How to Get Photoshop Joy

Kiwi Mouse Photo by hongkiat.com
Kiwi Mouse Photo by hongkiat.com

Many amateur and professional photographers have discovered the almost limitless potential of Photoshop software – they can change textures, apply all kinds of artful filters, make additions or corrections to photographs, and even combine unlikely images into a single image. One area where Photoshop becomes an incredibly useful tool is in portrait photography.

For example, most professional photographers are now capturing all of their images in the RAW format because of its functionality in the Photoshop program. The larger file size captures a broader range of color and makes for a much better, less “noisier” print. The traditional JPG format that most people use for their photographs asks for certain camera settings and may eliminate a great deal of the control that photographers want when taking professional and portrait images.

Read more

Mastering Composition

Wine in centered amongst diverse contrast
Wine centered amongst diverse contrast creating a swish affect

A photographer controls the composition of the photograph they are taking by deciding exactly what will be included in the photograph and what will not.  The photographer chooses a subject to shoot and makes decisions such as where to place the subject, as well as what to include in the background and the foreground of the photo.  Many quick, almost subconscious, decisions go into creating a photograph and composing something that catches the eye, captures the moment and draws the viewer into the scene once the photograph is printed.  This skill for most is developed over time.

Read more

Understanding Exposure will help you get Quality Pictures

Daylight exposure table by photo.net
Daylight exposure table by photo.net

Taking good pictures is a great way to be able to share your experiences with other people and make a living. Time marches on very quickly, and those pictures are a great way to look back over what has occurred or indeed, help recommend a photographer. Many people are disappointed though at some of the pictures. They didn’t turn out the best.

This can be due to:

– Not enough exposure

– Too much exposure

– Double exposure

Read more

Tips for Getting Your Backgrounds Right in Photographs

shooting backgrounds
shooting backgrounds

The first thing to remember about the background of any photograph is that it is indeed the background and ‘not the subject’. This means that the power of this part of the scene must be to a much lesser degree than the primary focus. While there is no easy tip or trick for knowing if you have allowed the background to overwhelm or distract from the subject, simply remembering that it isn’t to be any kind of competition to the attention of the viewer, is a good start.

Read more

Photographer’s Secret Weapon – Vaseline

Vaseline effect #1 - Eva Polak
Vaseline effect #1 - Eva Polak

Quick note from Ray – Photography tips and tricks are welcomed here and if you feel you have something to offer other photographers, feel welcome to visit this page for the guidelines. Now on with this amazing tip….,

Vaseline does wonders, not only for your skin, but can also help you to create impressionist masterpieces. You can transform just about any subject into something interesting and exciting. If you like the soft, poetic look in your photographs this simple technique is for you.

Read more

Photoshop HDR Photography

HDR (high dynamic range) imagery has helped professional photographers to record photos other than those that they could capture with a camera.  It has opened up the photos so that they can record a great range of lighting detail, and makes photos that would otherwise have very dark tonal areas aesthetically pleasing.

Read more

10 Must Read Photography Blogs

In researching this article, I did a Google search for “great photography blog” and it gave me 45,800,000 results.  Where would I even start to look for other great photography blogs (besides the one you’re reading now? :-))

To narrow down the field, I looked at several pages of results and noted the blogs that were mentioned multiple times in different articles, and then did quite a bit of browsing on each of those blogs.  Here are some (other) great photography blogs that are worth taking a look at, in no particular order:

Read more

City Shots and Wide Angle Lenses

Imagine yourself standing in the middle of a commercial area of a city, such as the heart of a normally bustling, city street, once the day is ended or perhaps on an evening or weekend. This is a rare photographic opportunity to begin shooting empty city streets and many unique buildings. Such opportunities like these are important in your photographic journey. Shooting empty streets can also be seen as a chance to explore the many ways that a good wide angle lens can be used to take pictures in a popular city environment.

Read more

Three Secrets To Mastering Perfect Exposure

TrainMemorize this short “mantra” in order to master photography – ISO, shutter speed, aperture. If you repeat this to yourself a few times you will be able to easily remember the three things that will always save, or ruin, an exposure. They don’t have to come specifically in that order, but nevertheless, these three things are what will determine your exposure.

Read more