Daily Photo Tips Archive

20.Dec.08To create a feeling of depth, try using fog or smoke to mask distant objects. Shapes receding into the background create a strong illusion of distance and space.

19.Dec.08Blow any larger particles like sand off of the surface of your lens before cleaning it. Rubbing these particles with a brush or cloth could cause permanent scratches in the lens coating.

18.Dec.08If you can't afford to replace your camera equipment, consider insuring it. Check to make sure your insurance covers all kinds of theft, loss, and breakage while in use.

17.Dec.08Often, others will spot a unifying theme or style to your work where you may not see one. However chaotic you may think your work is, there is likely something that separates it from other art.

16.Dec.08If your camera doesn't have spot metering, try using a long lens to the same effect. Meter with the long lens, swap to a shorter lens, then photograph the scene using the same settings.

15.Dec.08'Bokeh' is a term used to describe the out of focus areas of a photograph. The degree of bokeh (amount of blur) depends on lens length, subject distance, and aperture.

14.Dec.08When working with your photographs in the office, it's easy to get wrapped up in technical details. Take a moment every now and again to step back and appreciate the fine work you've done.

13.Dec.08A 'high key' photograph (a term used often in black and white photography) is one that makes use of mostly pale or white tones, sometimes contrasting them with a darker subject.

12.Dec.08The JPEG file format is a popular format for saving compressed images. Since the image is compressed to reduce its size, the file will degrade a little every time it is altered and resaved.

11.Dec.08Overexposing slightly can create a luminescent tone in pale subjects. Experiment with exposure values to see which you like best.

10.Dec.08'Correct' exposure is not determined scientifically. The correct exposure is the one that is in keeping with how you want your subject to look.

09.Dec.08A 'field camera' is a large format camera with a bellows that collapses into a built-in, folding case. Field cameras are typically more portable than some other large format models, but are still very large!

08.Dec.08Get together occasionally with other artists and photographers and compare notes. It can be very surprising how differently two people can interpret the same subjects, themes, and base concepts.

07.Dec.08Since the human eye sees relatively, not absolutely, real grey values can be hard to guess. Try it yourself – the same twig or branch can look black against a white cloud, but white against a dark shadow!

06.Dec.08When printing a photograph with a high dynamic range, be careful not to sacrifice local contrast to gain range. Without a little contrast, details can look blurry and soft.