Daily Photo Tips Archive

10.Dec.10Allow yourself to not take pictures sometimes. Even if you're surrounded by great subject matter, sometimes it can be wonderful to enjoy it in the moment without having to 'capture' it.

09.Dec.10There are many histogram types in photography. If you're dealing with histograms other than the standard one for images, take a moment to read and understand the axes on the diagram, and think about what large values in different areas mean.

08.Dec.10If you have to check baggage containing camera equipment, always make sure it is in a padded, smash-proof container. The bag may be crushed, dropped, or otherwise abused during transit.

07.Dec.10Photographs of objects stuck to transparent material (such as beads of water on glass) give the photographer a chance to choose the background colour and bokeh. If you can, try to move to the other side of the scene and see if you prefer that vantage point instead.

06.Dec.10Since histograms do not show the placement of pixels, two photographs with identical-looking histograms may appear very different. For example, a wide-range, contrasted histogram could signify a very contrasty photograph or a very homogeneous but extremely noisy image.

05.Dec.10Third party software is available for lower-end cameras to extend their capabilities beyond the manufacturer's intentions. The (usually free) software may allow access to advanced timers, histograms, RAW files, and much more!

04.Dec.10A mix of ambient artificial and natural light may not be obvious unless your subject is heavily textured or quite three-dimensional. On flat surfaces, the two light sources will mix, creating a slightly different white balance for the entire scene.

03.Dec.10'Overshoot' in image sharpening occurs when a contrast edge is over-exaggerated, resulting in haloing at the transition. Minor overshoot is often not visible; major overshoot can ruin a photograph completely.

02.Dec.10If you can, keep your hard drives less than half full. This allows the drive to store large files (like photographs) without fragmenting them, which allows the drive to run faster. Less 'searching' not only speeds up access to your photos, but slightly increases the reliability of the storage media.

01.Dec.10Morning and evening light at near-equatorial latitudes changes extremely quickly. Those used to taking their time with 'golden hour' photography further North or South may find the rapid change surprising and challenging!

30.Nov.10Chromatic aberrations (caused by small defects in every lens) make even a focussed image appear soft. Chromatic aberrations must be removed using a corrective algorithm that is very different than a sharpening algorithm, preferably prior to sharpening.

29.Nov.10If you've been dusting, vacuuming, or doing construction near where you store your camera equipment, be sure your gear is under cover. Even if the air looks clean, dust will settle eventually on your gear, sometimes many hours after it becomes airborne. Protect your equipment so you don't have to clean it unnecessarily.

28.Nov.10When identifying the optimum radius for image sharpening, keep in mind that the level of detail in the image will play a role in your decision. Images with very tiny details will require a smaller sharpening radius than images with very large, coarse details.

27.Nov.10Social networking sites can be a great way of displaying your photography. Provided you don't overdo it, friends can be an excellent way of spreading the word about your work.

26.Nov.10RAW processing environments sometimes include tools not available in regular image editing software. If you need to use these tools, be sure to do so at processing time – it may be difficult to emulate the results later!