TIPS TIPS for photographers

[elmo]

pa subscribe po..basahin ko mamaya sa bahay..mukhang interesting..mahilig din ako sa mga pictures..

welcome po voyager!!

 

[schatzfia]

wala pa fia...wala pa nag co-commit baka maging photo a day ko lang un..

recruit muna tayo..pero pag wala talaga..ipush ko pa din..objective lang naman naten ehh to spread ung art ng photography..pinoy style

ah ok po. sige po. wait nalang po tayo..

 

[elmo]

How to Use Converging Lines to Enhance Your Photography

by Darren Rowse


Converging-LinesPhoto by stevacek

When framing a landscape shot one of the types of environmental features that many photographers look for and like to incorporate in their shots is converging lines.

We’ve talked previously about how lines have the potential to add interest to an image - but multiple lines that converge together (or come close to one another) can be a great technique to lead your viewers eye into a shot.

Perhaps the classic example (and one that’s probably been overdone) of converging lines are railway tracks.

Position yourself in the middle of two tracks (after taking a look at what might be coming from behind) and you’ll see the two tracks on either side of you appear to get closer and closer together as they go into the distance.

Take this shot and the natural reaction for those looking at the scene will be for them to follow the lines off into the distance. In a sense the two lines act like a funnel which directs the gaze of those entering them in a certain direction.

The same effect can be achieved with roads or pathways, converging fence lines, a set of stairs, power lines or virtually any other lines that run parallel into the distance or that actually converge at some point.

4 Tips Regarding Converging Lines

Converging-Lines-1Photo by Kenny Maths

1. Experiment with Positioning - the classic railway line shot described above has many possibilities. One is to position the tracks dead center and symmetrically in the shot.

Another positioning would be to step to one side of the tracks and let them run diagonally through your frame from a lower corner to the opposite upper corner. The beauty of this is that you’ll end up with a more dynamic shot. Symmetrical and vertical placement of the lines can be powerful but diagonal lines tend to convey movement.

Alternatively stepping away from the start of the lines can give another perspective - as can holding your camera on an angle to give another diagonal framing of the lines.

2. Wide Angle Lenses - different lenses can totally change the impact of a shot with converging lines. I find that a wide angle lens can be particularly useful - especially when positioning yourself between the two lines.

This will help to give the perception that the distance between the lines at the starting point of the image is wider than it is. This exaggeration of the width of your lines can have a powerful impact upon your shot.

Lines-ConvergingPhoto by MarvinOS

3. Positioning the ‘convergence’ - one thing to consider when you have converging lines in an image is that they draw the eye into a shot - towards the point that they converge - this becomes one of the most important parts of this image - a focal point.

As you’re framing your shot ask yourself - ‘where is the most effective position to frame this?”

Keep in mind rules like the Rule of Thirds that says that the intersecting points of imaginary lines a third of the way into an image are key points for positioning points of interest.

Also know that if the point of convergence is outside the frame of the shot that you are leading the eye out of your shot. This could leave a shot unbalanced and with tension - alternatively it could enhance the shot and leave your viewers wondering about the place that they converge.

4. Adding Interest at the Point of Convergence - Sometimes it is worth enhancing the point of convergence with something of interest (for example waiting until a train appears in the distance on the tracks - or positioning a person at the top of stairs) - on other occasions the composition of the shot is strong enough without adding an extra subject.

If you’ve got some examples of converging lines in images that you’ve taken I’d love to see them over at the DPS forums - either in the How I took It or Critique My Shot sections.

Here are a few more Converging Lines shots to illustrate the point and hopefully give a little inspiration.

Converging-Lines-2-1Image by MarkyBon

Converging-Lines-3-1Image by Loving Earth

Converging-Lines-4-1Image by vividiti

Converging-Lines-5-1Image by Lush.i.ous

Converging-Lines-7Image by Aeloux

Read more from our Composition Tips Category

 

[schatzfia]

nice converging-lines..

 

[elmo]

nice converging-lines..

update ko ito maya..sobrang natabuna..me nagpapataas ng level..

 

[elmo]

Hello po sa lahat!!

sana nakatulong ung mga copositional skill na nauna..

Moving on...start na tayo sa POTRAIT


10 Ways to Take Stunning Portraits

Discover the secrets of stunning portrait photography in this tutorial.

by Darren Rowse

How do you take Portraits that have the ‘Wow’ factor?

Today and tomorrow I want to talk about taking Portraits that are a little out of the box. You see it’s all very well and good to have a portrait that follows all the rules - but it hit me as I was surfing on Flickr today that often the most striking portraits are those that break all the rules.

I want to look at some ways to break out of the mold and take striking portraits by breaking (or at least bending) the rules and adding a little randomness into your portrait photography. I’ll share ten of these tips today and a further ten tomorrow (update: you can see the 2nd part here).

1. Alter Your Perspective

Most portraits are taken with the camera at (or around) the eye level of the subject. While this is good common sense - completely changing the angle that you shoot from can give your portrait a real WOW factor.

portrait-high-perspective.jpgPhoto by striatic

Get up high and shoot down on your subject or get as close to the ground as you can and shoot up. Either way you’ll be seeing your subject from an angle that is bound to create interest.

portrait-low-perspective.jpgPhoto by TeeRish
2. Play with Eye Contact

It is amazing how much the direction of your subject’s eyes can impact an image. Most portraits have the subject looking down the lens - something that can create a real sense of connection between a subject and those viewing the image. But there are a couple of other things to try:

A. Looking off camera - have your subject focus their attention on something unseen and outside the field of view of your camera. This can create a feeling of candidness and also create a little intrigue and interest as the viewer of the shot wonders what they are looking at. This intrigue is particularly drawn about when the subject is showing some kind of emotion (ie ‘what’s making them laugh?’ or ‘what is making them look surprised?’). Just be aware that when you have a subject looking out of frame that you can also draw the eye of the viewer of the shot to the edge of the image also - taking them away from the point of interest in your shot - the subject.

portrait-off-camera.jpgPhoto by monicutza80

B. Looking within the frame - alternatively you could have your subject looking at something (or someone) within the frame. A child looking at a ball, a woman looking at her new baby, a man looking hungrily at a big plate of pasta…. When you give your subject something to look at that is inside the frame you create a second point of interest and a relationship between it and your primary subject. It also helps create ’story’ within the image.

portrait-eyes.jpgPhoto by paulbence

3. Break the Rules of Composition

There are a lot of ‘rules’ out there when it comes to composition and I’ve always had a love hate relationship with them. My theory is that while they are useful to know and employ that they are also useful to know so you can purposely break them - as this can lead to eye catching results.

The Rule of Thirds is one that can be effective to break - placing your subject either dead centre can sometimes create a powerful image - or even creative placement with your subject right on the edge of a shot can sometimes create interesting images.

portrait-composition.jpgPhoto by reportergimmiâ„¢


Another ‘rule’ that we often talk about in portrait photography is to give your subject room to look into. This can work really well - but again, sometimes rules are made to be broken.

portrait-composition-rules.jpgPhoto by Bukutgirl

4. Experiment with Lighting

Another element of randomness that you can introduce to your portraits is the way that you light them. There are almost unlimited possibilities when it comes to using light in portraits.

Side-lighting can create mood, backlighting and silhouetting your subject to hide their features can be powerful.

portrait-lighting.jpgPhoto by Bukutgirl

Using techniques like slow synch flash can create an impressive wow factor.

Portrait-Slow-Sync-Flash Photo by diskomethod


5. Move Your Subject Out of their Comfort Zone

I was chatting with a photographer recently who told me about a corporate portrait shoot that he had done with a business man at his home. They’d taken a lot of head and shoulder shots, shots at his desk, shots in front of framed degrees and other ‘corporate’ type images. They had all turned out fairly standard - but there was nothing that really stood out from the crowd.

The photographer and the subject agreed that there were plenty of useable shots but they wanted to create something ’special’ and out of the box. The photographer suggested they try some ‘jumping’ shots. The subject was a little hesitant at first but stepped out into the uncomfortable zone and dressed in his suit and tie started jumping!

The shots were amazing, surprising and quite funny. The shoot culminated with the subject jumping in his pool for one last image!

While this might all sound a little ’silly’ the shots ended up being featured in a magazine spread about the subject. It was the series of out of the box images that convinced the magazine he was someone that they’d want to feature.

portrait-comfort-zone.jpgImage by TeeRish

6. Shoot Candidly

Sometimes posed shots can look somewhat…. posed. Some people don’t look good in a posed environment and so switching to a candid type approach can work.

Photograph your subject at work, with family or doing something that they love. This will put them more at ease and you can end up getting some special shots with them reacting naturally to the situation that they are in. You might even want to grab a longer zoom lens to take you out of their immediate zone and get really paparazzi with them.

I find that this can particularly work when photographing children.

portrait-candid.jpgPhoto by phitar

7. Introduce a Prop

Add a prop of some kind into your shots and you create another point of interest that can enhance your shot.

Yes you might run the risk of taking too much focus away from your main subject but you could also really add a sense of story and place to the image that takes it in a new direction and gives the person you’re photographing an extra layer of depth that they wouldn’t have had without the prop.

portrait-prop.jpgPhoto by Mrs. Maze

8. Focus Upon One Body Part - Get Close Up

Get a lens with a long focal length attached to your camera - or get right in close so that you can just photograph a part of your subject. Photographing a person’s hands, eyes, mouth or even just their lower body… can leave a lot to the imagination of the viewer of an image.

Sometimes it’s what is left out of an image that says more than what is included.

portrait-close up.jpgPhoto by Bukutgirl



9. Obscure Part of your Subject

A variation on the idea of zooming in on one part of the body is to obscure parts of your portrait subject’s face or body. You can do this with clothing, objects, their hands or just by framing part of them out of the image.

Doing this means that you leave a little to the imagination of the image’s viewer but also focus their attention on parts of your subject that you want them to be focused upon.

portrait-obscure.jpgPhoto by BigBlonde

10. Take a Series of Shots

Switch your camera into ‘burst’ or ‘continuous shooting’ mode and fire off more than one shot at a time.

In doing this you create a series of images that could be presented together instead of just one static image.

This technique can work very well when you’re photographing children - or really any active subject that is changing their position or pose in quick succession.

portrait-continuous shooting.jpgImage by diyosa
( ANG CUTE CUTE)

10 More ways to Take Great Portraits - Continued Tomorrow

Tomorrow I will complete this mini-series of posts on portrait photography with 10 more techniques like the ones above. Make sure you’re subscribed to Digital Photography School to ensure you get the second half!

Update: You can read the 2nd half of this series at 10 More Tips for Stunning Portrait Photography. Also check out What the Mona Lisa Can Teach You About Taking Great Portraits for a portraits tutorial with a difference.

Also - don’t forget the portrait section of our forum - an ideal place to discuss portrait photography and show off some of your work.

Read more: http://digital-photography-school.c...wt_l=GhBs_&awt_m=1jz_aGPlqrkfGf#ixzz0R5Cm3hJg

 

[elmo]

ito ung next part


10 More Tips for Stunning Portrait Photography

by Darren Rowse

Yesterday I shared 10 Ways to take Stunning Portrait Photography. We covered everything from altering your perspective as a photographer, to experimenting with lighting, to shooting candidly.

Today I want to continue on the same train of thought with 10 more tips for adding a little spice to your portraits.
11. Frame Your Subject

Framing is a technique where by you draw attention to one element of an image by framing it with another element of the image.

portrait-framing.jpgImage by darkmatter

Framing gives an image depth and draws the eye to a point of interest in the image.

You could do it by placing your subject in a window or doorway, have them look through a small gap or even use their hands around their face. See more examples of framing in photography here.

12. Go with a Wide Angle

Shooting with a wide angle lens attached to your camera can help create some memorable shots when you’re doing portrait photography.

At very wide focal lengths you can create some wonderful distortion. It might not be the type of shot you take of your wife or girlfriend (unless she’s in a playful mood) but using these focal lengths will enlarge parts of the face or body that are on the edge of the frame more than what is in the centre.

It can also give a wide open and dramatic impact when your subject is in an impressive setting.

portrait-wide-angle.jpgImage by paulbence

13. Play With Backgrounds

The person in your portrait is the main point of interest - however sometimes when you place them into different contexts with different backgrounds you can dramatically alter the mood in a shot.

Sometimes you want your background to be as minimalistic as possible.

portrait-background.jpgPortrait by akbar1947

While other times a dramatic or colorful background can help your subject really stand out.

portrait-backgrounds.jpgPhoto by paulbence

The key is to experiment.

14. Change the Format Framing

Many photographers get stuck in a rut of only ever shooting either in ‘landscape’ (when the camera is held horizontally) or ‘portrait’ (when the camera is held vertically) modes. Look back through your images and see which one you use predominantly.

Just because a vertical framing is called ‘portrait’ mode doesn’t mean you always need to use it when shooting portraits. Mix your framing up in each shoot that you do and you’ll add variety to the type of shots you take.

portrait-horizontal.jpgImage by bikeracer

15. Hold Your Camera on an Angle

Horizontal and Vertical framings are not the only options when it comes to shooting portraits. While getting your images straight can be important in when shooting in these formats holding your camera on a more diagonal angle can also inject a little fun into your images.

This type of framing can add a sense of fun and energy into your shots. Just don’t ’slightly’ do it or you’ll have people asking themselves if you might have mistakenly held your camera crooked.

portrait-angle.jpgPhoto by puja

16. Take Unfocused Shots

As photographers we have ’sharp focus’ drummed into us as an ultimate objective to achieve in our work - but sometimes lack of focus can create shots with real emotion, mood and interest.

There are two main strategies for taking unfocused images that work:

1. Focus upon one element of the image and leave your main subject blurred. To do this use a large aperture which will create a narrow depth of field and focus upon something in front of or behind your subject.

portrait-unfocused.jpgPhoto by Jeff Kubina

2. Leave the full image out of focus. To do this again choose a wide aperture but focus well in front or behind anything that is in your image (you’ll need to switch to manual focussing to achieve this).

These kinds of shots can be incredibly dreamy and mysterious.

portrait-out-of-focus.jpgPortrait by peskymac

17. Introduce Movement

Portraits can be so static - but what if you added some movement into them? This can be achieved in a few ways:

portrait-movement-1.jpgPhoto by Michael Sarver

* by making your subject move
* by keeping your subject still but having an element in the scene around them move
* by moving your camera (or it’s lens to achieve a zoom burst)

portrait-movement.jpgPortrait by philippe leroyer

The key with the above three methods is to use a slow enough shutter speed to capture the movement.

The alternative is to have your subject obviously move fast but to use a shutter speed so fast that it ‘freezes’ their movement.
18. Experiment with Subject Expressions

In some portraits it is the expression on the face of your subject that makes the image.

Get your subject to experiment with different moods and emotions in your image. Play with extreme emotions

portrait-smile.jpgPortrait by carf

But also try more sombre or serious type shots

portrait-expression.jpgPhoto by Stuck in Customs
1
9. Fill the Frame

One way to ensure that your subject captures the attention of the viewer of your portrait is to fill the frame with their face.

It’s not something that you’d do in every shot that you take - but if your subject is the only feature in the shot - there’s really nowhere else to look.

portrait-fill-frame.jpg

Portrait by kkelly2007
20. Find an Interesting Subject

I have a friend who regularly goes out on the streets around Melbourne looking for interesting people to photograph.

When he finds someone that he finds interesting he approaches them, asks if they’d pose for him, he quickly finds a suitable background and then shoots off a handful of shots quickly (if they give him permission of course).

The result is that he has the most wonderful collection of photographs of people of all ages, ethnicities and backgrounds.

While many of us spend most of our time photographing our loved ones - perhaps it’d be an interesting exercise to shoot interesting strangers once in a while?

portrait-interesting-subjects.jpgPortrait by .mushi_king
What Did I Miss?

So there you have it. 20 ways to add variety to your portraits (including yesterday’s 10 tips). But what have I missed that you’d add? I’m sure if we put our heads together we could come up with plenty of other techniques and ideas to add a little variety to our portrait photography. Looking forward to reading your suggestions in comments below.

Don’t miss more posts Like this - Subscribe to DPS

Read more from our Portrait Photography Category

Read more: http://digital-photography-school.com/tips-portrait-photography#ixzz0R5v1Y9C3

 

[elmo]

ito po...added info..matatapos na po tayo sa basic composition

ito lang po ehh para mai parating sa lahat na walang totoong rules ang photography

Think Inside the Box - Cropping for Maximum Impact
from Digital Photography School by Elizabeth Halford
11 people liked this

thirdsCropping. It’s pretty much the first thing you learn to do to edit a photo.

You don’t need Photoshop to crop (hey that rhymes!) - for goodness sake, even your phone can crop photos these days!

Cropping is the most powerful tool for editing but also the most dangerous because even a teeny weeny little cutting can entirely change the composition of your photo, it must be done with great care. But it’s not like you’re cutting up your only copy with scissors so you can also be brave!

Thirds – “The rule of the thirds” is the rule of thumb when composing a shot. If you miss composing it the way you want when taking the photo, no problem, just crop it! This is a great article by Darren Rowse about the rule of thirds.

IMG_7718-2


Breaking the rule – In Darren’s post, he writes - “I will say however that rules are meant to be broken and ignoring this one doesn’t necessarily mean that your images are unbalanced or uninteresting. A wise person once told me that if you intend to break a rule, you should always learn it first to make sure you’re breaking of it is all the more effective.”

What an excellent saying! Once in a while, I feel a bit rebellious and I break the rule but I always do it blatantly.

I don’t bend the rule and crop in halves. I just place my subject smack bang in the middle to create a feeling of boldness and make a shot more in-your-face so that it cannot be ignored.

montage2

Leave it to fate – C’mon people it’s not permanent – take some chances! I know, I know, I’m a geek but I get a huge thrill out of cropping with my eyes closed.

Sometimes when you don’t think about what you’re doing, it can give some really amazing results you never thought of on your own.

In Google’s Picasa program, there’s even a setting to let it suggest a few cool crops for your photo. The crop on this photo I took last week was a total fluke but it ended up being one of my favorites!

IMG_1837

Rotate as you crop – Most programs have an option to rotate as you crop. Rotating an image gives it a sense of motion. A running child suddenly looks like a superhero!

Cropping is sheer magic. It allows you a second chance to recompose your shot or to take an already perfect photo and make a second shot out of the first which has an entirely different composition, feel or perspective.

I would recommend never ever cropping on your camera screen. Some cameras offer this option. And sometimes, it’s best to just leave well enough alone. As an editing addict, I often have to restrain myself from destroying an already wonderful image.

Be brave and happy cropping!

How do you approach cropping? Feel free to share some of your favorite cropped shots in the share your shots section of our forum or by leaving a link to them on your favorite photo sharing site in comments below.

Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips.

Think Inside the Box - Cropping for Maximum Impact

 

[proteus665]

galing naman! kaso cellphone lang gamit ko when i take pictures eh

 

[superman2]

nice infos.tnx

 

[elmo]

6 Tips for Perfect Composition in Portrait Photography

Discover 6 secrets for great portrait composition!
by Christina N Dickson



Every on-location portraitist is faced with the challenge of paying attention to the details regarding his or her subject, such as posing, lighting, composition etc. Perhaps the greatest mistake made by amateur on-location portrait photographers is the lack of emphasis placed on a portrait’s background surroundings.

Photographers who do not closely examine the surroundings within the frame of their image are those who come away with images that have great distractions. No high school senior or bride will purchase a portrait in which a tree limb is sticking out of her head. Such distracting elements take emphasis off the subject, and are detrimental to the portraitist’s sales. There is nothing more painful for a portraitist than taking a portrait that is beautifully posed, gorgeously lit, and absolutely unusable … simply because no attention was given to background composition!

Posing and lighting both play enormous roles in the creation of a dynamic portrait. However, background composition is a forgotten component that requires an equal amount of time and thought.

Some things to consider when creating a perfectly composed portrait:
1. Fill the frame with your subject

A portrait is about the person, so don’t be afraid to zoom in close! Remember that zooming in does not mean capturing only face shots. You can also capture “tight”, close up shots of your subject sitting on a stool or leaning into a tree.

portrait photography composition 1

2. Keep eyes in the upper third

This is the most natural spacing for a portrait. Try not to divert from this rule unless you are deliberately creating tension. Another exception of this rule is when a subject is full-bodied in the bottom third of the frame.

3. Use framing to concentrate all attention on your subject

Rather than eliminate the environment, use it! Doorways, arches, windows, gazebos are all creative solutions that allow for maximum subject focus and heightened visual interest.

portrait photography composition 2

4. Create texture

Once again, if you can’t eliminate a distracting background, use it to your advantage! By pulling the subject away from the background and shooting on Aperture priority (f4.0), you will create a small depth of field to blur the backdrop and allow for artistic texture. Your subject will stand out of the background without completely removing all creative interest in the shot.

portrait photography composition 3

5. Use lines

Brick is the perfect background for a portrait! The lines add creative interest, but they also draw attention to your subject. Keep in mind that any “line” used in a portrait is strongest when it comes outside the frame and leads to the subject.

6. Change your angles

Sometimes eliminating a distraction is simply a matter of moving the camera to another position. To make the best use of perspective, work to change your camera-to-subject angle. Often by moving a little to the right or left, or getting higher or lower, you can completely abolish that distracting tree branch or telephone pole.

You will be guaranteed to sell your portrait creations when you concentrate on background details, make your subject stand out, and invest creative interest in the portrait’s composition.

Read more from our Portrait Photography Category

Read more: http://digital-photography-school.c...-portrait-photography#more-1368#ixzz0RwfVb6Qm

 

[elmo]

yan...medyo madami na ung tips para sa potrait at basic compsition skills..

usad tayo sa mga pre set automatic mode sa ating mga camera
again..kahit anung brand..kahit camera phone me ganitong mode...

Macro Photography Tips for Point and Shoot Digital Cameras

by Darren Rowse

Macro-Compact-CameraPhoto by ~Dezz~

Much has been written on the topic of Macro photography for those photographers fortunate enough to own a DSLR with macro lenses - but what about if you own a compact point and shoot camera? Can you get great macro shots too?

While the results achievable with a point and shoot camera in macro mode probably won’t compare with a DSLR with a purpose built macro lens I’ve still seen some remarkably good shots with compact cameras (all three shots in this post were taken with compact cameras). Here are a few tips to help you get the most out of yours:

Get free tips like this each week via our email newsletter

Select Macro Mode - this is a fairly obvious first step but I’m always surprised by how many digital camera owners haven’t explored the shooting modes that their camera has. Macro mode is generally symbolized with a little flower and when selected it will tell your camera that you want to focus on a subject closer to your lens than normal (the minimum distance allowed will vary from camera to camera - consult your instruction manual to find yours). Macro mode will also usually tell your camera to choose a large aperture so that your subject is in focus but the background is not.

Use a Tripod - in macro photography a tripod can be particularly useful, even if you’re just shooting with a compact camera. Keeping your camera still not only improves your shots (getting rid of camera shake) but it allows you to play around with different settings without losing your composition.

Macro-LadybirdsPhoto by …Random Images from The Heartland…

Aperture - once in macro mode some cameras will not allow you to make many other adjustments but if you are able to play with your aperture settings it can be well worthwhile to do so. As we’ve covered in our Aperture tutorials, the main thing that aperture impacts is the depth of field of your shots. Choose a small aperture (big number) if you want a large depth of field with everything in focus or a large aperture if you just want your main subject in focus. In macro photography you’ll probably want a shallow depth of field so select the largest aperture available.

Focusing - I find that in macro photography it is helpful to have full control over focusing - especially when you have shallow depth of fields where it is all the more important to make sure the right part of your shot is in focus. If your camera allows manual focusing select this option and manually focus on the part of our subject that is the main point of interest.

Composition - remember some of the basic rules of composition like the Rule of Thirds. Make sure your image has a main point of interest and place that focal point in a smart position in your image in order to draw the eye of your viewer. Try to select a non cluttered or simple background for your main subject so as it doesn’t compete with it visually.

Macro-FlowerPhoto by Amery Carlson

Flash - in many macro shots having some artificial light is important. The challenge with compact cameras is that most give you limited control of your flash. As a result choosing a good time of day when there is plenty of available light is probably your best bet. If you do need more light check to see if your camera allows you to pull back the level that your flash fires at. Alternatively you might like to try diffusing it in some way (tissue paper or cellotape over the flash for example). Another option might be to use some other source of artificial light or to invest in a reflector to help make the most of available light. Experiment with different methods of lighting your subject.

Take Your Shot - once you have your shot lined up and in focus take your shot. Make sure once you’ve taken it to take a good look at it on your LCD, zooming in to make sure that your focusing is sharp. Try shooting at slightly different apertures, with different compositions and focusing on different points of your subject to see what works best.

Macro Lens Attachments - some compact cameras actually have accessories available to help with macro/close up photography. These will enable you to enlarge your subject and/or decrease your minimum focal length. These might be worth investing in if you intend on doing a lot of macro work.

Self Timer - (this point was added as a result of comments below - thanks team!) when using my DSLR for Macro work I tend to use a shutter cable release and tripod to make sure my shots are completely still (to eliminate the small amount of camera shake from pressing the shutter). Most compact cameras don’t have cable releases but a simple way around this is to use your camera’s self timer on it’s shortest time setting which will similarly mean you have no movement of your camera when taking your shot (if you’re taking notice of the ‘use a tripod’ tip above).

PS: I’ve used the term ‘macro photography fairly loosely here. Technically ‘macro photography’ is actually when you produce an image where your subject is captured on your image sensor at life size (or bigger) with a 1:1 ratio.

In the case of most (all?) compact cameras this is not achieved and in fact ‘close up’ photography would be a better description. However as most manufacturers call their close up mode ‘macro mode’ I’ve used the term for the purposes of this article.

Read more from our Digital Photography Techniques, Photography Tips for Beginners Category

Read more: http://digital-photography-school.c...or-compact-digital-camera-users#ixzz0RwkSKxEM

 

[elmo]

ok ok...me part 2 pa po!


Macro Photography for Beginners - Part 2

by Barrie Smith


Today we continue to look at some tips for beginners wanting to explore the world of Macro Photography. Check out part 1 of this article at Macro Photography for Beginners Part 1.

In macro photography you should aim to capture a sharp image of your tiny subject with all — or nearly all — of the subject in sharp focus. Using a macro lens on a DSLR is the optimum way to travel.
Image by ecstaticist

Image by ecstaticist

There is one more thing to be taken into account: you must keep the subject still and the camera must be locked off.

For macro shots you need a steady camera and subject, a small lens aperture and a slow shutter speed. Then you need more light to cope with the slower shutter speed.

Keep Your Distance

In macro shooting the optimum camera-to-subject distance is a long one. Place the camera too close to the subject and there’s a good chance you’ll throw a camera shadow onto it; at too close a distance you may distort the subject.

Using the macro mode on a compact or DSLR and wanting to capture a very, very close detail of your subject, it’s most likely you’ll move the lens to the widest angle/shortest focal length setting. This also presents the possibility of optical distortion.

Macro lenses for DSLRs are best chosen in the longer focal lengths: many lens makers market a 100mm macro — ideal for the task.

Canon and others make stabilised macro lenses. The idea is sound in principle: if you have to handhold the camera/lens combo while you snare close shots of a bug, a stabilised lens would seem to be the answer to the need for a steady camera.

The truth is that there are too many variables in the equation: moving camera, moving focus, moving subject. And then you have to frame the shot properly.

The best approach is to keep the camera steady.

image by macropoulos

image by macropoulos
Chosen Few

There are some cameras that offer lens/shutter speed adjustment in macro mode.

The Canon PowerShot S5 IS has a long 12x optical zoom lens along with 8.0 million pixels of image capture.

And it has a terrific macro mode: unlike most others digicams this camera’s macro button is a separate control placed on the lens barrel and not on the mode dial. With this arrangement you can select shutter or aperture priority and macro simultaneously.

Now you can reduce the lens aperture to a minimum setting and attain the optimum depth of field when the camera is close to the subject.

Another macro-friendly model is the Canon PowerShot SX100IS. It is unusually well set up for macro shooting: with the SX100IS you can engage macro mode along with aperture priority, allowing selection of a small aperture for depth. This camera has a 10x zoom and 8.0 megapixels of image capture.

Another contender in the maxi macro stakes is the Olympus’ SP-5500UZ. There are others that have the same benefit. Aside from an extraordinary 18x optical zoom lens it has 7.1 megapixels on its CCD. When selecting macro the camera still allows you to use the zoom, so you can back off and yet still take big closeups.

In a slightly different fashion, the Ricoh Caplio R6 helps you light subjects in macro mode, an often difficult chore with the camera positioned so close to the subject. The Ricoh’s Auto Soft Flash function dampens the output of the camera’s flash. This avoids ‘washing out’ the subject at close range.
image by macropoulos

image by macropoulos
Viewing

When shooting macro with a digicam always use the LCD screen for viewing — never use the optical viewfinder. Use the optical finder and you will encounter parallax error … what you see in the finder is not what the camera will photograph.
Distortion

Digital compact camera optics are a compromise between size and price. With budget cameras you will probably encounter spherical distortion: shots taken at the wide end (even in macro!) of the zoom will barrel out at the edges; shots taken with the zoom set to tele may show distortion which forces the picture edges to bow inwards, like a pincushion.

Try shooting a square subject — like a stamp — and you’ll see what I mean. The solution is to use the Spherize filter in Photoshop to straighten the barrel distortion on the affected image.
Depth of Field

This is possibly the core factor in successful macro shooting. When you focus, the depth of field includes the plane you focus on plus an area in front of and behind that plane. Half of the sharpest area will be in front of the plane and half will be behind it.

Depth of field varies with the lens aperture, focal length and the camera-to-subject distance. Competent use of it will give you a subject in pin-sharp focus with the background in soft focus: a soft focus background isolates a subject, making it stand out sharply.
image by jerryhsu2k

image by jerryhsu2k


No Confusion

Take care to position your macro subject against an appropriate background: no confusing fuzz, no bright spots; dark backgrounds for light subjects and vice versa.
Lighting

You’ve probably set up the camera only centimetres from the subject. Flash is useless at a close working distance — it would overexpose the shot. If you’re working in filtered daylight (my ideal) you can help by scattering small reflectors around the subject. But in most cases you’ll have to live with the existing ambient light level.

Arguably the optimum light for macro work is to set up a scrim of translucent material (like rice paper) over the subject. In this fashion you can shoot in bright sunlight, with the subject illuminated by soft light.
Light Loss

If you’re working with a DSLR you might like to use extension tubes or close up bellows to shoot macro. If you do, you will encounter one problem: the further the lens is extended from the image sensor the more you will encounter light loss, requiring the camera to use a larger lens aperture.
Focus

In macro photography it is advantageous to have full charge over focusing — especially when you want to have control over that part of the subject you want in focus. If your camera allows manual focusing, use it and manually focus on the part of our subject that is the main point of interest.

 

[elmo]

ok...medyo bibilisan naten ng onti....

part ng magandang MACRO shots ay ma i maximize ung aperture

since na discuss na ung aperture dun sa thread ni fia

ito ung tips for ...


The Beauty Of Large Aperture In Digital Photography

by Darren Rowse


The following guest tip on The Beauty Of Large Aperture In Digital Photography was submitted by Amy Renfrey - author of the Digital Photography Success ebook.

In digital photography there is one thing that, for crisp images, you simply must know about. And that’s the proper use of your aperture. When you use your aperture the right way in your digital photography you can really influence a lot of creative factors. What I am about to tell you will help your digital photography a lot, because you’ll be discovering a professional digital photography technique.

In digital photography there are measurements of light control called ISO, Shutter speed, E/V and Aperture. The most important thing to start with in digital photography is to “get your head around”� aperture and how it controls many creative aspects of digital photography.

As you know digital photography images depend on just the right amount of light falling on to the sensor. An aperture, measured in F stops, is a crucial aspect to how much light the camera gets.

A large aperture allows a lot more light to fall onto the sensor, and when this happens you have the freedom of using a faster shutter speed. This is especially handy in situations of low light and fast movement, such as indoor sports or a water fall at the end of the day. That’s why larger apertures and fast action shots indoors need to go hand in hand. By widening your aperture you have a better chance of the movement being “frozen” in time and the camera won’t have time to think about camera shake. If done right, you’ll find good sharp images of freeze frame shots without any blur at all.

In your digital photography you should also know that also a large aperture can give you a crisp depth of field. It gives you the opportunity to have your background out of focus giving you clearer focus for the subject close up. (You should always use macro lenses for very, very short depth of field because you get more clarity and sharpness. You can get in closer too, without the subject blurring as it would have without the macro lens.) Portrait photography works well this way.

On the other hand, a small aperture in your digital photography gives you the opportunity to get a slower shutter speed because once light is reduced onto the sensor, the shutter speed will respond.

A smaller aperture in digital photography increases the depth of field because it influences the focal length. When you have an increased depth of field you will notice much sharper images in long distance shots such as landscapes and cityscapes. So if you are having any challenges with lighting and movement then try this digital photography tip!

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Read more on Aperture in Digital Photography.

Read more: http://digital-photography-school.c...aperture-in-digital-photography#ixzz0Rwq56zBB

 

[elmo]

now moving on....ito ung trick para sa ibang gamit ng aperture

Hyperfocal Distance - Photographer’s Friend

by Barrie Smith


They say there’s no such thing as a free lunch. Maybe.

However, in photography of the digital kind, there’s an equivalent function that, used properly, can be of enormous help in capturing subjects with degrees of sharpness that may surprise the less informed photographer.<--(like me)

For some unknown reason you won’t find much about hyperfocal distance in recent digital photography books. Why? I suspect many writers on the subject try to avoid talking about the long established principles of photography to give the impression that digital photography is all about the pleasure of the craft and not to frighten people with the techy bits, all the historic paraphernalia of f stops, circles of confusion etc.

lenses.jpg

Anyhow … I sometimes look longingly at my unused film camera gear and especially at the lenses and then notice something I see on very few current digital SLR lenses — a scale displaying a zone of focus. This shows the function of lens aperture and distance setting; with a zoom lens there is info on the lens barrel that helps you to calculate the effect of changing the lens aperture, focus setting and focal length.

Hyperfocal distance — call it a zone of focus — is a useful feature that is the function of the lens aperture (f stop), distance and focal length.

When you focus your lens there will be a zone that is in focus and areas that are out of focus. The area that is in focus is called the focal plane of acceptable sharpness.

Footbridge - Freepixels.jpg

The interesting thing about this focal plane is that, when you focus on a subject, one third of the distance closest between subject and camera is in focus; secondly, two thirds of the zone that stretches out from and behind the subject is also in focus.

Here’s one way you can use it: when shooting landscapes it’s an easy chore to focus at infinity. A more intelligent and productive approach is to focus at a point just short of infinity. That way you will get an additional area in front of distant subject matter that is also in focus. You then get the greatest range of focus from the camera out to infinity.

An easy approach to ascertain and maximize a deep focus range is to use the depth of field preview button on your camera. Try it.

Pool - Freepixels.jpg

Set your camera on a tripod; set it to manual focus. Aim at a scene. Focus on a point about a third the distance between you and the subject. Now, preview the depth of field with a press of the button. See how this depth will vary as you change the lens aperture. Open the lens, say to f2.8 … little depth of field. Stop down to f11 … much more depth of field.

There are all sorts of tables and calculations to help assess hyperfocal distance but, in these digital days, they effectively mean nothing due to varying image sensor sizes and inkjet printing methods.

But it’s still a trick worth knowing.

Read more: http://digital-photography-school.com/hyperfocal-distance-photographers-friend#ixzz0RwxAQvMw

 

[elmo]

ayt!!

commercial po muna tayo

good reading material


100 Things I’ve Learned About Photography

by Darren Rowse


Martin Gommel is a photographer on Flickr that I’ve been admiring for a while. Martin also has a blog called KWERFELDEIN (German) and has generously offered to to translate one of his photography articles for Digital Photography School. I’ve also made a few minor amendments/translations - and hope that between us we’ve created a helpful article for you. PS: the images in this post are all Martin’s - enjoy.

100 Things I’ve Learned About Photography

FlykleinSince I found photography two and a half years ago I have learned different things which I would like to share with you today. These lessons have made me richer and I hope that you will find them refreshing and inspiring on your journey with the camera, too.

1. Never do photography to become a rock-star.
2. Enjoy what you are shooting.
3. Prepare well for your shooting, realizing that your battery isn’t charge when you’re setting up for that sunrise shoot is too late!
4. Always take one warm garment more than you actually need with you
5. Pay attention to your thoughts and emotions while you are shooting
6. Set goals you can achieve
7. Write tips about photography, because writing is also learning --> ako wala pa...pero nag sha share ako ng lessons nya
8. Never go shooting without a tripod
9. Be pleased with the little prosperities
10. Build relationships with potential photo buddies
11. Watch the place you want to shoot first with your heart then with the camera
12. Always stay calm
13. Know that you tend to overestimate yourself
14. Perspective is the killer
15. Dedicate yourself to photography, but never browbeat yourself too much
16. Take part in a photography community

17. Keep your camera clean --> importante talaga
18. Never compare yourself to others in a better or worse context
19. Find your own style of photography
20. Try to compose more and to hit the shutter less---> mahirap gawin
21. Seek out and learn to accept critique on your images---> masakit na katotohanan
22. Do something different to recover creativity
23. Get inspiration from the work of other photographers--> dami kong idol
24. Criticize honestly but respectfully --> sana nagagawa ko
25. Get feedback from your lady --> kelangan pala neto
26. Don’t copy other photographer’s style --> oo nga!
27. Be bold
28. Take care of the golden ratio
29. 10mm rocks!
30. Take selfportraits
31. Read books about photography
32. To give a landscapephotograph the extra boost, integrate a person (maybe yourself)
33. Every shooting situation is different than you expect
34. Pay attention to s-curves and lines --> see S daw
35. Always shoot in RAW --> JPEG MUNA he he

36. Keep your sensor clean, so you can save some work cleaning your image in post production
37. Discover the things you think are beautiful

38. It takes time to become a good photographer --> hindi overnight master ka lagi!
39. The best equipment is that what you have now --> mag desire ka ng magagandang camera pero habang wala pa...maximize mo lang ung camera mo

40. You can’t take photographs of everything
41. Break the rules of photography knowingly, but not your camera --> syempre you have to learn it first
42. Pay attention to the different way that light falls on different parts of your scene
43. The eye moves to the point of contrast
44. Clouds increase the atmosphere of a landscape
45. Start a photoblog --> asteg
46. Accept praise and say “thank you”
47. ‘Nice Shot’ is not a very useful comment to write --> ayyy...
48. ‘Amazing!’ isn’t useful either. Try to describe specifically what you like or don’t like about an image.
49. You are not your camera
50. Ask a question at the end of your comment on a photo to get a ping-pong conversation with the photographer
51. Do a review of your archives on a regular basis, the longer you photograph - the more diamonds are hidden there --> korek
52. Always clarify what the eyecatcher (focal point) will be in your image
53. No image is better than a bad one
54. Everyone has to start little --> I'm saved
55. Your opinion about photography is important! --> naniniwala ako
56. Leave a funny but thoughtful comment
57. Speak about your experiences with your photo buddies
58. Limit your photograph to the substance
59. Participate in Photocontests
60. Post processing = Optimizing your image to the best result
61. Shoot exposure latitudes as often as possible

62. Use photomatix as seldom as possible, HDR’s always have a synthetic flavor
63. Always remember what brought you to photography
64. Never shoot a person who doensn’t want to be photographed--> mahirap na...
65. Always turn arround, sometimes the better image is behind you
66. It’s who’s behind the camera, not the camera
67. Mistakes are allowed! The more mistakes you make, the more you learn!
68. If you have an idea and immediately you think : No, this is not going to work - Do it anyway. When in doubt - always shoot.
69. Understand and look to your histogramm while shooting. It delivers very important information about your image
70. Know your camera, because searching the menu button in the night is time you don’t want to waste
71. Shoot as often as possible
72. Believe in yourself
73. Don’t be afraid of getting dirty
74. Pay attention to qualitiy in your image
75. Your photographs are a personal map of your psyche
76. Re-check your ISO-Settings. It’s aweful to detect the wrong settings on your screen.
77. Be thankful for long and thoughtful comments on your images
78. Never trust your LCD. Normally it is brighter and sharper as the original image. --> experience ko na din to...
79. Provide for enough disc space, because it’s cheap and you will need it.

80. Learn to enjoy beautful moments when you don’t have a camera with you.
81. Always arrive at least half an hour earlier before sunrise / sundown, composing in a hurry is a bad thing.
82. Try to amplify your mental and physical limits. Takes some extra shots when you think “it’s enough”
83. Pay attention to structures in the sky and wait until they fit into structures in the foreground
84. Visit the same place as often as possible. Light never shows the same mountain.
85. Print your images in big size. You will love it.
86. Calibrate your monitor. Working with a monitor that is not accurate is like being together with someone you can’t trust. It always ends badly.
87. Don’t think about what others may say about your image. If you like it, it’s worth publishing.
88. Never address reproaches to yourself. Learn from your mistakes and look forward, not backward.
89. Fight your laziness ! Creativitiy comes after discipline.
90. Ask yourself : What do you want to express in your images ?
91. Always try to think outside the box, collect new ideas about photographs you could do and ask yourself : Why not?
92. Search for a mentor.
93. Photography is never a waste of time.
94. Every community has it’s downsides. Don’t leave it out of an emotional response.
95. There will always be people who will not like what you are doing.
96. Henri Cartier-Bresson was right when he said that “Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst.”
97. A better camera doesn’t guarantee better images.
98. Always have printing in mind when you postprocess your images.
99. Photography is fair : You gain publicity with the quality of your images. Unless the images are stolen, there is no way of cheating yourself higher.
100. Write a 100 things list --anu ba yan?

Do you have learned something that I didn’t mention ? I would be glad if you let me know it as a comment, so I can learn from you !

This post is a guest contribution to DPS. Do you have a Photography Tip or Lesson to share with us? We’ll promote your photography, blog or site in return for your time if you do. Simply contact Darren with your idea for a post if interested.

Read more from our Photography Tips for Beginners Category

Read more: http://digital-photography-school.com/100-things-ive-learned-about-photography#ixzz0Rx1BqhJE

 

[elmo]

next topic naten ayy..

ito po ang preview

 

[rikslime]

nice thread, love it thanks man

 

[elmo]

nice thread, love it thanks man

welcome po Rickslime..updated naman to..madami pa darating

 

[elmo]

katulad ng nabanggit ko kahapon

nadiscuss na naten ung little about aperture...

ngaun..punta tayo sa shutter speed


Introduction to Shutter Speed in Digital Photography

by Darren Rowse

shutter-speedPhoto by Hughes500

Previously I’ve introduced the concept of the Exposure Triangle as a way of thinking about getting out of Auto Mode and exploring the idea of manually adjusting the exposure of your shots.

The three main areas that you can adjust are ISO, Aperture and Shutter speed. I’ve previously looked at making adjustments to ISO and now want to turn our attention to shutter speed.
What is Shutter Speed?

As I’ve written elsewhere, defined most basically - shutter speed is ‘the amount of time that the shutter is open’.

In film photography it was the length of time that the film was exposed to the scene you’re photographing and similarly in digital photography shutter speed is the length of time that your image sensor ’sees’ the scene you’re attempting to capture.

Let me attempt to break down the topic into some bite sized pieces that should help digital camera owners trying to get their head around shutter speed:

Fast-Shutter-SpeedPhoto by konaboy

* shutter speed is measured in seconds - or in most cases fractions of seconds. The bigger the denominator the faster the speed (ie 1/1000 is much faster than 1/30).

* In most cases you’ll probably be using shutter speeds of 1/60th of a second or faster. This is because anything slower than this is very difficult to use without getting camera shake. Camera shake is when your camera is moving while the shutter is open and results in blur in your photos.

* If you’re using a slow shutter speed (anything slower than 1/60) you will need to either use a tripod or some some type of image stabilization (more and more cameras are coming with this built in).

* Shutter speeds available to you on your camera will usually double (approximately) with each setting. As a result you’ll usually have the options for the following shutter speeds - 1/500, 1/250, 1/125, 1/60, 1/30, 1/15, 1/8 etc. This ‘doubling’ is handy to keep in mind as aperture settings also double the amount of light that is let in - as a result increasing shutter speed by one stop and decreasing aperture by one stop should give you similar exposure levels (but we’ll talk more about this in a future post).
* Some cameras also give you the option for very slow shutter speeds that are not fractions of seconds but are measured in seconds (for example 1 second, 10 seconds, 30 seconds etc). These are used in very low light situations, when you’re going after special effects and/or when you’re trying to capture a lot of movement in a shot). Some cameras also give you the option to shoot in ‘B’ (or ‘Bulb’) mode. Bulb mode lets you keep the shutter open for as long as you hold it down.

* When considering what shutter speed to use in an image you should always ask yourself whether anything in your scene is moving and how you’d like to capture that movement. If there is movement in your scene you have the choice of either freezing the movement (so it looks still) or letting the moving object intentionally blur (giving it a sense of movement).
* To freeze movement in an image (like in the surfing shot above) you’ll want to choose a faster shutter speed and to let the movement blur you’ll want to choose a slower shutter speed. The actual speeds you should choose will vary depending upon the speed of the subject in your shot and how much you want it to be blurred.

Slow-Shutter-Speed-1Photo by flamed
* Motion is not always bad - I spoke to one digital camera owner last week who told me that he always used fast shutter speeds and couldn’t understand why anyone would want motion in their images. There are times when motion is good. For example when you’re taking a photo of a waterfall and want to show how fast the water is flowing, or when you’re taking a shot of a racing car and want to give it a feeling of speed, or when you’re taking a shot of a star scape and want to show how the stars move over a longer period of time etc. In all of these instances choosing a longer shutter speed will be the way to go. However in all of these cases you need to use a tripod or you’ll run the risk of ruining the shots by adding camera movement (a different type of blur than motion blur).
* Focal Length and Shutter Speed - another thing to consider when choosing shutter speed is the focal length of the lens you’re using. Longer focal lengths will accentuate the amount of camera shake you have and so you’ll need to choose a faster shutter speed (unless you have image stabilization in your lens or camera). The ‘rule’ of thumb to use with focal length in non image stabilized situations) is to choose a shutter speed with a denominator that is larger than the focal length of the lens. For example if you have a lens that is 50mm 1/60th is probably ok but if you have a 200mm lens you’ll probably want to shoot at around 1/250.


Read more: http://digital-photography-school.com/shutter-speed#ixzz0S37XsSFI