Photography Tips

Here is a master list of tips that I did several years ago.  They may be dated, and I must apologize, but my older posts have wonky, screwed up pictures.  I need to correct that…when I have time.  These are mostly just beginner type “learn your camera” and some basic photoshop posts.  If you want to get more in-depth and knowlegable information, here are a few forums and blogs to check out.

I Love Photography forum – This forum has been an invaluable resource to me on learning how to shoot with my camera in manual and gives me inspiration all the time.

Digital Photography School blog – Subscribe to this blog, most definitely.  It has some great informative articles.  It also has a forum area, which I haven’t checked out, but may be worthwhile, as well.

I have the older ones listed first and the most recent on the bottom. I think my more recent ones are better, but for beginners in Photoshop, you might want to read the beginning Photoshop tips.

Tips in taking photographs

The “holy” trinity of manual – This tip is a discussion of Aperture, ISO and Shutterspeed and how they work together.

What not to do photo tips - This tip discusses some basic photography no no’s that will ruin a photo.

My makeshift studio – I’m sure you will be green with envy when you see these photos. ;)

Looking at the environment for composition – A few examples of using the environment to add to the story.

Catchlights - This discusses the difference in photos with having a catchlights and with no catchlights.

Taking pictures inside – This tip discusses the challenges of taking pictures inside without the flash.

Shooting in full sun – This tip discusses some strategies for taking pictures in harsh full sunlight.

Finding your outdoor studio - This tip discusses scouting spots to take pictures.

How to take a family picture – Some tips (along with a little humor!) of taking a self-family portrait.

F-stop/aperture – A discussion on what this is and how to use it when shooting pictures.

Photography the little ones – Tips on how to capture your little maniacs

Composition - Detailed with lots of photos on different composition techniques.

Ray of light – Tips on how to look at how the light hits your subject to really tell the story.

What makes a portrait – Tips for creating a candid portrait vs a snapshot.

Working on the flash – An intro level to using a hot-shoe mounted flash on the DSLR

Use window light – A discussion on why to use window light for indoor shooting.

Focus - A discussion on manually focusing with your DSLR.

Backlighting - A quick discussion on backlighting and some examples.

Take a self portrait – Some tips on how to take a self portrait

Setting up a photo shoot for your child – A discussion on tempering your expectations ;)

Location shoots – Tips at looking for old stuff in an environment to add some interest and texture to a photograph

Shooting in RAW – A (short) discussion on shooting in the RAW mode on your DSLR

Styling your shoot – A discussion on some things to look at when setting up a photoshoot

Getting eye contact – Some discussion on how to get eye contact with kids – read the comments, too!

Tips for PhotoShop

The basics of Photoshop – a little explanation of layers, using defog and a start at processing photos

Using the Virtual Photographer plugin – a tutorial for different ways to use a free plugin for Photoshop.

Black and White Conversion – very basic way of converting

Bring on the color – With the wonderful fall colors this is a great way to bring them out.

What is a color cast? – Discussion on how to see the color cast

Color cast and turning pictures to b&w and another one- These show how you can save a picture with a strong unsightly color cast.

How to make a fairy picture – This tutorial shows how to turn two normal pictures into a fantasy picture.

Another Black and White Conversion – The way I convert most of my pictures to b&w now.

Adding Borders and Frames – This shows how you can add simple borders or swirly frames in PhotoShop.

The basics – How I process most of my pictures

Dodge and burn – How to use these tools in Photoshop to add light or dark areas to the photos.

Watermarks – Tutorial on how to add a watermark to your photos for sharing on the internet.

Pumping up the eyes – This tutorial shows how to make the eyes “pop”

Printing Colors - A brief discussion on out of gamut printing – dulled prints.

Noise vs. Grain – A discussion on digital noise and how to get rid of it.

Editing process – Here I took some examples and ran through how I edited them.

Toned black and white photos – Tips on how you can colorize your black and white photos.

Contrast- This tip shows how to add contrast to your photos to give greater depth.

Are you a purist? - Discussion (read the comments, too) on why you may want to use Photoshop in editing your pictures.

Adding texture - This tutorial discusses how to add a texture layer to your photos.

Editing process – Further elaboration on how I basically edit photos.

Creating a collage – This tutorial shows how to create a frame for a collage in Photoshop.

Fixing imperfections – Tips on how to fix pimples, bruises, scratches, etc. in photos.

The “300″ Look – A tutorial on how to try to achieve this look

Before and afters – Some SOOC and processed shots

Straightening a photo – This tutorial shows how to straighten a photo in Photoshop.

Desaturating a photo – This tutorial details the steps you need to do to have a antiqued/desaturated photo.

How to create a storyboard - A tutorial on making a storyboard in Photoshop.

Batch processing - My workflow in ACR and CS3 for processing many photos at the same time.

Miscellaneous Tips

Where to print – Just some links and discussion on how to get the best quality prints.

DSLR Lenses – Discussion on why you just absolutely need as many lenses as you can afford. ;)

Camera Accessories – Discussion on more camera-related stuff you can buy.

My Philosophy – A little bit of my 2.5 cents.

Ready, set, GO! – More 2.5 cents.

Taking and designing your holiday card – A few tips.

Cameras and Lenses – My equipment and make sure to read the comments for what other photographers have and love in their arsenal.

Photography Books – A listing of books that I like on learning photography.  Read the comments for what others have read and liked, too.

What’s your style - A discussion on finding the type of photography you prefer to shoot

How long does it take - A discussion on the journey of learning how to use that camera

Nikon D40/D60 - The limitations on these cameras

Preserving your Memories - Some things to think about doing after you have taken those photos.