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So you’ve just picked up your first SLR (Single Lens Reflex) camera. You’ve read the manual and surfed the web, and now you’re ready to start taking photos you’ll be proud to display on your wall.  Right?  Sure! But before you take off with camera in hand, take a moment to read over these five tips so you can help your images go from great to fabulous.

1.  Dump the Flash

While it’s true that professional photographers often do use a flash or complicated light rigs, you shouldn’t need a flash in most lighting conditions. Subjects shot without a flash often look more natural, and you’ll get much greater detail and depth by using natural light. Additionally, ditching the flash for the first week or so will make you intimately familiar with how your camera works with light – an invaluable skill for the beginning photographer.

2.   Turn Off Auto Focus

There’s no arguing that a camera that auto-focuses is infinitely handy and easy to use. However, focusing on the fly is an important tool in any photographer’s toolbox. Since cameras don’t understand your intent, it’s up to you to make sure you’re focused on the right thing at the right moment. It’s amazing how interesting an image can be when you let the focus be out of the direct center of the frame, so don’t forget to set your camera to manual from time to time.

3.  Take a Photo Class

You can buy all the books in the world and browse the internet for days, but the absolute best way to learn about photography is in a hands on environment. Find a class at a local college or adult school and see how understanding the basics will improve your photos for the better. As a bonus, your photo teacher will likely give you assignments based on individual elements of photography that you probably never considered.

4.  Say Farewell to Color

Before you dive into color, buy a few rolls of T-Max 400 (great B&W film) and see if taking it back to the basics changes your interpretation of the world around you. You’ll know it’s time to upgrade to color when you can shoot and print a black and white image that has pure black, pure white, and every shade in between. Taking photos in black and white will force your mind to think less about the “image” and more about the importance of how light interacts with the objects in the frame.

5.  Shoot, Shoot, Shoot

This may seem obvious, but if you’re interested in becoming a “great” photographer, you’ll need to shoot lots and lots of photos. The more you shoot, the better you’ll get. Photography is often as much about timing and luck as it is skill and equipment. Even “great” photographers only average 3-4 good photos at a time, so don’t worry about taking a lot of images. It’s far worse to miss a photo opportunity than to take too many pictures!

There is no great secret to being an amazing photographer. The more you challenge yourself, the better you’ll become. If you start with a firm understanding of how your camera works and what it takes to make a good photograph, the rest will come in time. Your camera will never change, only your ability to manipulate it. So keep your SLR close and extra film or memory card on hand. Never be afraid to experiment with new ideas! And remember: The most important photograph in the world is the one you are about to take. And once you have that fantastic image, don’t forget to share it by framing it on your wall.

Cameras have lots of little knobs, dials and meters. If you stare at your camera long enough, you’ll be amazed at how many ways you can adjust your camera and change how your pictures look. But did you know that one of the most critical decisions you can make when preparing to shoot happens before you even load your film?

The speed of your film is one of the unchangeable qualities of a picture. There are plenty of ways to toy with aperture, exposure, and focus. However, once you select your film and load it into the camera, there is no way to change how the film reacts to light. In every photograph you ever shoot with real film, you are adapting to the film speed. Film doesn’t automatically change to suit your needs, so it’s important to choose the right film before you start taking pictures.

ISO and You
Film speed measures how sensitive your film is to light. Low film speeds mean that the film is less sensitive and needs a longer exposure while high speeds are very sensitive and need shorter exposures. The speed of a film is commonly known as its ISO. Any film will have the ISO listed on the box. Some common speeds are 400, 800 and 1000 with 400 being the closest to “standard.”

The ISO of your film affects every aspect of the way your camera works. Your light sensor (if you have one) has to be set correctly for the film you’re using, your aperture will be more or less limited depending, and your shutter speed will likely have to decrease or increase to accommodate the film. Even digital cameras use a simulated (and adjustable) “film” speed that they base their calculations on.

Selecting the Right Speed
The ISO of your film decides what you are capable of photographing, and how. Because high-speed film (ISO 800 or above is a good general rule) requires less time to expose, you can shoot images with much higher shutter speeds than with a slower film. The end result here will be crystal clear action; fast film is wonderful for shooting sports or anything that moves quickly. When you see a photograph of a basketball player suspended in midair, you can bet that image was shot on high-speed film. With a slower ISO, the player in the picture would likely be a big blur. Faster film also needs less light and can be super helpful in situations where a flash isn’t appropriate indoors.

Lower speed film captures more detail because it has more time to absorb light. It’s important to keep the words “detail” and “blurry” separate- more “detail” in a picture is similar to a high definition TV having more “detail” than a regular television- more of what was originally there will be seen in a photo. The more time the film can “see” a scene, the more accurately the scene will be represented. Lower speed films are great for portrait photography or images in which you wish to show great depth of field.

Film Speed Experiments to Try
To get a good handle on how ISO works and what it does to your images, here are a couple of things to try out the next time you’re planning a shooting day:

• Get rid of your flash (if you have one) and take some fast film into a low light environment
• Swing by a local high school, college, or little league game and try shooting (with permission) two rolls of film – one very slow (ISO 100) and one very fast (ISO 1000) – then have a look at how different the images turned out

Film speed is one of those great things to play with when you’re pretty comfortable with your camera and you’re looking for new ways to challenge your perceptions. Each speed has strengths and weaknesses, and it’s up to you to decide which one works for you. Now it’s time to take some pictures you’ll be proud to hang on your wall!

So you’re interested in learning photography – congratulations! Photography is a fascinating, practical hobby as well as an exciting career choice. Learning photography takes a little bit of patience but in the end it’s all worth it. Let’s begin with benefits of why you should learn photography:

• The ability to record special events like a child’s birthday or the family’s vacations with clear, focused well composed photographs.
• Never missing another “Kodak moment” while looking for the correct button or dial to push on your camera.
• Taking beautiful photographs that you and your loved ones proudly frame and display.
• Communicating through the use of images. A picture really is worth a thousand words! You can catch a look that says it all. Or as we’ve seen in countless magazines like Time and National Geographic, you can take pictures that educate and enlighten on just about any topic. You don’t have to be a professional photographer in order to take some great pictures.
• The ability to take a portrait in a home or outdoor setting that lets you capture the beauty of a loved one and make them want to see the portrait framed on a wall instead of sitting on the bottom of a box.
• Excitement! With a good telephoto lens you can take exciting images of wildlife and weather phenomena while still being a safe distance away. Imagine your friends reactions when they see these amazing photos you took framed on your walls.
• Fun! It’s fun taking pictures of people and special things we love. It’s even more fun to take pictures after learning just a few skills!
• Fame and Fortune! Many a photographer has gone on to win awards and make money be selling their images online. Others photographers sell downloads at photo sites like iStock. Some take pet pictures of their friends pets and get their business started from there. Others become wedding photographers or get jobs working as commercial or portrait photographers.

You may have even thought of some benefits that weren’t listed here. As mentioned the rewards of taking pictures are numerous. To get started taking pictures, all you need is a good (not expensive) camera and a few basic skills and you’ll be well on your way.

While you can’t obviously learn everything in one photo article, this article gives you five basic tips to start using right away. Whether you have a point and shoot camera or are the proud owner of an SLR, there are a few basic concepts that once understood will get you on your way towards taking excellent photos. Here are five important and easy to use tips that you can start using right away.

1) Resolve to Have Enough Resolution

Although a low resolution setting saves space on your memory card, it doesn’t make suitable prints. You can easily resize for a smaller picture, even in free programs like Picasa (”resize” is hidden there under “export”), but making a picture larger usually brings awful results. When you enlarge the picture, the pixels that make up the image are spread thinner.

If you plan to print your pictures, choose medium or high resolution. Depending on your camera, 3 megapixels should give you high quality 4×6 images and sometimes even a very nice 8×10. For excellent quality 11×14’s go for 6 megapixels.

2) Let There be Light (but Make it the Right Kind)

Natural lighting is usually best, so don’t worry if you don’t have a fancy flash and reflectors. If your only flash is built-in, that’s even more reason why you should use natural light. Built in flashes can make a subject look flat. That’s why the pros use an external flash and bounce light off the umbrellas. There are tricks you can use like wearing a white shirt or taping foil to the camera to bounce the light off the ceiling, but if you want an easy way to get professional quality photos without the equipment, go outdoors.

When taking pictures outdoors, consider the position of the sun. With the exception of sunrise and dawn, the lower the sun is in the sky the better. Noon brings the harshest shadows. Unless the sky is an important part of your picture, bright overcast produces the best light.

3) Compose a Perfect Picture

Getting a fast snapshot of something without any thought mostly depends upon luck. But by first learning how to compose a photo, you will end up with more pictures that look good and are suitable for framing. The photos you take will look more like what you pictured when you clicked the shutter release.

There is a lot to learn about photo composition, but for starters, here is the number one rule. Fill the frame. Decide on what the most important subject in your photo is and move close enough or zoom (optical zoom is best) to fill the viewfinder with the subject. For example, if the subject is your mother watering her roses then she is the subject not her entire rose garden. Many people make the mistake of losing their subjects in the background.

4) Steady Now

It doesn’t take much camera shake to create blur, in fact it takes so little that you will likely not even notice the movement. For sharp photographs, keep your elbows down, feet apart and hold the camera steady while pressing (not punching) the shutter release. Continue holding still until the light indicates the camera has finished taking the picture. When you are taking a photo that needs a slower than usual shutter speed, like a fireworks display, use a tripod to steady the camera. You can even use a bunched up coat on a wall with a remote shutter release. A good rule of thumb: use a camera support for shutter speeds slower than 1/60.

5) Share Your Creations

If your photos are digital, use a photo editor to bring copies (save originals) of your photos down to the appropriate size for your website, email, photo album or picture frame. You should use photo paper that is compatible with your printer model for best results. If you’re using a film camera but want photos for email or a website, use a quality scanner or when dropping off film to be developed, request a CD. 

Frame your best photographs for hanging on your walls or displaying on a table. A framed photograph also makes a very welcome gift, especially when the subject is a portrait. Remember a portrait can be of a single person, family, multiple friends or a beloved pet…the portrait can be of anyone and can make a lovely framed gift.

By using these five basic tips you’ll help expand your photography knowledge so you can start taking even better and more professional looking pictures.

There are lots of great reasons why you should loearn how to take family portraits and you don’t even have to embark on a photography career to do so. Having portraits taken professionally can sometimes be too expensive for many families. And sometimes, it can be impossible to get everyone to the studio at the appointed time.

Every family deserves to have at least one nice portrait together and as a family grows and ages, it’s nice to have additional portraits done too. If you want to learn how to take portraits, learn by taking a portrait of your family or someone you know who would love to have a family portrait! If you are taking a portrait of your own family, make sure to be in it too! So be sure to use a camera with a timer or remote shutter button release.

If you new to photography, learning how to take good family portraits will come in handy when taking group pictures at family gatherings like Thanksgiving.

Without further ado, here are some tips to help you get started taking memorable family portraits, whether formal or informal.

1) Avoid the “Police Line Up” Portrait – Instead of having them all line up shoulder to shoulder, try something more natural looking and that also makes it easier to get a big family into the picture.

Staggering is one such technique. For example, you may want to stagger family members on the front steps of a porch or around a group of boulders so some family members are standing and others sitting. If in a park, you could sit everyone on the lawn clustered together or have them sit on a bench. Show family closeness by spacing members close together.

2) Show Relationships – You can do this by the way in which you have people pose in the portrait. For example, Grandma and Grandpa might stand next to each, a toddler could be in Mother’s arms, two siblings might have arms slung over each others shoulders, etc.

3) Consider Including the Family Pets – assuming they hold still long enough. Even if the pet is sitting still, you probably should raise the Shutter Speed Priority to 1/125 because even the smallest movement can cause a blur. It is always easier to take an individual portrait of a someone with their pet (or even a pet separately), but if the family has a mellow dog or cat, try to take some poses with and without the family pet.

4) Get Creative with Props – depending on the type of portrait you want. Does the family play community baseball? Each family member could hold a mitt, ball or bat. This is popular for individual portraiture that works well for family portraits too.

5) Get Everyone Smiling – Instead of just saying “cheese,” put the family at ease (no rhyme intended) by talking to them: compliment, tell a story joke around, and soon they won’t be so nervous about the photographing and their smiles will become more relaxed and real. When you’ve got the smiles and pose, ask the family to hold them until you give the signal that your camera’s got the shot.

Finally, make it fun and take lots of shots, so the family can choose the best. You’re sure to get some great shots where the family will be excited to frame them for all to see.

Weddings are one of the most important and difficult occasions to photograph. Lots of movement, lighting and distance from the subjects are all challenges with wedding photography. So, here are 8 wedding photography tips you can use to help make sure that your wedding pictures are just what you (and the bride and groom) want.

1. Bring Lots of Batteries – This is especially true for digital cameras since digital uses far more power than film cameras. And if you’re like many guests with digital cameras who share their pictures during the reception, then that LCD screen will use up even more power. So pack lots of extra batteries.
2. Bring Extra Memory Cards and Increase the Resolution – You will never know which photos will be the best so make sure your camera is set to high resolution. Extra memory cards will ensure you don’t run out of space.
3. Look for the Unexpected Moments – {In addition to all of the traditional moments you need to take like the bride and groom getting ready, exchange of vows, the first kiss, there will always be the unexpected “Kodak moments” that you want to capture}. Along with all the traditional moments that you don’t want to miss: the bride (or groom) getting ready, the exchange of vows, the first kiss, the cake cutting ceremony and so on, there are bound to be many unexpected “Kodak moments.” Watch the children as they will provide many sweet and comical photo ops at a wedding! And don’t forget to honor the parents of the bride and groom with pictures. There will be much emotion on this joyous day to capture with your camera.
4. Increase the ISO – If you have a film camera, use a higher speed film, such as 400, but if you have a digital camera like most will, increase the camera’s ISO, that is its sensitivity to light. Try increasing just to 200 or 400. Use digital noise removing software if needed. The higher ISO can brighten otherwise underexposed photos better than a compact’s built-in flash.
5. Photo Edit Out the Red Eye – Most wedding pictures are taken from too far a distance for the camera’s red eye reduction to work, but photo editing software such as Photoshop and even the free, Picasa can take the red out.
6. Save the Flash for the Most Important Pictures – Since it can take a while for the flash to recharge- plan ahead. Unless a “can’t miss” photo opportunity happens, save the flash for super important moments like the bride and groom kissing after their vows, cutting the cake and their first dance.
7. Make Use of Optical Zoom or Your Feet – For those far away shots, use optical not digital zoom if you can. If your camera doesn’t have an optical zoom, it’s best to simply move closer to the subject.
8. Don’t Let Shutter Lag Ruin your Pictures – While this isn’t a problem with film, if you are shooting with a digital camera, be prepared to compensate for the shutter lag. Some cameras take pictures much faster (or slower) than others, so if you haven’t done so already, get familiar with your camera before the wedding. When taking action shots such as dancing at the reception, do the same as you would at a sports event. Try to anticipate what’s happening next, point the camera in that direction and press the shutter half way down. Be ready to take lots of pictures where there’s people in motion, so that you end up with several worthy of framing. And on such an important event, it’s important to take several still shots as well.

Hopefully these 8 wedding photo tips will help you make the most out of your next wedding and give the bride and groom pictures they love displaying. Until then, keep practicing and have fun learning photography!

Taking photos of people is very rewarding for photographers. It’s not an easy thing to do well, but the end results tend to be more gratifying than any other kinds of photos. What often gets overlooked by most photographers though is the artistic rewards to be found in taking nude photos. Whenever you say you’d like to do something like that, other people jump straight to the wrong conclusion but, historically, the nude has always been one of the purest and most beautiful of artistic expressions. Some of the greatest artists that have ever lived have painted, sculpted and photographed people in this manner, so why not you?

So, despite what some parts of society would have you believe, there is no shame to be attached to wanting to take nude photos. Such shame should rather be attached to those who produce the glut of meaningless photographs that fill are magazines and computer screens, and adorn our walls – photos which express nothing and make no statement to the person looking them.

It’s not as if you’re planning to make a career out of it anyway – though even if you were that would also be fine. For most people taking nude photos is simply about trying something different; it’s about pushing the boundaries and taking the shots that will increase the quality of your portfolio. It’s a move to enhance your skills as a photographer, not a move to satisfy some kind of seedy personal desire.

Yet is only a small minority that also take such a view point, and they are predominantly found only in photography and art circles, with the cultural sensitivity of the country as a whole making it difficult for bold and dynamic photographers to achieve this particular artistic goal. For the majority, the subject of how to best take nude photos will always invoke thoughts of dirtiness, rather than thoughts of beauty.

But now, there’s an answer to that problem. Without raising eyebrows or inspiring whispers, you can learn to take nude photos artfully and tastefully from a range of books that are available on the subject…and get real, professional advice from people who know the field and can tell you the techniques and secrets that bring your work from amateur to professional status.

Now Try : Take Nude Photos : A Free Online Guide

The amount of stress in wedding photography rivals bull-fighting and sword juggling. You can meet and survive the perils of wedding photography by understanding and using some elementary rules.

The List of Shots

Prior to your worrying about your equipment, you ought to find out precisely what photos are wanted and needed. Some brides will already have this worked out. Some brides may have vague ideas of capturing the mood and so on. If your client says anything like this be afraid, be very afraid. Request a list of photos.

A shooting list is best broken down into three general categories:

1. Before the Service
2. The Ceremony
3. After the Service

Prior to the Ceremony

These shots can consist of the following:

* The bride getting ready
* The bride together with her friends
* The bride and parents
* The groom with his friends
* The groom and parents
* The wedding dress
* Getting into the limo
* Sitting in the limo
* Arriving at the church

Several of these can be candid photos. Some work better if you pose them.

The Service

These shots depend on the venue and if you are permitted to shoot the actual exchange of vows, etc. Some celebrants don’t permit photography during the service – ask if this is okay. If so, make sure you position yourself unobtrusively on the groom’s side so you can shoot the bride. Shoot more of the bride as these will be more popular shots.

These photos should include:

* shots of the bride and groom showing their outfits and celebrant.
* Take medium distance photos of the bride and groom.
* Three quarter length to full length of the entire bridal party including the maids and groomsmen.
* Photograph the bride and groom together, usually a medium length framing.
* The ring (close-up on the hands if you can zoom in fast otherwise go for the semi-close-up)
* The kiss (semi close-up)

Lighting plays a big part in the service shots. Flash is a no-no, so make sure you have worked out how to use the available light. If there is a rehearsal, ask if you can come along and get an idea of how well or poorly lit the scene will be on the big day. Make sure you use a tripod.

Your digital camera should have an option to turn the shutter sound off. Do that so you can shoot many frames without disturbing the event. The more the better. Set the camera to multiple frames and hold the shutter down at the important moments. An eye caught mid-blink has ruined more otherwise great pictures than anything else known to man. Taking a lot of photos at the critical moments solves this.

Be ready to move fast so you can take the new couple as they leave the altar. Now this is an important wedding photography tip: Plan your return route to the front door at the rehearsal.  When the new couple turn and move down the aisle, use your flash. See more on this under ‘Equipment’.

After the Service

Yet again some of these may be candid and some should be posed. These should comprise:

* The bride and groom outside the church/venue with well-wishers
* The confetti moment (just hold the shutter down!)
* The bouquet
* Groups of bride and groom and all parents
* Getting into the limo
* Sitting in the limo
* The limo itself if it has been tricked up with cans and graffiti etc.

After-After the Ceremony

These usually need to be planned ahead. You should have scouted out and agreed on a location like a park or a garden or nearby beach. The bride will definitely want some full length photos that show the dress to good effect, you should pose these. Now this is the time when you just let them be natural and carefree. Candid, relaxed photos work well, also shoot some photos that are posed.

This includes the reception. Some guests may want photos with the happy couple but you may also find these are rarely ordered.

Definitely shoot the cutting of the cake. You should also cover the bridal table, early on before it becomes messy. Plan to devote most attention and care to pictures of the ceremony.

You will probably need help at the reception to make sure you don’t miss any important groupings – ask the matron or maid of honor.

The Final Product

It is best to supply a Compact disk or DVD with the bad shots edited out. No one wants to see the duds, and they just make you look like an amateur. For added effect you can use video editing software to quickly make a slide show of the event in sequence. An image that can’t be printed out at A4 size and be clear and sharp is also a dud. If you don’t have to worry about orders, just provide a CD of the best selection as part of your fee.

Lighting plays the major role in the photographing process. No matter how good is your composition, if the lighting is not good, then the whole photo will not be good either. It has this power to ruin a good image and make it useless, but it also has the power to make an ordinary photo, a great work of art. That’s why the camera should be set to collect the correct amount of light.

Exposure is the amount of light that is collected by the photographic medium, whether it is a film or a digital sensor, while shooting a single photograph. There is no fixed value of a correct amount of light, because it depends on the available lights, the objects, and the photographer’s judgment. However, it is safe to say that there’s an acceptable exposure and an unacceptable exposure. Most exposures that obscure details while not adding any artistic value are considered unacceptable.

Basically, a dark scene will need long exposures, allowing more light to be collected by the sensor, which translates to a well exposed photograph. Otherwise, the photograph will be underexposed, having too many dark areas, the dark objects loosing their details, and the bright objects becoming dull. Alternatively, a bright scene will need short exposures, limiting the amount of light collected by the sensor, yielding a well exposed photograph. If more exposure is used, the photograph will become too bright with many blown highlights.

The camera controls the exposure through shutter speed and aperture. Shutter speed controls the time for which the shutter will stay open. Slow shutter speed means more exposure, while fast speed will allow less exposure. On the other hand, aperture controls the degree of openness of the lens. Narrow aperture will let less light pass through it than a wide aperture. ISO speeds also affect the degree of exposure. Higher ISO speeds will make the sensor more sensitive to light, reducing exposure, but it will add undesired noise to the photos.

When manually setting the exposure, the photographer usually sets the aperture and the shutter speed independently. When automatic exposure is used instead, the camera will calculate the optimum exposure based on the light meter used. Because of the lack of manual controls over exposure in many low-end cameras (including most digital compact cameras), exposure compensation (if available) should be used to fine tune the automatic exposure suggested.

Photographs with very dark and very bright spots will not show correct exposure on all their parts using any type of cameras. Usually, photographers take the same photograph at different exposures, and combine them together using software programs.

A good approach to learn more about exposure is to look at the exposure settings of your previous photographs, and compare them Look for the exposure time (shutter speed), the aperture, the ISO speed, and the exposure compensation in the data that is stored in your image files. As a result, you will get a clearer idea on how exposure can impact your photos.

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Normally, a photograph is composed of one or more subjects (not necessarily human) in the foreground, and everything else in the background. The subjects and the environment around them are the tools with which the observer will build his assumptions about where the photo was taken, what happened then, and what message it tries to convey, if any. All this is good, but what if another impact on the observer is desired? What if you want to leave little hints, in order to keep him guessing?

From a scenic point of view, taking a photograph of a subject filling a small area in your frame may leave you with many empty spaces that if not effectively used, will render your photo boring. An effective remedy to this is to fill the frame with your subject, so as to get rid of these empty spaces.

Sometimes it is even better to include nothing but your subject. For example, consider this situation in which you are photographing a wild animal at the zoo. The most common composition is one that consists of an animal, a cage, and maybe spectators. But if you fill your photo’s frame with the animal’s face only, anyone might think that it was taken in the wild. The ambiguity resulted from close-ups lead observers use their imaginations to complete the picture . A photo of legs of a man and a woman standing in front of each other can tell many things. Here, all you did is that you removed the subjects’ personalities, so as to give a space for the observer to think.

Portraits are usually a strong candidate for closeups. While taking a portrait inside a specific environment is always nice, close-up portraits are used to give a very different sort of experience. A portrait in which your subject fills the whole frame gives some sort of a personalized feeling. A facial portrait usually makes you in direct contact with the subject, as if you are looking to someone sitting in front of you. Including only some body parts in the frame is usually done to produce an abstract feel, or to focus on a certain action.

Even with still life, close-ups work great. This allows you to see usual things in very unusual ways, revealing many details that were not obvious before. This is particularly important when photographing products and machine parts.

Zooming and cropping are the tools used to create close-ups. Cropping allows you to cut any part you want from any photograph, making it flexible to carefully choose your composition, but you have to know that the image size will be smaller than the original.

As you can see, close-ups open a new door for your creative expression using photography. So use your imagination, and make your audience use theirs.

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