How to Take Great Group Photos

From: http://digital-photography-school.com/

One of the most common types of digital photographs is the ‘group photo‘. They happen everywhere from weddings, to camps, to parties, to sporting teams, to school etc.

Thousands of group photos must be taken each day around the world - but unfortunately many of them leave those taking them disappointed with the results. Common problems include:

• one or more subjects always seem to be looking away or in different directions (ie at different photographers)
• subjects blinking (there’s always one)
• someone being missing from the photo
• different moods in the group (some smiling, some serious, some playing up to the camera etc)
• the group being too far away or not all fitting into the shot

While there will always be such challenges with Group Photos there are a number of things you can do to help improve your chances of getting the shot you’re after:

1. Prepare

There is nothing that will make of people posing for a photograph turn upon you faster than you not being prepared. People don’t like to be kept waiting so think ahead about some of the following aspects of your photo:

• scope out the location of your shot before hand
• think ahead about how you will pose people and frame your shot
• one of the group’s head hiding behind another person
• make sure everyone you want in the shot knows you want them a few minutes ahead of time
• make your your camera is on and has charged batteries

Photo by Erin

2. Location

The place that you have your group stand is important to group shots for a number of reasons. For starters it can give the photo context - for example a shot of a sporting team on their playing field means more than a shot of them in front of a brick wall. The other reason that choosing locations carefully is important is that it can have distractions in it.

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Choose a position where your group will fit, where there is enough light for the shot and where there is no distractions in the background. Also avoid setting up a group shot directly in front of a window where the light from your flash might reflect back in a way that destroys your shot.

3. Take Multiple Shots

One of the best ways to avoid the problems of not everyone looking just right in a shot is to take multiple photos quickly. I often switch my camera into continuous shooting mode when taking group shots and shoot in short bursts of shots. I find that the first shot is often no good but that the one or two directly after it often give a group that looks a little less posed and more relaxed.

Similarly - shoot some frames off before everyone is ready - sometimes the organization of a group shot can be quite comical with people tell each other where to go and jostling for position.

Also mix up the framing of your shots a little if you have a zoom lens by taking some shots that are at a wide focal length and some that are more tightly framed.

Photo by Mark MacClean

4. Get in Close

Try to get as close as you can to the group you’re photographing (without cutting some members of it out of course). The closer you can get the more detail you’ll have in their faces - something that really lifts a shot a lot.

If your group is a smaller one get right in close to them and take some head and shoulder shots. One effective technique for this is to get your small group to all lean their heads in close to enable you to get in even closer. Another way to get in closer is to move people out of a one line formation and stagger them but putting some people in front and behind.

5. Pose the group

In most cases your group will pose itself pretty naturally (we’ve all done it before). Tall people will go to the back, short people to the front. But there are other things you can do to add to the photo’s composition:

• If the event is centered around one or two people (like a wedding or a birthday) make them the central focal point by putting them right in the middle of the group (you can add variation to your shots by taking some of everyone looking at the camera and then everyone looking at the person/couple).
• For formal group photos put taller members in the group not only towards the back of the group but centered with shorter people on the edges of the group.
• Try not to make the group too ‘deep’ (ie keep the distance between the front line of people and the back line as small as you can). This will help to keep everyone in focus. If the group is ‘deep’ use a narrower aperture.
• Tell everyone to raise their chins a little - they’ll thank you later when they see the shot without any double chins!

Photo by andrew.smith

6. Timing Your Shoot Well

Pick the moment for your shot carefully. Try to choose a time that works with what is happening at the gathering that you’re at. I find it best to do a group shot when the group is already close together if possible and when there is a lull in proceedings.

Also towards the start of events can be a good time as everyone is all together, they all look their best and if there is alcohol involved no one is too under the weather yet.

7. Think about Light

In order to get enough detail in your subjects you need to have sufficient light. The way you get this varies from situation to situation but consider using a flash if the group is small enough and you are close enough for it to take effect - especially if the main source of light is coming from behind the group.

If it’s a bright sunny day and the sun is low in the sky try not to position it directly behind you or you’ll end up with a collection of squinting faces in your shot.

8. Take Control

I’ve been in a number of group photos where the photographer almost lost control of his subjects by not being quick enough but also by not communicating well with their group of subjects. It is important to keep talking to the group, let them know what you want them to do, motivate them to smile, tell them that they look great and communicate how much longer you’ll need them for.

Also important is to give your subjects a reason to pose for the photograph. For example at a wedding you might motivate people to pose by saying ‘((insert name of couple being married here)) have asked me to get some group shots’ or at a sporting event ‘lets take a group photo to celebrate our win’. When you give people a reason to pose for you you’ll find they are much more willing to take a few minutes to pose for you.

Another very useful line to use with group is - ‘If you can see the camera it can see you’. This one is key if you want to be able to see each person’s face in the shot.

If there are more photographers than just you then wait until others have finished their shots and then get the attention of the full group otherwise you’ll have everyone looking in different directions.

Of course you don’t want to be a dictator when posing your group or you could end up with lots of group shots of very angry people. The best photographers know how to get people’s attention, communicate what they want but also keep people feeling relaxed and like they are having fun.

Photo by EssPea

9. For large groups

Large groups of people can be very difficult to photograph as even with staggering people and tiering to make the back people higher you can end up being a long way back to fit everyone in.

One solution to this is to find a way to elevate yourself as the photographer. If I’m photographing a wedding and the couple wants one big group shot I’ll arrange for a ladder to be present (I’ve even climbed up onto church roofs) to take a shot looking down on the group. In doing this you can fit a lot more people in and still remain quite close to the group (you end up with a shot of lots of faces in focus and less bodies). It also gives an interesting perspective to your shots - especially if you have a nice wide focal length.

10. Use a Tripod

There are a number of reasons why using a tripod when taking photographs of groups can be useful. Firstly a tripod communicates that you’re serious about what you’re doing and can help you get their attention (it’s amazing what a professional looking set up can make people do). Secondly it gives you as the photographer more freedom to be involved in the creation of the posing of your subjects. Set your camera up on your tripod so that’s ready to take the shot in terms of framing, settings and focus and then it will be ready at an instant when you get the group looking just right to capture the moment.

Photo by Austin Henry

11. Use an Assistant

If you have a very large group and assistant can be very handy to get the group organized well.

An assistant is also incredibly handy if you are taking multiple group shots (like at a wedding when you’re photographing different configurations of a family). In these cases I often ask the couple to provide me with a family or friend member who has a running sheet of the different groups of people to be photographed. I then get this person to ensure we have everyone we need in each shot. Having a family member do this helps to make sure you don’t miss anyone out but also is good because the group is familiar with them and will generally respond well when they order them around.

12. Smile

Yes YOU should smile! There’s nothing worse than a grumpy stressed out photographer. Have fun and enjoy the process of getting your shots and you’ll find the group will too. I usually come home from a wedding which I’ve photographed with an incredibly sore jaw-line from all the smiling because I find the best way to get the couple and their family to relax and smile is to smile at them. It really does work.

Enjoying this post - Digg it here

PS:

One more quick tip. Get a little Creative. Check out the shot below which is one of the more unique group photos that I’ve ever seen!

Photo by weaving major & tractor dan

Travel Photography

(From: schoolofphotography.com)

Ever look through travel magazines and books and envy the photographer who took the images? There is no doubt that travel photography is one of the most popular types of photography. In fact how many can raise their hands and admit their camera collects dust between trips? If there was a vote it would probably be a substantial amount.

It is obvious why this is the case. We wouldn't think twice about photographing our own surroundings, we take it for granted and because we see our local area so often, it doesn't inspire us. This is even true for people who live in parts of the world that are very photogenic such as Venice as shown in Fig T1 taken by SOP tutor Douglas Mann (aka: Photomann). You can see a very extensive travelogue from all parts of the world that Photomann has travelled on his website. http://www.photomann.com/

Once we go outside familiar surroundings everything looks fresh and the impact of seeing something different inspires us to photograph it. When we travel, we like to document our travels through photographs, mainly to show others on our return. Also when travelling, people are usually accompanied by family and friends and it gives us a chance to photograph them, which we rarely seem to have time to do at home.

Travel photographs aren't just about photographing places and the people you are with, but also the people who live there and the events that may take place in your destination. In fact travel photos can be broken down into three categories; People, places and events.

Photographing People

Images of people are an important part of documenting a visit. To many people, travel is about visiting strange and exotic locations. Don't forget though that it's the people who live in these locations that often add the "strange and exotic" to the location.

Sometimes it's not always the locals who add this element to a location, the visitors can often put in their share of the "strange and exotic".

Traditional fashions are often popular in travel portraiture. The image in fig T2 shows a Portuguese Gypsy in traditional black dress. She is also doing what most European Gypsies are famous for; selling goods at a market.

Photographing Places

There may be a number of reasons why we travel to a particular location. It could be to enjoy some fine weather, to visit well known attractions such as theme parks, to explore its history and historical landmarks, to enjoy its natural beauty or to visit friends and family.

Whatever the reason there will probably be well known landmarks or just scenes that immediately identify the location. Some would be very well known and others less so.

One well known natural landmark is the Rhine River in Germany shown in fig T3. The Rhine is steeped in history both ancient and modern. Today it is still a major thoroughfare for barges carrying cargo as well as tourist traffic. No photo of the Rhine is complete without a castle nestled near its shore.

Photographing Events

An event is often the reason for a visit to a specific place. These could be festivals, fairs, religious occasions or rituals. This may be your main reason for visiting. When planning a trip to any sort of destination, find out when these events are on and try to plan your trip during that time, even if its not your sole reason for visiting the locality.

Most popular destinations are done up to look their best for special events or occasions. What better event is a parade?

St. Patrick's Day parades take place all over the world, the more famous parades actually take place in the United States. But there is nothing to match the real thing; a St. Patrick's Day Parade in Ireland, home of St. Patrick (Fig T4).

Photography Tips - Nature Photography

From: schoolofphotography.com)

The term nature covers a wide variety of subjects. It can be anything from a small flower to a large mammal. Any subject that is totally "natural" can be classed as a suitable subject for a nature image. The image would not even have to be of a singular subject, it could be a group of animals or an entire natural landscape. So this gives us a very wide variety of subjects. The first rule of thumb any photographer should abide by when taking nature images is to keep it "natural". Exclude any signs of "the hand of man" in your images. Try to show your subject in its natural habitat if this is possible. If not make sure not to show any signs of human interference when taking a shot. Flowers and Plants Flowers of course, are very popular subjects to photograph. They are extremely colourful and are in easy access. Most flowers are large enough to fill the camera frame without any need of close up equipment. Fungi or mushrooms are another type of plant to keep in mind. Mushrooms like the one shown here (right) are very colourful. Other types of mushrooms or fungi can have great texture qualities. The photo above right is a good example of the different ways to explore nature through the lens of a camera. The most important aspect when taking photos of flowers or plants is to get them at their prime. Find a flower that is not showing signs of wilting but is fully developed. Make sure to exclude any signs of flower pots, fences, plant supports etc. If the flower or plant you are photographing is in a garden or greenhouse, isolate it by getting in close or fill the background with related plant life such as leaves etc.

Insects Insects are a very popular subject to photograph and are easily accessed. The trick for successful images of insects is to get in close. Most standard camera equipment can get respectably close but for that real punchy image macro or close-up lenses, filters or attachments would be necessary with most insects. Many insects are very fast moving and would be difficult to photograph under normal lighting conditions. Flash is a big help but try to keep the flash lighting as natural looking as possible. Use a remote flash (off camera flash) or a ring flash (lens mounted flash) for best results. Again the thing to get right is the location where the insect is taken. Ideally the insect should be in or on a natural location such as a flower or leaf. An insect on prepared food or any human implement would not be classed as a nature image.

Animals When presenting animals as a nature image, make sure it is not of the domesticated kind. Photos of pets like dogs and cats are NOT nature images. Other domesticated animals such as cattle, sheep and horses would not be classed as nature subjects either. It can be a bit difficult to find animals in their habitat for many people. Wild animals are usually shy creatures that are gone long before most of us have a chance to see them never mind photograph them. Patience, planning and perseverance are vital in order to photograph wild animals. Small subjects like birds, squirrels and reptiles like lizards and snakes are the most popular subjects for natural photography. These are mostly small and fairly fast. Birds are the most commonplace however and can make excellent subjects to photograph without too much difficulty. Again a bit of planning as to how to find these creatures in the right location is vital. Though not many of us get the chance to see wild animals in their natural habitat, especially of a bigger variety, we do have access to them in zoo's and parks. It is possible to take nature images in these circumstances. In this instance the same rules apply; exclude any sign of human interference. Cages and man-made structures should be excluded in photos that are taken in this situation. This photo of a Leopard was actually taken in a zoo. Careful composition has eluded any signs of a cage. Although this photo was taken through a fence, putting the lens in as close to the wire as possible and using a wide aperture has prevented showing its existence.

Natural Landscape Landscape photos can also be classed as Nature images. Photos of the landscape variety usually do quite well in many Nature competitions. Again the main point here is that the landscape should be totally natural. Every day however there is less and less areas of the world that do not have some form of human development or other. When first embarking on the quest for a "natural landscape" one may be forgiven thinking they are easy to come by. Natural landscapes, like other forms of nature photography should exclude any human interference. This means buildings, roads, telephone polls, paths, fences and ideally even farm animals. The best places to find natural landscapes would be National Parks or wildlife preserves. Even in these places however it is quite difficult to exclude man made structures. This photo was taken in Death Valley National Park in California. Locations such as this provide vast natural landscapes. Because great controls are in place to conserve and preserve areas such as this, human elements are usually at a minimum.

Nature and Man One area where "the hand of man" would be acceptable in a nature image is when the "story" of the image is about man's preservation or more commonly, destruction of nature. This would have to be depicted quite clearly in the image though for it to be a success. If one sits down and thinks about it, there is very little in the way of depicting man's preservation of nature in one image. There is unfortunately many ways to capture mans destruction of nature. Most of these images would not be "pretty" pictures but captured correctly can impact on a viewers feelings of disgust and sympathy. Remember that the impact of an image isn't always a pleasant one.

Learn How to Capture Action Shots

(From basic-digital-photography.com) Do you find it a problem to shoot great action shots? Whether you are shooting pictures of a soccer match, or a fast moving car, you may find it a great challenge to produce nice pictures of these subjects. In fact, the first thing you’ll realize is that digital Cameras are bad for action shots. That is why first time users, new to digital photography often gripe about how lousy their action shots turn out.

This article will give you some tips for shooting action shots with a digital camera. Apply these tips and I’m sure you have a better chance of getting a nice action shot.

A photo of a fast moving car

Shutter Lag

One of the major reasons why digital camera cannot shoot nice action shots is due to shutter lag. On many digital cameras, when you press the shutter button, it may take an entire second before the photo is taken. A traditional, analogue 35mm camera can take the picture within 50 milliseconds. There is a world of difference between 1 second and 50 milliseconds.

What this means is that you need to compensate for shutter lag when shooting action shots. Give extra time when framing your shot, so that when you depress the shutter button, the photo will get taken at precisely the right time. Another option, of course, if to get a higher end camera which offers less shutter lag.

Take Control Shots

Another factor influencing action photography is the shutter speed of your camera. If your camera allows a very fast shutter speed (say up to 1/8000 of a second), you can easily capture fast motion. If it only supports a slower shutter speed (say 1/640 of a second), then you won’t be able to capture such fast motion. One way to capture motion with a slow shutter speed is to use the panning technique. When you next shoot a fast action shot, try following through with the subject. Track the subject, shoot the picture, then continue moving the camera. If you practise long enough, you’ll be able to get a sharp subject with a blurred background – which is a nice effect.

Camera Write Times

The write time of the camera is also important when shooting action shots. Some cameras will chug away to store a picture in memory each time you press the shutter button. This, of course, is terrible for capturing action. One way around this is to ensure that your camera supports continuous shots. This way, the camera takes a fixed number of shots, before writing them all to memory at once.

Conclusion

We all know action photography is exciting and very interesting if the pictures are taken well. However, action shots pose a great challenge, especially to novice photographers. Do keep the above tips in mind the next time you take such shots, and I’m sure your results will be better.

Where Do You Store Your Digital Photos?

(From basic-digital-photography.com) Do you have a ton of photos in your collection? Perhaps you’ve been taking many photos over the holiday season or during your last vacation. Where do you store all those photos? This article will run through some ideas on digital photo storage so that you know how to approach the storage issue in future. Essentially, there are a few options you have when it comes to storing photos - memory cards, hard drives, CD/DVDs and online storage.

Using Memory Cards

Of course, one lazy way to ‘store’ your images is to leave them all in your camera’s memory card. Not a very good idea. For one thing, you need to clear out space in your camera’s memory card to take more photos, so you certainly should try storing them elsewhere. Think about it - if you’re snapping 5 megapixel images very frequently, I guarantee you that even a 1GB memory card will run out very quickly.

A SanDisk 512 MB CompactFlash memory card

Using Hard Drives

After you import your images from your camera to your computer (usually via a USB cable), you should have those pictures stored in your hard drive. Hard drives are pretty cheap these days. For $100, you can get a branded 160 GB hard disk (that’s enough to store about 32,000 pictures at 5 megapixel resolution each!).

The Seagate Barracuda 160 GB hard drive

Based on personal experience, I’d say the only problem with hard drives is the uncertainty of the data safety. I’m talking about hard disk crashes and virus infections. If your computer is used by all family members, there is a small chance the hard disk may crash due to virus infections (e.g. from surfing the web). To avoid this, I’d recommend using CDs and DVDs as your back option.

Using CDs and DVDs

Right – if you’re not using a memory card or hard drive to store photos, the next best option might be to use CDs or DVDs. A CD-R can typically store 650 MB worth of photos and a DVD-R can store 4GB of photos. You’ll need a CD burner or a DVD burner, along with a CD or DVD burning software to burn those photos. One good example of such software is Nero Burning ROM.

The Sony DRX710UL External DVD Burner

Personally, I prefer to store my photos in DVDs. When burning DVDs, I will set each DVD to be a multi-session DVD. This means I can burn, say, 1GB worth of photos on one session, leaving 3GB of DVD space for another burning session.

Storing Your Photos Online

Another good option is to store your photos online. You can either use online photo sharing sites or upload them to your own website . This is a great way to share your photos with friends and family without the hassles of emailing photos. Some of the photo sharing sites allow you to specify logon passwords for specific users to come online and view private photos. You can also read my guide on sharing your photos for more information.

Conclusion

Well, I hope you now have a better idea of how to store your photos. Besides using memory cards and hard drives, one can use CDs, DVDs or store them online. Whichever way you choose, remember to file them so that they are easy to find. Here’s a guide to organizing your photo collection to help you along. Good luck and remember to backup your treasured photo collection!

How to Choose a Tripod for Your Digital Camera

(From basic-digital-photography.com) Are you thinking of getting a digital camera tripod? Well, good for you! I feel that tripods really are a necessity if you’re serious about photography. Yes, they are big, bulky and quite painful to carry around - but they do wonders for the digital photos. They are particularly good for getting rid of that camera shake that creeps into your photos now and then.

In particular, tripods are particularly good for nature shots, macro-photography, long exposure shots, slow shutter speeds or low light situations. That makes it a very versatile accessory which must be in any photographer's toolbox.

This article will give you some tips for choosing a good tripod for your digital camera. Read on and find out more!

Check the Stability

Always make sure you check stability of the tripod when the legs are fully extended. Adjust the tripod to a proper height, then check if it wobbles after you apply some pressure to the top. If the tripod is made of sturdy material and is of good quality, it should remain firmly in place even with some pressure on it.

Can It Sustain the Camera's Weight?

Another thing to bear in mind when buying a tripod is the weight of your camera. Remember, if you have a professional digital SLR, the total weight of your camera, lenses and flash unit will make the whole setup pretty hefty. Make sure that tripod can carry the total load.

In general, I'd avoid the plastic models. Yes, they’re lightweight and cheap, but you want to trust it with your camera. A heavy tripod, made of magnesium alloy, titanium or carbon fiber is much better. Though slightly more costly, they will last you a long time and are much suited for rough photographic situations.

Check the Head

Tripods come with a head to which your camera is attached. Some of the tripods come with one that’s removable, which will allow you to just buy whichever type you like. Some come with one that is not removable, and your stuck with it. So shop carefully.

Heads tend to come in two categories - the pan and tilt heads and the ball and socket heads. Both have advantages and disadvantages. The pan and tilt heads move up and down, left to right. The ball and socket type allow you to position the camera in any direction, is nice for moving your camera around while on the tripod.

Check the Height

One more thing - remember to check for the height of the tripod. How does the tripod extend? What are its maximum, minimum and folded heights? And most importantly, do the heights fit you? This can really vary depending on the type of photographs you take.

Brand Name Tripods

There are many brands of tripods out there - many beginner digital photographers end up buying lower quality ones. Remember, a cheaper price doesn't always mean the tripod is of a better quality. I prefer to go for quality brand names like Sunpak, Slik or Vanguard. One of my favorite tripods for general usage is the I use is the Sunpak 6601UT tripod as shown below.

The Sunpak 6601UT Tripod

Conclusion

Great! Hopefully you've now learnt a thing or two about choosing a proper tripod for your digital photography exploits. Trust me, a tripod is a really useful tool - something that you will need sooner or later if you're serious about photography.

5 Basic Digital Camera Terms You Need to Know

(From basic-digital-photography.com) Being familiar with the terminology used in any subject of interest in is always useful, and digital cameras are no exception. Although most digital cameras available on the market allow you to simply point your camera and quickly snap a picture with the touch of a button, there is often a lot more going on behind the scenes than you may have realized. All sorts of things happen in the camera once the shutter button is pressed.

Put simply, understanding the most important terms about digital cameras will allow you to make a better-informed purchase of a new digital camera, let you have more control over your digital camera’s features, and help you to take the best quality photos possible.

1. Megapixel

When we use the term megapixel, we are referring to the maximum resolution at which a digital camera can take photos in millions of pixels. This means that a camera with a range of 4 megapixels can take photos which each contain a maximum of 4 million pixels.

But what does this mean to the consumer? One word: quality. A higher megapixel count means better quality photos, and considering the price of digital camera getting lower all the time; you should try to stick with a digital camera that has a 3 megapixel range or above, especially if you intend of making prints of your photos.

2. Focal Length

Focal length is a term overlooked far too often in amateur photography, and refers to how much the lens of a camera can magnify a shot. Focal lengths are generally split into two categories, these being wide-angle and telephoto, which are better for spacious and narrow fields of view respectively.

Due to the ease of manufacturing telephoto lenses, digital camera manufacturers seem to provide wide-angle lenses in a lot less cameras, even though these lenses are better suited towards the type of photos that most people commonly take, including groups of friends and wide landscapes. To sum up, a wide-angle focal length is the better choice in most cases, with the 20mm and 35mm varieties catering to most people’s needs.

3. Digital Zoom

Unlike the focal length, digital zoom is a term that seems to be given a lot more attention than it deserves. Unlike optical zoom, which uses the physical lenses inside the camera to enlarge a scene, digital zoom electronically enlarges the pixels in the center area of a photo, meaning that any time you use the digital zoom function on your camera you are actually sacrificing the quality of your photos. It is a good idea to disable the digital zoom function all together to stop this from happening.

4. ISO

The term ISO stands for the International Standards Organization, but what does this have to do with your digital camera? The organization sets standards for photography, and the ISO range of a camera refers to how sensitive the camera is to light.

For instance, a low ISO number (100 or under) is not very sensitive to light, and is best for shots in good lighting conditions. A higher ISO range means that the camera will be suitable for photography in darker conditions, so it is best to look for a camera that has an adjustable range; ISO 100 to 400 should be adequate for most people’s needs.

5. Shutter Lag

Shutter lag refers to the time between pressing the button to take a photograph and the time when the picture actually gets taken. This may not seem a very important factor when buying a camera, but think of it this way: if you have to wait a second or longer for a photo to be taken, like with many older and inexpensive digital cameras, then chances are that you won’t end up with the photo you desired. Many camera manufacturers do not list the shutter lag time for their cameras, so the best way to find this out is by testing a camera before you buy.

Conclusion

Hopefully this article has helped you to better understand some of the most important terms used when referring to digital cameras, and in turn will help you to choose the digital camera that best suits your needs. I think that testing a digital camera before you make a purchase can help greatly when it comes to making a final decision, and it makes sense to do so; you may be using the camera you choose to capture your memories for years to come!

How to take care of your Camera Equipment

(From: http://phototip.blogspot.com)

Ok, so maybe you don't have a $3,000 camera, or the expensive lenses that go with it, but you've put in a tidy sum to get your camera gear, and I'm sure you'd like a couple of ideas on how to keep that gear ship-shape and humming all the time.

Keep it in use
Keeping your gear in use is one of the best ways to ensure that its working when you need it. Buying an expensive lens and storing it away in your closet is not going to keep it nice and well. You want to keep it in shape?Use it... Using the lenses and cameras that you have keeps the gears, motors and hinges lubricated and rust free. It keeps you lenses aerated and free of fungus (if you're not in an excessively humid area) and your camera's springs and gears lively and full of punch!

More than anything else, it keeps the photography gears running in your head. Remember, we talked about that...

Control the humidity when possible
Its important to keep your lenses in a moderately humid area, especially if you live near the coast or in a humid region. Excess humidity helps fungal growth in your lenses, which, over time will lead to poor image quality and softness. Once fungal growth has begun, its almost impossible to remove it completely without damaging the lens's coating. Low humidity (below 20%) could dry out the lubricant.

In this case, prevention certainly is better than cure... And prevention is easy, just make sure that your lenses are in air-tight containers and that you have fresh indicative silica gel inside, along with those lenses. Don't use too much though, a couple of sachets should do for most situations.

Keep them away from vibrations
Any delicate machinery should be kept away from vibrating surfaces. Vibrations make screws get loose in their threads and eventually fall out... Consider that your camera's shutter is a delicate part and that a loose screw getting in between it while its moving could ruin it completely. Vibrations could also mess up the various delicately calibrated parts other than the shutter...

Make sure that your camera bag is well padded on the sides and the bottom so that vibrations are dampened to the maximum possible extent.

Clean it often, and keep it clean
A good assumption to make is that your camera is allergic to dust. Wipe its nose, will you? and keep it wiped...

Dust, sand and moisture are a camera's worst enemies and the worst you can do is to keep it in an environment with these elements around...

• Dust gets jammed in inconvenient places and is very hard to get rid of once it enters your camera body.
• Sand is extremely abrasive and could instantly jam any moving part in a camera.
• Moisture/water and electronics do not mix. They go together like, well, electricity and water... a lethal combination. Keep your camera as dry as possible, even if the manufacturer claims that the camera is weather-proof. In addition, moisture is bad for your lenses, remember? fungus...

Cleaning your camera equipment takes care of dust that could enter the camera body, makes sure that you don't have sand around the lens mount when you change lenses, and safe storage keeps moisture out of the equation.

Use UV filters on your lenses
The front element of your lens is always exposed to the open. Getting fingerprints, dust and often, horrible scratches on the lens element are not all that rare occurances. Getting an Ultra-Violet filter for your lens keeps your lens one step away from these disastrous events. You can leave them on all the time as they have a very minor effect on the resulting photographs...

In general, pamper them, but not too much
Your cameras have to be taken care of, kept clean and charged, but you do have a life beyond the camera. At the end of the day, your camera is just metal, plastic and glass; people need to be taken care of a lot more... and you also have those photographs to take...

Lenses for Portrait Photography

(From: http://phototip.blogspot.com)

Portrait Lenses

by saisiv

A good 'Portrait lens' should be able to separate the person being photographed from the background and feature him/her in a pleasing perspective.

Imagine that you’re taking a photograph of a beautiful model out-doors, near a forest, under the shade of some massive evergreen trees with gigantic ferns in the background (don't look to the left, picture this in your mind). You’d want to get the model in sharp focus but if the ferns are also in focus, they’d just add clutter to the photograph. In this case, a telephoto lens set at a nice, wide aperture will give you a shallow depth of field, separating the model and the background. If you’re just using natural light with some reflectors, the added advantage of having a fast lens is that you’ll be able to shoot at faster shutter speeds!

The best range of focal lengths
Most photographers use a zoom lens in the 85-135mm range for most of their portrait photography. Some of the faster lenses in this range of focal lengths come with apertures as wide as f/2.8 and f/1.8. Canon’s EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS lens is one such lens.

You’ll also want a lens that enables you to stand a reasonable distance away from the subject. Long focal lengths help with that… Staying away from the subject and taking portraits with a 70mm or 135mm lens has two major benefits.

1. The first is that it gives the sitter’s face a pleasing perspective. Noses are not enlarged and sticking into the camera while ears disappear into the distance; instead they are nicely proportionate to each other.
2. The second is that you will be able to give the model or sitter some space instead of intruding into their personal space. This always makes the sitter more comfortable, making for a more productive shoot.

At the same time, you don’t want to be too far away from the sitter, making it difficult to communicate… Also, you may not have all that much space! Taking a full length portrait of a 5’ 10” model with a 200mm lens would require you to stand about 30-40 feet away! So, extremely long focal length lenses are generally given a miss for this category unless you’re doing some really tight close-ups, in which case it would generally be cheaper to take a couple of steps forwards!

Alternate Focal lengths

by Shutupyourface

The 70-200mm lens we talked about earlier is great if you’re doing half-length or close up shots, but if you’re taking full length, or group portraits, you may want to add a wider zoom to your repertoire of lenses to give your photographs some variety. A wide-to-medium-telephoto lens is usually good for this usage. I use the Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L lens but have to keep reminding myself to stay at the telephoto end of the lens. A good way to remind yourself not to go wide is to set a marker at a safe distance away from the model and to remain behind it at all times. This will ensure that you don't distort the sitter's features beyond their most pleasing proportions.

Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule and sometimes a portrait taken with a wide-angle lens could emphasise a certain quirky aspect of your sitter’s personality, so remember, there is always room for a couple of pictures taken with non-standard focal lengths and angles…

Portraits with a Prime Lens
Some photographers prefer to use 'Prime lenses' (also called block lenses) for portraiture because of the increased sharpness over zoom lenses. The Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L is one of the major candidates for this as many photographers feel that the perspective and bokeh. Many photographers also like using 105mm and 135mm prime lenses for their portrait photography. However, using a prime lens means that you have to keep 'shunting' forwards and backwards to get your framing right.


Here are some popular ‘Portrait lenses’ for Nikon and Canon Cameras

Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L
Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM

Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8G ED-IF AF-S VR Zoom
Nikon 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED-IF AF-S VR Zoom
Nikon 85mm f/1.8D AF
Nikon 135mm f/2.0D AF DC

8 ways to keep your compositions simple

(From: http://phototip.blogspot.com)

First the why

Why would you want to leave things out of a frame? More the merrier, right? The bigger, the better, right? Umm… sometimes, yes… But not here. You see, when people look at a photograph, they expect to understand what it is you’re trying to communicate right away, without having to wait. Today, when everybody uploads about 20-200 pictures to flickr a day, you really do have to have an eye catching photograph for it to stand out at all… you could do that by having a great subject, or by having a simple subject and simplifying it further. Remember, less is more!

Now the how:

1. Go in close to the subject. This could either mean moving closer physically, or changing your lens to a longer focal length one or if its something small, it could mean changing to a macro setup.
2. Cut the Clutter. Very often we fail to realise that there are elements inside the frame that are not really needed. Remove anything that does not ‘belong’ in the frame. It could be as simple as taking a step to the side to remove the interfering bum of a relative while photographing your nephew at Christmas, but it could make a vast difference.
3. Keep an eye on the background. Backgrounds are very important. They contribute to the mood of a photograph no matter how much out of focus they are. If your photograph has a background, make sure that it does not interfere with your foreground elements and distract the viewer from the experience that you’re trying to share.
4. Fill the frame. This is a great way to get rid of an interfering background. Step in close, and fill the frame with your subject. If you’re doing a portrait of a child, go down to her level and fill the frame with a tight close up.
5. Use backgrounds to your advantage. This may sound like a contradiction to the previous two points, but let me assure you that it’s not. What I mean is that when you have a clean, clear background, make use of it. You can always use ‘white-space’ to de-clutter a photograph, bringing the subject into clear relief. When doing this, remember that if you can find a textured background without many distinguishing marks, this will do very nicely too.
6. Use simple light. A couple of photographers have told me, “there’s only one sun, so why should I use 4 lights” what they mean is that the more directional lights you have, the more unrealistic your photograph will look. While this is not always a bad thing, you may want to take simple photographs with clear cut lighting so that the lighting does not take meaning away from your subject.
7. Use simple colours. Yes, even the hues and shades of a photograph can make it either complex or simple. Try to make sure that your compositions don't have too many colours. Very often, a photograph can be sufficiently varied, yet simple, by simply having various shades of the same colour.
   
8. Above all, keep your equipment simple, stupid. Very often we get carried away with all the lenses and gadgetry that we may own. I know that I do, but I try to remind myself to choose the lens that I’m most likely to use, with maximum advantage to me. That way, when it comes to crunch time, and there’s a photograph you’re about to take, you know exactly what you have in hand, and you’ll be able to make the most of that. It’s all too easy to find yourself changing lenses when you come across that rare tiger spotting… or while your child is taking her first few steps.

Remember, always to breathe deeply and relax when you find that you’re not sure about what you're going to do. Then, remember these 8 simple steps and you’re on your way to taking some remarkably simple, yet memorable pictures.

Photo Project: Photo Stories

(From: http://phototip.blogspot.com)

Back to school, Baby! We're doing essays!

photo by arndalarm

Don't you remember how you hated doing essays in school? First you had to come up with a topic, or you'd be assigned one, then you'd have to research the essay, make notes and finally write the essay! Oh, the piles of books that would have to be read and sometimes referenced! and do you remember the library? [sigh] I mean, want to forget the library?

Well, now here's a chance to get back at the establishment!

Photo Stories, or photo essays are a sequence of photographs that tell a story by themselves when placed together. You'll see them frequently in magazines along with some text. One of my favourite sources of photo-stories is National Geographic magazine. You can usually understand most of whats happening just by looking at their photographs. Of course the content is gripping too, but for many people its the photographs that make the magazine what it is.

Now, down to business. It's easy to make a photo story. Choose a topic, preferably something which is close to your heart and easy to access for starters. Try doing something like "A day in the life of..." series for your family or just a series of photographs of something in your neighbourhood. This will get you in the mood for more challenging series...

You could then move on to more interesting time based stories, like capturing certain buildings and their interiors over the passage of a day, or a year! The working of a local charity, featuring the key people behind it and the work that they do, the people their work benefits would make an impressive photo story. Here's a decent attempt at capturing a Russian, Ilya, and the 44 disabled dogs that he cares for. The photo story is in Russian, but it could be in any language and not make much of a difference. The story is still there.

photo by Xylonets

Photo stories are most often seen in journalism and reportage of events as in this photo story about Riots in Dublin but there's no reason why they cant be used to tell interesting everyday stories too, like this "Story of a parrot" by Subhasish or Surreal stories like Xylonets' "If You Go Out to the Barn Tonight . . . You Better Not Go Alone" and this one about the "Modern Family" by bihua.

Remember that what you are trying to do is to capture the key moments that define what ever it is you are photographing. Try capturing emotions, locations, interaction between people, interactions between things - objects and places - and also capture some of the surroundings. Essential skills that you'll need will be good composition, a discerning eye for detail that could add meaning to the photograph and good communication skills (if your story is about people).

But, worry not if this list sounds daunting, for we are all learning... Thats why I asked you to start with an easy topic, remember? Doing photo-stories helps you to refine your skill in composition and portraiture, and if you're doing something outdoors, maybe even your landscape skills. Remember, there are no hard and fast rules as long as you capture the essence of what you are trying to convey.

Finishing it off
The ideal old-world finish to the photo-story is to print your pictures out and paste them in a photo-book with larger pictures wherever you want to emphasise the photograph and to show some extra detail in it. You could also put together a multimedia presentation like this one made by the baltimore sun. These days, its not all that difficult to do. Otherwise you can just put them together in a folder on your computer and number them 001, 002, and so on so that they are displayed in order when seen with a slide show software. [TIP:] The two zeros in front of numerals zero to nine ensure that they are not displayed just before ten and twenty.

8 Good Habits for Creative Photographers

From: http://phototip.blogspot.com

How do you derive inspiration for your picture-taking? How do you stay creative? How do you get creative to start with? I'm hoping to open up some answers here, but you're welcome to add to this list in the comments section.

Keep your mind open

by 'SeraphimC

There's nothing on this planet that can 'not inspire'. If you look at a piece of trash and say "How could I possibly be inspired by this?" you're not looking beyond the obvious. Here's a couple of different ways in which to look at a piece of trash:

• If it's an interesting piece of trash (not at all as rare as you may imagine), look for interesting shapes, colours, reflections, juxtapositions, etc...
• If its not, look around, look at it in the bigger social context. What can you find that is relevant (or irrelevant) 10, 15 or 20 feet from it. What are the kinds of people in the vicinity? are they affected by it's presence?
• Or you could just figure that the piece of trash should not be there in the first place... so why is it? you could do a series of pictures on why and how it got there.

So, you see, its only a matter of looking at it with the right mental perspective.

Practice
Practice helps you reach perfection, right? Keeps you tuned and humming, in sync with your chosen skill and the mastery over its functions that turns you from a mediocre user/artist into a master...

It also helps you keep in good form. Photographers who take pictures daily are more likely to 'see' an interesting picture where others may miss it. That's why I'm going to buy a simple point and shoot camera to carry around with me on a daily basis... so that I remember to practice seeing, composing and making pictures.

Look for, and at light

by The Department

Light is light, is light... its diffused, its direct, its reflected, its coloured... yes. But its also different in each context because it changes the mood of a photograph. A park at noon is quite likely to be much more drab than a park in the morning. Both in direct sunlight, but the morning's sun a bit more yellow/golden, and streaming through the branches at an angle...

Light is all around you, but actually looking for interesting light will help you understand it better. I'd also add that looking at just the light is not enough, look at the textures, effects, patterns and paths that it creates, look for colour casts, reflections, flare, and sparkles as it reflects off various surfaces...

If you're a photographer who wants to work in a studio at some point of time, looking for, and remembering lighting moods and feels is invaluable when you're trying to recreate emotions in a studio environment.

Empathise/Enthuse
Understand your subject. They're always a better source of inspiration and creativity than most other things when it comes down to shooting creatively. Think about it... what could inspire you more about a subject than the subject itself? You need to be sympathetic/enthusiastic about it though!

If you are, you'll automatically think of possible tangents, related fields of interest... and be enthusiastic about it. It is awesomely hard to be creative and pepped up if you're not enthusiastic about what you're shooting.

Look at other photographers' work
Look at it, and try to figure out what's important to their photography. Look at it upside down, left to right and inside out... How do you know what is important to them? Usually it shows in their style of photography, choice of subjects, treatment of the subject and a whole lot more.

Derive inspiration from other arts
I recall an old interview with a documentary photographer who was photographing the devastation in the wake of WW2. He'd noticed a trend in his photography at the time, and on reflection figured out that it was an influence from Beethoven's 5th symphony which BBC was using at the time as an opening for their news programmes.

What was the trend? Three tall structures and one fallen/broken/destroyed structure... don't get the resemblance? listen to the music... again...

Well, the point here is that if other arts can influence our subconscious thinking, they surely can influence our conscious thought processes. Use that influential power... soak up all of the art that you love, and let it empower your photography.

Let your mind wander
A wandering mind gathers no dust. Um, is that right? Yup, I think it is...

Give yourself time, and space to think outside the box. Think about anything/nothing/everything... personally, I feel that it relieves you of all 'requirements' and lets you go on a flight of fantasy, where the only limits are what you cant imagine... (if that's a limitation you need to let your mind wander, rather badly). Give yourself time for this activity / inactivity, you cant rush it...

Know your equipment

by Jason Armstrong

Yeah, it always creeps in, no matter how much you try to kick it out the back door. Equipment. My suggestion; get back to point 1. Practice... that's the best way... use it, use it till you know every groove in the handgrip, every speck of dust that you've removed from the viewfinder, every dash in the text of your LCD...

Phew, that was intense... well, you get the point, don't you? Understand your equipment so that you can get the most out of it.

If You See It, Shoot It

Don’t spend all of your time and energy trying to get one perfect shot. Experiment and take as many pictures as you can.

If you see something that strikes you, photograph it. You may find that your spontaneous photos are better than the ones you spent a long time composing.

It’s easy to pass by a good shot. You might be out backpacking and think, “Do I really want to stop the group and pull out my camera to take this photo?” You have to. Because you might not see it again.

How to Take Better Night Photos

Do you like to take photos at night? I know I do. There's something magical about them - pictures of the moonlight sky and dazzling neon lights convey a special something that daytime photos can't. When I started out taking digital photos at night, boy, did I have problems! The issue is that many digital cameras do not perform very well under low-light conditions. To take good night photos, there are some tricks you need to remember - so here are a few of them.

A photo of Hong Kong at night

Tip 1: Use Long Exposures

The key to successful night photography lies in a long exposure. We’re talking about exposures measured in seconds. When a long exposure is used, more light is allowed into the camera, allowing the details in your night photo to be captured.

The problem with using long exposures is that you may shake the camera, resulting in poor pictures. The way around this is to use a tripod. I prefer to install a tripod with a shutter-release cable to ensure that I don’t jolt the camera at all.

Tip 2: Take Control Shots

One problem with digital cameras is that there are always some pixels on the image sensor which are bad. When taking day photos, these defects are not discernible. However, they are pretty obvious in night photos. How do we correct these? Here’s a simple way – take a control shot, then use image editing to subtract out those bad pixels.

This is how it works. The next time you’re out to take night photos, go ahead and snap a picture of Scene A, as you normally would. Then, when it’s convenient, take a photo of the exact same Scene A again, but with the lens cap on.

Now you will have two images, one night shot and one control shot (with the hot pixels). Load them up in say, Paint Shop Pro. Switch to the control shot and select Edit and Copy from the menu. Next, switch to the night shot and paste the copied image as a new layer. Then, select the new layer and change the Blend Mode to Difference and click OK. You’ll get the correct night shot with the hot spots subtracted out.

Tip 3: Try to Capture Motion

With a long exposure, you have many creative options when it comes to photography. This includes capturing motion. For example, have you ever wondered how those professional photographers shoot pictures of trails of car lights as they zoom down the highway at night? It’s all due to long exposures. Try to keep this in mind the next time you’re taking a night photo – you don’t have to restrict yourself to still images.

Tip 4: Play with the Aperture

In addition to shutter speed (which determines exposure time), you can play around with the aperture size of your digital camera. There are two scenarios here. If you set a long exposure, try to use a small aperture to avoid overexposing any stationary lights. in the picture. On the other hand, if you set a short exposure, try using a larger aperture to avoid any motion in your shot.

Tip 5: How to Use the Flash

As a general rule, I turn the flash off when taking night photos. There are some exceptions though – one specific example I can think of is trying to shoot a subject in the foreground, with motion trails of car lights in the background. In this case, bring along an external flash unit and shine it on your subject manually. Set a long exposure, then have your subject wait until the picture is taken.

Tip 6: When to Take Night Photos

When’s the best time to take night photos? I usually like to take them during dusk when colors and details are easier to capture. I’d recommend that you do some research on the evening before the photo shoot. Decide on the location, then come back the next day to take the photo at dusk.

Conclusion

Hopefully, this article has taught you some tips on taking better night photos. The important concept to remember is that a long exposure is need for good night photos. This means you need to keep you digital camera really, really still. Once you understand that, the quality of your night photos will definitely improve.

From: Basic-Digital-Photography.com

10 Tips on Landscape Photography

Here's a little article on landscape photography I hope you will find useful.

1. Always take a tripod (a good tripod). Yes, even on a bright, sunny day. Many times you'll want to use a very small aperture (big f number) to achieve great depth of field. Even on a relatively bright day, your shutter speed may not be fast enough at small apertures to be able to hand hold your shot. I take the time to make sure the horizon is straight, the subject is well placed, avoid distracting objects, etc. Make sure your tripod is steady. There's no worse feeling than being in front of that perfect scene with your camera on the tripod and noticing that your system is shaking a little bit because of the windy conditions.

2. Carry a cable release. The timer function on the camera is no substitute for a cable release, BTW. The cable allows you the release the shutter when YOU want to release the shutter, not 2 sec or 10 sec or 15 sec from when you want to release. The release makes it so you don't have to touch the camera at all which will definitely minimize camera shake.

3. Polarizer, neutral density filters, and graduated neutral density filters. The key to landscape photography is control of light. A polarizer will help take glare off the water and other reflective surfaces like leaves. It also gives some contrast to an otherwise flat, hazy day.

Neutral density filters will evenly stop a specified amount of light from hitting your sensor. Let's say you want to get that nice silky effect on a water fall but the day is sunny. If you just shot the image without a ND filter, you might not be able to slow down your shutter speed enough without blowing out the highlights.

The grad ND filter is dark on top and clear on bottom and there is a "gradual" transition from the dark to the clear area. Again, these filters come in different strengths. By placing the grad ND filter in front of your lens you decrease the amount of light reaching the sensor from the bright part of the scene (the sky), thereby allowing nice detail from the foreground to show through without blowing out the highlights.

There are 2 types of grad ND filters, hard and soft. Hard has an abrupt transition from dark to clear and the soft has a more gentle transition. If you're a beginner, I suggest getting a 3 stop hard and a 2 stop soft grad ND filter. All other filters are optional and I'm sure you'll experiment with them once you get these down.

4. Use a hyperfocal distance chart. Hyperfocal distance is the distance from the end of your lens you should focus at to get the maximum depth of field and still have infinity in focus (for a given f stop and focal distance combination). I always carry this sheet with me in my camera bag.

5. Know the weather conditions before going. Unless you own a sealed camera like the Nikon F5/D1 or Canon 1D/1V series, you'll want to protect your equipment from rain (perhaps a simple thing like a plastic bag and an umbrella).

6. Landscape = wide-angle lens. Personal preference, but many will agree with this statement.

7. Remember the 3 elements of a good landscape: foreground, midground, and background. Try to have something in these positions. This is just a rule of thumb...and you know what they say about rules...

8. If possible, try to avoid shooting in the mid-day... lots of harsh light and unflattering shadows around that time.

9. If you have a histogram function on your digital camera, use it! The LCD often gives inaccurate representation of the exposures. I rely on my histogram, not the little image of the scene I just shot to tell me my proper exposure. As a rule of thumb in digital, shoot for the highlights (as opposed to for the shadows, suggested for film). I'd rather have a slightly underexposed shot than an overexposed one in digital. Underexposed shots are much more easily corrected than an overexposed one.

10. Some people will use a digital camera first to see what kind of metering is needed to get the proper exposure, because there is instant feed back. Then they will set up their film camera with the same settings. Wonderful idea, I think.

Author: Gary Hendricks

5 Good Tips for Taking Kids' Photos

Here are 5 good tips for shooting photos of babies and children.

1. Get them to pose properly
Easier said than done. Getting children to pose for photos can be frustrating and can often result in your children appearing tense. Involving a toy or another person for the child to interact with while photos are taken often helps child subjects to display a broader range of emotions, especially of happiness, which is what you want.

2. Get down to the level of the child
Getting down to the level of the child will make them more comfortable and give you a better view of their features. If you are outside, wear clothes that you won't mind getting dirty so you can kneel down at any moment.

3. Use a camera that you can operate quickly
Using a camera that you can operate quickly and keeping the photography equipment to a minimum also helps you get a great shot before your child's attention wanders, as you can be sure they won't hold a fleeting pose while you change lenses.

4. Use a wide angle lens
Using a wide angle lens can often give a pleasant view of a baby, because their body parts are already a bit out of proportion and the perspective offered by a wide angle lens will exaggerate this.

5. Use natural lighting
Natural lighting coming from a window will also give a more gentle and nostalgic feeling to your photographs and will also react better with the skin tone of a baby.

Author: Gary Hendricks