Photoscout

• Fixing the Top 4 Digital Photo Mistakes

  All of us, especially the beginners, have committed some mistakes in taking digital photos. Even professional photographers make some mistakes from time to time. This article identifies the top 4 photo mistakes - namely, poor lighting, poor composition, red-eye, and blurry photos - and suggests some ways to fix them.

  Mistake # 1: Poor lighting

  Digital photography is about having a great lighting to capture that magic moment. Sometimes, however, we don’t get the light we want and proceed to take pictures. This often results in poor images. We can fix this mistake. In a bright light condition, try your camera’s Sunshine or Beach mode. You can also set a faster shutter speed in order to control the amount of light. In a dim light condition, use the night shooting mode. You can also lower your camera’s ISO to 50 or 100 for richer detail.

  For indoor shooting, allow natural light to come in and avoid using the flash. In addition to muting color, your flash can cast unflattering stark and deep shadows. When shooting outdoors, follow the basic “against the light” rule. The sun should be behind you when you take pictures. It’s also ideal to shoot at dawn or dusk as it provides lovely light.

  Mistake # 2: Poor composition

  A minor shift in emphasis can ruin a photo. There are many ways to improve your composition. One of the time-honored techniques that you can follow is the “Rule of Thirds”. Another way to achieve a great composition is to shoot photos at different distances and angles, giving you an idea which perspective will give better results.

  Another basic rule in photography is to eliminate those distracting background clutters. You can do this by getting closer to the subject or using the Portrait pre-set mode of your camera.

  Mistake # 3: Red-eye

  Glowing red eyes can spoil the otherwise cute photo of your child or pet. Red-eye happens when our eyes’ retinas reflect light. You can avoid this mistake by not using your camera’s flash. Instead, open the curtains or turn the lights on for additional light. You can also take advantage of your camera’s red-eye reduction setting.

  Mistake # 4: Blurry photos

  Another common mistake is a blurry photo. While a blur can add drama to the phoro, it can also make the subject incomprehensible. In order to add clarity to your photos, you must reduce the shutter lag (the delay between pressing the shutter and when the camera actually records the photo), minimize camera shake, and use the Action shooting mode.

  Posted in Tips & Techniques

  November 19th, 2008 / No Comments

• Beginners’ Guide to Still Life Photography

  Landscapes and portraits provide you a great opportunity to learn about elements of photography, but still life can also improve your compositional skills and sense of lighting. With still life photography, you make a picture rather than take it. It gives you more control in arranging elements within a composition. Unlike landscapes, still life gives you more control over the lighting. Unlike portrait subjects, still life subjects will never get bored.

  Lighting

  Since you’ll be working indoors most of the time, you’re going to need some good light. So it would be best to shoot near a window, one that lets plenty of sunlight in. Be careful when using a camera with a built-in flash. Since the flash is close to the lens, there’s a big chance that the lighting will appear flat, with very little shadows. Use thin tissue paper to scatter the light to smoothen bright spots. When using window light, exposure times should be set in slower mode.

  Start small

  Beginners have the tendency to just grab still life subjects, put them together, and then snap away. It’s more beneficial if you put careful thought into your work. Try to start with one object and observe the effects of lighting on the modelling of your subject.

  Then add another object and try to experiment with arrangements to achieve a great composition. Think about all sorts of contrasts - smooth and textured, light and dark, hard and soft - that produce different effects.

  Background

  Many beginners commit one of the grave sins in still life photography: not thinking about the background. Basically, a background is your major item of contrast. A good background highlights the subject, whereas a wrong background hides it. You can use a black velvet background to absorb unwanted reflections and light.

  You can also use a white background, but you have to ensure that it has no creases because any shadows will be visible in the final print. At times, however, such effect is necessary. For instance, a draped cloth can add nice effects on the subject.

  Inspiration

  Like other art forms, photography needs some inspiration. So where can you get inspirations for your subjects? There’s an inexhaustible ideas for still life. Think about illustrating movie, song, or book titles as well as proverbs, anecdotes, or sayings.

  You can also get ideas from posters, postcards, or a funny experience. If you want to learn something about portraiture but don’t have available model, buy a doll or an artist’s mannequin. Then practice poses and lighting whenever you want to.

  Posted in Photography Tips

  November 6th, 2008 / No Comments