Monday 30 March 2009

Bigger is Better

when you see a photograph, it's generally true that the larger it is, the better it appears. This gives rise to a printing tip:
  • when printing a photo, print it at the biggest size that is practical
but that's not all. the same principle works inside the photo, too, so:
  • when taking a photo, try making the subject fill the frame as much as possible
this catches the attention of the viewer, removes clutter and emphasises the subject.
so try this next time you take the shot.

Monday 23 March 2009

Use a small Bag

i find that the larger a bag is, the less likely i am to pick it up and take it with me everywhere i go.
for this reason, i get the smallest camera bag that can hold the equipment i don't want to be without, and keep my camera, lenses and assorted "go anywhere" junk in that one bag.

the bag i use is the lowpro slingshot 100

i can't help but notice how much it's gone down in price since i bought mine, so i'm guessing that it's popular.

i could use a larger bag which would hold all my lenses, all my gadgets, and has room to strap my tripod on the outside, but i would never use it. then i would never have my camera with me, and i would never be able to take the shot.

Monday 16 March 2009

Read a Book

here is a book which has really helped me.

scott kelby's digital photography book

it is simple, straightforward and contains stuff you can immediately put into practice.

Monday 9 March 2009

Use manual Focus

although your camera can focus very well, there are times when manual focus is best.
principally, this will be for:
  • macro photography
  • a subject moving too quickly for autofocus

Tuesday 3 March 2009

Use Autofocus

your camera's built-in autofocus can usually do a much better job than you can (especially if your eyes are - let's say: older).

read your camera's manual, and learn how to control where it will focus. this usually involves a focus point: a dot in the viewfinder which shows exactly where on the image the camera will try to focus. on most cameras, you can point the selected focus point at the subject, hold the shutter release button half way down, then recompose the image while the camera will not refocus.

this means you don't have to focus and compose at the same time. you can focus, then compose, then take the shot.