Digital Photography Tips - Using Depth of Field to Take Good Pictures

One of the best digital photography tips involves something know as depth of field, or bokeh. This is where part of the photograph is in sharp focus while the rest of the image is out of focus, or blurry. This technique adds lots of interest to a photograph by separating the main subject from the photograph and drawing the viewer's attention right to the area of the main subject. The blurred background does not compete for the viewer's attention.

You can do a couple of things to create an image with satisfying depth of field. One way to accomplish good depth of field is to separate the main subject far enough from the background so that the background is not in focus. For instance, if you are photographing a person, just have them move toward you and away from the distracting background.

Another technique is to use a telephoto lens with a wide open aperture. This sounds a little techy, but it is not really very complicated. Here's how it works. Use your telephoto lens set to a higher number, such as 100mm or 200mm, and set your aperture to a lower number, such as f2.8 or f4.0. The lower the number, the less depth there is in the focus. In some cases, there is only a depth of focus of an inch or two. As the f-stop rises, so does the focus depth. So, if you take a photo with your aperture set to, say f9.0, you will get much more detail in the background because there is a "deeper" focus range.

If you own a point and shoot camera, you may have a creative setting that will help you to limit the depth of field to create this interesting separation of the subject from the background.

Getting better pictures takes practice. Cameras are getting more intuitive all the time, but if you don't know what you want before you press the shutter, that is exactly what you will get... a surprise. Sometimes it is a good surprise, but if you decide to take control of the setup, you will get consistently better output.

Continue to study and learn about how to take good pictures, and you will reap the benefits. There are more digital photography tips all over the Internet. One really good way to learn about photography is to join a photography club in your area. For more tips and hints about taking better pictures visit http://www.betterphotos123.com.

Best Creative Photography Tips Using a Digital Camera

There are no definite rules in photography. In fact, it is another form of art where you are free to express yourself and your thoughts. But creative photography is a different thing. Creativity may be natural to you or you can acquire it through practice and patience. With today's digital world the possibilities are endless. You just have to explore it to gain more knowledge and experience.

Get to know your camera. Being creative starts with knowing your resources, and studying them carefully in order for you to later on be able to bring out only the best. If you know very well the settings of your camera, you will know how to handle it and you will know which ones will work best for whichever thing it is that you are interested in. you can only take good pictures if you know how your camera works and if you master its settings. If you need to study the manual of the camera, then do it. Learn how to manipulate the flash, the zoom and the other light settings.

Be alert with your camera. Always make sure that your camera is with you. When you go to places, attend events, or even during your random everyday activities, you should always take with you your camera. Spur of the moment shots can be taken in places you don't expect them to arise. You just have to be ready to take a shot anytime you see something interesting or whenever you find something worth clicking. Example, when you are traveling, along the way you will see a lot of beautiful sceneries. If you have your camera ready, you can take shots randomly while you are in transit. Or when you attend events, you can take stolen shots of your friends while they are having fun. Captured moments are the best.

Take advantage of the natural light. Light in photography is one of the most important aspects as it gives life to photos. Pictures would look more realistic, more natural, when you make use of natural light while it is there. You can even use natural light to experiment on your shots. You can play with the light to incorporate different styles in your photos.

Manipulate your subject if you can. Things can become more creative and interesting when they are unusual. So if you have selected something to be your subject but would like it to be more unique, you can do things to achieve what you want. You can set-up your subjects in such a way that pleases you. For example, you can set-up a photo shoot, if your subjects are persons you can give them instructions on what to do, or you can change or put something on the background. Know what would work best to result to creative photography.

Use Photoshop to tweak or enhance your photos. Sometimes the photos that you take need more enhancements. Although pictures look good when they are raw, if you are into photography you should also learn how Photoshop works so you can enhance your shots further if you need to. If example if you want to enhance the lighting, or if you want to improve the colors, sharpen, or blur, Photoshop can do the job.

Creative photography is a result of many different processes. You should bare in mind that the more effort you give into the photos, the more creative it can become.

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Using the Space in Your Photos - Digital Photography Tips

Digital photography has lots of different components to it. There are the technical parts and the compositional parts. And in these compositional parts there is another part...the space. Space is something that can make or break a photo when used. You can use it to take much better shots. This article will show you digital photography tips for using space right.

What are these different types of space?

There is, first off, negative space. This basically is all the space that is around the subject you are taking a picture of. All of your photos have negative space. Many people think of the space around the subject as unimportant but this is wrong. Using the negative properly can make for much more interesting shots.

For example, most people take shots and isolate the subject to a blank background. This makes the shot simple and more compositionally sound. However, a blank background does nothing to add more meaning to the photo. It in no way helps define the message and concept of the photo.

Using negative space properly can make for much better shots. Proper use of this space can make your photos much more powerful and captivating. For example, if you have a photo of a person praying behind a blank background it'll look fine. However, put the subject behind a war field or a church and the surrounding space adds more meaning.

Positive space is also important. This is the space that comprises of the subject of interest. You can use lots of this space or a little. Using a photo that is mostly positively spaced will make the subject look much closer and intimate. A shot with little positive space will make the subject look less important and less powerful.

The space of your photo is very strong. Practice and you will start seeing that this is true.

Al Sanez has a Free Photo course that teaches beginners digital photography tips He also has a Digital Photography Guide

Tips for Using Patterns in Photography

"tuscan magic" captured by David Hobcote (Click Image to See More From David Hobcote)

Patterns are basically just repeated shapes, objects or colors either ordered in precise formations or just random designs scattered across a scene. The important thing about patterns is that they create images that are very pleasing to the eye and add a new dimension to your photos.

Patterns can be found everywhere in our world, from natural forms to our urban and industrial environments. Use them effectively in an image and you’ll create a photo that is dynamic and attracts the eye to the main subject or focal point. It will help you learn digital photography in interesting ways. There are two ways to look at patterns. Take a bird’s eye view and look down on say a car park where you’ll see predictable rows of vehicles. Then the other way is to get in closer and look for not so obvious patterns like tire treads and grill patterns. If you really want to be successful in shooting a pattern make sure that you fill the whole frame so that the pattern extends form edge to edge.

So what are the most effective ways to use patterns in your photography? Here are a few ways.

These are easily identifiable and make really outstanding images especially when there is a lot of color involved. Rows and rows of soldiers in red jackets make up a really great pattern formation. Be sure to try different angles and viewpoints to get more interesting shots. Regular patterns are made up of ordered rows of geometric designs or other objects of the same shape and size. Office blocks made up of rows of windows, rows of trees in an orchard or even a honeycomb.

These form an interesting image just by the irregular nature of the pattern. Objects that are randomly placed in a scene but fairly close together still reveal a sense of repetition. For example, a sky full of parachutists with colored parachutes above them or the leaves on a tree or even a forest floor with a carpet of leaves or acorns. None of these have regular patterns but they are still identified as patterns. Again by filling the frame edge to edge you will emphasize the actual pattern and contain it with great effect.

"Mystical Forest" captured by Jim K. (Click Image to See More From Jim K.)

This is an interesting one and you’ll often see it in a wall of say an ancient building where different additions have been made. The regular pattern goes in one direction and changes as a new addition of bricks or tiles has been added hundreds of years later. Brick paving leading up to a tiled wall will reveal a contrast between two types of patterns. Sometimes you’ll see this with the old and new as in a stone wall with a corrugated metal structure behind it.

Picture this. A tray of thirty eggs all uniform in color and size with just one egg that has been broken revealing the bright yellow yolk. The uniformity of pattern is interrupted by the single broken egg. This doesn’t weaken the patterned effect as you would think but strengthens the overall image quite dramatically. These are created pattern breaks, but, by looking for them occurring natural is the challenge. For example, the field of red tulips in a Dutch field with just one yellow flower growing in the middle, or, a row of cars at factory storage facility with one color breaking the pattern. A fun experiment is creating your own pattern breaks with shells on the beach or acorns in a forest. You don’t have to have an object that is different to the rest. I shot a great image of a tiny shoot of a baby pine tree pushing its way through a carpet of brown pine needles. The green shoot contrasted against the brown needles and made an outstanding image.

"Shadows" captured by Ian Clark (Click Image to See More From Ian Clark)

As you learn digital photography, the idea of using patterns creates an opportunity for seeing with your photographic eye. Look for patterns within patterns as with the car park I mentioned earlier. Taking the time to see is vital when trying to create a great image. You will often find that in getting closer and looking for detail you’ll often spot a unique pattern opportunity.

About the Author
Wayne Turner has been teaching photography for 25 years and has written three books on photography. His website can be found at 21steps2perfectphotos.com

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