Lighting Secrets

A lot of the secrets focussed on the composition of your image -where your subject was placed, and what was around it.


Almost as important as composition is the use of light.Here are some secrets for using light:


Lighting Secrets


Almost as important as composition is the use of light. Here are some secrets for using light.


*The best outdoors light to be found is at dawn and dusk. Here the light is not as bright as midday, and the sun produces some wonderful reds. Both these help to make a normally ordinary shot look magic by creating a warm glow.


*When you are shooting outdoors, the best way to shoot is away from the sun. Don’t have the sun in your photographs because it will overpower the colors and ensure the side of your subject facing the camera is in shadow. Ensure the sun is behind your back.


*Another thing to watch out for is that your subject doesn’t squint. We all love to see bright wide eyes, so ensure the sun isn’t too bright. This is another reason to shoot at dawn or dusk - you can have the subject facing the sun but not squinting… and you get much better colors in your image at the same time!


*If shooting in sunlight, watch for shadows. Look at the shadow cast by your subject and ensure it doesn’t block anything, or look unsightly. Additionally, ensure your own shadow doesn’t fall into the picture!


*The best night shots are taken just after sunset. This is where scenes are lit up as if it were night, but there is still a tiny bit of sunlight around to help light the scene and bring out the detail.


*When indoors, try moving your lighting sources around. Lights at lower angles are usually more dramatic than plain overhead lighting.


*Remember the secret about using your flash during the day? It’s also possible on most digital cameras to take night shots without a flash. Try setting your ISO speed to 800 or above to ensure the camera is sensitive to very low light.


*Need to use the flash, but it’s a bit harsh? Try taping some wax paper over the flash to diffuse the light.


*Want to light a very small object? If you’re using your macro setting to take a shot, cut up a plastic milk container and place it around the object. It will diffuse the surrounding light.

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Clean your Camera

It's very important to keep your camera clean, Reader.Dirty cameras and lenses can result in blurry and dustyimages. And can ruin potentially great images.Keep your camera clean by following these simple tips:

If your images always turn out all blurry, it may mean your lens needs a clean. Most high end cameras come with threads to which you can attach a SkyLight (or UV) filter. This helps to protect the lens from not only dirt, but scratches. Cheaper cameras don't have threads so remember to cover the lens when not in use and try not to touch it.

Don't clean the lens too often - depending on how often you use your camera, every few weeks or few months is fine. To clean your lens, pick up a lens cleaning kit from your local photo store. Use the lens brush and air blower to remove any loose clinging particles. Place a drop of lens cleaning fluid onto some lens tissue (or a cloth) and wipe the lens clean with a circular motion. Use the blower to dry the lens, or let it dry naturally. Don't use any abrasive solution (such as soap) or wipe too hard on the lens as you can wipe away the special coatings.

Watch out you don't create a 'worn spot' by cleaning your lens the same way each time. Alternate the circular motion with up and down or sideways movements sometimes.

Ensure you protect the other parts of your camera as well. Particularly the Memory Card slot and Battery contacts. If you find they have any corrosion, you can remove it easily with a pencil eraser. Make sure you remove the excess eraser that can get left in the compartment with an air blower. Never ever insert anything into the memory card slot that isn't meant to be there, as you could break the small pins. To keep clean, it's best to leave a memory card in the slot, or at least keep the cover closed.

Shooting Vacations

I love vacations! It's a great time to get out with the familyand either relax and enjoy some down time, or go sight seeingand discover new places.Almost everyone takes a camera on vacation, but not manyknow some great tricks for taking sensational vacation shots.

Here are some tips for helping with your vacation shots

Take plenty of memory!

Make sure you have extra memory cards, have another storage facility like a Laptop or media storage unit.

Get close

Don't stand too far from your subject - instead get nice and close so you can see their face. Either a three-quarter shot, or profile generally works well.

Candid counts

Images with people are usually more interesting when the subject is caught in a candid moment. When setting up for a posed shot, try to include something interesting to liven up the shot.
Make your trip a story. Create a visual diary by photographing landmarks along your journey such as signposts and street scenes. You can also capture the mood of the day - If you feel bright and happy, shoot some scenes which will capture that feeling. If you're moved by what you see, ensure your shots convey that feeling.

Take shots at meals

This is the time when family is gathered around. Take advantage of it by taking an image or two of your relatives around the dinner table. Ensure you use a the red eye reduction mode of your flash and activate the self timer if you also wish to be in the shot.

Include the mundane

Most vacation photographers just photograph landmarks and scenery. Make your vacation shots more interesting by including the mundane - washing the dishes, taking off in the car, setting up camp, waiting for an aeroplane etc.

Next Time : In our final secret, we'll explain secrets to avoiding blurry images.

Look for Reflections

Water is one of the building blocks of life. But it's oftenunder-used in photography.


I don't know why! There's just so many great effects you cancreate with water.


Reader, learn about taking water shots here:


Water is a fantastic element to include in your photos, as the reflections it generates can make your image stand out.

Keep a look out for water around your environment when you shoot. Reflections from lights, or splashes of color can really help with the ambience of an image.

Rainy days are particularly good as puddles abound!

Extra Secret: Photographing just the reflection and leaving the subject out is a great way to produce abstract images.


Next time : Tricks and secrets for photographing on vacation.

Use the LCD Monitor to preview images

Digital cameras are fantastic! They come with this niftyLCD screen that shows you the image that was taken


Use it!


Why? Learn why here:


The LCD monitor will show you what your final image will look like. It won't be as large in size as your final image, but you will get enough of a feel for the image to know how your shot will turn out.

If your camera can show you a half second freeze of your shot just after you have taken it, turn this feature on. The half second will give you enough time to see if the image was well framed, and have the correct exposure or if you need to take another one.

However the LCD uses a lot of battery. Find out how to increase battery time with a secret only discussed in my "Digital Photo Secrets" book. Click on the link to learn more.

Next time : Revealed - the object that's everywhere that can help take stunning shots.

Don't add frills

Cameras nowdays some out with lots of extra gadgets. Themost common one is to add a time/date onto your photo.


Now while they help to sell more cameras, actually usingthese extra 'features' can adversely affect your photos.


Find out why here:


Some manufactures give you a feature that can imprint the current date and time onto your image. Or they offer to imprint other stats like the current exposure settings, or shot number.

Turn these off!

You don't want anything to distract you or your viewer from the subject of your photo.

Modern digital cameras record the time and date the shot was taken anyway in a separate part of the image file anyway, and most digital printing places will stamp the back of the image with the time and date the shot was taken so you can always see it.

Next time : Know if you've got the right shot instantly with this secret.

Use Predefined Modes

Predefined Modes are the scene modes in your camera. Andthey really help because they give your camera hints asto the type of photo you want to take.


So your camera doesn't need to do as much guesswork.


Find all about predefined modes here:



Many people don't know that most cameras now come with selected modes for taking shots. Eg Landscape, Cloudy Day, Full Sun, Indoors, Night.


Changing the mode of your camera to match your situation can result in better shots, as the camera has a better chance of selecting the shutter speed, flash and other exposure choices for a perfect picture.


Camera makers put a lot of thought into the settings for each of the different modes and tailor the settings to what will work well with their camera. So don't be afraid to use the predefined

scene modes of your camera.


Next time : The features of your camera you should never use!

Use Different Lenses and Filters

Sometimes you see a shot in a magazine and you wonder'how did they take that'?


The answer is usually by using different lenses and filters.


They increase the range of options you have for yourphotographs, and allow you to take shots that you would nototherwise be able to get.


There are a wide variety of lenses and filters available to increase the range of options you have for shooting a photograph.

Note that not all digital cameras come with the ability to attach different lenses and filters.


Check the manual for your camera.

Some lens types include :

Wide Angle
Telephoto
Fish Eye

Using a Wide Angle lens is good for shooting a indoor room, or shooting a mountain vista. A TelePhoto lens can be useful when you need a close up. TelePhoto lenses are bascically a better optical zoom.

Filters include :

Polarizing
Soft Focus
Cooling/Warming
Graduated

A polarizing filter can be the most useful filter to own. A Polarizing filter can deepen the color and contrast in the sky, eliminate glare from water or reflective surfaces, or cut through fog like haze. Soft Focus filters generate more diffused looks for romantic, moody, atmospheric, foggy or glowing effects in your shots.

Cooling filters add more blue to an image giving a psychological effect of calming or serenity in the final image. Warming filters cut out excess blue in an overcast sky to add more reddish tones to the image and make your photos look less harsh.

Finally, graduated lenses help for scenes that have a huge difference in light level - eg late in the day when the sky is still bright, but the foreground is in shadow.

Next time : Never be worried about choosing the right exposure with this secret.

Don't Rely On Flash

Night time parties are a great sources of fun. And becauseof that, it's also a great time to take photos.

But using your camera's flash will ruin any moodlighting in the image and your pictures.
I much prefer to avoid using the camera's flash,

Reader. Here's why:

In previous tips, we've discussed using your flash. There are occasions, however, where using a flash ruins the mood of the event you are photographing.

Why? A flash tends to create harsh subjects and will ruin any natural mood.

So, rather than using the flash whenever your camera tells you to, use available light whenever possible. In a dark situation, it's often better to open the shutter for longer to let in more light, or turn on existing lights to illuminate the room than to use the flash.

In daytime and when your subject is inside and near a window, have them face the light and position the camera between the window and your subject. This will allow the sunlight to light your image fully.

Next time : Getting a better image in difficult shooting situations.