These photography tips are a record of new entries to the Daily Photo Tips RSS feed since November 2007. There are currently 1469 tips in the database! Contact Me to comment or add tips.
Daily Photo Tip
2013
Especially with dense subjects, being able to move your camera freely while composing is important. Leave your camera off the tripod while you find the composition, and then attach it again to make the photograph. (First published Sep 6, 2008)
30.Jun.11Many photographers like pinhole photography for its unique character. Diffraction limiting, an enormous depth of field, and mild to severe vignetting all remind the viewer that the photograph they are looking at was made with a very simple optical device.
29.Jun.11If you decide to host ads on your website, make sure that they don't take away from the main point of the website: your photography! Ads, particularly large, colourful ones, can clutter the site and ruin the user's experience.
28.Jun.11In some cases, lens vignetting may cause the viewer to concentrate subconsciously on the centre of the frame. Removing the vignetting may cause attention to wander beyond the frame, which may help or hinder communication of your theme.
27.Jun.11Large structures and vessels can support a tripod, but take care not to introduce vibrations. Stand or sit in a solid stance well before you start your exposure.
26.Jun.11Some newer cameras have a face recognition feature which can identify and focus on any faces that appear in the frame. The software can often eliminate the need to prefocus and recompose a scene with people in it.
25.Jun.11Previewing the effect of your chosen shutter speed on a live-view camera can be useful for fine-tuning your exposure. Particularly with moving subjects, the difference between one shutter speed and the next can very much 'make' a photograph.
24.Jun.11In very dim light, your camera may automatically dim its LCD screen. While composing with a live-view feature, this may result in captured photographs that appear brighter than when you composed them.
23.Jun.11The point of restrictive rules for photography portfolio submissions is to level the playing field for all applicants. By forcing portfolios to conform to the same formats, curators hope to judge the work for only its own merits.
22.Jun.11Find out what the most productive time of the day is for you, and do photography then, if you can. When you're feeling productive, you're probably also more creative, and both will benefit your work.
21.Jun.11Autofocus systems can be divided into 'passive' and 'active' systems. Active systems, while rare, send a signal to measure the distance to the subject. Passive systems simply analyze existing incoming light.
20.Jun.11Contrast and phase detection autofocus systems are both considered 'passive' systems - that is, they don't send a signal, such as an infrared beam, to measure the distance to the subject. Only a sufficient amount of incoming light is required.
19.Jun.11Most RAW conversion software automatically produces a sidecar adjustments record file for each image it opens. Aside from remembering to move the file together with the RAW file, you won't have to handle this file manually.
18.Jun.11When adapting legacy lenses for use with your camera, keep in mind that some sensors require specific angles of incident light and may not match well with older lenses. This is especially true when using wide angle lenses with camera systems that did not evolve from film bodies.
17.Jun.11Pinhole photography on a digital camera body is significantly easier and more convenient than on homemade or film camera bodies. A digital camera is capable of instant playback, so you can adjust exposure time and composition without needing to wait to develop film.
16.Jun.11Phase detect autofocus systems are usually better at focusing on low contrast subjects than phase detect systems. Since adjacent pixels in low-contrast scenes may never surpass a critical threshold, contrast-detect systems may 'hunt' for focus.
