People

Pictures of people should say something.

Posed pictures should show people at their best, looking relaxed and comfortable in their relationship.

We love to see ourselves in pictures. Probably more than 90% of the photographs in the average photo album are people pictures, not just images that have people in them, but photos where the actual subject is one or more persons. Sure, pictures of pets can be appealing, superb landscapes can take our breath away and undersea images can capture our imagination, but people pictures are in a class of their own. PICTURES OF PEOPLE SHOULD SAY SOMETHING This section of photographytips.com contains tons of information on taking peoplepictures, from improving the family snapshot to making a formal portrait. In every case, good people pictures convey a message. The message can fall into one of several categories. Your picture can, for instance, tell a story, show relationships or provide inspiration. Without a message, a photograph lacks interest. It says nothing, and therefore it gives nothing to the viewer.

In most cases, conveying a message is not that difficult. You simply have to think before you click the shutter. Ask yourself what you want your picture to say. Once you have defined it, you are then able to figure out how best to capture it on film. Occasionally, you will see it before you in a candid shot, as with the picture on the right of this family, and will have to capture it quickly before it is interrupted. Even the most common of pictures - a child’s school or sportsparticipation picture, for instance - should have a message.

A candid picture can capture relationships, such as this family's obvious comfort with one another, differently than one that is posed.

Minimal effort by the photographer went into this school picture. "Look at the lens" and 'click' is about all it took.

When taking school pictures, some photographers simply pose the child in front of the camera and take a picture - sort of like an assembly line. Others take the time, albeit brief, to interact with the child and evoke a pleasant aspect of his or her character that will be revealed in the picture. There is a world of difference in the resulting images. The good photographer’s message is clear in the picture: “Here is a person with a personality. Isn’t he or she interesting, and doesn’t this child look her or his best?”

Thinking about a picture’s message before taking it should become second nature to you once you consciously decide that your pictures will all have a message. Your people photography will improve right off the bat, and over time, you will come up with better and better ways to make your images of those around you more attractive and interesting.

This is a picture to be proud of.

Proper framing is important. The photographer should have aimed the camera slightly to the left.

We hope the hints and tips in this section will point you in the right direction to make great people pictures that you will be proud to show and that each contains a message placed there by you. We also encourage you to visit the other sections of our web site, such as Composition,where you will learn, among other things, how to avoid common mistakes, like cutting off peoples' heads when taking their pictures. Source: http://www.photographytips.com/page.cfm/140

Plants

Tips for great photographs of all kinds of plants.

pacific  trees seem to touch the sky itself.

The objective of many plant photographers is to shoot their subjects in the completely natural state in which they are found, without providing Mother Nature with any assistance whatever, not even to move a twig or leaf, or to remove an offending item from the background. Other photographers do whatever it takes to make the best possible picture of their flora subject, even if it means artificially altering all the natural conditions of the plant or its habitat.

Most of us fall somewhere between the two opposing philosophies; we want our images to show the natural features of the plant under the most esthetically-pleasing conditions, but we don't want to have unnatural-looking pictures, and we don't want to change Mother Nature. If there is a fast food restaurant wrapper in the foreground, we'll pick it up so it doesn't appear in our picture (and because it should be picked up anyway). If there is a tree branch in the way of the best composition, we won't lop it off for the sake of a photograph.

A polarizing filter helped to bring out these intense colors

A well-tended garden with a good variety of flowers presents any photographer with an abundance of plant pictureopportunities.

The tips that follow don't dwell on the moral and philosophical issues of nature photography. We want your pictures of plants to be great, and that is what we hope this section of photographytips.com will help them to become. We encourage photographers whose objectives are to take pictures and nothing else from the wilds, and to leave nothing but their footprints. Of course, not all plants are wild, and you'll find many tips for photography of, for example,flowers in and from the garden.

Hawaiian pineapples appear to be hiding in their protective foliage. Bright, overhead sun made it necessary to expose for the mid-range lighting (where the pineapples are) , creating over-exposed highlights on top and dark shadow areas under the greenery.

We suggest that beginning photographers first review our sections oncomposition to gain a full understanding of the information herein. If you come across an unfamiliar term or reference, it is probably defined in ourGlossary of Photographic Terms. It may also be covered in detail elsewhere on the site and should be easy for you to jump to using the web site's search engine (or by clicking on it if it's a highlighted link), and then come back here for more plant photography tips.

Source: http://www.photographytips.com/page.cfm/101

Animal & Wildlife Photography Tips and Techniques

Practice in a zoo before heading out in the wilds

KNOW YOUR SUBJECTS Photographing animals, whether your cat at home or a cougar in the great outdoors, requires patience, perseverance and an understanding of animal behaviour so you can predict how they will be likely to act or react, and anticipate the moment for a good photograph. If you consider an animal's character in the same way you do when photographing people, and try to capture it on film, you won't go far wrong. Make sure you know what you want your images to say about the animal before you start clicking away, and then put your knowledge of composition, lighting and angles to work to get the pictures you want.

YOU ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANY PICTURE No shot is worth risking your safety when dealing with animals. Stay in the car if there is a bear or a buffalo on the road. A wild animal's reaction to your presence is unpredictable and even if they look so docile you feel you could walk up and pet them, remember, they can hurt and even kill you. Don't ever follow a dangerous animal into the woods because you didn't get its picture. You wouldn't dive into an alligator pool, and for the same reason, you shouldn't follow behind a cougar or a moose. And please don't pet a porcupine.

This is one wild animal you can get fairly close to, but don't touch!

People love to be photographed with their pets

PATIENCE After the word "safety," the next three important words that govern animal photography are patience, patience and patience. Photography is like fishing in this regard. You often have to wait a long time in the right place to catch the best ones. Patience applies equally when photographing pets and domestic animals. They sometimes seem to have a knack for being uncooperative when you bring out your camera. Keeping calm and taking things one step at a time often helps the animal to relax.

PRACTICE BEFORE HAND If you are planning your first trip into the wilds to take pictures of the furry, scaled or feathered residents there, it is a good idea to practice first. The zoo is an ideal place, because you will usually find the same kinds of creatures there.Study their behaviour and you will have an idea of what to expect when you confront them in a natural setting. No zoo nearby? Visit a farm or ranch, and take some pictures of the animals there. It may sound silly if you live in the country, but for someone with absolutely no experience with large animals, a farm is a good place to get your feet wet. The library and the internet are good places, too. Read up about the specific animals you may come across so you will be armed with knowledge, and of course read our tips under this heading about photographing wild animals.

Those ears tell you you have his full attention

TIPS FOR PHOTOGRAPHING ALL KINDS OF ANIMALS This section deals with more than shooting animals in the wild. There are tipsand hints for photographing your pets, shooting at the zoo, making images ofinsects and other tiny creatures, photographing birds, livestock and so on. We hope you find them informative and useful. Choose where you'd like to go next by selecting one of the links at the bottom of this page.

Source: http://www.photographytips.com/page.cfm/67

Sports photography tips and hints

Photographers must react as quickly as the player.

 

Professional baseball action calls for a telephoto lens, a fast shutter speed and a good shooting angle

Sports have universal appeal, and are a natural subject for photography at all levels. A child’s baseball game and a big league match-up share many of the same characteristics that photographers seek in order to make great images - drama, involvement, excitement, suspense, action and interest.

The professional sports photographer has numerous advantages over the average picture-taker, not the least of which is equipment selection. Mostphotographers who make their living from shooting sports use expensive, top-of-the-line 35 mm SLR cameras equipped with fast, super-long telephoto lensesthat bring them close to the action. They are generally able to shoot from field level, ringside or wherever the best camera angles can be found. They are practiced in their techniques, experienced with their equipment and have in-depth knowledge of the sport and its players.

You may think you’ll never capture images that can compare with those the pros get, but you can. If you wish to get serious about sports photography, an important accessory is a fast, medium telephoto lens or a fast, quality zoom lens that ranges from around 80 mm to 200 mm or more. Such lenses will bring you close enough to sports action to take many a good picture, particularly at smaller, local events where you can position yourself nearer to the play.

KNOW THE SPORT

The photographer who understands the game and has knowledge of individual players' styles will find it easier to anticipate the action and will know where to be positioned for good photographic opportunities. Effective camera angles will not only include key elements in the composition, but will be chosen for lightingthat works to your advantage.

INDOOR SPORTS

Wouldn't it be great if all sporting events took place outdoors under balmy skies with just the right light for action-stopping photography? Wishful thinking.

Sports activities that occur in enclosed arenas, gymnasiums, aquatic centers, etc. place an additional challenge on the photographer. Lighting is generally dimmer, and has different characteristics than sunshine. Shutter speeds must remain fast to stop action, requiring faster film or higher ISO setting in yourdigital camera or larger apertures, which means sacrificing depth of field. Although shallow depth of field is often desired when shooting an individual participant in order to separate the player from a busy background. Electronic flash may be a solution, although the distance from flash unit to sports action is often too great to affect exposure. If you check your manual for your flash, you will probably be able to find its effective distance.

Click on the links at the bottom of the page for more information on sports photography.

Source: http://www.photographytips.com/page.cfm/97

Underwater photography tips and techniques

Almost like flying

Almost every photographer is thrilled when taking his or her first picturesunder water, whether in a swimming pool or the ocean’s depths. The excitement comes not only from the very idea of capturing an underwater scene on film or on a digital camera's sensor, but also from being in a completely-different environment - another world, it seems.

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO RE-LEARN BASIC PHOTOGRAPHY The fundamentals of photography remain the same wherever you are taking pictures, but when the medium that light travels through is water - not air - special techniques and equipment are needed in order to capture good images.

Proper exposure and sharp focus are as important underwater as on the surface. Quillback rock fish photo courtesy of Tom Sheldon.

Many of the images in this section have been provided by expert diver/photographer, Tom Sheldon, seen here with his wife, Paulette.

UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY IN A WORD If the difficulties encountered in shooting underwater had to be summed up in one word, perhaps the best word would be “limitations.” Communication and travel below the surface are limited. Natural light and visibility are limited. Equipment selection is limited. Even time is limited, since we are air-breathing creatures and must at some point come to the surface. The secret to successful underwater photography occurs in how well we overcome these limitations. The information, hints and tips provided in this section of photographytips.com will help to guide you in the right direction.

IMPORTANT ADVICE The most important advice you can receive, however, has little to do with photography per se, and everything to do with your safety. A watery environment can be a dangerous environment, even if it is a back yard pool. No photograph is worth any risk to your life and safety. Depending on the type of underwater photography you wish to pursue, you must first acquire appropriate specialized knowledge and training, and receive certification from qualified instructors. This applies to every aspect of underwater activity, from basic swimming skills to advanced deep-sea diving techniques. You must rigorously train yourself to keep techniques of survival uppermost in your mind when taking underwater pictures, since it is possible to become so engrossed that you may tend to overlook basic safety procedures. Learn and apply all safeguards all the time, and if you have any uncertainty about whether what you are doing or thinking of doing may be risky, then consider it risky and don’t do it.

Proper equipment, good training and safe procedures enable the taking of fascinating underwater pictures. Photo by Tom Sheldon.

Underwater creatures make excellent subjects for exceptional images. Sea blubber jellyfishphoto by Tom Sheldon.

A FASCINATING ENVIRONMENT The rewards of underwater photography can be great. Since it is a specialized area that relatively few photographers attempt, the opportunities for new and different images are many. People who have little interest in your vacation pictures will usually look forward with eagerness to seeing your underwater pictures, since there is a novelty aspect to them and because we are all fascinated by images from places we seldom see in person.

SEND US YOUR UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS We invite you to send us your own tips and pointers for taking picturesunderwater, whether in a shallow stream or the ocean floor. Include examples of your images whenever possible, and we will provide you with credit if we use them on the website. Source: http://www.photographytips.com/page.cfm/74

The range & intensity of colors underwater can be striking. Photo by Tom Sheldon.