Essential Tips to Excel in Photography

Whether you practice photography as a profession or as a hobby, you would be able to get the maximum out of photography only if you understand how photography works. You should have thorough knowledge of aperture, sensitivity, shutter speed, and focal length to take great looking shots. The following tips should help all amateur and professional photographers equally.

• The first element that a photographer should know is aperture. The aperture is the opening of the lens to allow adequate light to the sensor or the film in the camera. If the aperture is wider, more light passes through the lens. The aperture size gets regulated by the fins that encroach from the edges of the barrel of the lens. If large amounts of fins encroach into the barrel, you obtain a narrow opening like f/16, f/18, etc. Smaller numbers like f/3.2, f/2.8, etc. means a wide opening, with only smaller amounts of the fins obscuring the light.

• When you change the aperture, it has a dramatic impact on the quantity of the light that enters the camera. You should not use aperture as a method to compensate poor lighting. When you shoot landscapes with narrower apertures like f/22, you have to increase the exposure time. You should use a tripod for such shots to avoid any blur in motion due to shaking of your hand.

Four Important Tips for Wedding Photographers

It is always great to have the cash to hire a well-known wedding photographer to capture the moments that you will want to remember forever but in this age of austerity, not all of us can afford it. Weddings these days cost an arm and a leg and a head for all the other elements that go with the event. You can always take a chance with an unknown photographer that can't provide proof of their work. Is it worth the risk? Some of us get friend or family member with a flair for photography to snap away and hope that they get some good shots. This means that the person can't really enjoy the event themselves as they will constantly be preoccupied with the job. Or even worse they may not be focused on the job at all. I remember one such wedding I attended as a guest; the photographer was a friend of the groom. He spent most of the wedding chatting to the other guests and the rest of the wedding at the bar. The bridal photo album has been a running joke ever since. Most couples wouldn't be so forgiving. For this very reason I have prepared a short list of four of my ultimate tips to focus on... whether you are a fledgling wedding photographer or someone taking some photos for the couple to save them on expenses.

Preparation

The first and one of the most important tips for an amateur wedding photographer is PREPARATION. Some of the worse photos ever taken have been when the "photographer" readily accepts the task with all the confidence in the world. Like a soldier running into battle having never taken a day of target practice, he goes in gun locked and loaded. Without surveying the area and not knowing his weapon, the enemy quickly shoots him down! This is why it is important to approach the wedding shoot with humility, respect and most of all preparation. Prepare for the shots that you are going to get, not only in your mind but on paper too. Check out some professional wedding photographer website galleries and run through each shot with your mind. Try to imagine how each shot was angled and where the photographer was at the time. Do some research into various camera settings and try match up your camera settings with those of the pros. Practice your shots in different lighting conditions and from different angles. Try your shots with different lenses. You will then see that experience is everything! Create a shot list of all the shots that are needed and if you have the time visit the locations beforehand so that you will know where to shoot these shots from. The seasoned wedding photographers have their own shot lists imprinted in their heads. They do not falter in unforeseen shooting conditions and they manage to get a perfect shot for each scenario. They can quickly and easily prepare their cameras, frame up the shots that they need and never miss a moment. This all comes with familiarity with the equipment and familiarity with each possible situation. So in order for you to come close you need to familiarize yourself with the equipment and shooting conditions. Don't be the rookie that goes into photography battle confident as ever, as you will come running out of battle with a set of pretty abstract images.

Equipment

Not all of us have the funds to invest in top of the range cameras, lenses, lighting and equipment for photo shoots. So what can be done... You say? Well it is true that the type of camera can make or break a photo shoot... so you could try and borrow or hire one. If this is not an option for you then you will find that having a low end camera will make your task of getting good shots more difficult. You should then at least try to find a camera with a focus and zoom ring. This will allow you to quickly frame up and focus you shots. You will also be able to create depth of field which is that blurred background look that gives photos a professional look in itself. If you have a camera that can control the aperture manually it will also enable you to control the amounts of light that enters the lens. This will give you more creative freedom over your shots because the domestic cameras that automatically control these settings for you will always assume that your exposure should be at one level or another. Funnily enough most of these automatic exposure settings have a really bland and unprofessional look to them. If you can't get a hold of a camera that has any of the above and all you have is a point and click then... hehehe! The next bit of advice would be to get as creative as possible and most importantly shoot in a very well lit area. If you can find an area where the light looks absolutely amazing to your own eyes, chances are they will look pretty OK on even with a cheap camera. Only then some of your images may turn out semi-pro. You will also have to get up close and be a bit pushy to get the better shots. The reason for this is that you don't have the luxury of a telephoto lens and domestic cameras loose quality when zoomed in. You will want to get the widest angle possible and that means getting nice and cosy with your subject.

5 Steps to Perfect Portraits With Photography Editing Software

To get a really great portrait photograph, here are 5 things you can do to help:

Step one - Find your emotion and tell a story

Your models, whether they are professionals or conscripted friends, are important. You know the look you want to achieve. If your pictures are going to be good, then they must build a rapport with each other if there is more than one person in the shot.

Most importantly you as the photographer must develop a rapport with your models. This will shine through your images, and engage your audience. It is emotion that tells the story. Experiment with various props and scenes, and see what best works for you and your models.

Step Two - Compose a great image

Make sure you make a good composition in camera. Avoid distractions in the background, and zoom in to your subject. Fill the frame with the face, and the person. You will get a much better image overall if you have done a good job composing your image. Although it is easy to crop an image with photo editing software, it's much more professional to do as well as you can in camera. If you do need to correct any thing slightly, there is a range of photo editing software available to help.

Step Three - Go for it!

Take the photograph. It sounds obvious, but sometimes you can experiment for too long, and forget what image you were trying to achieve. Don't worry too much about what you might do in your post processing; you have to take the pictures first. The more images you collect, the more you have to experiment with if you want to carry out portrait editing with photography software.