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These photography tips are a record of new entries to the Daily Photo Tips RSS feed since November 2007. There are currently 1567 tips in the database! Contact Me to comment or add tips.
Lens flare can be partly controlled by stopping the lens down. Since the size of the polygonal shapes that flare in the frame match the aperture, reducing the aperture should reduce the size (but possibly not the intensity) of the shapes. (First published Oct 30, 2011)
10.Jan.08If you're photographing wildlife, it might be useful to make a 'blind' – a camouflaged structure to hide in near your subject's habitat. This can let you get close to the animal without disturbing it.
09.Jan.08Try hinting at objects out of the photograph by including only partial shapes or outlines. This will force the viewer to imagine what lies beyond the visual plane.
08.Jan.08Keep your camera gear reasonably safe, but don't worry about breaking it while you're using it. Worrying about your gear is just a distraction from creating quality photography.
07.Jan.08Especially when photographing in extreme heat, be sure not to use mirror lock when photographing an extremely bright object. With the mirror locked up and the shutter closed, heat from the lens can burn through the shutter.
06.Jan.08Research an area you plan to travel to before you go. Make a list of the areas you most want to photograph. This will let you spend more time taking photos and less time deciding where to go.
05.Jan.08Many cameras have a macro mode for photographing close-up objects. In this mode, the camera will try to use a small aperture to maximize depth of field. The result is similar to landscape mode.
04.Jan.08Some camera bodies have eye controlled focus systems. The system can sense the position of the photographer's pupil, and can focus the lens wherever the photographer looks.
03.Jan.08Your eyes and brain will quickly adjust to changing light. Keep an eye on your light meter – you might not be able to tell if the day has gotten dimmer or brighter since your last exposure.
02.Jan.08Music and visual art are not as different as you might imagine. Try getting inspiration from all kind of music and using similar ideas and themes in your photographs.
01.Jan.08Research equipment carefully before you make the decision to buy it. Read impartial reviews and study MTF charts for lenses. Even the best companies produce some very bad equipment.
31.Dec.07'Noise' is a term in digital photography that refers to the random formation of dots resulting from randomly toned pixels. Noise tends to be more obvious with high ISO settings and more prevalent in shadows.
30.Dec.07Some camera bodies have more than one autofocus or manual focus confirmation point. This can be useful if you must carefully focus on a point that is not in the centre of the photograph.
29.Dec.07Some museums and architectural sites restrict the use of flash photography. Check the rules before you go, and plan how to photograph without flash if necessary.
28.Dec.07Periodically check your monitor's calibration before correcting a photograph to print. This can save a lot of time lost to correcting images to the wrong color gamut!
27.Dec.07Try collaborating on a large project with another artist who works in a completely different medium. Not only could it be a lot of fun, it may encourage both of you to rethink your art and your creativity.