell your prints. Primarily, you can put up your own website and upload your portfolio there. You could also showcase your photos in local coffee shops and restaurants. If customers like your prints, they can very well contact you for purchasing them. You can also approach photography and art galleries in your vicinity and get the chance to display your work.

For better prospects, get your prints framed. You can even consider printing on canvas for a professional look. The possibilities are indeed endless.

You may like to check out online photo printing services.

Join Photography competitions

There are a lot of photography competitions whose prizes are not to be joked about. You can try looking for contests that offer cash prizes. Mostly these are theme based. Capture the theme based photographs for the competition and submit the same. Some competitions might require you to submit your portfolio as a prerequisite for participating. If you photograph regularly, you can easily enter these contests.

Start with searching online for photo competitions. While it does not guarantee you an instant payout, the concept of joining competitions would be thrilling, to say the least. You will learn a lot from this exercise.

Start a YouTube channel or a blog

For about a decade now, vloggers have been using YouTube as an avenue to generate money through their videos. This has been possible due to ads and sponsored content. If you want to share your knowledge in photography and earn good money, you can consider uploading videos online. If you are more of a writer, you can start a photography blog where you can post the galleries of your best photographs categorized by themes / topics / subject matter.

You can also post tips and tricks, review camera gears, or collaborate with other photographers and do photo tutorials. The catch here is that you will need to have a good number of followers so that you can actually make money from your blog.

Final Thoughts

If it pays well, you can eventually turn your hobby into a full-time job. It needs hard work and dedication, but the end result is awesome if your hobby pays off!

About the Author:

This is a guest post by Irina. Irina is a certified advertising specialist, a journalist and an experienced blogger. Her blog is her love, her hobby and her life.

Check out her profile and blog.

A big part of being a lifestyle photographer implies knowing how to make your clients look less awkward in front of the camera. To overcome shyness and stiffness, you’ll have to help your non-models feel comfortable, smile naturally and just be themselves. Your attitude plays a major role and knowing the right things to say is half the battle. If you want to surprise your clients with incredibly candid shots, we’ve selected these tips for posing non-models that will show you how to make anyone look better regardless of their posing skills.

1. Establish What You Want to Achieve with Your Photos

   Whether you’re taking photos to improve your skills and your model is a friend or you’re taking photos of clients, you should know what you want to achieve from the start. In some cases, it’s up to you to choose the settings, type of photos and mood. For this, you have to be prepared so you can direct your non-model accordingly. Google some poses before your shoot begins and find some inspiration for various shoots.

   In other cases, however, the clients will request a certain setting like the beach or a forest. You should always talk to your clients before the photo session and establish what they expect from the photos. Make a list of questions and make sure you find out as many details as possible. What mood do they want to convey in the photos? Are they more traditional or more modern? All of these will help you get to know your non-models better and will make them feel more comfortable in front of you.

2. Don’t Force Your Subjects into Certain Poses

   Assuming you’ve done your pre-shooting homework, you have at least a few poses in mind that you will ask your non-models to try. However, you should keep in mind that some poses do not look universally good on everyone. Especially if your subject is uncomfortable, the stiffness will easily become apparent in all of your images.

   Unless you want to end up with dozens of cringey photos, don’t force your subject to do things that don’t come naturally. For instance, you can offer advice and tell your non-model to run her hand through her hair but this can easily go wrong and look awkward. Instead, be more specific with your directions and ask your model to run her right hand through her hair, using her fingertips to make a playful gesture. You will acquire this type of tricks with experience but if you want to speed up the process, you can enroll in a photography workshop that will help you improve both your photography skills and your interaction with clients.

3. Chin Up, Shoulders Down

   You’ve probably heard this piece of advice a million times before, but do you actually know why everybody preaches it? Non-models are bound to be camera-shy, especially in the first few minutes of your photo session. Giving them a few pointers will help them feel less awkward and uncomfortable. You should always encourage your subjects to bring their chin forward to avoid the double chin effect we can notice when people stand normally.

   However, this piece of advice can easily backfire, with some non-models bringing their chin way too high, making their nostrils visible. In this case, you can clarify the request and ask the subject to move their ears forward. In the same vein, tell them to relax their shoulders. When people feel uncomfortable, their whole body gets tense and you can easily spot the tension in their shoulders. Tell your subjects to slightly bring their shoulders down, which will also help them stand straighter, elongating the silhouette.

4. Show Your Non-Models the Photos You’re Taking

   Most photographers will go through an entire session without stopping. Not only is this tiring for them, it can also be tiring for the subjects. Non-models often feel awkward because they don’t think they are photogenic, they don’t feel good in their skin and they probably expect this to come across in the pictures. By taking a couple of minutes to show your non-models the photos you’ve taken, you can relieve their discomfort and show them how good the photos look. This can boost their confidence and make them feel more relaxed.

5. Be Careful with the Waist and Arms

   Everybody expects to look thin in photos, including non-models. And since they are probably unaware of how to achieve this, it’s up to you to make sure you accentuate the waist line accordingly. The waist line will make your subject appear sleek and look good. To make the waist stand out, it should be completely isolated and nothing should be touching it. This includes not only the subject’s arms but also objects behind the model that could elongate the line to our detriment.

   Likewise, you should always be aware of the subject’s hands and offer advice about where to place them. If your subject is resting her arm against her body, the arm will look bigger. If the subject puts her hands on her hips and moves the elbow away from the body, the entire arm will look slender. You can also help your non-model accentuate her waist by asking her to place her hands on the smallest part of the waist, bringing her fingertips close together without touching. This creates the illusion of a super small waist.

About the author: John Stuart works on behalf of londonschoolofphotography.com in outreach and content creation. He creates engaging content that help businesses connect with their audience and stand out from the crowd.

In last couple of years, it appears that one of the trending fashion is to create your own photobook. Over the time it has turned into a great hobby and a prevalent decision for picture takers who wish to keep their works in print.

Assembling your first photo-book can be overwhelming. You have to take a number of decisions that will all contribute in creating a photobook that stands out of the crowd. So ideally these tips will lead you through the basic process of choosing the photos, frames and so on.

Moreover, the tips below may set you on your approach to making your first photobook.

1. Answer the question: “Why am I doing this?”

   Firstly, think about the motive of compiling the photobook. Finding out the reason for creating the photobook will help you a lot in moving in the right direction and assembling a photobook that’s cool and creative.

   There are a couple of questions you can ask yourself:

   • Is it a photo book only for myself or for selling?
   • Is it a part of a project?
   • Does it need to be accompanied by some other works?

2. Think about putting all the photos together

   Secondly, think about a software you use to make the collages or to put the photographs in the appropriate order. For example, Blurb.Com. This site helps you with making professional photobooks. However, you may not only concentrate on this one. Try to use different websites in order to choose the one that works for you. Moreover, you can go to a library or a bookstore to get some inspiration about how other people create the books. You can get creative and try to copy the layouts or fonts the other authors are using.

   

3. Choose the type of Photo Book you want to create

   It is the time to think about the type of photobook you want.

   It mainly depends on:

   • Purpose
   • Content
   • Budget

   It is your decision whether you want to have a hardback or a paperback photobook. In addition, you may feel free to change the size of it and the quantity of photos inside.

4. Pick the best photos, think a theme!

   Your photobook will look better if it consists of the photos that are based on some theme. Say depth of field, shutter speed or time lapse for instance.

   The same style or the shots made at the same time frame will also work great.

   Select the best photos and if you find that one of them is out of the context, simply delete it and switch to another.

   

5. Choose a layout for your Photobook

   Select between a full bleed and a border options. The former implies putting the photographs in a way they fill all the page, while the white blanks have to be left if you want to follow the second option.

   You may even consider sharing the photo stories along with the photographs. Or you can try overlaying text on the images. So can try just about anything… options are many! Let’s get to the next point.

6. Think about whether you want to add some text

   Usually the photographs are put on the right hand side. The left side is used for writing or typing some captions. It’s your photobook, you can experiment with what looks good. You can organize, design and lay it out the way you want.

   If you think that the photo needs a description, feel free to write a couple of words or sentences about it. Although you can write whatever you want, it is recommended to keep it simple and short (KISS).

   If you choose to add text, you will have to careful about the choice of fonts. Make sure it goes well with the mood of the images. For example, use bold fonts for landscape photographs and cursive fonts for female portraits.

   

7. Select a Cover Photo

   This is the most important step in the series — getting the cover photo right! The front image need to present the main idea of your book. It has to be beautiful, interactive and encouraging to inspire people to turn the pages. It has to be awesome and appealing.

These tips will guide you in creating your very first photobook. These ideas will spark your creativity and after making the first one, I’m sure that you will want to create more photobooks. Get creative and put your heart and soul into every step of making this piece of art.

About the author: Lisa Griffin is blogger at payforessays.blogspot.com whose credo is “Be creative and fun! There are two best sides of yours”

This is a guest post by Karen Foley. Karen Foley is a professional freelance photographer who loves sharing the joy of her art with others. See Karen’s work at dreamstime.com. As the holiday season is ready to set on fire, Karen is excited to share her creative shopping ideas for the photographers.

The food has all been eaten, the relatives have gone home and kids have been put to bed. The holiday is over for another year. Now it is time to turn your attention to shopping for the biggest shopping day of the year.

You might be thinking Thanksgiving and Black Friday here, but if you are interested in shooting stock photography, the holiday sales to keep an eye on are the after Halloween bargains!

Stock photography is not all about smiling happy people doing stuff, it’s about capturing universal themes in ways that are easy to visually grasp. How better to do that than with the many props and costumes available inexpensively after the greatest of all dress-up holidays?

Here’s a quick guide of things to look for – other than, or maybe in addition to, the Halloween candy – when sale signs go up at your favorite Halloween supply store.

Start with the costumes

Halloween costumes have evolved over the years from the flimsy firetraps of yesteryears into realistic looking outfits of today. Avoid the naughty nurse genre, and head straight for the uniform sections.

Think about the various scenarios you can use military, first responder, sports or professional uniforms in your images in the upcoming year. Buy for the various size and genders of models you might be able to coerce into them in the coming year – including yourself.

Don’t completely pass by the fantasy section – Steampunk is a genre with many applications, and you just never know when you’ll need that “Big Foot” costume.

Go for the accessories

Don’t forget to add the accessories. Wigs, hats, gloves and stockings will help to set a more realistic scene in your images. Accessories can also be used alone to create a statement – a soldiers hat next to flowers on a grave, or the whimsy of devil’s horns on a piece of chocolate cake can speak volumes.

The Halloween make-up available now is near theatrical quality and not just for zombies and vampires – although those are fun as well.

Stock up on a wide variety of creams, colors and effects to create multiple looks. You will be surprised the number of times you’ll pull them out for a shoot. And grab some of the blood and gore while you’re there – it just might come in handy someday.

Don’t forget lights for dramatic effects

The eerie effects created for Halloween can be re-purposed over and over for different impact. Buy a smoke machine to use in disco settings or spider webs to simulate neglect or age in a scene. Colored lights are great for making light trails, orbs and domes when light painting, and don’t forget the great bokeh effect you can create with them as well.

Props and decoration pieces

Costume props and decoration pieces can be used in a wide variety of applications non-holiday related. Look for classic items that can be re-purposed again and again throughout the year. My poor skeleton guy has been in the closet, grabbing water in the desert, standing in for medical scenes, and the list goes on and on.

Keep an open mind – and watchful eye – as you browse the after holiday sales. Dog and children’s costumes are great for dressing up a teddy bear. Not sure where you can use that skull and cross-bone?

What does it matter at bargain basement prices? Grab a few out of the ordinary objects to help fuel your creativity for the rest of the year. You won’t have another chance to grab these bargains for 365 days!

About the author: Karen Foley is a professional freelance photographer who loves sharing the joy of her art with others. See more of Karen’s work at dreamstime.com.

This is a guest post by Brian Williams. Brian is a marketing coordinator for Outdoor Photo Gear, a supplier of top quality photography accessories. In his spare time, Brian enjoys blogging and physical fitness, particularly golf and crossfit.

As a photographer, passion is a key ingredient for success. When you’re willing to work so hard that other interests fall on the back-burner, you’re pouring all your love into your craft. Like all areas of photography, outdoor photography requires hard work, dedication and a will to succeed. Unlike other areas, outdoor photography also includes a deep love for nature and the willingness to get dirty. Are you ready to succeed? Here’s a quick guide to help transform your passion for outdoor photography into a powerhouse profession.

How Do I Get Started?

Aside from deep-rooted love for photography, shooting great outdoor photographs involve a love for nature. To be successful in photography, the subject of your art should be something you feel strongly about. A passion for nature and the environment are necessary to start your career; the rest will follow.

Following Your Passion

The joy of getting paid for your passion is unparalleled, but certain benefits already place you ahead of the competition. As a photographer passionate about outdoor work, you’ve already spent more time shooting and spending time outdoors than most. This gives you knowledge and experiences others don’t have — knowledge that’s necessary for success.

Education

The majority of photography careers require a degree in either design or photography. Many colleges and art schools provide these programs, including those specifically for nature or outdoor photography. In addition, try classes related to your favorite photos. If you love shooting animals, for example, taking a class will help you understand how they survive in their natural habitats, which will be advantageous when shooting. Classes on biology, zoology, animal behavior, botany, and geology are all helpful when working in the great outdoors.

Learning at Home

There are books, tutorials, blogs and online videos that can improve both your photographic and nature knowledge, but spending time outdoors and practicing are also necessary. If you love what you do, getting out and working should be an exciting challenge. Practice, practice, practice.

How Do I Get a Job?

Most photographers who specialize in outdoor photos work as freelancers, which provides a great income if you remain dedicated. The passion is already there; a strong work ethic will take you far.

Another option is sending photos to newspapers or magazines, where your work must be of the highest caliber to be accepted. With many highly-skilled photographers regularly sending in work, this can be a competitive field, but it’s worth trying. Getting your work published is a huge step in getting your work seen.

You can also start a personal blog or website, in addition to using photography websites like Pixoto and Flickr.

The Recipe for Success

Research shows that choosing a profession based on passion helps fuel success, but so do talent and hard work. A willingness to take constructive criticism, learn, and improve are highly valued in photography. It takes a lot of commitment and dedication to turn a passion into a successful profession, but with the will to succeed, anything is possible. Passion can be both fun and fruitful.

Getting the Perfect Shot

Unlike human models, you can’t position animals or a landscape scene. You work with what nature provides, and that might mean hours to get the perfect shot.

Being an outdoor photographer requires patience and the ability to adapt to your surroundings, whether that’s an amazon rainforest or your own backyard. The opportunities nature provides are unparalleled in a studio. This is what makes outdoor photography such a unique profession. Take advantage of what nature has to offer. Enjoy it, soak in it, and get that perfect shot.

About the author: This article is contributed by Brian Williams. Brian is a marketing coordinator for Outdoor Photo Gear, a supplier of top quality photography accessories. In his spare time, Brian enjoys blogging and physical fitness, particularly golf and crossfit.

Down the years, it has often come to me as a surprise that even the experienced photographers have only a vague idea of what the depth of field is? and of the role it plays in creating fine photographs.

But on reflection, I feel most of these people could be broadly classified as either landscape photographers or those who specialize in covering events such as weddings. The significance of this will be revealed as we work our way through this tutorial. For now let’s start with the concept.

What Exactly Is Depth Of Field?

The depth of field (DOF) is the distance behind, as well as the distance in front of your subject, that is acceptably sharp at a given aperture.

In other words, it is the zone of sharpness. This zone is usually about 1/3rd of the way in front of the subject and 2/3rd the distance behind it.

The basic rule is — the smaller the aperture (e.g., f/11, not f/4), the deeper the zone of sharpness, i.e., the area that is acceptably sharp, both in front of and behind the subject. I will expand on this point a bit later on.

Professional photographers, who shoot scenic pictures or college graduation group photographs, know this well. They normally use a wide angle lens and set the aperture in the range of f/11 or f/16.

In most of the pictures shot with a simple pocket digital camera, you may have noticed the cars in the parking lot behind and the distant skyscrapers… all are in focus: a very deep depth of field indeed! This is because compact cameras have very small sensors which entail enormous depth of field  and this is thus one of the reasons why you need to upgrade to a DSLR.

But unlike landscape photography, there could be times when such a universal depth of field (DOF) is not at all desirable. Too many things in focus can confuse the eye! But if you only want a nice picture-postcard shot of Nainital Lake, then go ahead and look for good DOF by using a smallish aperture. However, small apertures come at the cost of slower shutter speeds. So take care of using a tripod or firm support if the shutter speed needed is lower than 1/60th of a second.

On the other hand, if you want to capture a well-composed picture of a  flower in sharp detail with the rest of the scene out of focus, you will need a shallow DOF.

This will ensure that the viewer’s eye is drawn to the main subject (the flower) while other distracting elements are thrown out-of-focus. In fact, the shallow DOF will make your subject pop or stand out against the background, making it a terrific flower photograph. You can preview this effect with a DOF preview button. (You can learn how to make the most of this creative camera control here.)

Talking of a group photograph, an experienced photographer would likely take a group shot using a wide aperture, perhaps f/2.8 or even f/2 and most probably set the shutter-speed to about 1/2000th of a second, or even 1/4000th of a second with ISO 100 in daylight. Voilà! A super-sharp photograph of your gang: the rest is an inconsequential mish-mash.

However, if your group just wants a nostalgic record of your visit to the Eiffel Tower, he’ll probably use f/8 or f/11, so as to get the famous landmark to loom up sharply in the background… because that’s exactly why you all are posing in front of it — a memento of your trip to Paris! While we are at it, you can check out some handy tips for taking great group photographs here.

And when you want to be included in the group picture, use the self-timer (fight off the urge to rest the camera on the bonnet of the car with its engine running).

What Do You Need For Playing With The DOF?

Besides the aperture, there are two other factors that affect depth of field:

1. The focal length of the lens in use, and
2. The distance of the subject from the sensor or film plane.

To increase DOF, then, you can go for one of the following three options:

a) Use a wide-angle lens, say, one of 28mm or 24 mm focal length.
b) Use the smallest possible aperture.
c) Get as far from the subject as possible (but don’t let it disappear from view altogether!).

And to decrease DOF, you can use either of the settings:

a) Long Lens: Use a lens with as long a focal length as is consistent with your aims.
b) Wide Aperture: Use as wide an aperture as possible.
c) Get Closer To Subject: Get as close to the subject as possible.

Somewhere within these tips lies the solution which will help you capture the image effect that you want. Here is the graphical representation of the factors stated above.

The Lens And The DOF

Wide angle lenses, as the name implies, are, by their very nature (as enjoined by the laws of optics) possess a wider angle of view. The deviation from the normal view (as seen by the human eye) is determined by the focal length. In other words, a 24mm or 28mm lens would have a wider angle of view than a 35mm lens. Along with a wider angle, they also have a great depth of field, making them ideally suited for shooting interiors, landscapes, etc., where you need to stretch the distance.

Telephoto lenses, on the other hand, have a narrower angle of view than a normal lens. This goes with a shallower DOF than a normal lens. Along with this property you also get the benefit of compressing the distance. That is why tele-lenses are ideal for portraiture. But too long a focal length means that the faces get compressed too.

And here goes a quick tip about portraits: I have found that 75mm to 150mm is the best focal length for portraits, with 150mm end being the best for tight head shots (on cameras with APS-C size sensors, like the Nikon D5100 or Canon 550D).

Creative Uses Of Depth Of Field

Other uses of DOF can be found in commercial photography say interiors, architecture, food, packaging, wildlife photography, close-up photography and macro photography. Let us examine some of these areas with the help of a few examples.

Product Photography : Depth of field play an extremely important role in photographs shot for advertising and other media. The commercial photographers judiciously use the depth of field to distinguish the product from the clutter and yet present it in totality. Product photographs have made it easier than ever to buy (and visually feel) the products through imagery.

Along with product photographs, packaging also plays a crucial role. In fact, packaging is such an important part of retail marketing operations that large corporates spend millions on it. Then they need to advertise those innovations to the public.

Nature Photography: The two pictures below show scarlet Simul blossoms alongside a stalk of unopened buds.

Example 1: Settings — shutter speed: 1/2000 sec and aperture: f/6.3

Example 2: Settings — shutter speed: 1/640 sec and aperture: f/11

Example 1 has been shot at 1/2000th second, f/6.3, while Example 2 has been shot at 1/640th second, f/11 – both at ISO 200. Notice how the slight shift in focus has, in Example 1, thrown the buds out of focus, whereas in Example 2, it is just the reverse – the flowers are out of focus. Both have been shot at a focal length of 270mm (405mm on a Nikon D3100, due to the 1.5 crop factor).

The Macro Shots: True macro photography means capturing the subject life size (1 : 1 ratio) on film or sensor. That means, if the bug you are shooting is 5mm in length, its image on the sensor has to be 5mm long, if it is to qualify as a true macro shot. This type of photography usually needs special macro lenses.

Nevertheless, some of the newer bridge and superzoom cameras are able to focus as close as 1 centimeter from the front element. However, you have to be a bit careful while taking macro shots because extreme magnification results in extremely shallow DOF.

There is no dearth of examples of how depth of field (DOF) can be and is used by discerning photographers. It is always a good idea to study the DOF requirements before taking a shot. This will help you answer the oft heard question: Which lens should I use? Depth of field is such a vital part of the creative photographer’s toolkit that none of us can afford to ignore it.

So, to recapitulate, the four elements of depth of field are aperture, focal length, distance from camera to subject and the size of the sensor.

Taken together and applied judiciously, these four elements can greatly improve your photography.

Contre-Jour is the French word which means ‘against daylight‘. It refers to the scenario when a photographer takes the shot of the subject placed right in front of the light source. Mostly photographers use daylight usually at morning or evening which allows them to naturally place the subject against the sun-light. The final images that you get using this technique are completely dark with a lot of highlights formed by the light source behind it. This effect is also known as the silhouettes.

How To Achieve Contre-Jour?

1. Place the subject directly against the light source. Sun-light would be a good choice of light source for the attaining this effect if you are just getting started.
2. Look into the viewfinder to align and compose the shot.
3. The subject may not appear silhouetted in the viewfinder. That’s because the eye has a higher dynamic range than a DSLR.
4. Try setting the aperture smaller, around f/8, this will help in achieving sharp focus.
5. You are ready to take the shot.

The thing to keep in mind is that you have to expose for the highlights. If you expose for shadows or use a fill-light, it will kill the so-called Contre-Jour effect.

Here are few images illustrating this effect:

The people in this image have not been placed right in front of the light source, however the angle from which the shot was taken created the silhouette effect.

The shadows of the people in this image state the position of the light source. All people have been under-exposed for creating beautiful contre-jour effect.

Feel free to submit your contre-jour/silhouette photographs to our Flickr Group.

Are you looking forward to gain online clientele for your photography business. What better idea than having a photography portfolio website?

Having a photography portfolio website not only multiplies your opportunities of gaining the clients, it opens up the chances for boosting e-commerce activities like selling your prints, products or allowing digital downloads as well.

Your online portfolio can really act as an effective marketing tool for you (learn how to build an effective photography portfolio website here).

Your online presence in form of a portfolio website and profiles on social media sites helps in spreading the word faster than any other traditional medium of taking your business to next level.

You can show your work to a larger audience which multiplies your chances of getting more business. You are no more restricted to local business area. By building an online portfolio, you can attract the audience from all over the world. This larger audience includes not only the potential clients who would like to hire you for your photographing skills, but also the designers, advertisers, stockists, etc who are interested in buying prints or digital images for commercial purposes.

This way an online photography portfolio website opens up a window of plethora of opportunities, thus allowing you to kill two birds with one stone.

Having a well thought out website plan in this regard can do a miraculous job for you. For this you need to focus on the essentials and must haves of an ideal photography website. Let’s check them out here!

1. Search Engine Friendly Website

   When creating an online portfolio, you need to keep the search engines happy to regulate inflow of traffic. Using the right keywords, avoiding flash, regularly updating the site and a proper HTML structure are some of the tips to make your site search friendly. You can check out a more comprehensive article on SEO for photographers here.

2. A Simple Design With Emphasis On Photography

   A simple design with preferably white or black background, minimal distraction of design elements and full width image gallery or sliding images is an optimal strategy for a photography portfolio website. Keep the fancy flashy effects at the bay — let the images steal the show.

3. Primary Focus — Showcase Your Work

   Create multiple image galleries, each sketched around a specific theme. Showcase all your best works across the various specialties you excel at. Along with the images, you may also add some running lines about the images (like how the shot was taken, camera settings, your experience with the client, etc) to add a personal touch. Offer categories, archives, search functionality — exhaust each and every option to impress your potential client. Keep it simple, neat and clean to enhance the users browsing experience. I would like to cite Jeremy Cowart’s website as an example here.

   

   Jeremy Cowart’s Photography Site

4. Include Contact Info On Every Single Page

   Your online portfolio works as the bridge between you and your potential customer. It offers a chance to let the ends meet. While on the one end you have done your best to impress your audience through your work, make it real easy for them to reach you as an effective promotion strategy on the other end. Make sure you have your name, phone number and email id on every single page so that viewers don’t need to hunt for it once they have made up their minds. You will also need an additional contact form on dedicated contact us page to depict your professional stand.

5. Intuitive Navigation — Eliminate The Guesswork

   Just like a minimal design works wonders, simple & intuitive navigation adds to the ease of use. It helps in eliminating the guesswork on the part of the user. Use simple, easy to understand words to describe various image collections, galleries and services & offerings. For instance, including Buy Prints in the navigation menu will be more effective than including a link in the content area saying you can purchase the images here. Gavin Gough’s portfolio website is a good example of clearly laid navigation.

   

   Gavin Gough- Freelance Travel Photographer

6. Tasteful Typography

   Creativity is a means and an end for artists. Each photographer has a unique vision, style & personality which reflects well in the images shot by him. Let the choice of types and fonts on the web reflect this as well. Go in for a perfect mix of floral (may be for logo), ornamental (to add style), bold (to lay emphasis) and subtle fonts to show off your creativity as an artist more than just as a photographer.

7. Include Optimized Images To Speed Up The Site

   Photography portfolio sites by the very virtue are image intensive. And this can be a serious issue in slowing down the loading times. You can however overcome this limitation by uploading optimized images of appropriate sizes, avoiding flash and pre-loading the images in background.

8. Make Provision For Selling The Prints Online

   Just like 500x.com, 1x.com, DevianArt, etc provide a platform to photographers for selling their photography works online, you can integrate this functionality to your website to multiply your sources of income. This will allow web designers and advertisers to get in touch with you and your work more frequently.

9. Other Nifty Things

   While the above mentioned things have more weight and form the core essentials, here are some nifty things which can contribute immensely in promoting your site and boosting the traffic.

   • Social Media Integration: Chase Jarvis, Anna Gay, Thomas Hawk, etc have active social media profiles on Twitter, Google+, Facebook and the likes. This makes room for better exposure for them and gives them an opportunity to show their skills and work to a larger audience. You can also win the hearts of your potential customers by creating active profiles on social media sites (if you haven’t created one yet). Then as the next step, integrate your social media profiles to your site in form of Twitter feed and Facebook fans.
   • A Mobile Friendly Site: Opt in for a responsive design to increase your chances of reaching the user-base which use mobile phones as the primary source of browsing over internet.
   • Avoid Flash / Offer HTML Mirror Version: Try to avoid flash. But if you already have a flash site, create a HTML mirror version of the site as well. HTML sites have SEO implications and will be of a great help to users with slower internet connections (they can then move to cached versions to view your site).
   • Easy To Update: In the longer run you will need to update the site with latest works, newer images and fresh content. Choose the platform which allows you to easily upload the images and update the content from time to time.
   • Establish Authority With A Blog:Blogs offer a platform for sharing your experiences and latest works. It gives you an opportunity to share your hands-on-experience, knowledge & expertise with photography enthusiasts which helps in establishing your authority as a photographer. Apart from this fresh content also does a good job in keeping the search engines happy.
     

     Mitchell Kanashkevich

10. A Reliable Host & A Dedicated Domain

    Last but not the least, choose a reliable web-host and go in for a dedicated domain. Go with the web-host provider which provides maximum up-time, 24/7 customer support, unlimited storage space, etc. Check out the qualities of a good web-host here. Instead of using a free web hosting service which provides a free domain name, it is always better to register the domain name with paid services like GoDaddy. More than any other benefit, it is the critical SEO boost that you get with your own domain name. We will cover more on this in the upcoming post.

Either you build the website yourself or hire a professional web designer, it is good to look upon the essentials of a photography website. Just bookmark this page and discuss these things with your web-master to make a difference with your online photography portfolio.

Want to nail the exposure? Fed-up with the set defaults? Want to do it in manual mode? There are several steps to go before you actually start tuning the dials. Every camera has several metering options. It’s critical to understand and learn to use these in order to be able to nail the exposure manually.

Exposure Compensation

TTL light meter measures the intensity of light, finds it appropriate for the photography and then controls aperture, shutter and ISO to achieve it’s task. But a machine remains a machine. Hence exposure suggested best by the cameras sometimes yields opposite or too different results. That may be one of the reasons, why cameras have inbuilt exposure compensation modes, those are denoted by EV (Exposure Value). If we select +1, camera will add one stop of exposure to the scene before the shot. If we select -1, the camera underexposes by a stop. So exposure compensation can be pushed positive if the scene looks underexposed, and negative if the scene seems overexposed.

To adjust the exposure on the image, many cameras offer metering modes. Primarily there are three metering modes as spot metering, center-weighted metering and pattern metering but there can be more modes depending on the camera.

Metering

Spot Metering

If this mode is selected, camera reads the exposure at and around the focus point on the scene, and applies the same exposure to the entire image. This mode meters 3% of the area in whole scene. This mode is best suggested when the subject is back-lit, like shooting against the sun (like a portrait).

Center Weighted Metering

The camera reads the exposure at the center of the scene and around the center [usually 8mm(adjustable) area] towards the edges, but emphasizes more on center. This mode is best suggested for shooting scenes such as landscapes.

Matrix Metering (Nikon)

The scene is divided into multiple small segments, and exposure is read at each segment. Data collected are then compared with pre-defined images of almost every possible photographic situation. This library of images is stored in the system’s memory. Many Nikon cameras have over thirty thousand such images. The exposure is made against the closest match. This is the default mode in Nikon cameras and is suitable for almost all scenes.

Evaluative Metering (Canon)

Many professionals claim that this is just Canon’s name for Matrix metering. However Canon’s own article has more and precise details about evaluative metering.  Canon cameras are set to use this by default and it is suitable for most photographic work. It divides the scene into several zones, and meters the exposure, direct lighting and back-lighting in each zone and compare it with the exposure, direct lighting and back-lighting at auto-focus points.

Partial Metering (Canon)

It reads the light at the center and area around it, it meters around 10% of the area in the whole scene. It is similar to spot metering, however it covers around 6% – 9% of the area located at the center of the scene.

Situations and Metering Modes To Use

So before you go in setting the aperture and shutter-speed manually, experiment with the following. There’s greater possibility to get the results that you want than trying the auto modes or the full manual mode.

• Spot: Backlit Subjects as Shooting against Sun
• Center-Weighted: Large Areas as Landscapes
• Matrix: When you don’t really care, trust the camera’s meter or want to try your luck.
• Evaluative (Canon): Not much different from the last one.
• Partial (Canon): Same as spot but a little more tolerant of the spot. Can be used for backlit subjects.

Histograms Anyone?

Histograms are one of the most crucial pieces of exposure information. But don’t use the metering to even out the histogram — there’d never be high-key or low-key photographs if you always even-out the histogram. More so, when you are so much concerned about exposure that you want to override it with your choice, it should be your preference which define the optimal exposure, not a histogram per se.

Be it a beginner, amateur or hobbyist, all have a common query — How do I become a better photographer? Should I join a photography school, read the masters of photography or buy a high-end camera available in the market. The answer is simple — practice the art. You can become better at what you do by doing more of it. So to become a better photographer you will have to take more photographs. This makes way for the very first tip for becoming a better photographer.

1. Shoot, Shoot & Shoot Some More

   I had been reading Chase Jarvis during the weekend. There was one particular statement that caught my attention. It reads, “The secret to shooting better pictures is simply shooting more pictures”. And this is what any pro would advice you to do for becoming a successful photographer. BTW have you heard about the 10,000 hour rule professed by Malcolm Gladwell. This rule claims that the key to success in any field is, to a large extent, a matter of practicing a specific task for a total of around 10,000 hours. So get started with taking the pictures. Get started with shooting the images — shoot as a purist or shoot with post-processing in mind.
   

2. Master The Art, Master The Craft

   Photography is both an art as well as craft. When you learn to visualize the world around you in terms of design elements (lines, patterns, shapes, form, contrast, depth, balance, harmony, rhythm and the likes) it becomes more of an art and when you try to capture the artistic details by tuning the camera settings, it reflects your craftsmanship. To become a smart and successful photographer you need both the things. First you need to visualize the scene to emotionally connect with the viewers and once you visualize the image, you should know how to capture your imaginations with your tool — the camera.

3. Perfect Practice Makes Perfect

   Practice makes the perfect is an old age adage. But it is actually a perfect practice that makes the perfect. Simply pointing the camera at the scene and coming home with loads of crap images will not make you any better. When you look at the scene, analyze it in terms of color, contrast and composition. Visualize the story that it beholds. And then go for it — release the shutter. Thinking in this manner before shooting results in a better outcome.
   

4. Make Photography Your Habit

   Include photography as one of your routine activities. Just like you go for a walk without fail and attend to your mails the first thing you enter the office, make it a habit to take the photographs daily. Better yet, design your daily schedule such that you take out one hour for a photo-walk; with just you & your camera.

5. Give Yourself Assignments

   Photography assignments are a great way to learn & implement new tips & techniques. Set apart assignment to photograph a particular theme per week or take ten photos of one subject. Check out more ideas for photography assignments here. These assignments help you in keeping up with the commitment of shooting the images on daily basis and will also challenge your ability to create astounding images.

6. Work The shot — On Field As Well As Off Field

   By now you might be well-versed with this pro technique — working the shot. I have mentioned it dozens of times earlier and yet this tip makes space for itself in each new article. Working the shot while shooting the images on field adds perspective to your story. It opens up multiplicity of options to make the shot happen. The same thing when applied during the post production can greatly improve the quality of images. You can try your hands at cropping the image, making the crucial adjustments, applying the filters, presets and a lot of other creative stuff. But how does it help me in becoming a better photographer? When you work your images in the image editor, you are in a good shape to understand the effect of various settings that can also be implemented in-camera.
   

7. Be More Curious

   How do pros get the images they want? What is exposure compensation? How to activate the bulb mode? When should I use the manual focus? There are so many questions that come to your mind when you pick up the camera and read more about photography. This is a good indication. Ask as many questions as you can and try to satiate your queries by reading through the camera manual, experimenting with the camera settings or by reading the masters of photography. Your curiosity will trigger self learning & build creative instincts. These two things will help you in making the difference to yourself as a photographer. Play around with various camera settings, alter the perspective and try new angles and you’ll gain the experience that you cannot get by reading the books alone.

What do you do to improve your photography?

Author’s Intro: This is a guest post by Valerie Byrd. Valerie loves writing about the latest events. As a photographer, she incorporates both talents and does freelance blogging. As photographers, we all treasure photographs, especially when it is close family and friends or something you’ve created with great interest. So, here Valerie is talking about multiple options for backing up your photographs to keep them safe.

These days, most photography has “gone digital.” Aside from a few old school throwbacks who insist upon using film and darkroom developing, digital photography is here to stay. As the quality of digital photography technology improves, equipment is becoming more and more affordable.

Technology, however, is fallible. When it comes to computers, it’s not a matter of “if” your hard drive is going to crash, but “when.” Computer hard drives are not meant to last forever, and most have a life span of about 5 years. Since knowledge is power, being aware of the limitations of the technology you are using will help prepare you for what might happen down the road.

When it comes to saving and protecting your prized and precious photographs, it is better not to take chances. If you’re truly serious about securing your files, we recommend using more than one backup method. Here are five great ways to back up your photos that anyone can understand and use today!

1. Use The Cloud

   There are a number of companies that will regularly back up and store some or all of your computer data to their servers for a monthly or yearly fee. Check out Vault Logix online backup solution for instance. Once you purchase and set up an online backup, automation takes over and you don’t have to do a thing. This is an ideal set up for most photographers, and often has the added bonus of being able to access your files on multiple devices.

2. External Hard Drives

   External hard drives are an excellent backup solution and fairly inexpensive these days. They come in a variety of different sizes, so you can find one to fit your specific storage needs. There are a few ways to manage an external hard drive. One option is to manually plug in and backup at your discretion. The better option is to purchase a hard drive with the option for scheduled backups, and keep it docked at all times.
   

3. Disc It

   Using physical media like a CD, DVD, or Blu-Ray disc may seem somewhat old school – it is usually more time consuming and harder to search for files, but the files will be safe. You can back up quite a few photos to a DVD, and they are small, portable and easy to store and duplicate. Be sure to store vital discs out of direct sunlight and in temperature controlled spaces to prevent loss of data.

4. Email

   These days, free email accounts such as Gmail and Yahoo offer a ton of storage space. If you’re looking for short term storage or trying to back up a small cache of photos, this is an okay way to go. Google seems to be constantly improving their interface — for instance, you can tag photos in Google Plus and the privacy features are excellent (now that the “facial recognition” feature is no longer a default setting). The Google Plus experience is highly customizable, and just might be a good addition to your photo backup arsenal. The biggest downfalls will be upload time and limited image quality.

5. Photo Streams

   There are a myriad of sites out there that cater to the uploading of photos and photo albums. These services can help you keep photos safe and share them at the same time. Free photo backup services include Flickr and Picasa. If you regularly take high resolution photos, however, don’t rely exclusively on these, as they tend not to maintain original resolution. SmugMug has a monthly fee, but includes features that many users appreciate, including the ability to upload full resolution photos. These sites can be made private or password protected.
   

Implementing these ideas will not only keep your data safe, but can also help keep you safe! Many traveling photographers are getting the added benefit of using location tags and saving pictures of vital documents to the cloud. By giving a friend or family member access, they are protecting themselves in case of emergency. Once you’ve backed up your existing inventory, you can also start thinking of unique benefits you can use.

About the author: This is a guest post by Valerie Byrd. Valerie loves writing about the latest events. As a photographer, she incorporates both talents and does freelance blogging.

Bokeh is just awesome. The aesthetic blur of out of focus lights make up for a perfect background for adding that dreamy look and feel to the portraits. Also it works wonders for nature photography as well — the close-up flower photographs and selectively focused landscape shots. While it may look that you have to be technically sound and photographically skilled & talented to create the beautiful bokehs, it is just a matter of four things — focal length, distance of subject from the background, distance of subject from you and the aperture. So, let’s check out how these four things affect in capturing beautiful bokehs off bright backgrounds.

1. You Get Great Bokeh Effect At Wider Aperture

   Fast lenses are good at creating the bokeh effect. Not because it allows a lot of light in, sheerly because of the lower f-numbers. f/1.2, f/1.4, f/2.8 and the likes allow you to photograph the shallow depth of field, which is the very essence of creating the bokeh effect as bokeh is nothing but the aesthetic quality of out-of-focus blur. One thing to take from here is — the smaller the f-number, wider the aperture, shallower the depth of field. And it is the shallow depth of field which beautifully blurs the background and occasionally compliments the subject with pleasing circular discs of the out of focus lights.
   

2. Bokeh Depends On The Lens’s Focal Length

   Bokeh is directly affected by your lens’s focal length. If you have a zoom lens you can try experimenting with shooting the subject by simply varying the focal length. As an inference you will observe that at longer focal lengths the background becomes blurrier. This is so because when you increase the focal length; i.e, say from 18mm to 50mm and then to 200mm on your 18mm-200mm lens, the background is enlarged relative to the subject and thus out-of-focus blur also magnifies. Thus at higher focal lengths, you get greater degree of background blur. So, zoom in and shoot the tight crops to capture pleasing out-of-focus blur.
   

3. Bokeh Is Inversely Related To Subject’s Distance From The Background

   The next big thing which makes the difference is the subject’s distance from the background. Bokeh is inversely related to the subject’s distance from the background — farther the subject from the background, blurrier the background, more the chances of photographing pleasing out of focus blur.
   

4. Distance Between Your Subject And You Also Matters

   Along with the distance of subject from the background, distance of subject from the camera also matters. The closer you get to the subject, shallower the depth of field will be. It is the same principle that applies to the human vision; i.e, the way human eyes see. Let’s do a simple exercise right away. Place your finger in front of your computer. Focus on the finger and move it closer to your eyes. You will observe that as you move the finger closer, the computer in the background blurs effectively. Thus closer the subject to you, better the bokeh effect.
   

While these are the most important things which contribute in getting the bokeh effect, it is also the lens quality and brightness of the background that determines the quality of the bokeh. But as a beginner, getting these things right is all that matters for adding some awesome bokehs in your collection. Time to check out the beginner tips for photographing the bokeh effect & some interesting bokeh examples. Don’t forget to share your’s in comments.

Author’s Intro: This is a guest post by Jiji Thomas. Jiji Thomas works with SmartPHOTOeditors as a content writer. His interests include blogging, creative writing and photography.

You wouldn’t come across a real estate listing without an accompanying picture these days. A picture of a property or a house gives visitors or prospective buyers an opportunity to form an assessment about the house without having to visit the place in person. The more eye-catching the picture, the more likely that the property will get the attention it deserves. Home owners and property developers have known this for years and therefore go to any lengths to ensure that the pictures they put up with their listings are of the top quality. A picture that lacks quality or projects an unprofessional approach is more likely to drive away potential buyers, negating the main reason of having the picture in the first place. If you, as a home owner or a property developer, need to make your photos stand out and beg a second look, any quality issue that may hamper the effectiveness of the photo has to be addressed upfront before the listing is put in the public domain.

You may be a professional photographer or just an enthusiast in possession of good photography skills eager to put your first full-featured camera to good use. These tips can come in handy as you go about capturing the photos for real estate property listing.

1. Go For Wide Angle Shots

   Provide a dynamic edge to your shoot by using a wide angle – an angle of 12-24mm works best in most cases. Highlight the best features of your house by getting a different viewpoint with each shot, using as many angles as you think is necessary to make your images present the complete picture.
   

2. Use Tripod For Interior Shots

   The importance of a tripod cannot be overemphasized, especially in the case of real estate photography. A tripod will keep your photos from losing focus due to shaking, or end up with blurred up images; more so when you are shooting the interiors.

3. Control Lens Distortions

   While using wide angle lenses you are at a high risk of introducing distortions; especially when the objects you focus on are too close. Try to place the furniture far enough so as to accommodate for lens distortions.

4. Give A Professional Look To Real Estate Interiors

   Get rid of photo spoilers that can make the image lose its professional touch. These could be a soiled pillow or an unsightly bed skirt, leaving the end-result rather be diminishing and in urgent need for post processing editing.
   

5. Get Rid Of Clutter

   Ensure that your photography area is free of clutter. Keep power chords out of camera’s focus. As for the exteriors, it is advisable to take the car out of the driveway and remove the trash cans and telephone wires. Try not to include neighborhood houses in the background. If you end up with an image full of distractions in the background, get some help from a professional photo editing expert and have them fixed.

6. Put Filters To Use

   Diffuse harsh light or loss of contrast due to hazy conditions by putting the lens filter to use. The lens filter can also help reduce glare and reflections.

7. Shoot During Golden Magic Hours

   Avoid shooting for the exteriors in midday sun. Prefer the mornings and early evenings as they provide a more favorable natural lighting at low angle. It is prudent to shoot during these times. Additionally, make sure you have a clean blue sky with only few clouds and the sun is up. If you need to remove excess clouds from the background, photo editing experts can get rid of them at a later stage.

8. Cover The Details

   Ensure that you shoot all your rooms, whether it your living room, the dining area or the kitchen. Emphasize your residence’s stand-out features in your photos by showcasing a home theater or a multi-functional gym.
   

9. Fill Flash

   Use camera flash while shooting interiors, so that you have a better chance of deriving maximum colors with fewer shadows.

10. Image Resolution

    Keep your camera to the maximum image resolution. A resolution of 72 dots per inch works like a charm.

While these tips can add to the quality of your house or property pictures, your photographs can get more finesse with some trusted techniques that professionals in image editing field use to enhance the quality of the image. The post processing editing is increasingly becoming an integral part of photography as more and more pictures find their true potential with the help of impeccable image editing. There are other benefits of editing, such as perspective corrections and 360 degree virtual tours that come bundled with the service that the professional designers offer. Getting professional photo editors to work on your real estate pictures will not only enhance the quality but also give the pictures an extra fillip, making them more appealing, while contributing to the effectiveness of your real estate listing.

About the author: This is a guest post by Jiji Thomas. Jiji Thomas works with SmartPHOTOeditors as a content writer. His interests include blogging, creative writing and photography.

Digital photography is nothing more than the sophistication of photography. The art of photography has traversed ages, from daguerreotype in 1836 to rapidly evolving digital cameras. What changed with each new invention in the field of cameras and photography is the convenience of shooting the images. Once a luxury device, the camera is now more of a common toy you can see in the hands of small kids as well; though being an artist is altogether a different breed.

And well now that we have come to talk of the artists, photographers to be more precise, it’s quite of it a doable action — to give photography a serious thought. Not just taking the pics of friends and family and sharing them on Facebook, think and act like a photographer and you will be able to make the images like the photographers you admire the most. And for that you need to begin with these crucial tips.

Before starting let me just congratulate you for having this smart, sophisticate machine in your hands — the digital camera. And the next step…

Welcome to the world of digital photography!

1. Pro Tip: Shooting In RAW Takes Your Digital Photography Skills A Notch Up

   Tune your camera settings to shoot in RAW (or RAW + JPEG). RAW is analogous to film negative. Shooting in RAW allows you to concentrate on your technique, i.e., using appropriate camera controls and the composition, while postponing the other crucial settings like exposure compensation, white balance settings, saturation, etc to be taken care of in the next step — digital post-processing.

2. Take care of the ISO noise in a Digital camera

   Migrating from film camera to digital, shooting at various ISO levels can be seen as a major advancement. While with film cameras, one required fast films to shoot in low light, you just need to boost the ISO level with digital camera in hand. But beware of it! While sometimes intentional grain is effective technique to create mood, shooting up the ISO to higher levels can introduce the artifacts affecting the overall image quality.

3. With a Digital Camera In Your Hand, Take Lots Of Photographs

   Say bye bye to the expense of developing the films and make friends with the images, the photographs, the pictures that you’re going to make. Sounds like a TV commercial. But hey, with digital camera in your hand you do not need to worry about taking the images. Play around with each and every camera setting at your will and as Jeff Goins says you become a writer by acting like one, you can become a good photographer by shooting like one. So pick up your weapon and be ready to master it to the finish.

4. Advantage From The Digitization — Backup Your Images

   After shooting a lot of images, it’s time to learn from your shots. Don’t delete the bad ones instantly. When you transfer the images to the computer, start by first creating a backup folder. Copy the images to a new folder and then sit and analyze each photograph you have shot. Pick up the best ones, note down the camera settings and try to consciously make good photographs next time.

5. From Traditional Darkroom To Digital Darkroom

   Even though the argument will always be there that there is no match to photographs you get with film camera, the underlying truth is that the result of the film cameras depend a lot on good quality photo-lab, where the photographs are developed. Take this lesson from here and imply to digital photography as well. Giving final finishing touches in digital darkroom is equivalent to Ansel Adams approaches to make great images; like edge burning, split toning and the likes. The great photographs are not always straight from the camera, they need the post dust to live up to your expectations and the liking of the viewers.

6. Use The Histogram

   A bonus tip by Jim Egerton (see comments). The histogram is a critical piece of information that you get from your DSLR. Daytime or dark, irrespective of whether you are able to see the camera screen, you can always take a look at the histogram to figure out the proper exposure. This is one critical difference between using film cameras and digital photography. Remember though that histograms can trick you (under certain conditions). But without a histogram, perhaps the only other way to assess the photograph is the digital camera screen which doesn’t work too well in daylight. Thanks Jim!

Let’s make it to ten. Share your tips in the comments below!