Photography Tips

Have you ever seen great pictures that people in your family have taken and wondered how they got that sound of an image? Have you ever looked at your pictures and been completely unsatisfied? After reading this article, you will be better equipped to leap into the world of digital photography. Develop or have a desire to learn the art of Digital photography, Whether you just want to learn something new, take better pictures of your kids, get more interesting photographs, or get a new hobby, you must have a desire to learn. Anything that can take a digital picture can be used for digital photography: a cell phone camera, a $20 mini camera from Walmart, a simple point and shoot, or an advanced DSLR. It doesn't matter what you use to get the shot; you can get good pictures with anything. There is a plethora of information about photography on the internet. Search for articles on the basics of photography, such as exposure, the rule of thirds, and light. The more you learn, the better at photography you will become. Never stop searching for new information. The two primary programs are Adobe Photoshop and GIMP. These can be extremely complicated, technical, and hard to use, but once you master the basics, you will be triumphal that you took the time to learn. For beginning photographers, GIMP is perfect because it is completely free. It is similar to Photoshop, but a little bit less daunting and much less expensive. Start by reading a few articles on how to use GIMP, then spend time experimenting with your images. These will help you learn new techniques, see professional work, etc. Some good ones include Chase Jarvis Photography, D-Town TV, Photography 101, The Art of Adventure Photography, and The Art of Photography. Take lots of pictures. Unlike film photography, the cost of taking ten images and the cost of making 100 is the same. If you see something you like, take pictures of it. If you see something interesting but don't think you can get a good shot, take pictures of it. You may be surprised with what you get.

Get your friends into photography. They can point out new and exciting pictures to take, and it's always more fun when you are taking pictures in a group.

Don't get discouraged. If someone leaves you a negative comment on one of your images, realise that it is only an opinion. The only opinion that matters is yours. If you like your pictures, then you succeeded.

Pictures are all around you. If you run out of things to photograph, go out into your backyard. If you start looking for pictures to take in familiar environments, they will show up like magic. Look for contrasts, Look for something that stands out from the rest of the shot. In your composition, use the wide end of your zoom (or a wide-angle lens) and get closer and make it so. Look for contrasts of all the things above colour amid dullness, light among darkness, and so on. If you're photographing people, try putting (or finding) your subject in a context in which they stand out. Look for happiness in unexpected places. Look for an individual in a surrounding in which they appear out-of-place. Or ignore this and take them completely away from their context by opening your lens all the way to blur the background. Look for anything that will hold a viewer's interest which isn't a traditional "subject". As you find your niche, you'll probably find that you end up going back to taking photographs of subjects again. This is fine. Looking for things which aren't subjects will improve your photography no end you'll soon see a different world altogether. Don't look at images full size. Ken points out that the most important parts of a picture are those that can be seen when the image is viewed at thumbnail size. There are people out there who will pick at flaws they can only see in 100% crops of your photos. That's okay because they aren't worth listening to. Feel free to pass over anything that doesn't look great when it takes up a quarter of your screen (or less).