Daily Photo Tips Archive

10.Mar.08The only aperture setting that is truly round is the widest setting for a given lens. Any other setting will be a polygon with as many rounded edges as your lens has aperture blades.

09.Mar.08If a reflection and the object being reflected coincide in your photo, be sure to notice the shape they make together. This shape will be quite different from the original, and might not suit your theme.

08.Mar.08Different photographers use widely varying amounts of equipment according to taste. One photographer may carry only a camera and lens, while another may take cases full of gear to photograph the same situation.

07.Mar.08Random patterns that dissolve or decay within the frame can make your photo seem natural and easygoing, but only if you include enough of the pattern to let your viewer know its structure.

06.Mar.08A yellow filter will slightly darken cool objects in a black and white photograph, and will add a minimal level of contrast. Yellow objects will tend to be recorded lighter than other objects.

05.Mar.08At any one time, your eyes have an effective exposure latitude of about 12 stops in photographic terms. Most film and sensors have an exposure latitude of 3 to 5 stops.

04.Mar.08In architecture photography, aligning lines with the frame can be important. Lines that are not quite parallel to the frame will usually look like a mistake.

03.Mar.08After initially sorting through a crop of photos, leave then for awhile and come back to them. Coming back with fresh eyes will help you to spot unobvious successes and failures.

02.Mar.08An object that focuses in the middle of the frame won't necessarily be in focus when you move it to the edge. If your subject is near the edge of the frame, compose first, then focus manually.

01.Mar.08Take an umbrella along if the weather looks bad – unlike a rain jacket, an umbrella will cover your camera too. Try a small one that you can easily hold in one hand.

29.Feb.08Try a photo project that requires you to make a large number of photographs, perhaps 60 in a hour. This will teach you to think fast and operate your camera spontaneously.

28.Feb.08Don't confuse getting in a rut with developing a style for your photography. A style will gradually unfold into new ideas – in a rut, you'll simply make the same kinds of photos over and over.

27.Feb.08If you use the depth of field preview button on your camera, you may notice the viewfinder getting darker. This is because the DOF button closes down the aperture, allowing less light through the lens.

26.Feb.08Even the best, most enduring photography won't be around forever. Every kind of art will someday disappear, so it's important to enjoy your work (and others' work) while it's here!

25.Feb.08Some newer lenses are being manufactured exclusively for digital cameras with a magnification factor. Since the lenses have a smaller image circle, they will produce truncated photos on an older camera body.