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Photography Tips
When Should You Publish Your Photograph?
Publishing your photographs can be as simple as uploading it to Facebook for all your friends and family to see or as complex as having it printed in a magazine, book, or newspaper. The question of when you should upload your photograph to a social network or media outlet all depends on the ty[...]
Great Photographs – Don’t Settle for Subpar
Creating the "perfect" photograph is not always as simple as pointing your DSLR at the subject, dialing in the correct exposure, and presto you've got exactly what you want. No, sometimes it takes thirty minutes of chasing your subject around a freaking garden while getting an even sunburn and[...]
Feeling Your Colors – Composition
The aqua color of the door represents emotional healing and protection. Color evokes a number of emotions in humans (unless you're color blind... I'm sorry), it's no wonder companies spend hundreds of thousands of dollars doing research to see what colors will influence potential customers to buy[...]
Using Flickr to Critique Your Photography
There are a number of ways to get some feedback on your photography. Facebook, emailing friends, family, and of course Flickr. Flickr is probably the best and worse way. Family, friends, and Facebook are typically terrible. You aren't likely to get a message from a family member or f[...]
Pyramid of Composition
When thinking of composition the mind jumps to "the rule of thirds" or "leading lines" and for some of the more experienced photographers that is just the base of the Pyramid of Composition. There may not be a real pyramid of composition, (I am pretty sure I just pulled that out of thin air) b[...]
Zoo Photography
First Photography Trip to the Pittsburgh Zoo User Submitted Article by: Becky DeSantis A couple weeks before meeting a friend for a photo day at the Pittsburgh Zoo, I looked on line to see what hints there were for taking good shots. These pages were perfect and I strongly recommend reading them[...]
The Dirty Little Secrets to Making Professional Looking Photographs
Pittsburgh Reflections (ISO 200, 23mm, f/14, 25 sec) Photography is fantastic, it can be the most rewarding hobby and profession for some. While for others it can be disappointing and frustrating when your images don't look like the ones you see on the internet or in the magazines. The trut[...]
Quick Tip – Light Trails
ISO 200, 23mm, f/9, 26 sec. Light trails not difficult to capture if you've a camera with manual settings. You don't need a fancy DSLR, some point and shoot cameras are perfectly capable of capturing light trails. The key is your ability to slow the shutter speed sufficiently on your camera.Â[...]
Photo Challenge – Photo Walks
Let's face it, unless you own a photo studio your subjects won't just walk off the street, set themselves in front of your camera, and wait for you to press the shutter. Finding interesting shots can be difficult but they are all around you, you just need to train yourself to see them. When [...]
Using Photography to Tell a Story – A Mystery
The door above was crying out to be photographed as I was walking around the North Side of Pittsburgh one evening, the only problem was the brand new padlock someone used to keep it shut. Geez, didn't they think about all the people who would photograph it? No worries, I instantly thought of[...]
Take Photography to the Next Level – Photo Projects
Photography projects can separate the professional photographer from the enthusiast. Sure, you can be an enthusiast and do plenty of photo projects but you'd be hard pressed to meet a professional photographer who has never done a photo project or ten. Photo projects are what gets you notice[...]
Intentional Obstruction – Unordinary Composition
Typical photographs are free of obstruction with all elements of composition supporting the main subject of interest, generally leading the viewers eyes right to it. Intentional obstruction is exactly what it sounds like, you photograph the scene with an obstruction in the foreground. It cou[...]
Visual Dominance – That’s One Way To Do It
Leaving intentional empty space in a photograph is not something one generally tries to do, not unless you're creating that backdrop for something like a screen saver. Visual dominance is not just for screen savers though, you can use it to emphasize your subject and create more interest. Th[...]
Quick Tip – Revisit Scenes
How often do you revisit a scene that you want to photograph? Is once enough? Do you set up your camera, snap a photograph, and walk away feeling as though you've captured the masterpiece you saw in your mind's eye? Revisiting a scene allows you to view the same scene from a different pers[...]
Quick Tip 119 – Self Evaluation
What do you do with your bad shots? Delete them right away? Leave them in your photo folder to jam up your workflow, never to look at them again? I'm a photo hoarder myself, rarely deleting a photograph in hopes that it will magically not suck next time I look at it. I'm kidding, they ne[...]
