How to Compose That Perfect Shot

Composition is like chasing the holy grail or the mythical pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. It can be elusive and frustrating. Is it really possible to get the perfect composition. You will never take that perfect shot if you don't learn the basics of photographic composition. The fundamentals of photography need to be mastered, even if only to a limited degree, if you are going to stand a chance of taking that perfect shot. And, it is remarkably simple to do if you just implement the basics. The ground rules will take you to another level. Here are some of my steps to that perfect photo.

1. Take a closer look
Don't just stand and shoot away. Before you even point you camera take a closer look at the subject, object or scene that you are planning to shoot. The operative word here is planning. By taking a closer look you begin your plan of action. Knowing your subject, as with anything, will give you a distinct advantage over your peers.

2. Take your time
An artist does it, a carpenter, scientist and all other occupations do it as well. Ponder what you want to achieve before pressing the shutter. The time that you take will be reflected in the final image. Take your time and look at how the various elements, subject, colour, shape, angles and light affect each other. Do colours complement each other? Do objects distract the viewer from the main subject? If you take your time you'll notice these issues and make the necessary adjustments.

3. Look for detail
Most people look at the big picture but not the detail. By detail we mean look for the smaller patterns, texture and form. Using the macro feature on your compact camera or a macro lens on an SLR will get you in really close and bring out the detail of any subject. It's this detail, the pattern of a fabric, the links in a chain or the texture of a building's brickwork that adds an element of depth to your photography.

4. Make the most of the photo opportunity
Don't just shoot a few shots of your subject. Once you have analysed it, thought about it and looked at the detail, start shooting. Shoot from every conceivable angle you can think of. Change your perspective or vantage point. Get higher and then lower. Use your feet to move around the subject. Get in closer. Mover further away. Change the camera's angle by 45 degrees. Shoot in horizontal then vertical format. Hold the camera above your head. The key is to try shoot from every position you can think of. You want to exhaust all your options.

First you have finished shooting start evaluating. You can do this in the camera if you have a bigger enough LCD screen or leave it till you get home. Once you have evaluated you'll see which photos are really great and which can be improved. Now, it's not guaranteed that you have taken the perfect shot but the chances are that you would have shot the perfect shot have increased exponentially. Why? Because you have implemented some basic techniques to improve. These steps practised on a regular basis are going ensure that your chances of shooting a perfect image increase every time. Practise makes perfect is what the old adage says, so keep practising.

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Waterproof Digicam Comparison - Canon D10 Vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1

Canon and Panasonic has announced their first shock and water-proof compact camera early this year. If you are still confused which camera is best for you, here you will find some useful information and comparison between the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1 and Canon PowerShot D10.

Both the cameras are waterproof, but if you want a camera that can work around 10 meters underwater, then Powershot D10 would be your best shot. The submarine shaped D10 with its porthole-like screws and bulbous shell expresses that this digital camera is purely made for underwater. Additionally, it contains bigger screw-mouths on every corner for mounting the camera in various underwater grips.

While other waterproof digicam, Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1 can be used up to 3 meters only underwater with a completely different approach. The sleek rectangular slab outline has made it hard to distinguish from usual non-tough cams. Compare to Canon D10, the buttons are smaller and shooting modes can be selected by a thumb dial rather than a dedicated button. Even So, you will lose usability underwater with TS1, it will perform better on land and you must consider that.

Another big difference is that the Panasonic TS1 shoots in the AVCHD format at 720p, where D10 only does VGA videos of 640×480. But the video recording mode of TS1 is not the most polished one, there is a two to three seconds of delay from hitting the dedicated video button to starting and stopping the video and its quite unclear when exactly everything does start. If you are ok with that delay, you will surely love the outstanding HD video mode. Lumix DMC-TS1 is currently seeing a big bug when importing the taken video into iMovie. The featured AVCHD format of TS1 is quite annoying and you might require installing particular codec to import video into your preferred video editing software and then convert it into friendly formats.

Both toughcams are featuring 12-megapixel shooting and have the same CCD sensor size. A difference that really matters is the wider-angle lense of TS1, which is an effective focal length zoom of 28mm-128mm f/3.3-f/5.9, where D10 is only 35mm-105mm f/2.8-f/4.9. Color reproduction through the Leica lens of TS1 is far better than that of D10. Moreover, the TS1 lean to autofocus underwater with greater ease in comparison with D10.

Whatever happens, you will always can wipe your digital camera clean from water. So the conclusion is, if you care about form factor, you should go with Panasonic Lumix TS1, Powershot D10 will be tough to fit it into a pants pocket without some serious bulging.

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How Learn Digital Photography

The concept of learning to many of us as we grow older is linked to school or college. Learning as we get on with our lives is not something we do naturally. With photography you have to learn or get left behind. If you are going to improve the quality of your images you need to continually learn and maintain learning journey.

Coupled with the desire to learn is passion. There is always an opportunity to create the perfect image but getting you to the place where your feet are standing on the perfect vantage point is the difference. Passion brings you to that point at 5am and allows you to shoot the magnificent sunset or sit through the heat of the day to shoot the elusive endangered animal.

It's this desire or passion that will motivate you to learn those tips and techniques that you would otherwise not be bothered with. So here are some keys to learning or improving your photography:

1. Feed your passion
By feeding it, a very simple but very neglected concept in photography. If you love birds then spend time where birds are, buy birding magazines, join a bird watching club that has a strong focus on photography. When you rub shoulders with passionate people and spend time focusing on your passion, it grows. I love photo galleries, especially wildlife and nature and after an hour looking through the images, I want to take my camera and shoot. So how does feeding your passion help you learn? It gets you out taking more photos and thereby practising more and meeting people who are motivating and more experienced. So the bottom line is that your learning curve shoots straight up.

2. Evaluate, compare and improve
You will never learn unless you look at your images and evaluate them against a set of criteria. The main teaching method in my latest book is evaluating your images. By doing this you can see just where the quality issues and technical problems lie and rectify them. You need to have a mentor, a book or course to understand what these criteria are. See what they are doing and shoot similar images. Then work at improving. If you aren't improving then you aren't learning. It is essential to constantly and consistently look at yourself and your photography and ask the question, am I evaluating, comparing and improving.

3. Specialise
Oops! Isn't this going against the basic principles of learning photography or anything for that matter? What I mean is that as part of the learning process work at it using bite sized chunks, one step at a time. Focus on one issue like learning how to place your subject correctly. You know the old adage, "jack of all trades, master of none"? Master your hobby by doing it in a lot of small steps.

Photography is a process despite what many might think. Dedication and discipline is much easier if you focus on the little things and gradually expand until you are handing the bigger things. Take one step at a time and work hard at each of the disciplines of photography. Work hard at applying yourself and the rewards will come little by little.

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Finding the Perfect Portrait Lens For Your DSLR

I'm a portrait photographer. So I get asked a lot about what cameras and lenses the portrait photographer should be using. And while I'm a true believer that any lens can be a portrait lens, what we're looking at here is trying to find the 'ideal' lens that should be the first one you reach for when doing portrait work. So what we'll examine here is the 'why' behind the lens of choice for the majority of portrait work. This is a lens that will routinely work in a variety of situations and produce outstanding results.

1. FOCAL LENGTH
For example, the film diagonal of a medium format square camera is about 80mm. The diagonal of the film is used to determine the focal length of a 'normal' lens. I believe the reasoning is that a lens of that length gives us a 'normal' perspective when made to 8 x 10 and viewed at arms length, but don't quote me. In the above instance, a typical lens length for portraits is 160mm. And it seems that all makers of square format lenses just happen to make a 150mm lens that all portrait photographers own. Translating that to the 35mm format, we'd come up with a 100mm lens, and it also seems that for years 35mm camera makers have made a 105mm lens. Coincidence? If it's a full frame camera, then we can use the same thinking that applies to the 35mm format.

If the sensor is only half the size or less, that must be taken into consideration. For example, the Nikon D 80 camera chip is about two thirds the size of a 35mm frame, so the lens 'conversion factor' compared to 35mm is 1.5. That means that a 100 mm lens on a 35mm camera becomes a 150mm lens on a camera with a 1.5 conversion factor. Now that I've taken the time to explain the relationship between film or sensor size and focal length, let's just stick with 35mm format and you can do your own interpolating later depending upon what camera you own.

First, there is perspective. The perspective you have in a photo is dependent upon how close you are to the subject, not the lens. Take a few images on a tripod of the same subject and keep changing the focal length. Back off six feet and look through a paper towel tube, there's your long lens. So a longer than normal lens allows us to keep some distance between ourselves and our subjects, giving us a pleasing perspective. And by keeping that distance, our subject is also more comfortable than if we shove a camera up his nostrils, so the longer length now accomplishes two objectives - a pleasing perspective and subject comfort.

Now we're going to throw in another nice feature - angle of view. The longer the focal length, the narrower the angle of view. For example, a 28-200mm lens has an angle of view of about 74 degrees to about 12 degrees. Naturally, the longer the lens, the less is included in the image, and the easier it is to isolate your subject on a background and crop out distracting elements. Good, let's look at some other factors.

2. LENS SPEED
In studio portraits, lens speed is usually not that critical, since you may be shooting at f/5.6 or smaller. Outside, on location, and for weddings, you want the fastest lens you can get. No matter what your shooting aperture, it's always nice to have it as bright as possible so both your eyes and the camera can focus better.

3. ZOOM LENSES
It used to be that prime focal length lenses were much better than zoom lenses because they don't have to make the many compromises needed in the design of a zoom. So in practical terms, a quality zoom will fit the bill for most photographers. A zoom offers many focal lengths and allows you to crop the image in camera so that you can maintain optimum image quality. One other note, if at all possible, try to buy a lens that is a continuous f/stop as opposed to those that vary with focal length, it will make your life easier and your exposures more accurate when manually metering.

4. OTHER FACTORS
Here are a couple of other factors to consider in your search for the perfect lens. Based on my limited testing, if you're digital, buy the lenses made for digital cameras. Film and sensors do not focus the same way, I see a considerable difference using digital lenses. Another consideration is the blade shape of the lens diaphragm. Also, a Vibration Reduction lens will cost you more but also allow you to shoot handheld about two stops more than the standard issue. If you do mostly outdoor and location portraits, I'd suggest it.

5. THE PERFECT LENS
Taking all of the above into consideration, I'll take a couple of stabs at the 'perfect' lens. For 35mm and full frame digital, there are 70-200mm f/2.8 lenses with VR that seem pretty close to perfection. There are also 55-200mm digital lenses that have variable apertures, pick them if cost is an issue. A shorter and lighter lens, like a 28-75 or 80mm, is nice to have when you are working in tight quarters or when the weight of the longer lenses becomes an issue. A 50 to 300mm VR f/2 lens that you can throw in your pocket and buy for $400. SHOOTING F/STOPS.

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Learn Digital Photography - The Subject is Key to Your Photography

So why is this such an important element of an image? Hello! It is the reason you are taking the shot. Often amateur photographers want to get as much of a scene in the photo as possible. They want to remember everything at once despite the fact that the resulting image is cluttered, confusing and downright average. Many of our photograph albums are cluttered with images that aren't memorable and the subjects are indistinguishable from all the other elements. What then is the solution to this problem? What can be done to solve the dilemma? Here goes, some tips to make your subject the star of the photo.

1. Be selective
Picture yourself in 20 years time flipping through an album of precious memories. What would you like to change about the image to make it more memorable? If you could go back in time, what would you have excluded from the photo? That leads to the next point.

2. Exclude Clutter
Clutter is a part of everyday lives but we don't want to remember it in our photos. Getting back to the previous point. In that precious photo what do you consider unimportant and not necessary in the image? 3. Give your subject most of the attention

3. Give Subject The attention
Pretend it's a Hollywood star and make it the star attraction. All of sudden the subject becomes more prominent and anyone can tell who or what the subject of the photo is. It should hit you front and centre and say without confusion, "I am the subject". If the subject doesn't shout "I'm the subject" then it's not the subject.

4. Get in closer
By doing this you automatically do point 2. Exclude all the clutter and unnecessary elements of an image. All of us dream of better cameras or lenses that will get us closer to the subject. Walk in closer and fill the image with your subject or just a part of the subject, unless of course it's a lion in a safari park. Most times you can use your feet to get in closer and this will immediately improve the image and make your subject more prominent.

5. Change your perspective
Changing your angle from right in front of your subject to a lower or higher viewpoint will give a completely different perspective. Lie on your stomach or back, climb a ladder or go down some stairs giving you a vantage point for great images.

Key to great subject placement is thinking outside the box. And key to this is plain old thinking. Give more thought and time to your image before clicking the shutter button. The old saying that goes, "time is money" can be equated to "time is quality". The more time and effort you put into your photography will result in better quality images. There are a number of other ways you can improve your image but by putting into practice these simple principles will give you immediate photographic success.

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Black and White Wedding Photographs

The bride's father walking her down the aisle, the bride and groom exchanging their vows and their first kiss- these moments are perfect for black and white prints. Black and white photographs capture emotions in a way that color photographs cannot. This is because when an individual looks at such photographs; his eyes need not process the myriad of colors- which is why the true splendor of the moment is understood properly. Most couples who wish to have a small but intimate wedding prefer black and white wedding photographs. This is because black and white photographs allow the images to seem timeless.

The good news for brides who want to look flawless on their wedding day is that b&w photographs make imperfections less noticeable. Black and white photographs also have a longer life when compared to colored photographs which have been known to fade 50 years after they have been clicked. Black and white photographs on the other hand are printed have been known to last through generations as they are developed on a special paper called archival paper. The main purpose behind clicking photographs is to freeze memories and black and white photographs are successful in doing so.

As a wedding photographer, you should form a portfolio with your best black and white photographs which should be presented to prospective clients so that a good deal can be reached. This will also allow them to trust you to carry out the task without any hitches. This will allow help you to build a good reputation for future work.

Lighting is an important element when it comes to beautiful photographs. With enough experience, you will realize that if you focus on this aspect- the wedding photographs will have an ethereal glow about them- the lights above the altar will shine- the bride's hair will look softer and the groom's tuxedo will look striking Needless to say, the couple will be more than happy with your work.

Photography, especially wedding photography is guided by good timing. With black and white photographs, it should be combined with a good perspective as well. If you take colored photographs from an odd angle, they may end up looking flat. However, if you do the same with black and white photographs, the elegance of the photographs will be further enhanced. In conclusion, b&w photograph are undoubtedly beautiful and they make photographs meaningful and personal.

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Where to Buy a Cheap Digital Video Camera

If you are on a tight budget, it is understandable that you're looking for a cheap digital video camera. On a budget is not really new to most people. In fact, manufacturers of digital cameras are aware of these that they make it easy for their potential customers to get affordable digital camera that they are looking for.

An affordable digital camera can go as low as $300. Normally, these cameras cost $600. However, if you know where to look and how to make a deal, you can easily get low cost digital camera just like that. Plus that good model already has longevity and you are actually investing in that cheap digital video camera that you opted for. Here are some examples of affordable digital video cameras that can be an option for you.

You can go for the Canon Vixia HG20, HG10 or Canon Vixia HF100. These models are top notch and their prices are adjusted so that it is considered to be examples of cheap video cameras. But take note, these are still top notch. You can also go for the Sony Handycam HDR-CX100 or the Panasonic HDC-HS100.

Compare the prices of these cheap video cameras. If you are buying online, you can go from one site to another. Don't rush when you're out there to get the cheap digital video camera that you can find.

A way for you to know this is reading the product reviews of the cheap video camera that you are considering to buy. If you feel that these are just scams, then make sure to read the testimonials of people. Just because you are getting a cheap digital video camera, it doesn't mean that you would settle for less.You can still get your money's worth and maximize what you can afford by getting the best cheap digital video camera that you can find.

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Sony Cybershot DSC W210 Review

The Sony Cybershot DSC W210 packs plenty of power with its 12 megapixel sensor. This camera is small enough to fit into most pockets. It is available in silver, dark grey, pink and green. The Cybershot DSC W210 has a 4x optical zoom lens.

For most purposes you are likely to find the 12 megapixels overkill. Even if you are looking to make large prints you should find 6 to 8 megapixels plenty unless you are looking to go up to poster size and beyond. To me the big advantage of having so many megapixels is that Sony has included a feature called smart zoom. In the past I have even found that shooting at lower megapixels can increase the quality of the images you shoot.

Other advantages include taking up less space on a memory card and faster times to upload your photos to a computer. If you activate smart zoom you can increase zoom up to 25x. The Cybershot DSC W210 fits into a group of pocket cameras that are less expensive than the top of the range models. The main reasons behind the savings tend to be the design of the cameras and the build quality. If you do not mind a fairly plain looking digital camera then you can save yourself plenty of money.

The 2.7 inch LCD screen compares well enough and the only obvious feature I can think of that is missing here is mechanical image stabilisation. This is where image stabilisation is handled either by gyroscopes in the lens or by making tiny shifts to the position of the sensor.

Aside from this Sony has incorporated some of the latest buzz features. These include face detection for sharper portraits and a smile shutter that automatically fires off a shot when the Cybershot DSC W210 detects someone is smiling. I have never noticed face detection making that much difference to a portrait shot and only you can decide how much value a smile shutter adds to the camera for you. Something you do not often see on a camera this size is the ability to add conversion lenses. This can improve the telephoto or wide angle capabilities of the camera. The camera is able to produce High Definition still images, but it can only output standard definition movies.

On the whole I found the camera easy to use. When it comes to picture quality the Cybershot DSC W210 does a solid job. I cannot claim the pictures it produces are anything out of the ordinary, but on the whole the camera does a decent all round job if you are looking for a general snapshot camera with a reasonable price tag. Similar cameras you may wish to take a look at include the Panasonic Lumix FS6, Panasonic Lumix FS7, Panasonic Lumix FS15 and the Olympus FE-5000.

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Canon PowerShot SX200IS Digital Camera Review

One of the first things you notice about the Canon PowerShot SX200 IS is that it looks a little confused. Is it a slim body camera masquerading as a Professional camera, or is it a scaled down version of a professional camera putting it in the prosumer class? The reason for the confusion is not too hard to fathom. It is the long, wide angle lens placed bang in front of the camera. As with all new Canon cameras, there are a load of option that make this camera a dream to use. The SX200 IS has two Auto modes.

The proprietary 'Smart Auto' allows the user to choose from up to 18 specific settings. These settings are primarily graded on the kind of scene, the light conditions and the composition of the frame. If you want to go the manual route, you can derive endless hours of sheer joy just experimenting with the various settings options. If you are keen on video, you'll really enjoy the resolution of 1,280 x 720. However, while trying video recording, the optical zoom is disabled (making the exercise rather pointless). The three inch rear LCD screen offers a wide enough display space.

Another crib is the miserable flash. The entire left side of the camera is effectively crippled by the presence of the motorised flash there and there is absolutely no grip, especially since the body itself (even otherwise) is rather slippery. It can't be depressed once it does this and you are left wondering who missed out on this crucial design flaw.

Even the dials are rather cramped and effective usage of space does not seem to have been a priority. I would like to believe that these ergonomic features don't affect the performance of the camera, but it is hard to ignore them when they destroy the ease of use. In conclusion, although the resolution, the wide angle lens and technology features that help this camera are best of class, the drawbacks are more than a little crippling.

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Canon D10 Honest Review

Hearing so many great information about Canon D10, I was immediately convinced to purchase one for me. I normally go mountain climbing on weekends and need a reliable camera that would stand on changing weathers that is common on mountains. Looking at its photos online, the Canon D10 looks handy enough for any adventure and the price is ideal for a good quality camera from Canon.

As a Canon user, I'm pretty satisfied with its quality. I was also really happy that Canon D10 has a waterproof feature. I say it is sporty because true to one of the Canon Powershot D10 review that I have read, it is bulky to be called as fashionable.

To prove the quality of this digital camera, I can't wait till weekends. The Canon Powershot D10 review that I have read is true. I got crisp and bright photos with less noise even on higher ISO just like any other Canon camera does. When you are a user of Canon camera, the features are in tacked in this model plus the shock proof and waterproof feature. Now that I have the Canon Powershot D10, I will never have to get worried of the mountains changing weather and will again worried if I drop my camera due to a mountain's uneven grounds. The lens can be uncovered but it has a scratchproof glass shield, so the missing lens cap is no big deal.

I also tried to take photos underwater and it really works. When you are just new in using a Canon camera, you will not be having a hard time taking beautiful photos with its numerous scene modes that you can easily set to take photos for the right scene. These scene modes include night exposure, panorama, programmable mode, portrait, sunset, beach, fireworks, aquarium, underwater, snow, indoor, kids and pets, foliage, long shutter, color accent, and color swap. The auto mode is also present wherein the camera will automatically detect your current condition. Canon digital camera also has a feature that will allow you to take photos just an inch or two from the subject and still look perfectly fine.. Overall, I love my new Canon Powershot D10 Compact Digital Camera.

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A History of Photography

The art of photography has definitely come a long way. Since then, cameras have become virtually omnipresent, and we enjoy taking and displaying our photos as art throughout our homes.

How has camera technology come so far in such a short time? Of course, one can argue that technology itself has rapidly grown and expanded. Additionally, these cameras took circular pictures instead of our rectangular ones today.

After 1888, a number of breakthroughs occurred in improving photography. First, in 1889, Kodak came out with film for their cameras rather than paper. This truly allowed for mass-produced cameras that were more usable. A year later, Kodak created its Brownie box roll-film camera. Because the Brownie was a cheap, cardboard-body camera, it made picture-taking easy for everyone, not just the elite. After taking enough pictures to fill a roll of film, a person would send in the camera with the film to be developed.

At first, all photographs were in black and white, or some shades of gray. Of course, with the advent of portable, cheaper cameras and better film came the rise in photojournalism and taking pictures of different cultures. This documentation also extended to the government hiring Lewis Hine to photograph child labor mills in 1909. Perhaps cameras and film opened up the door for politicians to see how harsh some lives actually were, and they were able to regulate child labor and other harmful practices.

In 1914, Oscar Barnack, under the employ of German microscope company Leitz, created the first modern-frame camera. He made a 24x36mm frame and 35mm movie film. This camera was perfected until 1924, when Leitz marketed the device under the name Leica. This Leica was a very high quality 35mm camera, and it was a far cry from the previous Brownies.

The mid 1900s led to a number of new practices in photography. In 1931, a man at MIT developed strobe photography. In 1936 came Kodachrome, which was the first multi-layered color film. Also during this time period came manufacturers such as Nikon, Fuji, and Zeiss. In 1963, Polaroid made cameras available with instant color film.

In the late 20th century, such things arrived as autofocus (Minolta in 1985), Photoshop (Adobe in 1990), and in 1991, the first digital camera, from Kodak. Now, we can put our pictures on internet albums such as Snapfish and Facebook. Digital cameras, which were $6,000 for 2.74 megapixels in 1999, can now be found for $200-and at least 10 megapixels.

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First Professional Pregnancy Photography Pictures

There are many things you must keep in mind when attempting to schedule a pregnancy photography session. To ensure that this event goes smoothly most maternity photographers recommend that you schedule your pregnancy photography shoot between thirty-one and thirty-six weeks if possible. If you cannot schedule your pregnancy photography shoot during this period, ensure that the maternity photographer is kept abreast for you do not want to run out of time during this monumental time, which you want documented.

Prior to the pregnancy photography session, make sure you remove clothing, which contains elastic. Elastic leaves marks on your skin, which will most definitely show up in pictures. If you forget this fact do not worry, the maternity photographer will more than likely remind you of such before performing the maternity portraits.

Do you want to wear your clothes during the photo shoot? Do you want to show your skin on the photos? If you want someone else to be present in your pregnancy photography session, both of you must choose clothing that will not take away from the photo shoot. Keep in mind that your stomach with your unborn child cradled inside is the main subject of the photo shoot therefore, jewelry or bright objects should be left off until the photo shoot is over.

Discuss with your maternity photographer what you should wear during the photo shoot. Some women choose to pose topless or even naked. If you are uncomfortable with this, you can wear clothing that shows off your belly.

Keep in mind that these portraits are going to be pregnancy portraits so you are allowed to bring some items with you, which you have purchased, for your unborn child. Most maternity photographers will have some items present at the photo shoot if you do not have your own items or if you merely forgot them.

During your baby portrait photography session, you will want to avoid placing lotions on your stomach before the maternity photographer begins the session. The lotions will cause light to bounce off your belly during the photo shoot but you can moisturize other parts of your body if you want to.

Lip moisturizer will be a great addition to your face during the photo shoot. Allot ample time for your pregnancy photography session. You do not want to rush the maternity photographer through the photo shoot. Most children photographers are use to taking their time with photo shoots. Performing these photo shoots are more times to none a one-time deal and cannot be re-shot. Enjoy yourself while documenting this very important time in your life as well as your unborn child. If the maternity photographer performs a great job for you and your unborn child, he/she very well may become your maternity photographer as well as your family photographer.

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Repair Problem - Broken LCD Screen

You head back to the store with your poor little camera and the guy behind the counter (that knows nothing about cameras except for what's written on the box, and even less about camera repair) tells you it's not worth it to fix it and you should toss it in the trash. You feel ripped off and mad at the camera manufacturer and you toss it out and buy a new one made by somebody else.

There are alternatives, there are ALWAYS alternatives to every problem. Honest! Yes, it may cost $100 to fix your camera, and yes you can buy that camera in the bubble pack on the shelf at W**l M**t (they don't pay my bills... I don't advertise their name, sorry) for less than $100, but what kind of quality do you honestly expect from a $100 camera? Broken/cracked LCD screen.

It was hard for me to choose between a jammed lens and a broken LCD screen but I stuck with LCD for #1 because it's so easy to break your LCD that you don't even have to touch the camera to do it!

The LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) is the view screen on the back of the camera that lets you see menus, playback pictures etc. The LCD is very thin, very fragile, and on many many cameras completely UNPROTECTED! Look at the back of your camera, is the screen recessed slightly or is the back of the camera flat and smooth? If it's flat you have a protective 'window' or 'glass' over the LCD to help prevent damage and breakage. If it's not flat, you have nothing protecting your LCD and should put a good quality LCD screen protector on the camera and NOT those thin, flimsy 'saran wrap' plastic film screen protectors, they are worthless.

Don't leave your camera in your car in summer or winter. Extreme heat can cause expansion of the liquid in the LCD and cause it to 'crack', and on the other side of things extreme cold can cause it to freeze!

• Don't put anything up against the LCD in your camera bag, it will bang against the LCD and crack it (yes, even if it has a window over it, it will break!)
• Don't put your camera in your back pocket and then sit down!
• Don't put your camera in your front pocket and then roll over on it.

The manufacturer will just site impact damage and will refuse the repair even if the camera wasn't dropped etc. Look for a defective camera on e**y (hey they don't pay me to advertise for them...) and make one good camera from the two if you are handy.

Look for an actual camera repair business and not somebody that will send it to the manufacturer and tell you it's $200 and 4-6 weeks to repair. I can't tell you Brand .... Certain SERIES of cameras have 1 or 2 models that are difficult to work on, yet the rest of them are fairly straight forward. How is an LCD replaced?

With most Canon digital camera LCD screens for example (using them as the example because they have the largest market share) all you do is disconnect the ribbon cable for the LCD and the backlight (the light that shines through the LCD and allows you to see what is on the screen) and then install the new LCD. Some backlights need to be soldered to the mainboard of the camera, some do not.

Be careful to not touch the flash capacitor contacts! You will probably throw your camera across the room when it happens. (Yeah, I've done it, I've been repairing cameras for 5 years now so....) We have 'flash capacitor dischargers' and use them every time we open a camera.

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Ways to Improve Your Nature Photography

Photography of nature is a very rewarding hobby or in some cases profession. There is something special about having the creative eye in capturing the mystery and beauty of nature. Here are some tips that will help you improve your photography so you can take better photos.

To have the passion for nature photography one has to have love for nature, as without that passion you may not be able to see the real beauty that is hidden in front of you. Nature loving photographers are able to see beauty in the tiniest of plants and flowers; they can see beauty in the way water ripples in a fishpond.

Always keep your subjects well being in mind. Avoid changing the environment leave things as they are.When photographing wildlife, like birds or animals, remember that it may take some time to get the perfect shot, but you should not be disappointed if you don't get the shot you won't, ,some photographers spend years trying to get exactly what they are looking for. It is recommended that you use an SLR fast shutter speeds camera. This device is good for taking great bird and animal photos. Most wildlife is fast and can disappear quickly. This type of camera can capture sudden movements quickly and can take many repeated photos of you subject in action.

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Canon D10 Vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1Canon and Panasonic

Canon and Panasonic has announced their first shock and water-proof compact camera early this year. If you are still confused which camera is best for you, here you will find some useful information and comparison between the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1 and Canon PowerShot D10.

Both the cameras are waterproof, but if you want a camera that can work around 10 meters underwater, then Powershot D10 would be your best shot. The submarine shaped D10 with its porthole-like screws and bulbous shell expresses that this digital camera is purely made for underwater. Additionally, it contains bigger screw-mouths on every corner for mounting the camera in various underwater grips.

While other waterproof digicam, Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1 can be used up to 3 meters only underwater with a completely different approach. The sleek rectangular slab outline has made it hard to distinguish from usual non-tough cams. Compare to Canon D10, the buttons are smaller and shooting modes can be selected by a thumb dial rather than a dedicated button. Even So, you will lose usability underwater with TS1, it will perform better on land and you must consider that.

Another big difference is that the Panasonic TS1 shoots in the AVCHD format at 720p, where D10 only does VGA videos of 640×480. But the video recording mode of TS1 is not the most polished one, there is a two to three seconds of delay from hitting the dedicated video button to starting and stopping the video and its quite unclear when exactly everything does start. If you are ok with that delay, you will surely love the outstanding HD video mode. Lumix DMC-TS1 is currently seeing a big bug when importing the taken video into iMovie. The featured AVCHD format of TS1 is quite annoying and you might require installing particular codec to import video into your preferred video editing software and then convert it into friendly formats.

Both toughcams are featuring 12-megapixel shooting and have the same CCD sensor size. A difference that really matters is the wider-angle lense of TS1, which is an effective focal length zoom of 28mm-128mm f/3.3-f/5.9, where D10 is only 35mm-105mm f/2.8-f/4.9. Color reproduction through the Leica lens of TS1 is far better than that of D10. Moreover, the TS1 lean to autofocus underwater with greater ease in comparison with D10.

You will always can wipe your digital camera clean from water. So the conclusion is, if you care about form factor, you should go with Panasonic Lumix TS1, Powershot D10 will be tough to fit it into a pants pocket without some serious bulging.

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Photographer - Pass Key Information to Your Clients

The photography industry is competitive. One simple yet effective way to add value to your client's experience with your business is to provide key information on photography session tips. Having this information will help your clients be better prepared for their photo session which will result in a more desirable image.

The following is information that is helpful but often omitted in session preparation communications with clients.

Give your clients some guidance on clothing. As a general rule, when clients dress nicely and yet not in coordination with one another, clients are not as satisfied with the result. Send out an email communications to these clients letting them know that unless they have a specific look in mind, to wear medium to dark tones. Remind them that darker colors make people look thinner. Thus dark clothing is often preferable for full length body shots.

Remind your clients to be careful to make sure clothing fits properly. Clothing that is too large may have unsightly wrinkles or folds. On the other hand, if clothing is too tight it will not hang properly.

Remind your clients that pants and long sleeved shirts are generally preferable (unless you have a specific reason for dressing otherwise). Bare shoulders take attention away from the face.

1. Give your clients some guidance on make-up. Light makeup can benefit men as well.
2. Remind clients to cut their fingernails.
3. If your clients wear glasses, suggest they remove the lenses or visit an eye doctor to borrow a set of frames without lenses.

Communicating these instructions and suggestions to your clients will a photographer add value to her offering.

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Maternity Photography Help

Do you like the idea of maternity photography but don't know where to begin? Below are simple answers to questions about having your portrait taken while you are pregnant.There are three basic options for a location of your photo shoot.

1. The photographer's studio
2. Your home
3. Outdoors - for example, a park or beach

If you are going to be outside choose clothing appropriate to the setting. If you will be photographed in a park wear comfortable, casual clothing. However, if you are going to be photographed in a studio or your own home, then you have more options. There are two popular trends in maternity photography with regard to clothing. Flowing cloth such as a sheet is used to wrap your body in such a way that highlights your belly. Another common practice is to shoot the expectant mom in her pre-pregnant clothing. Of course your jeans won't fit. Folding down the jeans accentuates your belly. Many professional maternity photographers work with you to expose as much or as little skin as you would like in the portrait.

Just as the prices vary from studio to studio, so does the portrait package. It is common for portrait photographers to charge a fee for the session. Purchasing any photographs and/or items is in addition to this charge. The sitting fee covers the time and materials for the photographer to take the photographs. Apart from that you will be offered several different picture packages. Packages can range from a single portrait print to a hard cover bound book and many different sized images.

Be prepared to spend between 1 - 2 hours during your maternity photography session. Having time for the photographer to get to know you and help you to relax and feel comfortable will translate to better portraits.

Getting recommendations from trusted friends is a great start your search for a maternity photographer. Find several different professional photographers in your area and interview them. Ask if they specialize in maternity and newborn photography. Look at their portfolios to get a feel of their style. Go online and compare different styles. Decide if you want a freelance photographer or perhaps you may want to hire a larger studio.

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Wedding Photography

When I talk about creative portraits, I am referring to portrait's that incorporate a creative element and try to to capture the bride and groom in more natural and relaxed way.

Creative Portraits are where you get many of your best shots at any wedding, best meaning the ones the clients are happiest with, and the ones you will later use for your portfolio. Here are some tips to make sure you get the best possible creative portraits.

1. Plan more time for the creative portrait session if possible. This will allow you to experiment more with different poses in different settings. Also it often takes the bride and groom a minute to relax and feel fully comfortable performing the more dramatic poses.
2. If at all possible plan to do the portraits in an outdoor setting or a setting with natural light.
3. Use a reflector, reflectors generally give a much more natural lighting effect than you can achieve with a flash, and are essential for many lighting conditions. It's a good idea to bring a flash too though, especially for sunset shoots.

Shooting Tips:

1. Avoid partial shade, where part of the subject is shaded and the other part is in direct light. Under these lighting conditions it is impossible to expose the shot correctly for both the shaded and fully lit regions. Shooting under these conditions will either result in overly dark shadow regions or over exposed highlight regions.
2. If you are shooting in full sunlight then use a reflector (or a flash) to fill in the shadows.
3. Pick your backgrounds carefully, look for a final composition that is not just good but spectacular. To achieve this you may need to use a longer lens so that you can emphasize objects that are further in the distance. If you are having trouble finding an outstanding background then a good fall back is to reduce the depth of field and go for a very blurred background. The depth of field is definitely something to play with, just like using a long or short lens using different depths of field will give you more control of exactly which background elements are noticeable in the final picture.
4. Try to create drama in your photographs using either diagonal or circular shapes and motion. Do this either by choosing certain background elements or by having the bride and groom posed dramatically. Having the bride lean back while the groom holds her is a good way to add a diagonal element. Having the groom hold the bride while spinning her around will add circular motion.
5. Consider the placement of the bride and groom and the negative spaces they create when set against your chosen background. Generally you don't want them slap bang in the center of the picture, and you don't want to much or to little space above or below them.

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Bridal Boudoir Photography - First Timers

B-pics are the newest gift for grooms , hot trend amongst brides-to-be , keepsake for loving couples and entertainment for single girls who just want to strut their stuff in front of the camera.

What are b-pics?
B-pics are professional boudoir pictures. Inspired by the 1920's, through the 1960's, young brides are hoping to look like glamour girls of the past. Bettie Page, Marilyn Monroe, Bridget Bardot, are just a few of the more popular icons of the times.Professional boudoir photographers are in high demand as the trend for B-pics rises around the world. B-pics are intended to capture the beauty of the female body , female attitude and sexy energy that is within all women. They are intended to seductive, romantic and sexual in nature. Some B-pics may be classy while others can be much more revealing and naughty.

What's the big deal about B-pics?
The best thing about boudoir photographs as a gift to your boyfriend, lover or husband is that a girl has the opportunity to have professional hair and makeup, professional lighting, professional photography and editing. It's a chance to look like a super model and give the boudoir photographs to your significant other. Many girls are even taking these B-pics for themselves. With social networks like MySpace and Facebook, girls can post their sexy boudoir pictures online for all of their old friends to envy.

What to expect at a boudoir photo shoot?
Many boudoir photographers work out of small studios, home studios or will travel to your location. Depending on the boudoir photographer you choose,

1. Cost-the cost for profession b-pics can range from $300-$900 for a session.
2. Hair and Makeup-The session generally includes hair and make up, 3-4 outfit changes, professionally edited photos and a cd or prints of the top 20 pictures from your boudoir photo shoot. don't be shy.
3. Outfits-Once you arrive to the photo shoot, you will need to have your outfits with you. Most boudoir photographers do not provide outfits, simply because it would be too difficult to keep an inventory of various sizes and styles available. The photographer will want to see the outfits and start planning the shoot.
4. How Long it Takes-The shoot can take anywhere from 2 hours to 5 hours depending on how many looks you paid for in your boudoir or bridal boudoir package.after your first hair and make up look is complete you will need to get into your sexy little outfit. Many girls go topless, some go naked. It may seem that many of these girls are professional models, because their b-pics look so professional. This is when you have a good boudoir photographer. The right lighting, the right angles and good editing can make you look like a super model.
5. Poses-If you have the right photographer, you will be guided and instructed about posing for your boudoir photos. There are pinup poses, bedroom poses, outdoor poses, laying down, standing up and cupcake poses. It is always best to browse photo galleries online before your boudoir photo shoot to see the type of poses that you feel are attractive. You should also practice poses in your own time before your photo session begins. this helps you to become comfortable and confident with your different looks.

Where to find a boudoir photographer?
Many boudoir photographers are going on tour to take pictures in different states. One famous boudoir photographer by the name of Beth Cocuzzi has tours in San Francisco and Las Vegas Regularly. While her home studio is located in Huntington Beach, ca. , many girls can't afford the flight. Many wedding websites like project wedding, the know and wedding bee have forums where girls discuss their personal photo shoots and share their experiences.

How to book a boudoir shoot?
Always be sure to reserve your day with a boudoir photographer at least 30 days in advance. Especially during wedding season, it is recommended to reserve your boudoir shoot 60-90 days in advance. You should always expect to give a non-refundable deposit to reserve your day.

Last but not least, bring a friend and have fun. If you are having fun with your boudoir photo shoot, the camera will love you. If your B-pics come out amazing, many girls get them professionally bound into leather photo albums called photo books. this is a great way to keep your pictures safe throughout the years.

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Make a Website With Photos

The internet has made the world smaller. It has become easier to communicate, be in touch and keep in touch with people around the world. In short, the internet has made the world we live in into a global village, where everything we want is ready at the click of a mouse or a touch of a keyboard. Innovations abound and improvements are made almost on a daily basis.

With the internet came websites. Companies big and small have them. Buying a domain, making a website and maintaining the website has become easier too, thanks to the advent of software and better technology. Websites are not limited to companies, businesses and organizations. People like you and me can have a website too. Even if you have minimal knowledge in applications like HTML and CSS, there are tools available which enable people who are "technically challenged" to create their very own nook in the web.

One of the easiest ways of making your own website is through programs that area web gallery generators. In other words it makes a website out of photographs. There are of course websites like MySpace and FaceBook which are social networking sites that enable users to personalize their very own space and make it their very own. However, unlike these social networking websites where only members can view and access your photographs, these programs and software take it even further by making you totally in control of your photo gallery. Sure, MySpace and FaceBook and other web 2.0 companies offer easy to make web based websites but these companies also control your input, photo sharing opportunities and other services. When these companies go off line or out of business, your data can be lost. This is the price to pay for the free services these companies offer.

The service offered by these companies and websites is not limited to photographs. Other options like sound and audio are available. Clients and users can do voice overs or narration or opt to put in sound effects in their websites. Video and text captions can also be added and uploaded. Another option is to arrange photos in a slide show for easier viewing purpose. A very cool function is geo-tagging where users are allowed mark photo locations on Google Maps.

And because the client has total control over their websites, they can be customized via a custom HTML editor where widgets and other tabs and themes can be added to the site. If all of these seem overwhelming especially to first time users and to those with little or no background in web design, there is a custom editor where ready made themes are easily uploaded with minimal effort on the user's part. Links for the header and footer can also be changed as well as navigation bar options.

Clients can also make money from their gallery. Google AdSense and other sponsored searches can be displayed. If clients want to sell their pictures, PayPal and a buy button can be integrated as well.

With services from companies like these, it is now easier to be in control and stay in control. If you are tired of people making money out of your pictures, then look no further. With this kind of technology, you can make money by creating your own photo website, be protected and stay in control of your photos and pictures.

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Get the Best Portrait Lens For Your DSLR

I get asked a lot about what cameras and lenses the portrait photographer should be using. And while I'm a true believer that any lens can be a portrait lens, what we're looking at here is trying to find the 'ideal' lens that should be the first one you reach for when doing portrait work. So what we'll examine here is the 'why' behind the lens of choice for the majority of portrait work. This is a lens that will routinely work in a variety of situations and produce outstanding results. Let's get starting with some of the key features to look for in your choice.

1. FOCAL LENGTH
This is always step one. A good starting point is to take the diagonal measure of the film or sensor your camera uses and multiply it by two. For example, the film diagonal of a medium format square camera is about 80mm. The diagonal of the film is used to determine the focal length of a 'normal' lens. I believe the reasoning is that a lens of that length gives us a 'normal' perspective when made to 8 x 10 and viewed at arms length, but don't quote me. In the above instance, a typical lens length for portraits is 160mm. And it seems that all makers of square format lenses just happen to make a 150mm lens that all portrait photographers own. Translating that to the 35mm format, we'd come up with a 100mm lens, and it also seems that for years 35mm camera makers have made a 105mm lens. Coincidence? I don't think so.

Now you can see that if we look at the 'perfect lens' for digital, our sensor size must be taken into consideration. If it's a full frame camera, then we can use the same thinking that applies to the 35mm format. If the sensor is only half the size or less, that must be taken into consideration. For example, the Nikon D 80 camera chip is about two thirds the size of a 35mm frame, so the lens 'conversion factor' compared to 35mm is 1.5. That means that a 100 mm lens on a 35mm camera becomes a 150mm lens on a camera with a 1.5 conversion factor. Now that I've taken the time to explain the relationship between film or sensor size and focal length, let's just stick with 35mm format and you can do your own interpolating later depending upon what camera you own.

Now that that's out of the way, what's the reasoning behind the longer than normal focal length for typical portraits? There are actually a few reasons for it. First, there is perspective. The perspective you have in a photo is dependent upon how close you are to the subject, not the lens. Take a few images on a tripod of the same subject and keep changing the focal length. While some images will have more in them than others, the perspective remains the same. However, to include the same subject at the same size means moving the camera. Walk up to a friend, get two inches from his nose, close one eye, and look. You're seeing what a wide angle sees in close. Back off six feet and look through a paper towel tube, there's your long lens. So a longer than normal lens allows us to keep some distance between ourselves and our subjects, giving us a pleasing perspective. And by keeping that distance, our subject is also more comfortable than if we shove a camera up his nostrils, so the longer length now accomplishes two objectives - a pleasing perspective and subject comfort.

Now we're going to throw in another nice feature - angle of view. The longer the focal length, the narrower the angle of view. For example, a 28-200mm lens has an angle of view of about 74 degrees to about 12 degrees. Naturally, the longer the lens, the less is included in the image, and the easier it is to isolate your subject on a background and crop out distracting elements. Is this all starting to seem quite logical? Good, let's look at some other factors.

2. LENS SPEED
In studio portraits, lens speed is usually not that critical, since you may be shooting at f/5.6 or smaller. Outside, on location, and for weddings, you want the fastest lens you can get. No matter what your shooting aperture, it's always nice to have it as bright as possible so both your eyes and the camera can focus better.

3. ZOOM LENSES
It used to be that prime focal length lenses were much better than zoom lenses because they don't have to make the many compromises needed in the design of a zoom. While that's still true, lens technology is now so advanced that the gap is very tiny. So in practical terms, a quality zoom will fit the bill for most photographers. A zoom offers many focal lengths and allows you to crop the image in camera so that you can maintain optimum image quality. One other note, if at all possible, try to buy a lens that is a continuous f/stop as opposed to those that vary with focal length, it will make your life easier and your exposures more accurate when manually metering.

4. OTHER FACTORS
Here are a couple of other factors to consider in your search for the perfect lens. Based on my limited testing, if you're digital, buy the lenses made for digital cameras. Film and sensors do not focus the same way, I see a considerable difference using digital lenses. Another consideration is the blade shape of the lens diaphragm. Some are designed to make more of a circle, so your out of focus highlights assume a pleasing, circular shape. Also, a Vibration Reduction lens will cost you more but also allow you to shoot handheld about two stops more than the standard issue. If you do mostly outdoor and location portraits, I'd suggest it.

5. THE PERFECT LENS
Taking all of the above into consideration, I'll take a couple of stabs at the 'perfect' lens. For 35mm and full frame digital, there are 70-200mm f/2.8 lenses with VR that seem pretty close to perfection. There are also 55-200mm digital lenses that have variable apertures, pick them if cost is an issue. A shorter and lighter lens, like a 28-75 or 80mm, is nice to have when you are working in tight quarters or when the weight of the longer lenses becomes an issue. On my wish list for the future? A 50 to 300mm VR f/2 lens that you can throw in your pocket and buy for $400. Read this three years from now and you probably won't thing it's so ridiculous!

6. SHOOTING F/STOPS
While the lens you use has f/stops from about f/2.8 to f/22, for portraiture you'll probably settle on a couple of favorites. Since not all of you have studios, let's look at how you'll be shooting outdoors.

My zoom lens goes to f/2.8 but most of my shooting is done between f/2.8 and f/5.6. I find that these apertures will in most instances give me the 'look' I want. They are open enough to throw backgrounds out of focus, but small enough to keep my subject in focus.

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Tips to Check Your Digital Camera

Digital cameras have become essential equipments in everyone's life. It has to be handled with utmost care and concern. As it is a precision equipment, proper maintenance alone can sustain its life. By following some simple tips, the working life of digital cameras can be maximized.

It is always recommended to clean your equipment before every time of operation. You can use a lint cloth or muslin cloth for this purpose. You can also use a soft brush to remove the dust particles accumulated in the memory card slot.

The most sensitive spot in the digital camera is the lens. It has to be cleaned with utmost caution and safety. Any stain or spot in the lens may affect the quality of the image. So, it is essential to clean the lens whenever needed. Never use a paper napkin or paper towel to clean the lens. It is always safe to use fiber cloth or soft brush to clean the lens. Also use Drawcircle professional lens cleaning paper.

Keep your digital cameras away from direct sun light as it may affect the sensitive parts. Keep your camera in dry place that is free from electromagnetic radiation. Avoid high temperature as it may spoil the circuit board. It is not advisable to operate in low temperatures. Keep the cameras away from water and other liquids. Accidental spillage of such liquids may result in dysfunction of the camera. In case of contact with water, remove the batteries immediately and wipe with a dry cloth and blow hot air throughout the body. After a few minutes, reload the batteries and switch on the camera.

Always carry the digital camera in a safe carry case. This may avoid jerks and shocks to your cameras. Mountaineers can always use a specialty carry case. Care should be taken to the LCD screens. You can cover with a scratch guard. It can be wiped with a dry cloth. Avoid direct contact of the screens with your hands as excess pressure may result in malfunctioning or improper display of the screen.

Memory card should be compatible with your memory card slot. Any mismatch will result in undesired result. Clean the slot with the help of a brush or with an air balloon. Never use damaged cards in to the memory slot.

Batteries are the inevitable parts of your digital cameras as they give life to your cameras. Most of the digital cameras are powered by rechargeable Li-ion batteries. Never leave the batteries in the gadget for prolonged time. Sometimes the batteries may explode due to short circuiting or accidental discharge. This may harm both the user and the gadget. After using your digital camera, it is always safe to remove the batteries from the gadget. Always store the batteries in dry place.

Care should be taken while transferring the files from your camera to your computers. Improper earthing may lead to short circuiting of your digital camera. Never try to disconnect your device while transferring files from your digital cameras to the computers. Virus or malicious program may corrupt your camera's memory system. So, make sure of this stuff every time you transfer your file.

Beyond everything, it is necessary to service your camera in your nearest authorised service center once in a year. This could increase the efficiency of the camera. Above all, it is always better to handle your camera on your own so that you may not encounter any unnecessary problems. Do not permit novices to operate the gadget. If you follow the above simple tips, you can maximize your camera's performance and longevity. This will not only increase the stability of your camera but will also give you a new dimension to your digital photography.

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Three Basic Photography Tips For Beginners

Beginners in the world of photography make many common and similar mistakes. Many fail to expose the image properly and continue to do so after even intermediate level. Focus issues are a major topic for novices as well. This article will give yo three basic photo tips for beginners.

1. Get a Subject
So many people take pictures of what they see as beautiful they fail to look at the subject. In general, the simpler the subject the easier to photograph. It's really not difficult to take a shot of a palm tree.

Even so, many beginning photo enthusiasts still make errors with the background. The solution: find main object of interest and keep the background simple. This can involve using a large aperture and having a shallow depth of field or simply moving the camera so the background is only blue sky.

2. Use Depth
Photos are two dimensional representations of the three dimensional world. In essence, taking an image turns the real world into a flat picture. This can lead to some pretty boring shots. The solution: use depth. Depth can be as easy to make as changing the camera angle. Example: instead of taking a pic of two people standing directly in front of a wall facing you, move so that the wall creates interesting lines and depth.

3. Wait the light
The best time to shoot is during the early morning sunrise or late afternoon sunset. The reason is because the light is absolutely beautiful. It's rather hard not to take a good shot during this time. Trees have more depth, mountains look more mystical, etc. By waiting a few hours for the right time, your photos can be changed from alright to great.

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