Now this edition of Photo Stop is going to be
special! Usually I’ll think up a topic and write
down some tips for you, but not this Photo Stop.
Because I learn the most about photography from
other photographers, I thought it would be a
great idea to ask some of the amateur
photographers that I admire and whom I know from
the
Photo Challenge for some great pictures and
tips.
I must say, I love what they have all come up
with, so let’s not wait any longer…
Tip
1: Positioning portraits and editing in Picasa
by Helen Hancock
Here are two of my favourite recent photos
that demonstrate techniques that I have come
to use quite often. Firstly, positioning in
portraits is crucial to a photo. If there is
no background then a tight crop is
essential. If however, like the sunset
shot, there is a story to tell in the
background then rule of thirds is crucial.
My clever tip to you is - take portraits or
even self portraits in your bathroom! Many
modern day houses have large bathroom
windows that provide brilliant diffused
light. The key is to position your camera on
your tripod out of view and therefore tight
crops are important. They are a super way of
doing self portraits as well. You don't even
have to use the timer. If your tripod is
lowered and you shoot from the waist up the
ease of it all will amaze you. Play around
with where you want your subject to look. My
son was asked to look directly into the
lens, while I was in fact checking camera
settings!
Secondly, I am a big fan of Picasa. I do use
other programs, however, for a quick and
effective fix you cannot beat it. The simple
slider scales for highlights or shadows
provide quick and easy ways to see how you
can make major changes to your photo. My
sunset shot was quite good. But the sun was
certainly not that large! The highlight
scale in Picasa accentuated it perfectly and
then I increased my daughter's shadow to
provide a silhouette, making a good shot
even better.
Tip2: Authentic family life by Leah Russell
I don't have many photos from my childhood
but just recently my Dad brought an album by
the house. He thought the photos would be
great for scrapbooking but as I went through
them I realized it was the photography I
appreciated. So many memories were brought
back to the surface and in my opinion that
is what photography is about memories. More
than ever people want to record and remember
their lives. When taking photos, keep in
mind your authentic family lives. Take shots
of your son's obsession with cars, do a
photo shoot of your daughter in her
favourite dress and take the mundane photos
around the house. The photos that
authentically tell the story of your life
will be the ones that make their way into
your albums and they will be the most
valuable in your heart.
Tip
3: Light and Contrast by Jopke
I’m certainly NOT a photographer but there
are a few tricks that I use to make the best
of my pictures. Cropping the photo is one of
my favourites, put the accent on some detail
or take a picture from an unusual angle. In
Photoshop one of the first things I do is
hit the light/contrast button and play with
it and also I often turn it in black and
white. Blending is also a thing I love to do
with photos and I just play around with it
till I got what I want. For this photo I
only used the light/contrast button and
cropped it a bit, as I thought the angle I
took it in was so great, it just didn’t need
much more.
Tip
4: Camera tips by Jorinde
What I really wish I had known before I got
my Canon EOS 400D is about the advantage of
getting an UV filter for your camera. I
think it’s a must have!
-
First of all using an UV filter will
help you get sharper outdoor photos,
since UV rays can be the cause of
unsharp pictures.
-
The next advantage it that it will give
you more contrast in your outdoor
pictures.
-
But apart from having these advantages,
these usually not very expensive UV
filters will also help to protect your
camera lens from dust and scratches. So
you will be able to enjoy your camera
lens much longer.
Another tip is being careful with
condensation forming in your camera. This
problem is usually found in the winter.
Condensation can form in your camera when
you go from a very cold environment to a
more humid and warm place. The condensation
can leave permanent small round marks in
your lens and can damage to your camera. So
my tip is that when you have done a photo
shoot outside in the cold and you are going
inside, to leave your camera in your camera
bag for at least 30 minutes, to slowly let
it adjust to the other climate.
But my last tip must be to always have fun
shooting photos and don’t forget to shoot those
fun moments in life!
