A Simple Tip to Improve Your Photography: Change Your Perspective!

This is a quick tutorial on how to improve your photography by simply changing your perspective!! Hope you enjoy and take a look at the photos below to see the results that I got!

 Here is the first Shot!

Here is the shot taken closer to the ground

The Same idea with people. This is a shot of my daughter

I took this shot 5 seconds after the one above. The only thing I did

different is to get down close to the ground and shoot her at eye level!

Here are two other photos using the same process!

hope you enjoyed this tutorial. Comments are appreciated!

-Brian

Landscape Photography Composition Tips from Joseph Holmes

Amazing Video on Basic Photography Composition!!

Great video from Jared Polin on Basic photography composition!!

The best place to learn about photography!

Fill the Frame!! Basic Photography Composition!

Great Short video on filling the frame!!!

Learn About the Rule of Thirds!!

Awesome video on the rule of thirds.  Probably the most important rule about composition!

Nature Photography Composition

This video does a great job of explaining things like leading lines and the rule of thirds. It's worth a watch!

  

Online Colleges have
resource for learning more about photography.

Learn about Dead Space and HDR images!

Critique #2 for H.B.

Here is another review for HB.
Thanks

Very nice!!!  You framed the photo with blossoms.  Good composition.  The exposure is good too.  This is a good shot!! There's not much else to say!

A few tips to get better photographs

Even in you are a pro photographer, there is always room to improve.  So, pro or not, here are a few tips to get better shots.

1.  Get down to your subject's level.  This applies to kids, pets, flowers, almost everything.  Try a different angle to see how it looks.

2.  Use flash outdoors. When taking photos of friends or family, use your pop -up flash. Believe me, your photos will look better.  It will get rid of the harsh shadows.

3. Use a plain background when photographing people, pets, etc.  There will be less distraction to take away from the subject.

4.Take a vertical shot.  Most people get used to taking horizontal shots. Mix it up an bit and throw in an odd vertical.

5. Use the rule of thirds (if you don't know what it is, I did a post on it, so go find it.). Better composition always helps a photo.

6. Shoot down.  It adds a creative angle to the shot!(check out the photo below.)





Hope you enjoyed this.  Let me know if  you have any questions.

Excellent Tips. Check this out!!!!

Yes, I know. I have posted a lot of videos. The reason? I am in the middle of a move. So, to not leave you hanging, I am posting videos. They are great videos though, Enjoy.

Building a Triangle: Composition for Two or More People.

Today our lesson is on how to photograph a family. This idea also works great for couples.  It's really simple. When posing more than one person at a time, build a pyramid.  Here is an example...

Do you see the pyramid? If you don't I have made it easier to see below. Take a look...

Now it is easier to see.  A lot of photographers will pose a couple or family standing up. I think it creates a more pleasing composition when the family (couple) is sitting.  Don't get me wrong, there are some times when a standing pose looks great, but I like it better when families and couples are sitting.  Also, traditionally the male's head should be posed above the female's head.  Notice also that I used the arm of the man in this photo to complete the triangle. This is not a perfect photo. There are a few things I could do better in this shot, but the point of this lesson is to show how to pose a family (or couple).  The idea of the triangle or pyramid can also be used in posing a person by himself or herself.  When shooting a portrait, put the subject's hands on their hips or in their pockets.  Never pose a standing person with their arms straight to their sides.  So, to wrap it up, always create a pyramid.  If you have any questions let me know. Thanks for looking and don't forget to bookmark this page:)

Mystic Forest

I took this photo about 2 years ago.  The fog was pretty thick and it was very pretty. It was taken in Montana, near Missoula. This is one of those shots where I happened to have my camera with me.  I always carry my camera now because you never know if you will miss a good shot. Luckily for me, I had my camera on me that day.

Flashing Yourself! (What?)

Well, here is my first photography lesson for all of you out there.  This lesson will teach you how to get a better protrait with a basic lighting set up.  You can get the equipment to do this for about 100 dollars.  For your info, I get almost all of my equipment from B and H Photo out of New York.  They are great to work with and I recommend checking them out.  Also, check Ebay for great used photo gear. I guess I better explain what a strobe is for those of you who don’t know.  A strobe is simply a flash.  Some cameras have flashes built into the top of them. To take a photo like this you need to have a flash unit that is seperate from the camera body.   For the photo below I use a single strobe (flash unit) on a light stand with a remote trigger unit attached to it.  A remote trigger unit is also know as a slave unit. A remote trigger sets off the flash when light hits it.  When I took this photo I used the small flash that is on the top of my camera to set off  the remote trigger which set off the flash unit and lit me from the side.  The flash unit was about 10 feet from me and the camera was placed on a tripod. I was about 15 feet away from the tripod.  I used a flash meter for this shot, but I have since sold it. I have gotten pretty good at guessing the exposure, but if you have one it will help.  Please feel free to ask questions about this post. I will answer them in a timely manner.  Now it’s time to go out and have some fun.  Thanks for reading! (click on the photos below to see them larger)

10 Tips for Better Photography!

1.Don’t have a tripod?

Set your camera on a bean bag.

2.Shooting in Rain?

To avoid getting your camera wet use a ziplock plastic bag.

3.Want to shoot close-ups but don’t want to spend the money on a new macro lens?

Buy a reversal ring. They cost anywhere from $10 to $30.

4.Do you have old lenses that do not fit on your new camera?

There are adaptor rings out there now that will make it so you can put almost any lens on any camera. I have one that allows me to but a Hasselblad lens on a Canon digital camera (Don’t know what a Hasselblad is? Google it.).

5.Need a reflector for a photo shoot?

Wear a white t-shirt and use yourself as a reflector. Or  aluminum foil on a peice of cardboard works great. A small one can be used to lighten the shadows of a flower.

6.Speaking of flowers, do you have an ugly background behind the flower?  Take a piece of colored paper and place it on the background, or use an 8x10 print of a photo you have taken to liven it up a bit!

7. Do you worry that you are going to scratch up a nice lens when putting it in a back pack or bag?  Wrap it in a sock.

8.Want to create a soft focus look?

Use an old pair of pantyhose over the lens. White will look diffent than black or nude so have fun experimenting.

9. Need some software to edit photos?

Download Picassa 3 for free and start to experiment.

10. Want to become a better photographer?

Be patient, go out and do it, and keep on learning!  You will never get good if you just wish for it :)

My Favorite Place for Family Photos!!!!

You are going to think I am crazy and the truth is that I am a little bit. When it comes to photographing my family, the best place I have found is the kitchen table.  What the? Yes, I am serious and I will tell you why.  It’s easy, and the kids can’t run away. LOL. Seriously, I love to get shots of my fam at the kitchen table. There are always fun photos like kids with pudding or spaghetti all over them. Then they get a little older and they look at you so tenderly.  My daughter is at the stage where she looks and me and says “I love you Daddy”. It melts my heart. Anyway, next time you are sitting down for a good meal at the table, break out your camera and have some fun. Thanks for visiting, don’t forget to bookmark this blog and if you have questions or want to know about something, let me know. Frank, don’t worry. I’m getting ready to do a post for you on which f-stop to use in which situation.

Being a Bad Weather Friend!

Tonight I was out in a rain storm having fun.  A few posts ago I told you that bad weather is your friend.  This is what I got from the storm. Hope you enjoy!

Rule the World with the Rule of Thirds

If you want to get good at composition, you need to know about this rule. The rule of thirds is probably the most popular “rule” in art and photography. How does it work you ask?  Well, imagine two lines dividing your photograph horizontally and two vertically.

They look like this:

Important elements go where the lines intesect or on the lines.

Above are examples of the Rule of  Thirds at work.  Notice the placement of the moose?  The moose is placed where the lines intersect. This is the Rule of Thirds. You place your subject on one of the intersecting lines (click on the photos and you can see an enlarged version of them). Using the rule of thirds in this photo makes it more visually stimulating.

Notice in the photo of lake. Look where I placed the sky in this photo.  This is the Rule of Thirds at work again. This rule works great for landscapes.

Now that you understand how it works, go out and try it.  After you have it down good, go out and break the rule. The Rule of Thirds is just a rule.  If  we followed the rule all the time it could cause some problems, so learn to use it when it is needed.  If you have any quesions let  me know and I will do my best to answer them.  Now go out and start shooting.

Getting Up Early, Staying up Late and Being a Bad Weather Friend!

Here is the question: when is the best time to shoot?  This is easy for me: morning, evening or when there is a rainstorm or blizzard.  Seriously, I love bad weather.  These photos below were taken in bad weather (snowstorms, thunderstorms, or soon after).  I think the biggest reason that so many photos look boring or bland is because of the time of day that they were taken. Here is a challenge for you. Take a photo at noon, and then go back to the same spot about 30 minutes before the sun goes down and take some more photos. Look at what you have taken and decide for yourself. Good luck and have fun:)

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How to Photograph a Real Estate Agent and Get Paid for it!!!!

How many times do we see an ad in a real estate magazine that looks like this:

Probably a lot!  Well, here is an idea on how to make a few extra bucks.  Go through the Real Estate guides in your town and mark the agents who need a better shot.  Call them and sell the idea that their photo is kind of like a first impression. Let them know that for so and so $ you can produce a better image for them.  This might help them get more business.  This is what you want their new photograph to look like:

Much better!

Now, for those of you who are thinking that you can’t do this, I have news for you. It’s easy!

Here is a basic diagram on how do to this.

What you want to do is:

1.  Find a location where the background is shady but you have a little light to bounce off the reflector.

2.  Have an assistant hold the reflector.

3. Have the subject turn his body slightly toward the reflector, tilt his head a little toward the reflector, and smile.

4. snap away! I always take about 5 shots of each pose. This makes sure you don’t have blinking eyes and also helps the subject relax.

Here is the cool thing. This doesn’t have to be a realtor. this could be a senior or your child, or other family member.  I really could be anyone who wants a portrait.  I suggest that you go and practice a few times before you go out and get paid for it, but seriously, this is easy!  So, grab a guy (or girl) and get out and at least try it!

Remember, have fun and if you have a question, let me know.

P.S. If you don’t have a reflector, get a piece of cardboard and tape some aluminum foil on it or use a white sheet or T-shirt.

Family Photos Without Freakin' out the Kids (Tips on Photographing Children)

This was taken off my old blog. Hope you enjoy!

Almost everyone wants better photos of their families.  So here are a few tips on how to get those shots that only professionals get (not really, anyone can get them!).

1. When you want someone on the other side of the camera to smile, smile!!!!!!  Right now your thinking I am crazy right?  Well, I might be a little but it takes a lot of practice to get to serious crazy.  What I mean is the photographer (you) need to smile at your subject if you want them to smile.

2. The best thing you can do when trying to get you kids to pose for you is to not pose them. Let them do what they usually do.  And don’t get impatient and yell or threaten them. Think about it. Would you be happy if your mom said, "Stop crying or I’m gonna give you something to cry about!" With kids you have to be really patient.  I know. It’s hard not to yell at your kids when it’s so much fun. (kidding again )

3. This is a great way to get kids' attention.  Do you have a cell phone? When you want a kid to look at the camera, make your cell phone ring!  They always look at it. Make sure it is by the camera when it rings.

4. With digital you can take multiple shots without charging up a huge bill for film and printing. So shoot away. Take a lot of shots. This way when you get a blink or bad expression, you will at least get a lot of  them. Ha Ha. What I meant to say was that you have a better chance of getting a good shot when you take a whole bunch of shots.  You might hit the lottery and get an awsome one.

Now that I have given you some advice, here are a few shots of my fam.

This is the most important thing to remember when shooting family and kids. Have fun. Because if you are not having fun, no one is!

Let me know if you need any clarification on this and thanks for visiting my blog.  Hey, if you like the blog, please bookmark it so you can return often :)