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
Most digital sensors are designed to capture a maximal bit depth at a 'daylight' white balance. Capturing photographs at around 5000-6000K will make full use of the sensor's capabilities; shifting the white balance dramatically will slightly impair the bit depth of the resulting photograph. (First published Feb 21, 2011)
31.May.08When matting and framing a photo, keep in mind that most photos look best with a nearly even amount of mat on all sides. This means that your frame will have a different side ratio than your photo.
30.May.08Curves lead the eye around a photograph, acting as a tour guide for other design elements. If used well, curves can also create gentle shapes and designs with one another, and the edges of the frame.
29.May.08If you're doing ink-based printing, consider using pigment based inks. When pigments are used for colour, the resulting ink fades much more slowly than when dye is used.
28.May.08Lines that converge towards the top of the frame can add a great deal of distance and body to a photograph. Experiment with adding a sense of depth this way, even if no true depth exists.
27.May.08Don't worry if your camera thinks your choice of exposure is a mistake. Your camera is programmed to produce normally exposed photographs, not to be creative.
26.May.08Try removing the sense of 'scale' from some of your photos. Not being able to instantly attach a size to the objects in your photograph will let your viewers further appreciate other compositional elements.
25.May.08HDR, or High Dynamic Range photography, can create photographs with a very wide dynamic range. This is usually achieved by merging many exposures in photo software and specially profiling them for printing.
24.May.08'L-plates' are available for many camera mounts, allowing you to mount the camera vertically without turning your tripod head. L plates can be handy if your camera is quite heavy, to avoid off-balancing your tripod.
23.May.08Third party lenses are available for most popular camera types. Third party lenses, like brand-name lenses, can be of highly variable quality - research before you buy.
22.May.08To stabilize your tripod for critical photos with long lenses, drape your camera bag around your tripod. This will help absorb any vibrations during the exposure.
21.May.08Deep black objects will retain their shape in your photographs, but pure white objects often won't. Pure white objects are very bright, and will tend to flare and 'blow out' at the edges.
20.May.08The orientation of lines in your photographs will change its mood. Diagonal or vertical lines add energy to a composition, while horizontal lines create a calmer feel.
19.May.08When photographing a highly reflective object, be careful not to include your own image in the photo. This is especially tricky when your reflection appears distorted or very small.
18.May.08When you're using a tripod in the wind, shield your camera and tripod as much as you can. Even small vibrations will show up in the photo, especially when you're using long lenses.
17.May.08Instead of a viewfinder, some larger format cameras use a 'focusing screen', a piece of mat glass that the image is projected onto. Though they can be seen from a distance, they are usually dimmer than a viewfinder.
