Tuesday, 31 March 2015

10 Tips To Get Overcoming Photographer’s Block

Going through a creative rut can be frustrating, and sometimes scary, but it is usually temporary. Photographer’s block can happen to you at any time. It’s up to you to turn it into a positive experience and grow in the process.


Get lost on purpose! Grab your camera with no goal in mind and you will soon see something that triggers your photographic eye.


1-Push yourself, take risks and make mistakes.

The saying is not that we learn from our successes, but that we learn from our mistakes! Experiment with different techniques and genres and don’t be afraid to fail.

 

2-Get out of your comfort zone.

Try something that seems completely out of character for you. If you are a rather shy person, go out and shoot some street photography or make street portraits of strangers! You never know whether you are going to love it or hate it until you try it.

 

3-Spend time with other photographers.

More often than not, we are the only ‘photography nut’ in our family. It can be very frustrating at times but we cannot force others to love the craft as much as we do. As long as your family is supportive of your passion, don’t expect them to share your excitement every time you see something that turns you on photographically. Get together with other photographers by joining or creating a photo walk group in your area. You will get your fix and grow as a photographer by seeing and learning something new with each outing.

 

4-Take a class.

Whether it is in a physical classroom or online, taking a photography class can help you get your groove back. Participating in a workshop, whether it’s a day long in your hometown or a week-long adventure in an exotic location, will definitely help motivate you.

 

5-Seek inspiration.

Visit museums and art galleries. Look at photography and other art forms such as paintings and sculptures. Pick up a large book of photographs from artists you’ve long admired and slowly page through it, paying attention to the composition, light and story. Look at the work of emerging artists on line. The goal is to immerse yourself in something beautiful.

 

6-Become a mentor.

Go out with someone who just picked up a camera and help them get started. I can guarantee you that sharing your love for photography and technical knowledge with someone who is just learning will rekindle your creativity. You will learn something in the process and feel really good about yourself.

 

7-Get lost on purpose!

Don’t think about what you are going to shoot, just get out with your camera. Something will trigger your photographic eye along the way.

 

8-Pick a theme.

It may be as simple as photographing the color yellow, reflections in puddles or people walking their dogs. Leaving the house with a theme in mind will keep you focused and turn your photo walk into a treasure hunt.

 

9-Start a project.

Commit yourself to a long term project such as a 52-week project or a series of self portraits. Get extra motivation by doing it as part of a group via your favorite social media platform.

 

10-Try new gear!

Borrow or rent a new lens for a weekend. Try something fun like shooting with a fish eye lens or a tilt-shift. Easier yet, you can experiment with a camera phone and fun Apps!

Sunday, 29 March 2015

4 Tips For Sharper Images

                                                                        Lavish Photography


Have you ever finished a shoot thinking that your images are perfectly sharp on your LCD screen, only to find that, once they are on your monitor, they aren’t quite as sharp as you thought they were? Here are a few tips to help you achieve sharper images.

 

1. Your Lens

We often read that opening your lens as wide as it will go is a best practice because it lets the maximum amount of light into the camera, and creates a blurred background. However, this is not always the case, and you might want to try avoiding opening your lens as far as it will go. If your lens will open to f/1.4, try stopping it down to f/2.8. If you have your lens wide open, you run the risk of having only part of your subject in focus (for example, their eyes will be in sharp focus, but the rest of their face will be slightly blurry) or, if you are shooting more than one person, the person your camera focuses on will be sharp, while the other person (or the rest of the group) will not be sharp. Adjusting the aperture just a couple of stops will still let enough light into the camera and create a blurred background, but more of your subject will be sharp.

 

2. Your Camera

If your camera moves too much while you are shooting, you will slightly blur your subject. This is often referred to as camera shake. If you are shooting without a tripod, make sure to gently press the shutter. Even if you have steady hands, if you press the shutter too vigorously, you can create a slight camera shake that will cause a blur that is not visible until the images are viewed or printed large. If you have unsteady hands like I do, you may want to try using a tripod. If I am excited, happy or nervous, my hands ALWAYS shake, no matter what! So, I use a tripod as much as I possibly can. Using a tripod may seem impractical at first, but the more you use it, the more comfortable it becomes. Personally, I prefer to take that extra step to make sure my subject isn’t blurry!

 

3. Your Subject

Depending on your subject, you will need to adjust your shutter speed accordingly. If you have a fast-moving subject, you’ll need a fast shutter speed. However, if you are shooting portraits, or your subject has very little movement, you can get away with a slower shutter speed.
Also related to shutter speed is the focal length of your lens. There is a (very) general rule of thumb that associates focal length with your minimum shutter speed to avoid camera shake. The equation: minimum shutter speed = 1/Focal Length (in millimeters). So, if you have an 80mm lens, your minimum shutter speed would be 1/80th of a second. Or, if you have a 50mm lens, the minimum would be 1/50th of a second. This is just a general rule of thumb, and the minimum shutter speed you can achieve also depends greatly on the steadiness of your hand. Like I said earlier, I have unsteady hands when I get excited (and I always get excited when I’m shooting!) so I usually take my focal length and multiply it by 4, and that is my minimum shutter speeds. So, if I am shooting with a 50mm lens, 50 X 4 = 200, so 1/200th is my minimum shutter speed to avoid camera shake.

 

4. Shooting in RAW

If you are shooting in RAW, once you import your images to Lightroom or Camera Raw, your image will appear less sharp than it did on your LCD screen. At this point, if you are using Lightroom, you will need to tweak the Sharpness and/or Clarity in your post-processing. Don’t overdo it, though! A little bit of sharpening goes a long way!
 
                                                                                            Lavish Photography

Exposure Guide




Exposure Guide: Road to Photography


As an amateur photographer, I found this infographic to be immensely enlightening as to how cameras work and the terminology that goes along with camera mechanics.

It seems that exposure is usually the first lesson learned when it comes to understanding photography. The shutter speed or exposure time is the amount of time that the camera’s shutter is open–letting light reach the film or image sensor on your camera. As the graph shows, the longer the shutter speed, the more likely you are to get motion blur in your photo.

The aperture of the lens affects the image as well. The larger the opening, the more light will be exposed. So, if you want a more ‘in focus’ picture in daylight, reduce the aperture size so that the image will become darkened as less light enters.

Finally, there is film speed. This is the measure of a photographic film’s sensitivity to light, determined by sensitometry and measured on various numerical scales. The ISO system is used to measure the sensitivity of digital imaging systems. Insensitive film requires more light exposure to produce a similar image density that you would get from more sensitive film. This is referred to as ‘slow film’. The other end of the spectrum, ‘fast films’ are highly sensitive. This reduction of exposure in higher sensitivities, in both digital and film photography, generally leads to reduced image quality. Thus, the higher sensitivity creates a ‘grainier’ image.

 

 






(Note: this image is belong to www.photoffiliaer.com to understand the blog)

 

Friday, 27 March 2015

5 most importent Elements of Composition use in Photography

 

Good Composition is a key element of good photographs yet is something that is hard to define.
Instead of looking at composition as a set of ‘rules’ to follow – I view it as a set of ingredients that can be taken out of the pantry at any point and used to make a great ‘meal’ (photograph). Alternatively I’ve often described it as a set of ‘tools’ that can be taken out of one’s compositional tool belt at any given time in the construction of a great image.
The key is to remember that in the same way as a chef rarely uses all the ingredients at their disposal in any dish – that a photographer rarely uses all of the ingredients of composition in the making of an image.
Today I’d like to look at five of the ingredients (or tools, or elements) of composition that I draw on in my photography. They’re not ‘rules’ – just things that I consider when setting up a shot.

Pattern


There are patterns all around us if we only learn to see them. Emphasizing and highlighting these patterns can lead to striking shots – as can high lighting when patterns are broken.

Symmetry

 

Depending upon the scene – symmetry can be something to go for – or to avoid completely.
A symmetrical shot with strong composition and a good point of interest can lead to a striking image – but without the strong point of interest it can be a little predictable. I prefer to experiment with both in the one shoot to see which works best.

Texture

Images a two dimensional thing yet with the clever use of ‘texture’ they can come alive and become almost three dimensional.
Texture particularly comes into play when light hits objects at interesting angles.

Depth of Field 

The depth of field that you select when taking an image will drastically impact the composition of an image.
It can isolate a subject from its background and foreground (when using a shallow depth of field) or it can put the same subject in context by revealing it’s surrounds with a larger depth of field.

Lines

Lines can be powerful elements in an image.
They have the power to draw the eye to key focal points in a shot and to impact the ‘feel’ of an image greatly.
Diagonal, Horizontal, Vertical and Converging lines all impact images differently and should be spotted while framing a shot and then utilized to strengthen it.
These are just some of the elements of composition that I consider in my photography. They reflect my own style and personality but there are plenty more.













(Note- All components use in this blog is collect from other sites or blog, purpose to provide information to people, to help them in there photography project.)