Night Photography Basics
Published February 7, 2011 | 
Playing with the light effect, especially at night, can be hard but with proper lenses and tripod it should at least be easier. Night photography is trickier than taking shots at broad daylight. For one, you do not get the luxury of simply taking out your camera and shoot everything right away because you have the sun in all of its glory to thank. As mentioned above, tripod is a good tool to have when shooting at night. It may not always be necessary to have it but it will always provide you the greatest flexibility to get your angles, as well as mixing up the exposure that you want to achieve. Wide angle lenses can also work well during night time.
They have the ability to catch different angles and still give you the effects that you want. A lens hood can also come in handy as it can minimize the lens flares from the light entering at angles outside your frame. Having a flashlight handy can also do wonders for your shots. It works well when trying to put more emphasis on a particular angle or spot of your subject. Lastly, bring tons of imagination as a good photographer always needs to have visuals in his head before taking a shot.
Single Light
Published December 13, 2010 | While fashion photography is very popular, one light photography can be considered as the most challenging as you need to create the perfect image in your mind using only a single light. One way of making sure that you get what you want from a single light subject would be to have a tripod. You can use a low ISO, set your exposure mode to either program, aperture priority, shutter speed priority, or manual mode, with program mode being the more convenient option. If in case you do not have a tripod, make sure that you set your camera to high ISO because the idea is to have more noise than camera shakes. If you are taking a shot of a nonstationary subject, higher ISO and bigger aperture will do the job done better. For taking exposure reading for single light source, an easier approach is to use center weighted metering and then under expose the image by a stop or two. Just be sure to put into consideration on appreciating how the single light source result in the subject being side lit, back lit, top lit as well as from the various angles, therefore creating shadow and highlight areas.
Composition of Pictures
Published November 22, 2010 | Whether in broad daylight, nightlight, single, or multiple lights, composition is something that needs to be considered to come up with exceptional photos. The very first thing to consider with composition is to always remember the rule of third. Try to imagine that your image is divided to nine segments like a tic-tac-toe table. Position the most important parts of the scenes in those lines, or at the points where they interconnect. Cameras nowadays would show you these lines so take advantage of this feature. The idea is to be able to balance the elements and get the subject enough emphasis while still giving importance to the other elements within the picture.
Try to also look for the symmetry and patterns of your subject. They will always make for very attention-grabbing compositions, especially in those situations where you simply would not expect them. A very basic thought, look for the viewpoint before starting shooting your subject. Take time to think about your subject’s position, as well as yours, most especially if you are shooting landscapes. Remember that the photographer’s viewpoint is as important as having the camera. If you do not have a good position, no matter how good your camera is, the shot will always be mediocre.
When On the Road
Published October 4, 2010 | In terms of travel photography, composition is still a big key to effective and powerful photos. Knowing the rule of thirds will create the perfect picture for you when shooting a landscape. Knowing how to frame gives you a lot to be creative in every picture that you take. Some viewfinders will help you see these thirds with gridlines so if you feel that it is a bit difficult to see, try getting a camera that will give you this kind of feature. The idea that you need to keep is that you want the main focal point to be stressed out. Make sure that around one third of the way, the main focal point is given emphasis. You might also want to wait it out and bring out your camera during the golden hour, which is the first and last hour of the day when the sun is really friendly to the eyes and your lenses. It may be a bit difficult, however, because of itinerary issues, but if you can wake up early in the morning or keep track of time in the afternoon, it shall give you a very rewarding experience. Lastly, flash is not always best so better be sure you use it wisely.
Joe McNally
Published September 25, 2010 | When it comes to great photography, Joe McNally is certainly one of the best. He is an American photographer who has been shooting for the National Geographic Society since 1987. Arguably, his best work was when he created the series “Faces of Ground Zero — Portraits of the Heroes of September 11th”, which was a collection of 246 giant Polaroid portraits shot in the Moby C Studio near Ground Zero in a three-week period shortly after the 9/11 attacks. He helped raising money for the families of the 9/11 attacks as a result of this achievement. He has also been and continues to be a big asset for National Geographic for more than 20 years. He has cover stories for Sports Illustrated, Time, Newsweek, Geo, Fortune, New York, Business Week, LIFE and Men’s Journal. With regards to his advertising, marketing and promotional work, he shoots for FedEx, Nikon, Sony, Land’s End, General Electric, MetLife, Bogen, Adidas, Kelby Media Group, Wildlife Conservation Society, and American Ballet Theatre. He also published two photography books The Moment It Clicks (2008) and The Hotshoe Diaries (2009). McNally is considered as a living legend in the art of photography as Nikon and Kodak gave him the legendary status.
Best Photography Books for Beginners
Published August 11, 2010 | Joe McNally’s books are certainly great and can be considered as two of the best photography books around. However, for the beginners, you need to really look for the more basic stuff as the art of photography cannot be easily achieved by looking at advanced books. You need to start on the basic tips to get you into the mood of photo shooting. Digital Photography Book volumes 1, 2, and 3 covers all important aspects of photography that pros facing every day. Quick Snap Guide to Digital SLR Photography can also provide you with everything that you need about DSLR. It can help you understand every detail about DSLR and how to shoot effectively with it. The Photographer’s Eye is also another great book to have when starting to photo shoot. This proves to be a great book for understanding composition and it gives you ample knowledge to find the best angles for your shots. Digital Photography: Top 100 Simplified Tips & Tricks, from the name itself, gives you all the tips and tricks there is to taking the perfect shot. Understand Exposure gives you information on the most important aspect of photography, which is exposure. These books are all great but keep in mind that you, as a photographer, have a responsibility to yourself and that is to improve.
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