Summer is fast approaching – in the northern hemisphere, anyway, and if that’s the half of the world where you reside you might benefit from some summer photography tips. (If not, then photographing winter landscapes might be more your thing.) To photographers, summer is first and foremost a time of sun. Sun of course means [...]

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Do you know what the difference is between a good photographer and a great one? It’s light. Or rather, the way the photographer uses light. A good photographer knows how to compose an image, how to angle her camera so the viewer gets a completely unique perspective of an object, how to capture an event [...]

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You’ve heard me talk a lot lately about inspiration, and about how to find great photos in boring places. Let’s say you’ve tried a bunch of those tips but would really like to break out of that whole reality box and try something completely different. Here’s an idea: get yourself a flashlight, a few glow-sticks [...]

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If only you could control the weather. Whip up a little wind to make your model’s hair move. Conjure up a cloud or two to diffuse that awful direct sunlight. Make the rain that’s ruining your photo shoot go away until tomorrow. Well, there really isn’t much you can do to stop the rain or [...]

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When you think about your favorite landscape photos, the images that come to mind are probably classic shots of forests, mountains and natural rock formations. And they are probably daytime images, too, with an occasional sunset and sunrise thrown in for good measure. We don’t really see a lot of landscape images shot at night, [...]

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“Fungal photography.” That’s like viral photography, right? Only slower moving and … itchier. Actually, no. “Fungal photography” is the quite literal term used to describe what for many people is a passion – photographing mushrooms. You won’t find much glamour in this little corner of the photography world. Mushroom photography can be dirty – like [...]

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If you spend a lot of time on Flickr or just browsing through photography books in search of artsy, eye-popping images, chances are you’ve seen some really cool pictures of smoke – pictures that you aren’t quite sure how to duplicate. While it has its place in scenic photography, I don’t mean the smoke from [...]

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Metering is one of those subjects that makes hobby photographers put their hands over their ears and sing “la la la, I can’t hear you.” That’s because metering is a bit of a complicated subject. After all, who wants to talk about the way your camera estimates exposure? Shouldn’t that stuff happen behind the scenes, [...]

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If you’ve ever studied art, you probably have at least some understanding of form. It’s one of the six classic design elements, and knowing how to use it will help you take photographs that have a creative edge and an artistic quality that greatly exceeds the common snapshot. Form is very similar to its cousin, [...]

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I know I’m always saying to avoid chaos in your photos, and let’s face it, what could be more chaotic than Christmas morning? But fear not, you can get great Christmas day images that are unencumbered by mountains of empty toy packaging, Grandma’s oh-so-cheesy collection of porcelain elves that seems to be in every single [...]

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Color is one of the six classic design elements, which also includes shape, form, line, texture and space. Like the other design elements, good use of color can evoke emotion and give the viewer something to think about. Color is one of those things that was see all the time but often don’t notice, at [...]

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Why is Texture one of the essential visual design elements in photography? Well, if you’re like most people, you spend a lot of time avoiding drama in your life. Unless you’re particularly masochistic, you don’t need that kind of trouble. Your photos do, though. Drama is what makes for a compelling image. Drama is what [...]

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As a general rule, most of the pictures you take during the day are shot with a short exposure. And why not? There’s plenty of light during the day, and a long exposure might create unwanted motion blur and maybe even put you at risk for that dreaded camera shake. With the right equipment, though, [...]

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In the hands of a skilled and patient user, Photoshop can take 10 years and 25 pounds off of almost anyone. But how do you make your people pictures look better before you get them into Photoshop? It’s always preferable to bring out the best in your subjects during a photo shoot rather than after [...]

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Most modern portraits are shot in soft light. Soft lighting is more forgiving, more flattering and easier for beginners to master. So does that mean there’s no place for hard light in portrait photography? Just look at any collection of Hollywood portraits from the 1930s and you’ll have your answer. Golden age movie-stars often preferred [...]

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