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Taking Better Pictures
Banish boring snaps and take better digital pictures!
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These articles are packed full of tips for taking better digital pictures. My aim is to help you turn disappointing snaps into stunning photos, and light the fuse for your own creative experiments!
Learning how to take good pictures does rely on getting to grips with a few basics first, though. Visit this section of Photography Art Cafe if you're not confident with things like aperture and shutter speed yet: Digital Photography Basics.
One of the best picture taking tips is simply to photograph whatever you happen to be drawn to in any way you're inclined. But we all know that some photos come out so much better than others!
I bet you also know the feeling of looking at a professional's photos and wondering what mysterious thing it is that makes them so amazing! The answer...? Lots of little things!
These practical tips for taking better pictures will reveal lots of those little things, that when put together will turn your snaps into incredible photos worthy of the pro's!
Check out this outstanding photography course! With a personal tutor, no time constraints and the ability to learn purely from home - I loved it! |
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Introduction: Beginner's Picture Taking Tips
So we'll kick off with a quick overview of some of the key things that make for good photos. This will help you to stop to think about what the difference is between a snap and a brilliant photograph!
4 essentials of taking good pictures
Right, let's start by looking at some basic building blocks of a good photo: subject, composition, focus and exposure.
6 tips for taking digital photography up a notch!
Now, here are 6 areas that are important for taking better pictures: taking your time, manual controls, discovering famous photographers, the right camera, shooting in Raw, using a tripod.
Photography Composition
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Mastering photography composition is crucial for taking better pictures. Arranging the parts of an image within the frame successfully takes a bit of instinct and lots of practice.
But these cool tips will definitely help you stay on the right lines! If you're keen to learn more, The Photographer's Eye, by Brian Peterson 
Photography composition: the golden mean and rule of thirds
Popular techniques and guidelines that photographers use to compose great shots. These will stay with you forever!
Photography composition: balance and weight
A quick look at how to avoid 'lop-sided' photos. Use foregrounds, middlegrounds and backgrounds to master composition in photography.
The value of a good foreground
Professional landscape photographer David Fleet talks about how great foregrounds strenghten shots with depth and perspective.
Quotable Quote: The camera, you know, will never capture you. Photography, in my experience, has the miraculous power of transferring wine into water - Oscar Wilde Ouch! Not if you read this book Oscar...
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How to Take Good Pictures of...
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Time for some practical tips on taking better pictures of specific subjects. Each article will provide you with a little technical and creative toolkit for approaching the respective subject! I've tried to summarize all the things that have helped and improved my own photography the most in each area.
I absolutely love landscape photography and these are my top 10 tips for capturing the drama of light, land and sea in your photos.
Landscape photography techniques from a pro
In this article professional landscape photographer, David Fleet, shares some of the things that contribute to special images.
Using lines and curves in landscapes
Take the viewer on a journey through your images by employing lines and curves.
Ever failed to do justice to an incredible coastal sunset? These picture taking tips will ensure you never waste an opportunity again!
Photograph reflections for cool effects
Practical and compositional advice on how to go about incorporating reflections into your shots.
Digital wildlife photography tips
Good wildlife photography takes practice and planning. Here are my top tips for taking better pictures of the animal kingdom.
Don't be boring! Flowers can be really cool subjects. Here's how to take good pictures of them without getting too 'samey'.
There may be less of it, but there's still plenty of interesting light to work with after the sun goes down!
Sport is jam packed with potential for exciting photos. Make the most of it and take better digital pictures next time you're at a game!
Clothes, models, lights, lenses, poses, props...! Take a breath. Here's a a simple introduction to fashion photography for the uninitiated.
Silky waterfalls, peaceful waves and vibrant traffic lines; This article gives you all the tools and techniques for these amazing effects.
Bitten by the bug!? Which magazine...? Read these reviews of my personal favourite digital photography magazines! |
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Taking Better Pictures In Black and White
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Black and white photographs have something special about them.
With all that colour drained away they're just one step removed from the world we see around us. Shapes, patterns, contrasts and textures all seem to loom larger somehow!
Black and white photography techniques
Here are my top picture taking tips for shooting in black and white. It's great fun and very different to colour photography.
The Raw File Format
Have you heard of shooting in 'Raw'? Sometimes people make it sound really technical and complicated, but trust me - it's not! The day I started shooting in a Raw file format my photography changed forever. It makes taking great photos - consistently - a whole lot easier.
How to shoot in a Raw file format
Let's look at a quick definition of Raw files and see how how easy it is to save our pictures in this format.
Converting Raw files in Photoshop
The fun bit! This is where you see the power of Raw. Learn how to do this and you'll be taking better pictures today!
Want to Learn HDR Photography? How do you make photos appear brighter, bolder, sharper, bigger than life!? Find out now! |
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Cleaning Your Camera's Sensor
Sound boring? Well there are quick, cheap and simple solutions to eliminating dust specks on your camera's sensor that I'm going to share with you. You may already have been driven half mad by those little dots that intrude on otherwise good photos! Help is at hand...
Guide to camera sensor cleaning
It's hard to work on taking better pictures if your sensor is covered in dirt! Well, get ready to make friends with the squeeze bulb blower.
Photography Ideas
Sometimes the inspiration just runs dry. I think it's never a good idea to photograph something just for the sake of it; it should grab you! Equally, setting yourself a little project can force you to think creatively and spark all sorts of new creative ideas.
Try a few of these cool projects and I promise you'll have a head full of new ideas in no time!
Where to get photography ideas
Here some thoughts on how and where to find new inspiration for your next photographic venture.
Take advantage of the golden hours!
A pro landscape photographer explains how making use of these wonderful times of day can't fail to help you start taking better pictures.
The first time you take a shot with really proper, sumptuos, soft 'bokeh' is the day you truly realize how much you love photography!
Time for some serious creativity! Learn how to 'paint' cool light shapes and illuminate specific areas of a scene.
Books and Magazines With Picture Taking Tips
There's quite a surplus of photography books and magazines out there. They're spilling off the shelves in most book stores and news agents. I want to let you in on which are my personal favourites. So here are 2 books and 4 mags with fantastic advice on taking better pictures
Books on how to take good pictures
These 2 books are always on my desk! They are really easy to read and packed with a wealth of practical advice.
Magazines with picture taking tips
I either subscribe to or read all of these publications. They make it easy and fun to get more out of photography.
Free downloadable book, Getting Started With Photoshop, for all subscribers. |
Using Camera Phones
More and more of the images we see in the media have been snapped on increasingly high quality camera phones and whipped straight off in an email. Some breathtaking shots have been taken on phones, so don't write them off!
Taking cell phone camera shots
So, here are few tips for you if a photo op presents itself when you're out and about without your main camera.
Online Digital Photography Courses
Like the idea of learning more about photography, with the support of a personal tutor to assess your work, purely from home? I know I did! The main course from Proud Photography was a lot of fun and an excellent investment.
Online Digital Photography Courses Reviewed
Find out whether any of these courses could be for you by reading my reviews.
Watch these Photoshop video lessons! If you enjoy learning through videos instead of written tutorials, these Photoshop lessons will be perfect for you. |
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Have Your Say and Share Your Photos
Show us your best pictures and share your own top tips! Create your own page on taking better pictures at Photography Art Cafe, or join an existing discussion.
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