Author: Mark Eden

Ok. So you’ve read up on the technical side of taking great photos. You know your aperture from your exif and you’ve experimented with shutter speeds. But there is something missing from the photos you’ve been taking. They’re ok, but that’s it. Just ok. Why? You wonder. Well, here’s a little secret: it’s all about luck. Well not really. More to the point, great travel photography is about creating your own luck.

Preparation

There is an art to being lucky in travel photography, and it usually involves a lot of hard work. Research is the key. Find out all you can about where you are going. Read travel guides, books, newspaper and magazine articles, scour the internet, watch television programs. Knowing a little about what life is like in that part of the world can go a long way to getting the most out of your time there. For instance, how would the locals react to someone trying to take their picture? Some cultures can be quite offended by having their photo taken. This is especially true of women in Islamic countries. At other times, people will practically beg you to take their picture. Sometimes, you will be expected to pay for the privilege.

If you are intending to photograph well known landmarks, there will be plenty of images available in the various media, so that you can get an idea of what it might look like during different times of the day or different seasons. This might help you in your planning. There is nothing quite as valuable in photography as knowing how to be in the right place at the right time.

Flexibility

Sometimes the shot you want is just not possible. You may be in a busy city square attempting to photograph a serene monument basking in the afternoon sun, but being interrupted by a stream of passers by wandering through the frame. Unless you are able to stop traffic, you are not going to get the shot you came for. This is where you might need to adjust your approach. Try to capture the feel of the place as it is. If the square is bustling with people going about their day, show it as such. Make your focus the intensity and speed of which life moves within the space. Be creative. Maybe use a bit of motion blur to capture the essence of a city in a hurry. You might also be able to return at a quieter time to capture that monument at peace. Again this comes back to preparation and research. Yes, I’m harping on about that again, but it really is that important.

The Wider Picture

Doubtless you will arrive at your destination with an intended subject. Maybe the local people, or architecture, or you’ve planned your trip around a particular festival that is taking place. However, do not limit yourself to this one subject. Instead of fixing your viewfinder on a subject and keeping it trained, try looking around you. Look up, down, behind you. You will be amazed at how much more there is to photograph. And how much more of a sense of time and place you will be able to show in your images. Isn’t that your purpose anyway?

Great travel photography does require great technical skills. Let’s not kid ourselves about that. But more often than not it’s about being in the right place at the right time and having the awareness to take complete advantage of it.

By: RAYMOND NWAMBUONWO

Most of the latest cameras come with a digital photography tutorial that literally takes you by the hand and teaches you all that you need to know about taking photographs with the digital camera you just bought. For best results use those lessons of the digital photography tutorial that matches with your level of knowledge; you would find three types of tutorials basic, advanced and expert.

What Are The Major Highlights That A Digital Photography Tutorial Gives You

The first thing that you would learn from the digital photography tutorial is how to handle the camera. You will find that the most complex digital camera would require no more than ten minutes to master its use. This is because in a digital camera everything is computerized and all you need to learn is to how to give it your command.

The next thing that the tutorial would teach you is how to take a picture in different circumstances, i.e. in full sun, on a cloudy day, when the sun is in front of you and when it is behind you, when the lighting is very poor or very bright and so on. Though generally the lighting conditions are taken care of by the camera automatically, the tutorial would explain to you the different aspects so you would understand its function better and be able to use it manually when shooting special subjects.

Next comes the shutter speed, aperture and exposure which normally would be set manually in a regular camera; with a digital camera your work is very much simplified as its inbuilt sensors are meant to understand the conditions and type of subject (whether moving or still) you are shooting and give you the best possible combinations for shooting your target. The digital photography tutorial would once again explain how the camera functions and why you do not need to worry about these aspects as you would have had to do if you used a regular camera.

Lastly, the digital photography tutorial would take you through the use of the photography software with which you could edit and further perfect the pictures you shot. Most of the software in question would allow a vast range of manipulations to the photographs you download would open for you a new world of creativity.

As you finish the tutorial, immediately apply what you learned and practice the maneuvers until you are fully conversant and comfortable with the procedures taught. In case you have started with the basic, remember you would still have two more levels to cover.

By: Semra Gencay

I could start by saying that photography is the process of recording images by capturing light on a light-sensitive medium, such as a film or… But I hope you don’t mind, rather than sharing Information that is accessible in any library I’d like to talk about what makes me passionate about photography.

When I think about photography I think about a medium that is a visual form of expression. According to the objective; it can express a commercial or artistic idea. For me personally, photography is an artistic form of expression, a wonderful way to submit an idea quickly - within seconds by visual means.

There is something fascinating about how humans perceive their environment. For example we judge a person’s likeability within a fraction of a second. So studying and understanding the complex way in which an individual perceives the world around them is a great tool. It enables the photographer to communicate ideas without using words. This gives the persons viewing the image the freedom to interpret the photo in the way that is unique to them and the photographer the ability to cross boundaries of geography, sex, age, race and even education. .

In conceptual and artistic photography technique also serves as a tool to express ideas. This technique can be as simple as a box with a hole that has photographic paper inside, or as complicated as the mountain of equipment found on a professional shoot. Whatever emphasizes the initial concept behind the photo and the idea is perfect. .

Photography for me is an example of the way in which I perceive my environment; I try to express my feelings about my world via my photos. It is a process in development, changing as I grow. It enables me to stand back, to look and learn about other people, cultures and places. My subjects are personal and at the same time they refer to the whole of humanity, how we are slotted between family, society, environment and politics and how that shapes us.

Photography is the lense that is helping me to grow and develop as a person and I hope through sharing this journey; I am able to affect and enhance the lives of others too.

Author: Edward Mercer

I remember when I was young and the different things I thought I would do when I grew up. It was always something glamorous like a race car driver, baseball player, surfer, well anyways, you get the idea. These activities were all fun and things I enjoyed watching on television or the movies, never really thinking about the money aspect of it, just that these would be fun careers.

I also enjoyed taking photographs of everything with my camera, but of course never thought of that as a career choice or something I could make money at. That was just something fun to do, and everyone in the family enjoyed the fact that I took pictures of everything for them to enjoy.

I literally took pictures of everything, I always had my camera with me, and always bugged everyone to pose for my pictures. Of course they hated it at the time, but loved it later on when they reflected back on all the good times that were recorded in pictures forever.

Eventually, I ended up going to college for Law Enforcement, because that is what my dad did. I still took pictures of everything, and everyone knew that I took pictures of everything. It was around this time that people would ask me to take pictures at their weddings because they liked my photos so much. They would pay for the film and processing and I would give them the pictures.

After doing this for a few friends and family members, I started to charge a little extra for my time. The price was right and cheap enough that more and more people hired me to do their wedding photos for them. This made me think that this might not be a bad way to make a living, I loved doing it and everyone loved my pictures.

Funny thing happened when I told everyone I might like to become a professional photographer and make a living taking photographs. No one seemed to think it was a good idea, saying that you can’t make a living as a photographer, it’s too competitive, just stick to it as a part time hobby and make a few bucks and stick with Law Enforcement.

Good thing I did not listen, I have now been in the photography business with my wife Susan for 31 years, doing something I love to do (something I would have done for free) and never looked back. When your passionate about something, like I was about photography, then pursuing your dream is the only way to go.

There are all kinds of opportunities in the Photography field, and so many ways to make money with your camera, whether it is full or part time. It is also much easier now with digital Photography than it was when I started over 30 years ago. If you love Photography and have camera skills, then get involved in a fun, gratifying, way to make money. You will never regret it, and you will have a ball.

Author: Shen Gerald

Photography is one of the most popular activity in the world. Ever since the camera has been invented, photography has grown in demand exponentially. And its popularity is still continuing to grow.

Nowadays, photography is not just a hobby. Instead, it has branched off into many different fields of applications. In fact, many people rely on the camera and photography to make a living. These people are professional photographers.

Below listed are some of the more popular types of photography:

1. Wedding Photography. Almost every modern wedding in the world cannot function well without the usage of the camera. This is used to capture the very important and significant moment in life known as the wedding. Years down the road, a wedded couple can re look back at the wedding photos to relive the good old days.

2. Urban photography. This is the taking of cityscape and urban lifestyle shots. This form of photography is also known as cityscape photography.

3. Macro Photography. This type is also known as Close-up Shots. This is used to take small subjects up close. Popular genres of macro photography include the shooting of plants, insects and small products.

4. Female photography. The photographing of female subjects is one of the most popular. The female body is one of the most visually attractive form of creation. It is therefore one of the most eye-catching too. There are many sub-branches to this main group of photography. Some of the more common ones includes fashion and glamour photography.

Well, that is all for this photography related article. Thank you for reading.

Author: John Philips

SLR (Single Lens Reflex) digital cameras have always been associated with professional or, at the very least, the more serious amateur photographers because of their expense. However, because every day new models of SLR digital cameras are being launched, they are becoming more affordable, and more people who want that extra control over their photography than they can get from a compact are upgrading to them.

Even novice photographers can take remarkable pictures with these new cameras, which after a time are particularly user friendly. SLR cameras, the cheap entry level models included, surpass even the most expensive standard digital cameras and, as the digital world is moving extraordinarily fast, more and more models come onto the market and prices are falling.

There are some disadvantages, however to owning a digital SLR camera.

Even though they are becoming more affordable they still incur higher costs than basic compacts. They are bigger, weigh more, the extra expense of purchasing lenses, and there is a learning process to enable you to become familiar with the camera. But if you want your photographs to have a more professional quality then it is worth it.

The options and features appear unlimited in the world of SLR digital cameras and personal choices will depend on what you need out of a camera. Below are listed some of the more popular models, which will hopefully give you an idea of what would match your taste. This is not in the slightest an all-inclusive record, just a casual mixture. There are countless others introduced regularly.

Nikon D40

Affordable digital SLR that is easy to use and compact with a 2.5 inch LCD screen, 6.1 mega pixel and a built-in flash and hot shoe.

A user-friendly camera packed with features that make this camera a fine introduction for the newcomer to DSLR. With all the innovative options and flexibility, which has come to be expected with SLR photography, the D40 will encourage more people into the world of digital SLR than any earlier digital SLR.

Olympus Evolt E410

A compact and well built SLR with a 2.5-inch Live View HyperCrystal LCD display, 10 mega pixel and dust-free technology.

One of the most compact DSLR cameras with 30 automatic shooting modes designed to provide the uppermost adjustments for a variety of shooting circumstances, but also with a full range of manual controls to enable you take command of your photography.

Pentax K10D

Extremely well built and affordable SLR with10.2 Mega pixels, a 2.5″ Active Matrix TFT Color LCD display screen and an SLR Optical Pentaprism Viewfinder.

The Pentax K10D is one of the more appealing SLR cameras presently available on the market. The well-designed body and very responsive features are combined with dust-proof seals and water-resistant body.

Canon Digital Rebel XT

One of the smallest and lightest digital cameras in its class with a 1.8 inch TFT color LCD monitor, 8 mega pixel and DIGIC II Image Processor, enabling fast, accurate image processing.

Despite the small LCD screen the Rebel XT is famed for its superb range of features and great value for money. With a sturdy build quality and a smaller, lighter but easy-to-handle design and rich colours and silky smooth resolution, which is to be expected from a Canon product.

Sony Alpha A200K

Powerful, versatile and simple to use with 10 mega pixel, 2.7-inch ClearPhoto LCD and 4x optical zoom.

With high-speed processing, high sensitivity, advanced noise reduction, lightweight and exceptionally easy to operate, the Sony Alpha gives you all you need to develop your photographic creativity. Excellent for those stepping up from point & shoot cameras.

There are many makes and models available for the SLR digital camera shopper and these are just a selection. no matter what you want out of a camera there will be one to fit you.