How to Create Balanced Photos

April 15th, 2008

A photo that has balance can make for much more pleasing shots. A photo that is unbalanced can make your photos look ugly. Balance is a simple compositional technique that you can start implementing right now! And NO, it doesn’t require any extra equipment .All you need is an eye and a brain.

There are primarily two different types of balance.

Symmetrical Balance

This type of balance is seen very often. This basically means the same thing as Elle. Look at that word. It is balanced. El and LE are like mirror images of the same thing and create symmetry. If you cut the thing down the middle they’re the same.

You can use symmetrical balance in less obvious ways also. For example, you can make two people talking to each other and have them mirror each other. They, however, don’t look the same in detail.

The other type of balance is asymmetrical balance. This is balance that isn’t obvious or direct opposites of each other. Dog. Look at that word. It is asymmetrically balanced. Let’s use our imagination a little bit since I can’t put a photo in this article. The “D” is in the foreground and close to you. The “g” is in the background and is far in the distance. They balance each other out in the overall word.

You can use this in your image by having, for example, a rock in the foreground and it balanced by rolling mountains in the distance. You can also use this balance for balancing things from the left side and the right side.

Al Sanchez has a Free Photo 101 E-course that teaches digital photography. He also has another free program on how to Sell Your Pictures Online

Taking Great Photos Without Expensive Equipment

April 15th, 2008

Have you ever used the excuse that your amateur quality equipment is causing you to take awful photos? Have you gone out and spend lots of money on high tech telephoto lenses, tripods, and shutter released? Realize first off that this is solving the symptoms of bad photos, not the root cause. This article will show you how to take great photos without spending any money. Got a camera phone? Great! You can take great photos!

One of the best ways you can improve your photos is by learning how to make your photos more visually appealing.

The easiest way to take more beautiful photos is to start developing your eye as a photographer. Start looking around and trying to find things that would be great to photograph. Look for amazing shots. Look at the depth of field of your surroundings.

A camera is basically an eye. If you can train your eyes to be great than your camera will simply be a tool to show others how you view the world.

When we view things with our eyes, what we do is isolate things. Our mind and eyes will do this naturally. If you’re looking at a computer screen like I am right now then your eyes isolate on that screen and everything else is blurred and unnoticed.

Cameras do not do this automatically so you have a few options. If you are using an SLR or manual camera you can use depth of field to isolate subjects. If you have a point and shoot camera you can simply avoid cluttered backgrounds. Also, you can zoom in and take pictures as zoomed in as possible. This will be similar to using a telephoto lens.

Al Sanez has a Free Photo 101 E-course that teaches digital photography. He also has another free program on how to Sell Your Pictures Online

Point and Shoot Camera Tips

April 15th, 2008

When taking pictures with a point and shoot camera, you can be very limited with your creativity and flexibility. However, you can still take great shots as long as you follow the tried and true compositional techniques for visual images.

Compositional techniques are not only used for photography, they are used for videotaping, painting, and any other visual media. If you can master composition in photography, you can easily take any other field that is similar. A point and shoot camera is what? A visual capture device and although it doesn’t have the bells and whistles of SLR cameras, it still is very powerful.

Many people assume that because it’s a point and shoot camera they won’t take good pictures. People use this as a crutch and blame the poor images as the result of bad quality cameras.

Not True at all!

Think back in the day of the pin hole camera. They took nice photos and all they had was a hole that exposed the image. Nothing else.

Here is a very useful compositional tip that can help you immensely.

Keep it simple. Working on creating simple compositions means isolating the subject, reducing the background clutter, and making the subject of interest very easily viewable. The viewer should instantly be able to know what he or she is to look at.

You can achieve simpler photos by:

-Moving in closer

-Using the depth of field to blur the background

-Focusing on, for example, one flower instead of five

-Leaving unnecessary information out of the frames of the border.

You can take great photos whether you use a point and shoot camera or a digital SLR. The photo is not made by the equipment but by the eye of the photographer.

Al Sanez has a Free Photo 101 E-course that teaches digital photography. He also has another free program on how to Sell Your Pictures Online

On Vacation Photography Tips

April 10th, 2008

Traveling can be extremely exciting and can make for great opportunities to take amazing photos. Of course, you really need to be prepared. Problems can occur like blur and you are stuck with that photo until you go back to that foreign place. I used to take awful pictures when on vacation. It is because new places have new rules and you must be prepared for them.

Travel photos are very different from taking pictures in your back yard. Now you don’t know the schedule that occurs there and are left lost. The sun sets at a different time, the weather is different, monkeys can try to steal your cameras. To combat the unfamiliar place you visit, be ready for anything.

If you have never been to the place you are going to travel to then you really need to do some research on the area and find out some stuff. Find out what the forecast says and if you need a rain cover. Try and see if any particular event is taking place. Sometimes festivals or marches can be occurring that you can photograph. Another important thing to do is find out if your travel spot has strange unpredictable conditions There are some places in the world that always have low fog and other places that are always scorching hot. Lucky for you, having some equipment can save you lots of trouble. Some filters can reduce the sun and others can stabilize things that the weather messes up.

Organize your equipment before and be sure you have plenty of extras. Bring with you some spare batteries, cleaning containers for your lens, and possibility another camera as well! Do not simply say that you’ll buy more batteries at the location. Some places have different customs and may not use batteries that you like.

As I said before, research the place you are visiting. Not only that, research surrounding locations also. You do not want to come back and find out that you missed a tourist attraction that was five minutes away. Now I have to save up again and fly back there to take pictures of the location that I missed.

Al Sanchez has a Free Photo 101 E-Course to learn digital photography tips

How to shoot Portrait Shots in Digital Photography

April 10th, 2008

When it comes to shooting portrait digital photography, it can be much more different than taking photographs of inanimate objects or landscapes. With portrait photos no longer in total power over the shot. This makes your model in a group effort with you for the image and it is your responsibility to get them to look how you want them to.

People skills are highly valued when taking portrait shots. Some models will not be very fun to work with and can be a big hassle. Some will get annoyed quick and some will be annoying quick! There will be people you photography that will get on your nerves. In the end, your goal is to make the model as relaxed as possible.

When you take portrait pictures your main goal should be that described above. You want to take a photo of the person and have their personality be shown through the photo. Mostly portrait photos are of people smiling and happy looking. If you take a photo of a mad person a smile will look somewhat strange. Try for the more serious look. Be careful and make sure the background is right for the expressions. A smiling person with a graveyard as the background will not come out well.

When choosing backgrounds, do not limit yourself to the indoors. Outdoor settings can make very great settings as well. A great outdoor setting can make the photo look very nice. There are many wild places you can take great shots at. The beach is a great place as are forests, parks, and hills. Of course, you can also go for a more dramatic portrait and take them at landfills, parking lots, roof tops, alleys, and even graveyards.

Portrait photos should be lit as nice as possible. The better the lighting the better the person will look. Of the different lighting types available, front light is commonly used and great for people photos. It will reduce facial flaws and can render the person as much more appealing. Be careful though, this can reduce details too much if improperly executed.

Al Sanchez has a Free Photo 101 E-Course to learn digital photography tips