7 Ways to Create Powerful Photos with Colour.
Feb 12, 2010 Tips & Techniques
1. Use Strong, Bold Colours.
2. Use Subtle, Pastel Colours.
3. Use One Colour Against a Neutral Background.
4. Let One Colour Dominate.
5. Colour Balance.
6. Colour Temperature.
7. Colour and Emotion.
Read more about the above tips at http://photo.tutsplus.com/articles/7-ways-to-create-powerful-photos-with-colour/.
Reducing Camera Noise.
Dec 17, 2009 Tips & Techniques
I came across these three simple Photoshop steps to reduce the camera noise in your photos. This can be very helpful as I do have quite a number of ‘noisy’ pictures since I am not so fond of using flash. Most of the time, I would rather use a higher ISO than use a flash. Anyway, for the steps.
Step 1
Duplicate the background layer. You can do this by simply dragging the background layer into the New Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers window.
Step 2
Change the Layer Blending Mode from ‘Normal’ to ‘Color’.
Step 3
Apply Gaussian Blur Filter from the Filter menu. The amount of blur will determine the amount of reduction. Be careful not to over-blur because adding too much blur will de-saturate the color information in your image.
You can read more about this at http://digital-photography-school.com/.
Better Night Photos With A Point And Shoot Camera.
Oct 11, 2009 Photography, Tips & Techniques, Tips & Tricks
I am learning a lot from DPS. This set of tips for taking night photos with a point and shoot camera is very informative. I rarely bring our DSLR and have our digicam instead. With this help, I can maximize the use of my digicam.
1. Use A Longer Shutter Speed
2. Try Different Shutter Speeds
3. Find Something Sturdy
4. Breath Easy And Squeeze
5. Fiddle With ISO
6. Use Noise Reduction If You Have It
Tips for Young Family Portraits.
Oct 11, 2009 Photography, Tips & Techniques, Tips & Tricks
I find these tips for photographing family, especially those with little kids very helpful.
1. Interact with the children.
2. Avoid “posing”.
3. Follow the child.
4. Be shutter happy.
5. Be ready for anything.
You can read the complete article from Digital Photography School.
Stop Wishing For That Amazing Camera.
Feb 26, 2009 Tips & Techniques
…and appreciate the one you’ve got.
A very nice article I snagged from Digital Photography School.
All cameras have are essentially the same thing, a shutter that exposes light on a light-sensitive surface. Sure, there are differences in engineering tolerances and technical ranges and the latest technology. But Ansel Adams didn’t have today’s latest gadget. He had know-how, and practice.
The real difference between an average photo and an amazing photo, is the photographer, not the camera.
Here’s how you can make your camera amazing. It just takes a little bit of work.
1 Read your camera manual. If you don’t have it anymore, you can probably find it online. Learn every feature and aspect of the camera you have. It will take amazing pictures if you know how to use it properly.
2 Take your camera with you everywhere you go, and take lots of photos. Take photos of everything. Find something uninteresting and find a way to make it interesting. That is the essence of art.
3 Practice in manual mode. All cameras have a manual mode take a photo and change a single setting. Then change that one setting and take another photo. In my opinion this is the best way to understand the manipulation of light.
4 Make each photo count. One of the biggest downfalls of digital photography is the ability to take so many photos so easily for so little monetary investment. So we buy a cheap camera and snap away, hardly taking a thought to what is in the view finder. STOP! Think about your next photo, then take the time to make it amazing. You’ll start thinking like a photographer and your photos will improve ten fold.
5 Keep your best photos in a special place, discard the rest. Professional photographers take thousands of and show only their best to the client. Take photos for you, you are your own client. One day you’ll look back and be amazed at your work.
Now get to work.
So I really don’t need a new camera after all. Oh well. Off to search for barcode scanners.
Shooting The Holidays.
Dec 30, 2008 Tips & Techniques
I just came across these various tips and guides on photographing the holidays. Too bad, I was too busy with holiday errands, house chores {which reminds me that I need to organize the spare room and dispose unused stuff like old bags and luggage} and last minute shopping that I never got read most of my feeds from Bloglines. And I missed those holiday shooting tips compiled by Photojojo. But I still have my tree up. Let’s see if I can squeeze in some time to try some of the tips.
The Ten Commandments of Photography.
Dec 3, 2008 Photography, Tips & Techniques
Another article I dug from my bloglines clippings.
1. ALWAYS Know Your Equipment - Know how to use your equipment, know what all the settings and options do, and know how they affect your photography. Be comfortable with your camera.
2. NEVER Try Too Hard - Have fun and learn as you go. The hard stuff will start to come naturally; you’ll just get frustrated if you try forcing it.
3. ALWAYS Break The Rules - Maybe not always, but don’t be afraid to do it. Know the rules of photography well enough to know how to properly break them.
4. ALWAYS Rediscover Yourself - Don’t forget about your past photos. Go back through them, look at them in new ways, and make something of them.
5. ALWAYS Try New Things - Don’t hesitate to alter compositions while shooting, use your equipment in a non-traditional way, explore the camera settings while shooting, and try new post processing techniques.
6. ALWAYS Mimic Those Who Inspire You - If you like an artist or a photo, figure out why. Apply that to your own work and mix it with other styles you’ve picked up.
7. NEVER Forget Your Roots - What got you into photography? If you’re ever lacking inspiration, go back to your roots. For me, it’s my kids.
8. ALWAYS Do It For Yourself - Don’t take pictures that you think other people will like. If you like them, that’s all that counts.
9. ALWAYS Get Your Priorities Straight - Your camera gear is expensive. Your pictures are worth more than money. But your knowledge of photography is invaluable.
10. NEVER Stop Learning - I try to apply this philosophy to life in general. You’ll never cease to be amazed at the things you can learn. And my favorite saying “The more you learn, the less you know” is so dang true.
Source: http://blog.epicedits.com/.
9 Photoshop Techniques.
Dec 1, 2008 Photoshop, Photoshop Tutorials, Tips & Techniques
I was browsing my bloglines clippings and came across these great post-processing tips.
High Contrast Color.
Boosting the contrast in a color photo can produce some stunning results. Bump up the contrast, play with the colors, and add that sort of “grunge” mood to your photo.
Vintage Look.
Making a photo look older than it really is gives it a lot of character and mood. To get this look, you can toy with color saturation, color tinting, and adding imperfections.
Lomo Look.
The real lomo photos have a very distinct look to them, but it’s a look that can be replicated through post-processing. They tend to be saturated in a very interesting way.
You can find more tips and photos at Epic Edits blog.
