Archive for the 'Photography tips' Category

Get out and take lots of photos

Published on August 26, 2011 in Photography tips. 0 Comments
This entry is part 3 of 8 in the series Photography tips

Photos don’t take themselves and like anything else you need to practise a lot to get good at something. So get out there and take pictures. Select different times of day, different weather conditions to get a “feel” of what you can achieve.

“Nothing happens when you sit at home. I always make it a point to carry a camera with me at all times…I just shoot at what interests me at that moment.”
Elliott Erwitt

Your light metre lies to you

Published on August 20, 2011 in Photography tips. Closed
This entry is part 2 of 8 in the series Photography tips

Your light metre LIES to you. Your light meter will only give a “correct” reading for MEDIUM TONES ie middle blues, reds, greens, yellows, greys etc. If you meter DARK TONES your metre will suggest settings that will result in a LIGHTER TONE in the final photograph ie a black cat will come out “greyish”.

In the same way, if you metre LIGHT TONES your meter will suggest settings that will result in a DARKER tone in the final photograph ie white snower will come out “greyish”.

In both these cases you will need to compensate by under-overexposing in the case of the black cat (this will render the cat really black) and over-exposing in the case of snow (this will render the snow white).

This is the same no matter how expensive your camera. This is one of the reasons you will frequently get badly exposed shots when using the automatic mode on your camera.

“Photography helps people to see.”
Berenice Abbott

Set your camera to MANUAL

Published on April 27, 2011 in Photography tips. Closed
This entry is part 1 of 8 in the series Photography tips

If you really want to learn how to use your camera properly use your camera in MANUAL MODE  :

  1. Set ISO, shutter speed and aperture combinations manually
  2. Set whitebalance manually
  3. Focus manually and use the stop down button to previsualize your depth of field
  4. Use a range of fixed focal length lenses as opposed to zoom lenses.

Then go out and practise – select a subject and take lots of shots using different combinations. Practise in different light conditions, compose differently (look at different photography books to get inspiration). See what you like and try to reproduce these effects.

Once you have mastered using your camera in manual mode you can then practise using other modes : aperture priority, shutter speed priority and program mode.

“Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst.”
Henri Cartier-Bresson